How to feed a kitten to raise a healthy pet? How to raise kittens How to care for the health and well-being of kittens

Raising kittens is an amazing and important endeavor. Perhaps the local animal shelter has asked you to keep the babies until they are old enough to later give them to new owners. Or maybe you offered your help as a volunteer to an animal protection organization. Caring for young kittens takes time, effort and motivation, and you may find it difficult to let them go when it comes time to rehome them, but all your efforts will pay off when you see the kittens happy with their new homes.

Steps

How to prepare your home for kittens

Choose a room for kittens. You will need a separate room. This should be a calm place where the kittens will feel safe. This room should be dark at night and light during the day so that the natural cycle is not disrupted. Other animals in the house should not have access to this room.

• You may need to take in a mother cat and her kittens. Keep this in mind when agreeing to care for children. The cat will also need care, bedding and food.
• If it is not possible to allocate a separate place for the kittens where they will not be disturbed by other animals, it is better not to agree to take the kittens into your home.

1. Make the area safe for kittens. This means that you will need to remove all things that could harm the kittens. If there is a lot of stuff in the room, remove tables, chairs, shelves and bookcases. Remove all valuables and anything that could harm the kittens. Consider removing beds or other furniture that kittens may be hiding in, as otherwise you may have to search around the room for a long time.

   • Take away all small items: hairpins and elastic bands, small toys, beads. Hide electrical wires. If there are things in the room that you wouldn't leave a small child with, know that they all need to be removed.

2. Make a bed for the kittens. You will need to prepare a bed in which the kittens will sleep, play and where the mother cat will feed them. The bed should have a roof and the area should be private. Line the nest with towels, blankets and other soft fabric.

   • All fabrics should be easy to wash if they get dirty. Kittens will not be toilet trained, so you will need to wash their bed frequently.

3. Provide water and food. Leave food bowls near the bed if the kittens are old enough to eat on their own. It is best to use narrow and long containers so that you can comfortably feed several kittens at once. Avoid using bowls that are too deep as this will make it difficult for kittens to reach food and water.

   • If kittens need to be bottle-fed, ask the shelter if they have bottles and artificial milk, or purchase some from a veterinary pharmacy or online store.

4. Offer kittens toys. Add a few soft toys and feathered teasers to keep kittens from getting bored. If the kittens are already older, you can set up a cat slide for them, as they can play and relax on it for long hours.

   • Toys will keep kittens entertained, and they won't cause trouble in the house out of boredom.

5. Buy toilet training mats and a litter tray. If the kittens are not toilet trained, you will probably need training mats. Place them all over the floor and especially on the cat's bed.

   • You will also need a tray. Buy an open litter box with low sides so kittens can use it.

   How to find kittens

   1. Contact your local animal shelter. Almost all shelters have small kittens and puppies, and your help will be greatly needed. But before you adopt kittens, you will need to make arrangements with the shelter and, if necessary, fill out paperwork.

      • The best time to look for kittens is in the spring, as many kittens are born at this time and end up in shelters. In the spring there are always a lot of newborn kittens in shelters, and their staff will be glad to receive any help.
      • Most shelters require you to be at least 18 years old and have space in your home for kittens. You may also be asked to confirm that you are allowed to keep kittens (if the home is not yours) and that you do not have a criminal record.

   2. Get trained. You may need to receive training from a shelter staff member to know how to care for kittens. This is especially important if you are taking in sick kittens or kittens that are recovering from an injury.

      • Even if you are suitable for the shelter and undergo training, you may not be given kittens right away. It all depends on whether there are kittens in the shelter and to whom they are given first.

   3. Decide which kittens you want to adopt. Ask what kind of kittens the shelter has: kittens with a mother cat or kittens without a mother. Caring for motherless kittens that are less than three weeks old can be very difficult as you will need to do everything for them instead of the mother. If kittens have a mother, caring for them will be easier.

      • If the kittens have a mother, you will need to take her into your home as well. The cat will do all the main work: feed, wash, warm the kittens and help them go to the toilet.
      • If you have not cared for kittens before, it is better to take kittens with a cat for the first time. Without a mother, the risk of kittens getting sick and not surviving will be higher.

   4. Take the kittens home. Bring or ask the shelter for a carrier as you will need to get the kittens home safely. Close the car windows and try to drive as slowly as possible so as not to scare the kittens. When you get home, take the kittens to their room so they can get used to it. Give them a chance to look around and calm down.

      • If possible, take the kittens' bedding and toys from the shelter, as this will make them feel calmer.
      • Before you take your kittens or cat home, find out if they have fleas. If there are any, it is advisable to treat the animals for fleas before they get to your home.

   How to feed kittens

   1. Let mommy cat do everything herself. If the kittens are still with their mother and feed on her milk, let the cat take care of the babies herself. She will feed and wash them so you don't have to do anything. However, you will still have to monitor the kittens to make sure that everyone is getting enough milk and attention.

      • If there is a particularly small kitten in the litter, place it separately from the other kittens so that they do not compete for food.
      • Make sure your cat eats well. Feed her either dry or wet kitten food as long as she is feeding the kittens milk. Kitten food will provide your cat with the protein she needs to produce milk.

   2. Bottle feed newborn kittens without a mother. If kittens drink from a bottle, they need to be fed every 2-3 hours. Before feeding, warm the mixture to 37–38 °C. Wrap the kitten in a towel to secure it and feed it until it is full. The shelter staff will need to explain to you in detail what to do and how long the kittens need to be fed this way.

      • Do not give kittens cow's milk, feed them only with a special formula. The mixture can be purchased at a pet pharmacy or pet store.
      • Remember that very young kittens need to be fed every 2-3 hours, even at night.
      • You can make a 24-hour supply of the mixture, but you will need to store it in the refrigerator. Warm the mixture before giving it to the kittens.
      • When bottle-feeding for the first time, your kitten may have difficulty latching on to the nipple. Take your time, keep trying and make sure that the hole in the nipple is large enough to allow drops of milk to pass through. If all else fails, contact a shelter for help.

   3. Help kittens defecate after eating. If you have very young kittens, you will need to help them empty their bowels and bladder. After feeding, massage the kitten's anus with a damp cotton pad until he goes to the toilet. To make your kitten pee, massage the genital area. This is extremely important for the development of the kitten's internal organs.

      • These actions imitate the behavior of a mother cat, who licks her kittens after eating.

   4. Transition kittens to solid food. When the kittens are 5-6 weeks old, they will need to be transitioned to solid food. You can start giving them wet kitten food and gradually add dry food to their diet. Place a small amount of dry food granules into the wet food, increasing the proportion as the kittens get older.

      • If the kittens can already eat on their own, that's good. Feed them three times a day and let them eat as much as they want. Kittens generally need as many calories as possible.

   How to care for the health and well-being of kittens

   1. If the kittens do not have a mother, keep them warm and washed. Kittens do not yet know how to regulate their body temperature. Usually the mother cat will keep the kittens warm and clean, but if the mother is not present, your job will be to keep them warm, dry and clean. Make sure that traces of feces do not stick to the kittens' fur.

      • You can place a warm electric heating pad specifically designed for kittens in the nest. Warm only part of the nest and cover the heating pad with a cloth. This will allow the kittens to move to a cooler area if they feel hot. Do not use the heating pad on people.

   2. Train kittens to use the litter box. After each feeding (cat, bottle, or solid food), place the kittens in the litter box. The kittens will have to go to the toilet. If the kitten goes to the toilet in the wrong place, pick it up as soon as possible and transfer it to the litter box. Over time, the kitten will learn to use the litter box.

      • Kittens usually learn how to use the litter box on their own or by watching their mother. Keep the litter box away from cat food and keep it clean. Praise your kitten after he goes to the litter box to reinforce the correct behavior.
      • The litter box should be cleaned at least three times a day, and the litter should be changed at least twice a week. Use bentonite litter as it is not as easy to swallow as other types.

   3. Spend time with kittens every day. Take them in your arms more often, stroke them, pick them up from the floor. Play with kittens. The more time you spend with kittens, the more socialized animals they will become and the easier it will be for them to live with people.

Big cats always attract a lot of attention. Such record holders collect a large number of views and likes online. However, not every cat can grow to enormous sizes. Naturally, the sizes depend on the breed. However, in an intrabreed dispute about who is more important, the feeding regime, the food itself and the conditions of detention become more important.

At least a family from Australia believes that it was a special diet that helped their ginger kitten grow into a ginger giant.

The kitten appeared in this family 3 years ago. He was a completely ordinary, mustachioed and shaggy redhead.

And this is what this record holder looks like now. He is almost as tall as a dog.

Of course, Maine Coons and their mixed breeds are large cats. But you can see with your own eyes how large this cat is.

Its extraordinary size was included in the Guinness Book of Records. The cat weighs 14 kg. and is 120 cm long. According to the book of records, he is the longest cat in the world.

So, the recipe for fattening the record holders is kangaroo meat. In addition to dry food for breakfast, the cat has been receiving raw kangaroo meat for dinner since childhood.

Kenguryatina, of course, is a delicacy or simply a rarity in other countries. But for Australia it is a completely common and affordable product. Moreover, it is very nutritious, as the example of the red giant showed.

Instructions

When you bring your baby home, don't be alarmed if he doesn't eat anything. At first, feed him puree soups and other soft foods. Regular food for little ones, which can be purchased in the store, is also suitable. Give preference to liquid canned food. Babies cannot always bite through dry food, because their teeth are still weak.

Start teaching your baby from the first thing in your house. Constantly remind you where to go to the toilet. If the kitten doesn't understand everything the first time, don't despair, it takes time. Gradually, the baby will understand where his business needs to go and will stop dirtying the carpets.

Don't forget about education. If the kitten is clearly mischievous, punish it, but do not beat it. Cats only need the stern voice of the owner to understand that this cannot be done. As a last resort, wave a newspaper in front of the baby’s nose, since cats have been proud since childhood, this punishment will be quite enough.