how much should i feed my new born kittens?

Question

my cat had her kittens yesterday she had a cesarian but all four kittens were born healthy. she has not got any milk so i have to hand rear them and im worried they arent eating enough. it says they should have 150ml a day so im trying to give them 10 ml every 2 hours but they rarely have more than 4ml. is this enough? they stop drinking and move their heads away when they are finished is this because they are full? im so worried im not doing whats best but im also worried if i force feed them they might choke. they are also suckleing off mum but i dont think they are getting any milk yet. she was given and injection to induce milk production but i am not sure if she has any yet. how can i tell? thankyou

sometimes after ive fed them and i think they're full they continue to suckle from mum. i dont think they are getting any milk, is this a comfort thing?

i did have her spayed when she had her cesarian.

mum does everything else that she should do but doesnt have the milk. she licks them and purrs all the time. she likes being a mummy cat :oD the vet gave me formula to feed her with.

sorry feed *them* with

also one of the kittens is very yellow. i dont know if this is just the mucas and stuff from the birth but it also has a fish smell about it. is thins just where the mum has been licking it with fis breath?

hi thought you should all know that one of the kittens died. turns out he had something wrong with his palet :o( poor little guy. the other kittens are doing great and mum is feeding them herself now which means i can have a decent nights sleep weeeeeeee. thanks for all your help everyone. you made me feel much better being a first time kitty mum :o) much love x

Answer 1

Ditto to the above poster....

Let them feed until they are done feeding. Burp them too, they will get gas bubbles and it hurts their tiny tummies a lot.

Also do not hold them on their back to feed them, they can and WILL choke. IF fluid gets into their lungs they can and will get pneumonia. It is not pretty.

Also if you see milk coming out of their nose hold them upside down and lightly burp them. Stop feeding for a minute or two.

I have had to GENTLY "suck" the milk out of their noses. It was "drowning" them so to speak. They are small and have small throats and small tummies. Be careful..Get one of those bulbs that suck out "boogers" from sick babies noses.
GENTLY suck out extra milk or phlegm from the kittens nose. To hard of a suck and you will and/or can hurt the kitten by"taking it's breath away".

Also WATCH closely when they suckle off mommy. Do you see any milk at all? Are they suckling and crying or getting irritated because they are receiving no milk from mommy?

Can you bring mommy to the vet to see if she is truly producing enough milk for her kids? Some momma cats do not produce enough and the kids need supplemental formula.

Keep your eyes peeled, so to speak. It can mean life or death for the kittens...


This is NOT addressed to the poster of the original question:

Imagine if this happened in nature, under the porch of some abandoned house the cats/kittens ALL alone to SUFFER and STARVE and possibley DIE...


Now do people see why you need to freaking spay/neuter your cats!? It pisses me and a lot of other people off when seemingly not retarded people do not fix their pets or get them a simple series of much needed vaccines. Especially if they make their cat an outdoor/indoor cat. To NOT treat a cats medical issue is against the law btw..In ALL states.

Also against the law is to knowingly and willingly allow your pet outdoors without atleast a RABIES vaccination!

RABIES WILL KILL the pet and YOU if God (or your version of God) forbid you get scratched and/or bitten by your once healthy, loving kitty. They will die soon anyways after they aggressively hurt you. It is not their fault. The Rabies has gotten into their brain and made them crazy and violent against their will. They feel the pain of the Rabies BTW. They have moments of clarity and they do get "sad" knowing they are suffering beyond belief and it ALL could of been prevented with 1-ONE-UNO- SHOT known as the "Rabies Vaccination"! Poor, poor kitty...One look into the infected cats eyes is enough to make you cry. You will see a glimpse of your "old kitty" that loved you unconditonally and trusted you with THEIR life and you failed! You also see fear and sadness and confusion...It is now a "new kitty" you don't know anymore that has been held hostage till death by the virus known as Rabies..

Don't willingly and knowingly allow a innocent cat to suffer. Are you that cruel and inhumane?

If the cat is sick and you spent its vet visit money on new shoes then you deserve to rot in a cell.

Answer 2

Yes, if she does not feed the kittens, you are going to have to do it. There is a lot to take into consideration, so I would definitely call your vet to work out a schedule and so they can teach you how to tube feed them if you need to. They are going to need to be fed around the clock every 2 hours or so for the first week, and stimulated so that they go to the bathroom. It is extremely important that the kittens at least nurse for a day or two so they get the colostrum from the mother. Newborn kittens that have to be hand fed have a very high death rate, so let's hope that the mother will nurse them. I wish you the best of luck with this. Please, please, get your cat spayed after she has these kittens. There are too many kitties in the world and not enough loving owners. The best thing you can do for your cat is to spay her.

Answer 3

Well, always keep placing them on her to feed because you're not sure yet if she has milk or not. But, there is such a thing as milk for kittens in the pet section in supermarkets and stuff. If you already have the tiny bottles for the kittens than fill them with the kitten milk and manually feed them until you see that the mom can take over.

If you are manually feeding them they will pull away and cry when they're full.

Trust me new born kittens are always eating and they don't give up feeding on the mom until they're satisfied.

For being able to tell if she'll producing milk-
Well I would think that her boobs would get bigger, heavier and the nipples get bigger when she starts producing milk like my cat did.

Answer 4

make them drink the 10mL or almost all of it, otherwise they might die, i hand raise two kittens, they were abandoned by a stray, anyway, i let them eat until they stopped, i thought it was enough, but then one day the little boy wasn't moving at all, we brought him to the vet and they said he was dehydrated and they gave him fluids, they said that he wasn't getting enough milk, after that, i made sure that he got enough, if you have to, let them have a short break if they stop, then give it too them again
you can tell if the mom has milk my feeling around her nipples, there will be pouches, if they are full then there is milk
good luck and i hope they do ok

they are nursing from their mom because they are still hungry, they prefer her, but don't realize that you are the one with the milk, not their mom

Answer 5

Ok, to know if the mom is giving milk, just press the teats as to milk a cow. I don't know how many kittens you have.
If they stop drinking, is because they are full. You just need to keep them fed every 2 hours and be sure they are drinking milk. If that happens, everything is all right.

Answer 6

Let them eat as much as they want. Once they are full, they will stop. Don't worry about whatever the chart tells you. These are often produced to encourage you to feed more so you will buy more product.

Answer 7

Here is a sight that will help you with the kittens. www.2ndchance.info/orphankittens.htm Good luck.

Answer 8

you are doing fine keep up good work!