You may find, for example, a tiny kitten on the street and decide to contain and raise it, or in some cases, there is no natural production of milk in the mother cat after birth, and it is not reasonable to leave newborn kittens hungry, especially during their first days, which prompts the search for another alternative, What are the available alternatives to milk?
It is necessary to know alternatives to cat’s milk for those who love to raise them, especially when the birth date of the mother cat approaches, in anticipation of problems with her milk supply, which may be life-threatening, especially during the first weeks of her life, which prompts the search for other alternative ways to feed these creatures.
Why is it necessary to know the milk substitute for newborn kittens?
Under normal conditions, the mother cat takes care of the newborn kittens and secures their nutritional requirements, as the mother’s milk provides all these requirements during the first months of her life. However, the matter is not without some difficulties that make the mother’s milk unavailable, as happens in cases of the death of the mother cat after giving birth, or when she is sick and suffers from health problems following childbirth and other painful scenarios.
Newborn cats are left without any food unless the person initiates and feeds them himself. If these cats remain without food for a period exceeding several days, they will inevitably die due to a lack of nutrients and lack of care. This is why it is important to know some newborn kitten milk alternatives to keep these kittens alive, and the good news is that most of these alternatives are made locally and at home.
How to make a newborn kitten milk replacer at home?
If you can buy kitten milk replacers from the pet store to use that is fine, but what about the times when the milk replacer is not available? In addition, imagine the fun of preparing a kitten milk replacer for those who are interested in cooking and watching the newborn kitten gobbling up this milk you prepared. We will provide a set of natural recipes to prepare a substitute for newborn cat’s milk that meets all its nutritional needs and requirements, but a point must be taken into account, which is that it should not be used if it has been out of the refrigerator for more than 24 hours, as it becomes invalid.
Newborn kitten milk substitute made from goat’s milk
It is prepared by combining a liter of full-fat goat’s milk with 1 teaspoon of corn syrup and 1 tablespoon of non-fat yogurt, preferably goat’s milk yogurt rather than cow’s milk. To this, add one egg yolk and a small amount of gelatin powder to enhance the texture. The mixture is placed on low heat until the gelatin dissolves, then removed from the heat and kept in the refrigerator.
Some other recipes for newborn kitten milk replacer
The first recipe depends on combining 8 ounces of homogeneous whole milk, which has been subjected to emulsification of the fat drops in it, with the yolks of two eggs, and then a spoonful of any vegetable oil, preferably olive oil, is added with a drop of children’s vitamins syrup, the ingredients are mixed well and placed in the refrigerator.
The second recipe includes adding a cup of water to 5 cups of unsweetened condensed milk, then adding a teaspoon and a half of bone powder to it, mixing well, and then placing it in the refrigerator.
The last recipe includes adding one can of unsweetened condensed milk to one egg yolk with two tablespoons of corn syrup and adding a drop of children’s vitamin syrup.
How are newborn kittens fed?
To feed newborn kittens, you need to use special feeding bottles, with small nipples that fit the kittens’ mouths. You can also try using a syringe to push the mixture into the cat’s mouth, especially in cases of bottle rejection.
The prepared milk replacer is heated until it becomes warm, and it is ensured that its temperature is appropriate by testing by placing a few drops on your wrist first. It is preferable to avoid heating it in the microwave.
The best position to feed newborn kittens is while they are lying on their stomach, not on their back, and it is preferable to re-feed them every 3-4 hours during the first month until the kittens are ready to wean and start eating solid food.
As for the appropriate amount of feeding, cats should eat the equivalent of 8 ml of milk replacer per ounce of their body weight, and this means that the appropriate amount of feeding for a cat weighing 4 ounces is 32 ml during one day, and it is preferable to give this in batches, i.e. 8 ml every 4 hours.
Finally, it is common for newborn kittens to be fed these milk substitutes with constipation, but the simple measure is to add one drop of vegetable oil to one feeding formula per day.