Kitten Rescue
Hello everyone! This page will be dedicated to our little kittens! I'll be providing some tips and guides for kitten rescue. We'll try to include any pictures and videos if possible so it will help you guys more!
-Fel
Basic Necessities
1. Heat Pack
This will be needed if you have a very young kitten about 1 to 3 weeks old. The kitten will not be able to regulate its body temperature and may lose heat quickly. It will be ideal to have a rechargeable heat pack as the heat will last longer than normal ones.
There are quite a few types of heat packs, mainly the disposables, microwavable and rechargeable ones. I use the rechargeable ones for convenience sake as they are quick to heat and last me quite a long time.
I place a towel over it before placing the kitten onto the heat source as they may be scalded from direct heat. So do take note guys!
2. Inco pads / Newspaper / Cat Bedding
This is for your little one to pee and poop on. I personally use inco pads but they are quite costly to be really honest. So after a while, I do use newspaper instead. If you have a slightly older kitten about a month old, you can try shredding some strips of newspaper on top of the newspaper bedding. Some cats like to dig before doing their business.
You can use cat bedding if you happen to have it, otherwise, newspapers would be the best stand-in.
3. Towel
A towel is useful to wrap them up and also to clean them up if there's any mess. It's always good to have a few around in case the kitten soils it. It would make a good blanket too!
4. Pet Milk Bottle / Syringe
Depending on how old the kitten is, you may need to feed it with a syringe or with a milk bottle. I mean, personally, I won't put 10mls of milk into a giant bottle. Also, if you want a rough gage on how much milk you need to feed, going by the syringe is a good method to calculate the amount.
5. Cage / Box
Kittens should be kept safe whenever you have errands or can't be watching them. A cage or an open box would be a good place for them to rest. Otherwise, make sure your home is safe before letting them roam around.
6. Kitten Milk Replacement
This will be the milk for your kittens. Personally, I've been using KMR PetAg. It is suitable for newborn kittens as well. This is quite costly but 1 tin can last you for awhile. Just make sure that you don't reuse the milk that's already mixed with water for the next feeding as the milk might've gone sour.
7. Kitten Food
Older kittens can be introduced and fed kitten food. This includes solid food and wet food. I recommend Royal Canin, it has always been one of my go-to brands. In clinics, this brand of food is widely used as well.
How To Rescue A Kitten
Here, I'll be going over some steps on what to do when you're rescuing a kitten found in the wild.
1. Look around for other kittens or Mama Cat
There may be other kittens around signaling to you that Mama Cat may be nearby. This may help you to locate where the Mama Cat and the other kittens are. If there are kittens nearby, you can place the kitten back with Mama.
2. Safely Handling The Kitten
Kittens, especially those who've yet to open their eyes will be really tiny and fragile. What you can do is cover the kitten with a towel and gently pick it up. This will help to keep the kitten warm as well.
3. Check For Injuries Or Visible Mites
Sometimes, these kittens can have fleas or lice and you might be able to remove them. Do check if they are infested and you might have to take it to the vet in that case. Check for any visible injury such as bleeding or broken limbs. If the injury is serious, take it to the vet or ASAP. If not, stop the bleeding with some pressure with a gauze and clean lightly with chlorhexidine. Chlorexidine is a safe antiseptic solution.
4. Food, Water and Warmth
The final step is to keep them warm. Kittens under a month old should be kept warm with heat packs. Place a towel over the heat pack before placing the kitten over it. This ensures that the kitten will not be scalded by direct heat.
Kittens would have to be fed every 3 hours with KMR [Kitten Milk Replacement] if they are under a month old. After which, you can start offering some solid food to their diet.
Kittens have to be stimulated to poop. Take a moist cotton and gently rub the anus of the kitten. It may take a few minutes before the kitten starts pooping. I usually stimulate after every feeding so that they do not get overly bloated.
Bottle Feeding Your Kitten
Alright guys, this post will show you how to bottle feed you kitten and also I'll be talking about the Kitten Milk Replacement I use.
Brand Of Milk
The brand of milk I prefer using is the KMR PetAg. This is suitable for newborn kittens thus, being my choice. Other kitten milk brands are for older kittens of about 6 weeks.
How Much To Feed
I believe this comes on the tin as part of the instructions, but I'm just going to go over them here.
Feed kittens 2 tablespoons (30mL) of liquid KMR per 115g of body weight daily. The daily feeding amount should be divided into equal portions for each feeding. Kittens' needs will vary and this amount may have to be increased or decreased, depending on the individual. Young and/or weak kittens should be fed every 3 to 4 hours. Older kittens can do well being fed every 8 hours.
If my kitten is 230g, I will feed a total of 60mls in 24hrs. If every feeding is 3 hours apart, that would be 8 feedings. So in one feeding, there should be about 7.5mls.
Gently stir or shake one part powdered KMR into two parts warm water (a part may be a teaspoon, tablespoon or cup). Do not mix more KMR than can be consumed in 24 hours.
Bottle Feeding / Syringe Feeding
I use the PetAg Nursing Bottles to feed my kittens. You can poke a hole in the rubber nipple according to the suitability of the flow of milk. Alternatively, you can use a syringe and pump milk into the kitten's mouth slowly. I feed the kitten warm milk about 40 Degree Celcius so as not to scald them. I also feed them upright as shown in the picture. The kitten will stop once it is full or you can stop once you have reached the recommended amount for the feeding.
Please throw out any unfinished milk as it might go sour or even solidify in the bottle, making it difficult to clean. Always use clean bottles when feeding the kittens.
