As soon as kittens, like any other children, are born, they need to feed on their mother's milk. On the first day after birth, the kitten eats colostrum.
But the cat does not always produce milk afterwards. In this case, feeding the kittens falls on the shoulders of the owners.
Making cat milk replacer at home is quite simple - you can rely on yourself, you can buy special food.
Composition of cat milk
Cat's milk contains all the components found in human and cow's milk, but the nutritional properties differ.
Cat milk consists of 70% water, and its fat content is no more than 11%. Human, goat and cow milk has 7% more fat content than cat milk.
Cat milk contains 11% proteins (for comparison, human milk contains 2%, and goat and cow milk contains 4%).
But the milk of ungulates and humans contains a lot of lactose. The composition of non-cat milk is not suitable for kittens. They can be fed with milk other than their own, but they may get sick in the future.
Frequency of feeding
During the first week, babies are fed every 2-3 hours during the day to avoid various diseases and to strengthen the body. Then gradually reduce feeding at night, bringing the feeding interval to 5 hours in the second week. At week 3, when the kittens begin to see, feeding at night is stopped (from 24:00 to 6:00 am). After 4 weeks, they proceed to the feeding process according to the usual schedule.
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The kitten may refuse further food intake due to the fact that he generally eats little. Sometimes this is associated with some kind of disease. If you have any doubts, consult your veterinarian.
If the baby's tummy is large and dense, you should stop feeding after feeding the required portion. The animal may not feel full and therefore continue to eat.
What to feed a kitten if the cat does not have her own milk
The mixture must contain vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
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Complete milk substitutes for kittens are produced by well-known manufacturers of food for adult cats: Jimborn, Trixie, Royal Canin cat milk replacer is in demand, Jimpet and Beafar are also popular among cat lovers.
Royal Canin, Jimpet and Biafar are considered the best. Even photos of packages of cat milk substitutes from these companies already evoke associations with feeding offspring.
And the composition of the mixtures is similar to cat milk - they contain the same breakdown of nutrients as in real cat milk.
Wet food
The main difference between wet food and dry food is its consistency. Wet food can be in the form of pieces of meat filled with jelly, mousses, pates, creams. In terms of their composition, they are almost no different from “dried food”, so cat owners can safely feed their pets only one type of food. What wet food do veterinarians recommend?
Wet food rating
The following brands lead the ranking of the most useful and high-quality wet food:
- Veterinarians unanimously give first place to Innova Evo. These canned foods contain exclusively dietary meat and probiotics. Premium quality does not prevent the manufacturer from selling them at a low price of 95 rubles per 375 grams.
- Schesir. Italian food contains dietary tuna meat and vegetable jelly. It is enriched with vitamins and is suitable for cats of all breeds. Tuna is easily digestible and even the most picky pets enjoy eating it. Low fat content prevents obesity, especially in neutered pets. Veterinarians advise using Schesir to accustom babies to dry food. Dry granules should be added to the jelly little by little, gradually increasing their quantity.
- Animonda Carny Kitten. German canned food best imitates the natural diet of cats. The meat base includes beef, heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and udder, and the jelly is made from meat broth. This food is suitable even for cats prone to allergies. Many people note that wet canned food smells unpleasant, but Animonda Carny Kitten, unlike other brands, smells quite pleasant.
- Animonda Vom Feinsten Baby-Pate. The same manufacturer has food for kittens that can be given from 4 weeks of age. It is made in the form of a pate, making it easy for kids to lick it off. The composition includes meat, fish broth and seafood.
- Brit Care Kitten Chicken. Czech food will appeal to all cats, because it contains a minimum of ingredients. It contains chicken and rice.
- Organix. The list of the best wet canned food also includes premium food produced in Russia. There are no flavors or dyes in the soufflé, only natural meat, broth and offal. This product is a real find for those who want to save money, but do not want to harm their pet. A 150 g jar costs only 40 rubles.
- Almo Nature. Italian holistic food containing meat, vegetables and fruits. Grain-free food is suitable for pets with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.
- Applaws. Dietary food that veterinarians prescribe for animals prone to allergies. The product is enriched with vitamins and minerals.
- Hills. This brand is included not only in the rating of the best dry food, but also wet canned food. The composition is enriched with magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, which a growing body needs.
Advantages and disadvantages
One of the main advantages of liquid food is that it can be given to cats of any age. If a month-old baby cannot yet chew through a hard “dry”, then he will be able to lick mousse or jelly and feast on soft pieces of meat at any age. This product can be introduced into the diet immediately after weaning from mother's milk.
Also, wet food partially satisfies the animal’s daily need for liquid. He does not need to drink as much water as after dry food.
One of the significant disadvantages of wet food is its price. As a rule, they are more expensive than dryers of the same brands. Not every owner is ready to buy expensive treats for their pet so often. The situation is complicated by the fact that liquid mousses and jellies have a limited shelf life. If the kitten has not eaten its portion in a day, then it should be thrown away, while dry food can be left in a bowl for several days.
Not all cats like wet food. Most often they neglect cheap brands, but they may even refuse a super-premium product. If the owner feeds his pet only mousses, jellies and pates, then the cat will need to be periodically taken to the veterinarian to prevent tartar.
Milk recipes for a kitten
If your cat doesn’t have milk or you have a small kitten at home, you can prepare food from condensed milk without sugar. Usually it is 20% fat.
Mix 5 parts milk with 1 part water and add 1 teaspoon of bone meal per 1 liter of mixture.
Using condensed milk
High-quality sugar-free products are excellent as a base for colostrum; bone meal should be added to the heated mass.
- It is necessary to adhere to the proportions of 1 to 1; the finished composition is well absorbed by animals and nourishes them with useful vitamins.
- You can use it at a very early age of your four-legged friend; for feeding, you need to prepare a pipette or a small medical syringe.
- The use of regular baby food cannot be ruled out; people experienced in this matter advise buying the “Malyutka” brand, diluting the substitute according to the instructions.
Newborn kittens
How to make cat milk replacer? In half a liter of regular milk from a store carton, mix the yolk of a raw chicken egg and add 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar without top.
Goat milk and powdered milk are also suitable. It is fashionable to pour 0.3 ml of Tetravit vitamin drops into the mixture.
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Kittens can also prepare the “Malyutka” formula for children, the preparation instructions are the same as on the package for babies.
For very small and weak kittens, you can prepare food according to this recipe: for 100 ml of cow's milk, take 20 ml of an aqueous solution of glucose, you can feed it this way, but it is better to mix in an egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of refined sunflower oil.
Milk can be replaced with Nutrilon infant formula. You can add vitamin drops to the mixture.
All homemade kitten formulas must be thoroughly mixed - they must be liquid and free of lumps. Kittens are fed from a bottle with a nipple with a small hole; if you have patience, it is better to feed from a pipette.
Another option is to give the milk mixture in portions from a syringe (without a needle). The main thing is that the kitten has time to swallow a portion of food.
GimCat Cat-Milk Powdered milk for kittens in packages: 200 g
Ingredients: Milk and dairy products (63.7%), oils and fats (including arachidonic acid - 0.21%), products of plant origin, milk sugar derivative with TGOS (1%), minerals. Additives per 1 kg: vitamin A - 20000 IU, vitamin D3 - 2000 IU, vitamin E - 100 mg, vitamin B1 - 10 mg, vitamin B2 - 10 mg, vitamin B6 - 8 mg, vitamin B12 - 60 mcg, vitamin K3 - 0.2 mg, biotin - 200 mcg, folic acid - 2 mg, nicotinic acid - 80 mg, pantothenic acid - 20 mg, calcium pantothenate - 20 mg, vitamin C - 100 mg, taurine - 1000 mg, choline chloride - 2500 mg , L-carnitine - 400 mg, copper - 5 mg, iron - 90 mg, zinc - 50 mg, iodine - 1 mg, manganese - 5 mg, selenium - 0.1 mg.+ Analysis: Protein - 35%, fat - 27%, ash - 6%, fiber - 0.1%, moisture - 6%, calcium - 0.9%, phosphorus - 0.5%, sodium - 0.4%.
595 RUB – prices at which GimCat Cat-Milk Powdered milk for kittens can be purchased in 200g packages.
Options:
- Age - for a kitten or nursing cat.
- Purpose
To quickly order Gimpet in the online pet store ANYzoo.RU, the “buy in 1 click” function is provided. Additional consultations by phone
This description is not a public offer. Check the expiration date with the operator.
About the rules for storing food for kittens
Kittens can be fed only warm formula, the temperature should be about 39° C. Unfinished formula can be kept in the refrigerator for a day in a clean container.
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The dry mixture should be stored in a cool, dark place away from sources of moisture, and diluted only with boiled water at room temperature, and heated for feeding.
The kitten’s immune background is unstable; its gastrointestinal tract should not be exposed to bacterial attacks. And like a child or kitten, you can cook food only with clean hands.
Features of preparing milk mixture
The preparation sequence for all milk replacers for cats is almost the same. Detailed instructions are already printed on the packaging and, as a rule, they are quite detailed and understandable. We will consider just some of the features of using such mixtures :
- First of all, you should not buy a lot of substitute. As a rule, it is not suitable for long-term storage, and using an expired product is dangerous, since pathogenic bacteria form in dry milk during long-term storage;
- your hands and the utensils in which you will prepare the mixture must be sterile. This recommendation especially applies to newborn kittens, because in the first days after birth, their immunity has not yet been fully formed, and the body is very vulnerable to viruses and bacteria;
- The mixture needs to be prepared exactly as much as the kittens will eat at one time. The prepared substitute cannot be stored in the refrigerator;
- You need to clearly understand how much mixture the kitten should eat. Usually the instructions contain tables that can be used to determine which portion is suitable for the animal. However, sometimes it is necessary to individually adjust the dosage of the formula, since both underfeeding and overfeeding are harmful to the baby. You need to monitor your kitten's feces. If the baby is overfed, the droppings will be slightly runny and yellowish. If the kitten’s stool is normal, and after feeding he does not look lethargic and restless, then he is full, and the portion size is chosen correctly.
About food supplies for a kitten
You should not buy mixtures “in reserve”. The kitten will grow up quickly, no need to buy a large bag of formula.
If you look in stores at how much cat milk replacer costs, it will become clear that it is better to purchase Royal Canin products; the food is packaged in sterile “one-time” bags, they can be purchased for future use, and have a long shelf life.
Owners of a small kitten should purchase a bottle and pacifier in advance, as well as suitable food that replaces the cat's milk.
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DOSAGE
Dosage for orphaned kittens:
- 100 g - 50 ml. milk
- 200 g - 80 ml. milk
- 400 g - 135 ml. milk
- 600 g - 180 ml. milk
- 1000 g - 250 ml. milk
Number of feedings per day for orphaned kittens:
- 0–21 days – 8–10 feedings (also at night)
- Days 22–28 – 6–8 feedings (1 time at night)
- Days 29–35 – 4–6 feedings (1 time at night)
- Days 36–42 – 3 feedings (daytime only)
- Days 43–49 – up to 3 feedings (daytime only)
From day 36, gradually transfer the kitten to additional solid food.
Photos of cat milk substitutes
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Frequency of feeding
During the first week, babies are fed every 2-3 hours during the day to avoid various diseases and to strengthen the body. Then gradually reduce feeding at night, bringing the feeding interval to 5 hours in the second week. At week 3, when the kittens begin to see, feeding at night is stopped (from 24:00 to 6:00 am). After 4 weeks, they proceed to the feeding process according to the usual schedule.
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The kitten may refuse further food intake due to the fact that he generally eats little. Sometimes this is associated with some kind of disease. If you have any doubts, consult your veterinarian.
If the baby's tummy is large and dense, you should stop feeding after feeding the required portion. The animal may not feel full and therefore continue to eat.
What's wrong with a cat - reasons for abandoning offspring
When a cat abandons her offspring, the situation becomes extremely tense, but there is no need to panic in advance. You need to at least try to understand what is wrong with the cat. By eliminating the reasons why the young mother abandoned her offspring, you will save yourself from the need to feed newborn kittens.
If the cat gave birth for the first time, most likely, ignoring feeding is due to stress.
Make every effort to ensure that your pet finds a safe hiding place, invite her to crawl into a closet, under a bed or other secluded place. If the cat climbed into the shelter, lay down and began to purr, act: cover the new nest with soft pieces of fabric, calm the pet down and try to bring one kitten to its face. If the cat does not show aggression, place the baby near the nipples.
The reason why a cat can not only refuse to feed, but also kill her own kittens is postpartum eclampsia. The condition is associated with a sharp decrease in calcium levels in the blood. Postpartum eclampsia is a hereditary disease, but its manifestation after the first birth cannot be predicted.
If you notice that the cat has a fever, there are any disorders of the central nervous system or other alarming symptoms, for the sake of safety, take the kittens away from her.
Immediately after birth, while the body is recovering from stress, the cat may develop insulin shock. The cat falls into a lethargic state due to constantly rising blood sugar levels. The condition can be successfully treated with emergency care, but kittens must be taken away and artificially fed during recovery.
If the cat looks healthy and calm, but ignores the kittens, most likely the reason is their non-viability. This can happen if birth occurs 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, premature kittens most likely will not survive, but you can try artificially feeding them.
