Newborn kitten care isn’t complicated – all running nicely, the queen will be doing a fine job. However, It is vital that you are prepared. and know what to expect.
The Start..
At the start, subsequent to the birth of the kittens, you will see precious little activity from them. They sleep and they drink mothers’ milk – that’s it! The newborn kittens defintely won’t be frisky and pouncing around – they’ll be crawling just as far as their mothers’ teats. You will see plenty of mommy affection being carried out, the queen is likely to be cleansing and nursing her kittens with great attention.
After birth the queen and her kittens will be at their most fragile. The kittens will have their eyes shut for approximatly 5-10 days and then, slowly, they eyes will open. Up until this time, their ears will be folded down and a few days after this, you will see that the kittens eyes are fully open. The kittens are fragile with the eyes closed from birth and their ears folded down. It’ll take some time before the kittens’ eyes open – usually about 5-10 days and a few days after that before the kittens eyes open all the way. The eye coloring will be gray to begin with but the more personalized coloring will happen in about 3 months.
Kittens in Predicament
Cats make for great mothers – generally. There are times, however, their mothering instincts do not extend to all or perhaps just one of the litter (not always the runt either). If this happens, then you will be hard at work, trying to rear a kitten or kittens without the help of the queen. However, your work could come in if she chooses to reject one of the kittens. This does happen and although it is acknowledged that this should be the runt of the litter, this is not necessarily the case. Whatever the circumstance, you are now responsible for that forsaken kitten. It can also take place – not unusual – that all the kittens are left without sustenance if the cat has a health difficulty or is just merely not interested. This is when you are responsible for the entire litter with your newborn kitten care.
Feeding the kittens by hand can be achieved with a dropper or feeding bottle, which are the most effective methods and acceptable cats milk replication is out in the market at your vet, pet outlet or on the web. The common size of a kitten litter is more or less 5 so you might have your hands full.
After 4 weeks from birth, you should start seeing the first signs of teeth. Once the kittens have teeth growth then your nutrition plan can go to small solids of specialized kitten food. Keep an eye on the kittens growth with regular weigh-ins to monitor their health. It is at this instance you can start to feed them small portions of specific food for kittens. Make sure that you weigh the kittens on a regular basis to ensure that they are growing healthily.
The Exciting Stage
Newborn kitten care starts to be less intense after a short while. In the second month the real fun starts as the kittens begin to flex their instincts for play as they start to learn survival. Watching the kittens play will be an endless source of amusement for you although you will be troubled about the drapes and furniture as these become the kittens jungle gyms.
With any moments of great happiness and fun comes a time when it will end. Unless you are looking to keep a cluster of a hundred kittens, the felines will have to head off to new homes. If you have young children then it is advisable to be vigilant in reminding them at all times that their little furry friends will have to leave one day. This is by far the worst part of the procedure and it is challenging not to be attached to these playful balls of fur. If you have children, be mindful to remind them on every occasion you can that the kittens will have to depart one day. If not dealt with properly, this concluding procedure can become extremely upsetting.
The secret to newborn kitten care is not to overthink the process and becopme too fussed over how you nuture them. Cats are animals and are naturally hardy – a look at the thousand of strays out there that survive will tell you that they have strong abilities to manage. However, obviously you want to care as much as is reasonable and ensure that the kittens are healthy. The kittens should be fine. If you are really concerned about them then call your vet for advice. Looking after a litter is not rocket science – your own maternal/paternal instincts will kick in and newborn kitten care will be a relative breeze.
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