Bottle feeding and
Orphaned Kitten Care
Training
Introduction
Fostering orphaned kittens
Raising orphaned kittens is a wonderful
and rewarding experience. Your support
of Cat Depot’s mission to save lives gives
orphaned kittens a chance at life.
What to expect
You probably have more than a few questions
about fostering “bottle babies”
• “Bottle babies” need to go into foster care
immediately
• They require round-the-clock care
• Caring for youngsters is more time consuming and
intensive than fostering adult animals
• Be aware that sometimes there can be problems with
kittens that are very young, particularly if they are
only hours or days old
Kitten Growth Stages
Day One
One Week
Born with sealed eyes and
folded down ears
Eyes will start to open and
usually doubled in weight
Two Weeks
Eyes fully open and ears begin to open. Kitten sense
of smell is developing and teething begins
Kitten Growth Stages
Week Three
Week Four
Kittens can voluntarily eliminate
now, as their digestive system is
developing. Weaning may begin
Kittens start to stand and walk
but are wobbly. Their bodies are
still out of proportion
Week Five
Kittens become mischievous and are
playing and grooming themselves
Kitten Growth Stages
Week 6
Week 7
Kittens are ready for their first
vaccines at Cat Depot! They
can entertain themselves
Socialization is important!
Kittens should learn at this age
that hands are not for playing
Week Eight
Kittens are ready to be spayed or neutered!
Feeding
There are two major “don'ts” when
bottle feeding kittens
• Feeding them when they are cold. Their
temperature must be above 97F (Kittens under 3
weeks of age are not able to thermo regulate.
They will need a heating pad)
• Feeding them while on their back (like you do
with human babies) can cause excessive air intake
and is not good for them. Feed kittens in a prone
position (on their stomach) like they would feed if
they were nursing
Feeding
How and When to Feed
•
Mix up the amount of formula that you will use in a day (2
parts water- 1 part powder)
•
Only heat up how much formula you will use for one feeding
at a time. Clean bottle after each feeding
•
Warm bottle of formula in a warm bath to about 100
degrees
•
The amount that the kitten will eat each feeding will vary.
The total amount that they should eat in a day will be based
on their weight. A 115g kitten should eat about 30ml of
formula a day
•
Play with/rub them after feeding to "burp" them
•
Occasionally small amounts of formula will come out of the
nose. The baby is drinking too fast.
If excessive amounts of formula appear to be coming out the
nose or if you are concerned, call Cat Depot
Feeding
•
•
•
•
Week 1- Feed every 2 hours
Week 2- Feed every 2-3 hours
Week 3- Feed every 3-4 hours
Week 4- Feed every 4-6 hours
Weight Gain
Maintaining proper weight gain is
crucial to survival.
•
•
The best way to be sure everything is going well in your new
babies is to track weight gain.
A kitten should gain about 10% of the birth weight every day
Elimination
Infant animals are unable to take care of these
matters alone and must be given help
• Kittens should be stimulated to urinate and defecate after
each feeding
•Normally their mother's tongue does the job as she washes
them. Use a cotton ball, gauze, or a wash cloth to gently rub
the baby's genital area.
•A kitten should urinate every time it is stimulated. It may only
defecate every 3-4 feedings. Defecation should be toothpaste
consistency
ALWAYS wash your hands after!!
Weaning
Starting Solid Food
• When kittens start getting their teeth in (3-4 weeks of
age) they’ll start chewing on the nipple instead of
suckling. This is when you will know it’s time to offer
solid food. Mixing some formula with a pate style
canned food is a good starter. You might need to get
them to lick it off your finger before they start eating
out of a bowl
• Between ages 4 and 6 weeks, they should begin
readily accepting solid food. Dry kitten food should be
offered in addition to the canned.
• A litter box with plain clay litter should be offered
during this time too.
Sexing Kittens
Look at the pictures below. These are close-up
photographs of the anuses and genitalia of two individual
3-week-old kittens. The first kitten (kitten on the left) is a
young male and the kitten beside it (on the right) is a
young female.
Sexing Kittens
Let color be your guide
Occasionally, the fur color of your cat or kitten can give
you some indication as to the sex of the kitten.
Tortoiseshell or calico cats (cats with three colors - white,
black and orange) are almost always female.
Orange cats are predominantly male, but can sometimes
be female. Ginger is a less-reliable color indicator of feline
sex.