I found 3-week-old kittens without a mom. How do I care for them?

You can feed them canned kitten food mixed with an appropriate kitten milk replacer, such as KMR. Mix them to make a gruel or slurry. Have them examined by your veterinarian to diagnose and treat any pre-existing conditions and to deworm them. The deworming should be repeated every weeks for 3 treatments. Once they are about 8 weeks old, you can discuss vaccines or begin to rehome them.

It is a pity you got them that young, They should really be with their mommy and siblings until they are 12 weeks old. You should still offer kitten milk and give them canned kitten food 4 times a day. They will still have accidents, ie might not use the litter box all the time, but eventually will use the box reliably. They will need to play a lot to get coordination and learn how to run properly, make muscles and learn how to hunt. They will try to hunt each other and when they do, please let them. They will not hurt each other. Give them lots of TLC

Three weeks old is too young for a kitten to be separated from it's mother, so I would return him to his mother if possible. If he is an orphan, he should be fed every three hours. Check out this website for further details on raising an orphan kitten: http://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

If you choose to care for them, your primary goal will be to keep them warm, stimulate their bowels / urinary tract, and feed them up to every 2-3 hours at first. The use of a blanket and heating pads may be required for warmth. If you do not have a heating pad, I would recommend going out to obtain one in the morning. As for stimulation, you need to rub their bellies and behinds to get them to go to the bathroom after each time they eat. As for feedings, you will need to obtain kitten milk replacer and a bottle. The kittens should be fed in an upright position as to avoid aspiration of the liquid. It is a tiring job and they still may not make it, so do not take it personally if things do not work out. You can certainly try to keep the kitten with mom if you think she isn't going to hurt them, but I would monitor them extremely carefully. If there is any indication of aggression remove them entirely. Hope this helps.

Good for you for taking in Binkie! Very young kittens need to drink kitten milk replacer (Esbilac is one brand) from a kitten bottle every 2-3 hours. Shortly after feeding her, you will need to take a slightly damp warm cloth and gently rub her abdomen and hind end to stimulate her to urinate and defecate. Keep her confined to a confined crate, open box, or other small area with blankets or towels since she is not yet old enough to move around your home on her own. Remember that she is not able to regulate her body temperature as well as an adult, so try to keep the air temperature from becoming extremely hot or cold. Around 4 weeks of age you can begin to introduce softened kitten food in addition to the kitten milk replacer. Binkie should go to her vet around 6 weeks of age to start her vaccinations, deworming and flea preventatives. Enjoy your little one!

Newborns typically feed every 2-4 hours. If they are good eaters you can let them nurse until they are full and their bellies are a little tight. If they are not nursing well then they may need more feedings but try to get them to eat 1/2 ounce. Around 3 weeks old you can usually stop the night feedings and just do frequent feedings during the day. Remember to gently stimulate them with a warm cloth to go to the bathroom

These are about three weeks old, and they look cute and healthy. If they are eating kitten canned or moistened dry food that age is about right. Younger kittens still only drink milk. If you are feeding them milk please use kitten milk replacer as it is made for kittens and they will not have diarrhea or an upset stomach with it. They should be fed four to six times a day. I'd offer them solid foods as soon as possible so feeding them is easier. I start with the milk replacer and mix it with some kitten canned and see if they will lick it off your finger. Once they get eating it you can teach them to lick it off a flat plate. Use a damp cloth to wipe around under their tails to stimulate them to pee and poop. I start having a litter pan around 3-4 weeks old. Please bring them to the veterinarian at six weeks to start deworming and vaccinations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.