A newborn kitten requires special attention and care like human babies to ensure they have a healthy life ahead. In the early days, their ears remain folded against their head, eyes are tightly shut and sealed. They cannot even stand in their initial days, and all these challenges make them helpless. So, you must take special care of your kitten until they are fully grown and matured.
Like human infants, kittens also spend most of their time sleeping. You have to feed them occasionally. A newborn kitten requires around 22 hours of sleep in a day. When their teeth start coming in, it is the time when their mobility will ameliorate. Around two weeks from birth, your kitten will begin crawling, jumping, and playing after four weeks. After a month, their mischievousness will increase as they become more adventurous and curious.
If you are inexperienced in fostering a newborn kitten, then do not worry. This post will share some helpful knowledge about taking care of them.
Giving proper nutrition
A newborn kitten is dependent on its mother’s milk for its nutrition. So, when you are fostering a kitten without a mother, you should feed it with proper nutrition for healthy growth. Every 2-4 hours, you will have to feed your kitten with a formula. You should consult a veterinarian for the best formula for your kitten, as each is different. They will also tell you about the frequency and quantity of feeding.
The kitten needs to gain 14 grams (1/2 ounce) per day or 113 grams (4 ounces) per week to grow healthy. Never feed your cat with cow milk, and ensure you feed them with the formula recommended by the vet doctor.
Keeping them warm
Newborn kittens pile themselves near their mother because they cannot regulate their body temperature. If you are fostering a kitten without its mother, you will have to put extra effort into keeping them warm. You can place a heating pad under a blanket or use a heating disk in a crate to maintain a warm temperature for your kitten.
For their comfort, you can also make a nest with a blanket. It is crucial to check if the heating pad is moderately hot to your hand. Keep providing them with heat until they are six weeks old. The minimum temperature of their area should be 29ºC. Otherwise, they will be prone to catch hypothermia. Heat is also crucial for them to absorb all the nutrients fed to them.
Keeping them Healthy
Take your kitten to the first veterinary appointment regardless of their age. The veterinarian will inform you of the diet for the kitten by evaluating its current health. You can also ask them questions regarding the kitten’s caring process.
Ensure your kitten gets a routine check-up, including parasite prevention, routine vaccination, and wellness examination. The vet will assess the overall health and diagnose any disease at the initial stage before they aggravate the situation.
End Takeaway
You must treat a kitten as your child if you are serious about fostering them. With the above pointers, you must have a fair idea about the care they need. But fostering them is worth it.
