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| always a great day when orphans start lapping formula |
Some key points in raising an orphan successfully
- if they aren't warm -DO NOT feed them- they MUST be warm to process the milk properly
- follow the directions for milk replacer carefully -no guessing!
- for the first three weeks (at least) treat your kitten infant as if it was human - sterilize equipment and keep everything clean
- I always mix up the formula with boiling water- water in first then powder seems to work best for me
- Be very very careful not to force fluid into your baby -they need to control the intake - aspiration pneumonia is no fun and can be deadly (I use a long necked syringe rather than a bottle now)
- kittens need a tummy rub to keep all systems operational -my usual pattern is tummy rub, feed, play (or snuggle), tummy rub again - you may want to use a warm damp face cloth -I use a paper towel quite successfully
- if you are raising litter see if you can break the litter into pairs or trios -kittens will suckle on each other and wake one another up - when really little they do best in small groups when a human has to raise them -as they get closer to weaning age you can put the litter back together
- did I mention keeping baby warm? they don't thermo-regulate well for quite awhile so pay careful attention to environment (my kittens usually have to travel with me - I use a box, many towels and a microwavable Snuggle Safe to create a nice dark, cosy, warm micro climate for the littlest babies
- be very careful about fostering orphans into already nursing litters -mom cats are generous souls - and I often share kitten raising with a cat if I can -but mixing litters can lead to real heartache and needless death
- and, perhaps most importantly, don't beat yourself up if your orphan doesn't survive - I've been doing this since 1994 and I still lose one occasionally - heartbreaking but true.
