Kitten Formula

Kitten Formula recipe

If you're caring for a newborn kitten, it's important to feed the kitten formula that contains the right amount of vitamins and minerals especially for a growing cat.

First of all it is important to determine the age of the kitten in order to choose if it needs to be bottle-fed or can start immediately on soft food:
• 1 - 14 days old - the kitten eyes are closed, ears folded over
• 2 - 3 weeks old- the kitten eyes are open, kitten moves around but is wobbly
• 3 - 4 weeks old - the kitten eyes are open, ears up, can walk around
• 4 - 8 weeks old or older - running around and is difficult to catch
1 - 3 weeks old - will need to be bottle-fed.
3 weeks and older - can be offered soft food, but may need to be bottle-fed.
Feeding Schedule
Age in Weeks/Feedings per day
• 1 week old - needs 6 feedings per day
• 2 weeks old - needs 6 feedings per day
• 3 weeks old - needs 4 feedings per day
• 4 weeks old - needs 3 feedings per day
Note that every kitten is quite individual - kitten can eat more often or less often.
Feeding Instructions
Powdered kitten formula can be obtained in pet shops or at a veterinarian’s office. Also you can easy prepare kitten formula by yourself. Do not give a kitten cow's milk
Necessary Ingredients for1-¼ cups kitten formula:
1 cup of whole milk,
1 large egg,
2 teaspoons of powdered protein,
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast,
110 mg of powdered calcium,
1-day dose of vitamins formulated for adult cats.
You'll also need a mixing bowl, a hand mixer, a saucepan, and a small nursing bottle.

Beat the egg, and thoroughly stir in the remaining ingredients. Warm the formula in a small nursing bottle by placing it into a cup or bowl of hot water. Test the formula on the underside of your wrist to check the temperature. If the formula is too hot, wait until the formula cools down. If the formula is too cold, continue soaking the bottle in hot water. Always be sure to test the formula again before giving it to the kitten.
Never re-use formula that you have warmed. Discard it and use fresh formula for each feed.

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Feeding process

Place the kitten on its stomach on a soft surface such as a towel at a 45-degree angle and let it nurse until it turns the head. Do not hold the kitten's head back. Tilt the bottle up slightly so the nipple is full of milk. He should automatically begin sucking. However, each kitten responds differently. If the kitten isn't willing to suckle open his mouth gently with your finger and slip the nipple in. Do not panic if the kitten rejects to eat the first time and do not squeeze formula into the mouth.
After each feeding it is necessary to stimulate the elimination reflex by wetting a cotton ball or gauze pad with warm water and massaging the kittens anal and genital areas. You should do this after each feeding for about 3 weeks.
If your kittens have any problems you should immediately call your local veterinarian's office or animal hospital.
It is wise to keep a feeding journal on the kitten, to record the time you are feeding and how much the kitten is eating at each feeding to ensure that it continues to increase in amount eaten, and not decrease at any time.
It's also important to weigh young kittens daily and record the data. If the kitten's weight starts to go down or the amount of milk consumed starts to decrease from normal, then this is a signal that something is wrong with the kitten, before it gets severely ill, and you should pay very close attention and consult your local veterinary.

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Kitten Formula

Age in Weeks/Feedings per day

Birth to 1 week: Feed every 3 hours (8 feedings per day)
From 1 to 3 weeks: Feed every 4 hours (6 feedings per day)
From 3 to 4 weeks: Feed every 5 hours (5 feedings a day)
From 4 to 5 weeks: Feed four to five times a day.
A kitten will eat more often or less often, depending on the kitten. If a kitten cries, she is either cold or hungry. A contented kitten sleeps quietly.

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Formula Recipes

Keep all formulas mixed well and kept in tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. Refrigerate any unused formula and make fresh formula if all not used within 48 hours.
Some recipes call for canned goats milk; if you have it readily available it's fine, otherwise canned evaporated cows' milk works well. If the kitten(s) become constipated add 1 drop of vegetable oil each kitten's formula once per day.

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Feeding Instructions

To feed your kitten, use a dropper, syringe, doll's bottle or ideally, a specifically designed nursing bottle, available from most grocery and pet stores.
If you are using a bottle, the size of the hole in the nipple is critical for success. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula dribbles from the nipple, the hole is too large. Use of this nipple may cause choking and formula ending up in your kitten's lungs. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula comes out only after considerable squeezing of the bottle, the hole is too small. Use of this nipple will result in your kitten becoming discouraged and refusing to nurse. The hole is the proper size if the bottle is turned upside down and formula drips slowly from the nipple.
The nipples supplied with a nurser bottle or kits are not pierced. To pierce the nipple, wet it thoroughly inside and out with the boiled, cooled water and then heat a small pin or needle in a flame until it glows red. Quickly pierce the top of the nipple and remove the pin. Test the flow of the bottle and repeat the process if the hole is too small. Rinse the nipple thoroughly with more boiled cooled water, making sure to squeeze some water through the hole.
Warm the formula to body temperature - about 100oF. Do this placing the bottle or dropper into a cup or bowl of hot water or by removing the nipple and warming in the microwave for a few seconds. Shake the bottle well after warming to make sure there are no hot spots in the formula and check the temperature. Test the formula on the underside of your wrist to check the temperature. If it feels too warm or too cold on your wrist, it will feel the same for the kitten. If the formula is too hot, wait until the formula cools down. If the formula is too cold, continue soaking the bottle or dropper in hot water. Always be sure to test the formula again before giving it to the kitten.
Never re-use formula that you have warmed. Discard it and use fresh formula for each feed.
Place your kitten on it's tummy on a soft surface such as a blanket or towel and gently place the nipple into his mouth. Do not hold the kitten's head back, and do not hold him on his back as you would a human baby, because the kitten could aspirate formula into his lungs. Tilt the bottle up slightly so the nipple is full of milk. He should automatically begin sucking. If he refuses to take the nipple, place a little dab of Karo syrup on his tongue to stimulate his sucking response. Pulling back slightly on the bottle will help trigger the kitten's sucking reflex. Never squeeze formula into his mouth as this can cause choking.
Do not panic if the kitten does not eat the first day. He may be more accustomed to his mothers' milk, which is quite rich, and can sustain him for a longer time than replacement formulas. (If he is still not eating after 24 hours, seek veterinary assistance immediately. He may need to be force fed through a tube. Never attempt tube feeding yourself if you are unfamiliar with this procedure. If done improperly, esophageal or stomach damage, and even death can result.)
Allow the kitten to drink the homemade kitteformula until his tummy is slightly larger but not swollen. After the kitten's stomach is full, it is necessary to stimulate him to help his eliminate. A kitten does not have the ability to do this until they are three weeks old. Stimulate by taking a wet, lukewarm, but not hot, washcloth or paper towel and gently massage the anal region in a small circular or back-and-forth motion. In addition, gently massage the kitten's tummy to help release excess gas and improve digestion.

Never overfeed a kitten. Some kittens will eat and eat as long as food is offered to them. When the kitten is three to four weeks old, you can begin weaning the kitten with baby food or canned kitten food mixed with Kitten Milk Replacer.
Kittens should be weighed on a kitchen scale each day and their weight recorded in order to make sure they are gaining. Consult a veterinarian if the kittens fail to gain weight, have diarrhea, continually vomit or sneeze.

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