Caring for orphaned, newborn kittens

For different reasons, there are times when a female cat (queen) won’t or can’t take care of her kittens. It then becomes essential that somebody takes charge of their care to optimize their chances of survival. 

They will have to be bottle fed a milk replacer formula (found in veterinary clinics) every 3 hours for the 1st week of life (even overnight), every 4 hours from the 2nd week, every 5 hours from the 3rd week and every 6 hours at 4 weeks of age. 

When they are bottle fed, it’s important not to feed them on their back because milk could get into their airway. It is best to leave them on their belly as they would be if they were nursing from their mom. There are guidelines according to weights for amounts to be fed on the milk replacer label. 

After each feed, you have to stimulate the genitalia area to produce urine and a bowel movement. Use a warmed wet cloth and rub the area gently. This simulates their mother licking them. 

If the mother refuses to be in the presence of her kittens, put them in a box in which a blanket and a hot water bottle have been placed. Make sure the hot water bottle is under a lot a blanket to avoid burns. They can be warm and safe there until 3 weeks of age when they are able to maintain their body temperature. 

Whether the queen is caring for them or not, at 4 weeks of age, you can start offering canned food. At 6 weeks, you can start weaning the kittens one at a time every 24-48 hours. When the last of the kittens has left, you could reduce the amounts of water and food that are offered to the mother in order to prevent milk congestion. 

Kittens can be adopted out from the age of 8 weeks and up. Ideally, they should be vaccinated before they leave (around 6-8 weeks). The other vaccines are a month apart at 12 weeks and 16 weeks.
 
Kittens are normally dewormed from 4 weeks of age then once a month until 6 months of age.