1/18/2015 HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens

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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittensDrs.Foster&Smith,Inc.

RaceFoster,DVM

EmergencyKittenMilkReplacer

3ozcondensedmilk3ozwater4ozplainyogurt(notlowfat)3largeor4smalleggyolksnowhites

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OrphanKittens:HowtoRaiseThembyJenniferPrince,DVMandRaceFoster,DVM

Drs.Foster&SmithVeterinaryServicesDepartment

Kittensareusuallyorphanedwhenthemother(queen)isnotabletoadequatelycareforherkittens.Thismaybebecauseshecannotproducemilk(aconditioncalled'agalactia')orbecauseshehasbehavioralorpsychologicalabnormalitieswhichpreventherfromadequatelycaringforherkittens.Inrareinstances,themothermayactuallynotbepresentduetodeath,injury,orcomplicationsarisingfromadifficultbirthing.Somekittensmaybeseveralweeksoldbeforetheirmotherbecomesunabletocareforthem.

Successfulrearingofmotherlesskittensrequiresaregularscheduleofappropriatefeedings,elimination,playing,andsleepingallinasafeandhealthyenvironment.Theprinciplesofraisingoneorphanedkittenarenotsignificantlydifferentthanthoseofraisinganentireorphanedlitter.Inmostcases,anentirelitterisorphanedratherthanasinglekitten.Raisinganorphanedlitterinthecompleteabsenceofamotheristimeconsuming,butrewarding.Itisverypossibletohandraiseanentirelitterfrombirthwiththesamesuccessrateascouldbeaccomplishedbythenaturalcaringmother.Tosuccessfullyraiseanorphanedlitteronemustconsider:

NutritionandweaningSanitationTemperatureandhumidityDiseasepreventionNurtureandsocialization

Healthykittensareplumpandfirm,warm,quiet,andsleepmostofthetime.Unhealthykittenshavepoormuscletone,initialhighactivitylevelsandcryalot.Ifnotassisted,theybecomeweak,quiet,andcomatose.

NutritionandweaningIfatallpossible,getthekittenstonursefromthemotherinthefirst12hourstoallowforingestionofcolostrum.Kittensareonlyabletoabsorbtheantibodiesfromthecolostrumforthefirst24hoursoflife.Ifthemotherwillcontinuetoallowthekittenstonursewhilesheismadetolaystill,thatwilldecreasesomeoftheworkloadonthebreeder.Shemaydecideinafewdaysthatsheiswillingtocareforthemandremovetheburdenfromthebreeder.

Ifthequeenisnotabletonurseandcareforthekittens,theywillneedtobebottleortubefedorafosterqueenmaybefound.Queenswillusuallyacceptandnursekittensthataresimilarinsize(notnecessarilyage)toherown.Donotexpecthertobeabletohandletwofulllittersonherown.Supplementationwithabottleortubewillstillbeneeded.

Bottlesforkittensarereadilyavailableandarethepreferredmethodoffeeding.Tubefeedingisbestlefttotrainedindividuals,asthetubemaybeinadvertentlypassedtothelungsandcausechokingwhentheformulaisadministered.Tubefeeding,althoughrisky,iswarrantedinkittensfailingtonurseproperly.Formostinstances,however,bottlefeedingisrecommended.Ifthekittensaretooweaktonursefromabottle,aveterinarianshouldbeconsultedtoreceiveinformationandademonstrationontubefeeding.Feedakittenwhileheisonhisbelly,notonhisback,likehumanbabiesarefed.

Commerciallypreparedkittenmilkformulasarereadilyavailableandarenutritionallybalancedtomeettheneedsoforphankittens.Homemademilkformularecipesarealsoavailable.Thesearenotperfectlybalancednutritionally,butwillsufficeforseveraldaysuntilcommercialformulascanbeobtained.KMRisawellknownkittenmilkreplacer.

Donotsubstitutecow'smilkorgoat'smilkforahighqualitykittenmilkreplacer.Theyarenotequivalent.Donotfeedraweggwhites,asabiotindeficiencymayoccurduetoanenzymeinthewhitepartoftheegg.Theenzymeisdestroyedwithcooking.Honeymaycontainbacteria,whichmaybefataltothekittens.

Whetherusingacommercialorhomemadeformula,only

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makeenoughformulaforonedayoffeedingandkeepitintherefrigerator.Washanddrythebottlesandnipplesorfeedingtubethoroughlybetweenfeedings.Warmthekittenmilkreplacerinapanofwateruntil98100Fbeforefeeding.Mixwellbeforeusingtodecreasetheriskofanyhotareasofformula.

Thekittenswillneedtobeburpedduringandaftereachfeeding.Holdthemuprightoroveryourshoulderandpattheirback.Bottleortubefeedingneedstobedoneverycarefullytopreventaspirationofthesupplementwithsubsequentaspirationpneumoniaordrowning.Substitute23tubefeedingsadaywithbottlefeedingtohelpsatisfythesucklingreflex.Thisshouldhelpdecreasethekittens'tendencytosuckoneachotherpossiblycausingsores.

Thefirst2448hourseachkittenneeds1mlofmilkperhour.Eachday,increasetheamountfedpermealby0.5mluntilamaximumof10ml/mealisreached.Kittenswillneed912mealsperday.Duringthesecondweek,theyshouldbeon57mlperfeeding.Bythethirdweek,theyshouldbestartedonkittengruel3timesadayandbottlefeedingcontinued.Bythefourthweek,theyshouldreceive46bottlefeedingadayplusthegruelshouldbefed45timesaday.Themiddleofthenightfeedingcanbereducedandtheneliminatedoncetheyareeatinggruelwell.Theycanbecompletelyonsolidfoodby7weeksofage.(CaringforNewbornKittensfortherecipeforkittengruel.)Malnutritionisnotuncommoninorphans.Speakwithyourveterinarianregardingthekittens'diet.

Forthefirst10days,weighthekittensdailyatthesametimetomonitortheirweightgain.Then34timesaweekforanother10days.Thecommonfirstsignofillnessislackofweightgainorweightloss.Eachkittenshouldgain50100gramsperweek.By14daysofage,thebirthweightsshouldbedoubled.Ingeneral,ifthekittensarenotgainingweight,theyneedmorefood.Ifthekittensdevelopdiarrhea,theymaybeoverfed.

OrphanKittenFeedingSchedule

WeeksPostpartum TypeofFood

FeedingsPerDay

VolumeofFormulaPerMeal

BodyWeight

1 KMR 912 17ml 100200grams

2 KMR 9 79ml 200300grams

3 KMRintroducesolids 9 10ml 300360grams

4 KMRsolids 7 10ml 350420grams

5 KMRdecreaseKMRinsolids 7 8ml400500grams

6 KMRinbowlsolids 6 * 450600grams

7 WeanfromKMR 3 * 500700grams

SanitationAnewbornkittenisunabletourinateorhaveabowelmovementonhisown.Helacksthenecessarymusclecontroloverthesefunctions.Akittenmustbestimulatedtourinateanddefecate.Thisdutyisnormallyperformedbythemother.Hergroomingorlickingofthekitten'sanalareawillstimulateurinationanddefecation.Orphanedkittensmustbemanuallystimulatedbytheownertoenableurinationanddefecation.Thekittenmustbestimulatedaftereachandeveryfeeding.Fortunately,thisiseasy.Acottonballorpieceofverysofttowelingworkswell.Moistenitwithwarmwaterandgentlyrubtheanalandgenitalarea.Withinonetotwominutesthekittenwillurinateand/ordefecate.Somekittenswillrespondbetterbeforeeatingwhileothersrespondbetteraftereating.Trybothtimestokeepthekittenshealthiest.Keeparecordofeachkitten'surinationanddefecation.Kittenswillneedtobestimulatedinthisfashionuntiltheirbladderandbowelmusclesstrengthen,usuallyby21daysofage.Mostkittenswilleliminateontheirownbythreeweeksofage.

Cleanthekittenandyouaredoneuntilthenextfeeding.Observetheurineandfecesforsignsofillhealth.Theurineshouldbeapaleyelloworclear.Ifitisdarkyellowororange,thekittenisnotbeingfedenough.Donotfeedmoreformulaatonetime,butfeedmoreoften.Thestoolshouldbeapaletodarkbrownandpartiallyformed.Greenstoolindicatesaninfection,andtoofirmofastoolindicatesnotenoughformula.Again,ifthestoolishard,feedmoreoftenratherthanincreasingtheamountofformulagivenperfeeding.Itispossibletofeedakittentoomuch,butnottoooften.Toomuchfoodcausesbloating,gas,regurgitation,andsometimesaspirationintothelungs.

TemperatureandhumidityToremainhealthy,kittensmustbekeptattheproperroomtemperature.Youngkittenscannotconservebodyheatorshivertocreateheat.Supplyingartificialheatsourcessuchasanincubator,heatlamp,warmwaterpad,electricalheatingpad,orspecialelectricalheatedmatsdesignedfornewbornpetswillhelpkittensremainatthecorrectbodytemperature.Regardlessoftheheatsource,itisveryimportantnottooverheatorburnthekittens.Keepathermometerinthekittenareatomonitorthetemperature.

Asimple25wattlightbulbsuspendedoveroneendofasmallboxusuallywillsupplysufficientheat.Keeparoomthermometerunder

thelightsourcetomonitorthetemperature.Heatingpadsneedtobemonitoredcloselyifused,as

1/18/2015 HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens

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thekittensmaybetooweakenedtomoveawayfromthemandbecomeburned.Ifaheatingpadmustbeused,wrapitinathicktowelorsheepskintoprotectthekittensfromburns.

Forthefirstweek,airtemperatureshouldbemaintainedat8590andarelativehumidityof5565%.Overthenext3weeks,decreasethetemperatureto75F.Usecommonsense.Ifthekittensarepiledontopofeachotherallthetime,theyarecold.Ifthekittensarespreadfarapart,theyaretoowarm.Iftheylaynexttoeachother,thetemperatureisfine.

Kittensthatarehypothermic(lowbodytemperature)shouldbewarmedslowlyover23hourstoanormalnewborntemperatureof97F.Anormalbodytemperatureshouldbeobtainedbeforefeedingthesekittens.Smallshampoobottlesfilledwithhotwater,wrappedinatowel,andplacednexttothekittenworkwellandshouldbechangedasneeded.Thekittens'bodytemperaturesareinthe100102degreerangebyabout4weeksofage.

Keepthemoistureinarangecomfortableforhumans.Inahomemadeboxarea,atowelmoistenedwithwaterandplacedovertheboxwillhelpaddmoisture.Neverraiseinfantsinadampormoldybasementarea.Thistypeofstagnantdampnessisusuallycoldandinvitesmildewandrespiratoryinfections.Temperaturecontrolismorecriticalthanhumidity.

Kittensshouldbekeptonasurfacewithgoodtractionsuchasablanketorsheepskin.Thiswillhelpwithdevelopmentoftheirmotorskills.

DiseasepreventionManyorphanedkittensareatahigherriskofdevelopinginfectiousdiseasessuchasupperrespiratorydiseases.Thisisespeciallytrueofkittensthatwereorphanedwithouthavingreceivedanyoftheirnaturalmother'scolostrum.Thecolostrum,whichisproducedduringthefirst24hoursaftergivingbirth,isespeciallyrichindiseaseprotectingantibodies.Colostrumcontainstheantibodies,whichwhenconsumedbythekittens,providesimmunityagainstmanydiseases.Kittensthatdidnotnursefromthequeeninthefirst24hourshavenotreceivedcolostrumanddonothavegoodimmunity.Becauseofthepossiblelackofimmunity,properlyvaccinatingthekittensisveryimportant.Someveterinariansmayrecommendstartingorphanedkittenswiththeirfirstvaccinationsatanearlierage.

TheAmericanAssociationofParasitologistsandtheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionhavemadethefollowingrecommendationsfordewormingkittens:

Inkittens,becauseprenatalinfectiondoesnotoccur,eggexcretionbeginslaterthaninpuppies,andinmostareas,theriskofroundwormsandhookwormsincatsiscomparativelylowerdewormingforkittenscanbestartedeffectivelyat3weeksofageandberepeatedat5,7,and9weeks.

NurtureandsocializationOrphanedorhandfedkittensshouldberaisedtogethertoaidinsocialdevelopment.Theyshouldbepetted,cuddled,andplayedwithbyhumansfor3040minutesadayoverandabovefeedingandcleaningtime.

Kittensneedmentalandphysicalstimulation.Iftheyhavelittermates,theywillstimulateeachotherwhenmoving.Snugglewitheachkittenasyouwakehertoeatandforatimeaftereating.Theyneedthenurturingtothrive.Softstuffedanimalsputintheboxcanoffersomethingtosnugglewithwhilesleeping.

Itisimportantfortheorphankittentohaveinteractionwithmembersofthehouseholdat36weeksofage.Remember,sheisstillababyandmustbehandledwithcare,butyoushouldstarttointroducethekittentonoises,groomingprocedures,newpeople,andpets.Earlysocializationandenablingthekittentofeelsecureinherownenvironmentwillhelppreventmanybehaviorproblemsfromarisinginthefuture.

ConclusionDoesraisingtheorphankittenorlitterseemlikeanenormoustask?Donotworry,thereareexcellentbooksavailableformorespecificinformationonorphancareandveterinarycareingeneral.Withacommitmentoftimeandcare,alittlecommonsense,andsomebasicinformation,itcanbeaverypositiveexperience.Thehappy,healthyyoungcatyouhelpedraisewillbeawonderfulreward.

ReferencesCain,JLawler,D.SmallAnimalReproductionandPediatrics.ProVisionsPetSpecialtyEnterprises.St.Louis,MO1991.

Ettinger,S.F.TextbookofVeterinaryInternalMedicine,3rded.W.B.SaundersCompany.Philadelphia,PA1989.

Feldman,ENelson,R.CanineandFelineEndocrinologyandReproduction.W.B.SaundersCompany.Philadelphia,PA1987.

Fogle,B.TheCat'sMindUnderstandingYourCat'sBehavior.HowellBookHouse.NewYork,NY1992.

ReferencesandFurtherReadingCain,JLawler,D.SmallAnimalReproductionandPediatrics.ProVisionsPetSpecialtyEnterprises.St.Louis,MO1991.

Ettinger,SF.TextbookofVeterinaryInternalMedicine,3rded.W.B.SaundersCompany.Philadelphia,PA1989.

Feldman,ENelson,R.CanineandFelineEndocrinologyandReproduction.W.B.SaundersCompany.Philadelphia,PA1987.

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Fogle,B.TheCat'sMindUnderstandingYourCat'sBehavior.HowellBookHouse.NewYork,NY1992.

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