At the beginning of each year, a lot of kittens will come to this colorful world. The cute kittens make many people want to take them home and feed them. Novice breeders have many questions in the process of caring for kittens, so how do we feed them correctly?
Kittens need the mother cat or the owner to help them develop correct behaviors during the growth process, so that they can learn to drink milk, communicate and interact with others, etc. This article will introduce you to kitten care tips, feeding methods, and common problems.
4 tips for caring for kittens
When you see kittens, there are also times when you are at a loss and don’t know how to bathe them. When the kitten first comes to your house, don’t bathe it immediately. This can cause harm to its body, easily make it cold, and even more serious conditions, such as diarrhea.
Keep warm when taking care of kittens and keep their body temperature within 38 degrees. If you feel that its body temperature is low, you can use a quilt to keep it warm. Below we explain some tips for caring for kittens.
1. Daily care
In the first half of the month after the kitten is born, it is necessary to pay attention to daily hygiene when feeding the cat. After drinking milk each time, you can wipe the mouth gently with a wet wipe, as well as the surrounding skin and near the anus to stimulate it to defecate.
In the growth process of a kitten, its weight changes quickly. You can make a table for it to observe its weight, body temperature, behavior, and monitor its growth.
2. Feeding method
Prepare items:
- Wet wipes
- Kitten milk powder
- Syringe
- Toilet paper
Because the kitten’s gastrointestinal function is intolerant to lactose, you should avoid feeding the kitten with milk, otherwise, diarrhea will occur, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.
Feeding milk volume: The temperature of your prepared milk powder should be controlled between 35 and 38 degrees as much as possible. If the milk is too hot, the cat will burn the mouth, and if it is too cold, it will not want to drink it. One week of age, you can feed 10CC, and add 5CC every week to ensure that the cat gets enough nutrition.
Feeding frequency: One week of age, you can feed about 6 times a day, and reduce once every week. When the cat is a month, you can feed it 4 times a day.
Feeding position: When you feed the cat, you should fix it’s head first and tilt it up about 50 degrees, so that the milk can easily enter the cat’s mouth. After you feed, you can help the kitten gently pat the back to reduce the chance of it choking on the milk.
3. Provide a safe environment
The kitten is very unfamiliar with the surrounding environment when it is born, and its recognition ability is immature, so you should provide a safe environment for it, and avoid contact with some dangerous objects, such as sharp objects, small buttons, screws, plants, etc. If it accidentally eats these things, it will easily get stuck in the throat and even damage the internal organs, posing a threat to life.
4. Grooming and checking the cat
The kitten’s ears and nose need to be checked regularly and cleaned of dirt, and the nails should also be trimmed regularly. You need to regularly comb the kitten’s fur with a brush to make it look fresh and cute.
5 common questions about raising kittens
Q1: If the kitten does not drink milk, what should I do?
If you find that the kitten does not drink milk, then you can dip the straw into some milk first, and then drop the milk on its tongue to let it feel the taste of the food. If it still doesn’t cooperate with drinking milk, you can use a syringe to slowly push the milk into the kitten’s mouth, and slowly it will know that this is its food.
Q2: Can kittens bite? What should I do if I get bitten by it?
Whether it is a kitten or an adult cat, biting will occur, and you should correct this behavior during the kitten’s childhood. Some moving things may become their prey, including the owner.
Although the kitten’s teeth will not cause much damage, when it bites your finger, you should make a painful cry to make it aware that this behavior is wrong and reduce the chance of it biting in the future.
Q3: How do I name my pet?
Naming pets is an interesting thing, and each owner uses different information when naming them. For example, you can choose a name based on its personality, breed, adoption season, the name of the food, lucky words for fortune, and so on. When naming them, keep them as simple as possible, so that pets can easily remember their names in the future.
Q4: How to make the cat remember his name?
When you call cats by their names, you need to call them in a friendly tone so that they can feel your kindness. You want it to remember its name the fastest, and the most effective way is food. Every time you hold the food your kitten likes to eat, call it its name, and repeat this operation it will gradually remember its name.
Q5: Do kittens have to drink breast milk after they are born? Can it be replaced by artificial feeding?
Because the colostrum of female cats is rich in nutrients, among which serum protein can enhance immunity, so the first two days after birth, it is best to let the cat suck her mother’s milk. If it really can’t drink breast milk, then you can also feed it artificially. You can go to a store that specializes in cat food to buy special milk powder for kittens, and then feed it with water to ensure that it can get sufficient nutrition.
If you want your kitten to grow up healthily, then you must learn some feeding and cuddling cat methods, and understand what to prepare for raising kittens, precautions, etc. You can also choose to raise an adult cat, so that you can save snacks in the early stage. If you choose to adopt a kitten, you must have patience and a sense of responsibility to let it grow up healthy in a safe environment.