Answer: If for some reason the queen is unable to feed her kittens, it is possible to rare them artificially; for instance, if the queen dies whilst, or soon after, giving birth, or if she has a Caesarian operation and is unable to feed the litter for a day or two. It may also be necessary to do this for a time if the queen is ill, e.g. with mastitis or eclampsia, or has no milk, or in those cases where she rejects the kitten. Some people, however, express grave doubts about the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on orphaned kittens and whether hand-rearing them is advisable. Such kittens often do not makes good pets; they appear more prone to illness and some turn vicious of suffer from other behavioral problems. (Similarly, if on kitten is rejected by its mother it is invariably destined to become an unhealthy, unsociable individual and it is generally wiser to have it put to sleep.
Finding a foster mother or mothers for the kitten is always preferable to artificial feeding; fro example, a cat who kittens have died or have had to be destroyed, or one that is still feeding her kittens. Usually one or two kitten can be added to an existing latter without the foster mother caring, provided that this is done when she isn’t around. It may be possible to discover suitable foster animals through contacting your vet or local catteries.
Artificial feeding requires the kitten to be fed milk every two hours for the first three weeks of life. After the intervals can be lengthened and the night feeds dispensed with after three weeks. Initially, about a teaspoonful of milk food is required at each feed, raising two to teaspoonful after a fortnight, although the kitten’s appetite is the best guide to its requirements.
Compared with cow’s milk cat’s milk contains the same quantity of lactose, slightly more fate twice as much calcium and phosphorous and three timer as much protein. A veterinary substitute can be used. Some of the best and easiest to prepare are the commercial cat milk substitute made up according to instructions, or human body food products prepared at twice the concentration intended for bodies, or one tin of evaporated cow’s milk or goat’s milk plus a third of the tin of water. Alternatively, one can use 1 oz (30g) of skimmed milk powder in ¼ point of water with 3 teaspoonful (15ml) corn oil whisked in; or again, a ¼ point (140ml) of single cream, an egg yolk (plus two to three drops of cod liver oil and a teaspoonful (6g) of sterilized bone flour) added to point (570ml) of caw’s milk. If necessary, additional vitamins and minerals can be added to these formulae as drops (e.g. Abidec).
These milk foods can be made up freshly for each feed, or, in the case of complex formulae, prepared every twenty-four hours and stored between times in the refrigerator. Make sure that all the ingredients are well whisked together so that there are lumps of powder, etc. This milk should be fed at blood heat. Allow the kitten to take it in small amounts so that it can swallow easily, and avoid any going down the windpipe.
Feeding is best done using a special kitten’s feeding bottle and teat obtainable from pet stores or sometimes your veterinarian. If this s not available doll’s bottle and teat, or a 5 ml disposable syringe, or an eye dropper, can be used. If the kitten has difficulty taking the milk from the end of the dropper or syringe, a teat, if available, can be fitted. Even a short length of bicycle valve tubing could be used. These feeding utensils must be thoroughly cleansed after use; e.g. rinsing a cold water washing in hot detergent water, then rinsing again and immersing in a hypochlorite bleach solution as recommended for babies’ bottles. Alternatively, a glass feeding bottle can be boiled for ten minutes immediately prior to use.
After feeding, the kitten’s face should be wiped clean with a dampened piece of cotton wool and then the kitten turned over and its abdomen and anal region gently rubbed with his cotton swab to stimulate the passage or urine and motions. It is also important to avoid hypothermia, keeping the kittens under in infra red lamp, or on an electrically heated pad to produce a temperature of 80 to 86F (27 to 30C) in the first week, gradually reducing to 70F (21C) over a five to six weeks period, after which they should be able to generate enough heat to keep themselves warm. Artificially fed kittens can be weaned in the same way as any others.