New Year's Cats & Kittens Gallery-Page 2
There has been
Hit's to Uncle Gadget since Aug. 7, 2006
Feeding
Unfortunately, cow’s milk is not nutritious enough for kittens - they will slowly starve to death on it. It also causes diarrhea which is extremely dangerous for young kittens. If you can't get to a pet store right away, consult our recipes for a goat’s-milk based Emergency Kitten Formula. Your first purchase should be a pet nursing kit and kitten formula, available at pet stores. The nursing kit usually includes a bottle, several extra nipples, and a cleaning brush. Cut an "X" in the tip of your first nipple with scissors. Kitten formula (brands include KMR and Just Born) is more economical if purchased in powdered form to be mixed as needed. Pet supply catalogs offer very good values on these products. We recommend www.countrysidepet.com or www.valleyvet.com.
Some fosters prefer the Catac brand kitten feeders, which feature a specially shaped bottle and nipple, but these are harder to find. You know that you have made the nipple opening just big enough if, when the bottle is held upside-down, formula drips slowly from it. Too small an opening will make kittens work too hard to get their formula, tiring them out before they've had enough to eat. Too large an opening will force too much formula into them, too fast.
Before each feeding, sterilize the bottles and nipples by boiling them in water. Formula should be warmed to room temperature. You can do this by microwaving it in the bottle for no longer than 10 seconds (never let it boil), or placing the bottle in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. Before each feeding, you should also sterilize your hands with antibacterial sanitizer or water with a touch of bleach added. It's a good idea to re-sterilize after you're done with the kittens each time.
