How do I feed a newborn kitten whose mother can't nurse after C-section?

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.

I am sorry to hear about your kittens! A commercially formulated kitten milk, such as KMR or Just Born are the best milk sources for your kitten and can be found at many pet stores or vet offices. Until you find this you can make your own milk at home following the recipe listed in this article, which also provides details on caring for orphaned kittens https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951456

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

Hi John! I would be afraid ti could die overnight as newborn kittens are extremely fragile and cannot last long without feeding. You can try to get him to feed. Rub a nipple near his mouth or at the side of his face. This should stimulate him to open his mouth, which will allow you to gently put the nipple inside. Once he feels the nipple on his tongue, that should stimulate his natural sucking reaction. If this doesn't work, then yes you will have to bottle feed him. He will need a kitten formula and a bottle, which you can get from a grocery store. If the grocery isn't open all night, there is an emergency formula recipe you can give him to hopefully get him through the night. I will include a link to a website below that details how to bottle feed a kitten and that has the recipe. The emergency formula recipe is found under the section "bottle feeding." Best of luck! https://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

That is not normal. I recommend getting the kitten seen by a vet right away. Such a tiny baby needs to eat every few hours. Many veterinarians will use an ordinary eye dropper or small syringe to utilize as a means of dispensing the milk replacer to the kitten. Most pet stores or veterinary clinics have nursing bottles, too, but be alert to the fact that some kittens cannot suck the contents through the small nipple. You may need to actually squeeze the milk out for the kitten while having the nipple in the kitty's mouth. Warm it up a little, too, under the hot water faucet! If it is after hours at your local animal hospital, your short-term solution will be to mix an egg yolk with a can of evaporated milk (make sure it is not the sweetened condensed milk). This is only a temporary "solution" (!) and should only be used for a couple of feedings. At the first few feedings the kittens will probably only consume a few cc’s worth of milk. (There are 5cc's in a teaspoon.) You will need to feed every couple of hours at first and gradually build up time between feedings as they begin to eat more at each meal. Start by offering a small amount. If the kitten won’t eat readily from the nipple and bottle, try an eyedropper or syringe and drip a little in the mouth, adding more as the kitten's pace. Make sure that the milk just above room temperature; try not to microwave since you can cause hot spots in the milk. Follow instructions on the milk replacer for mixing and storage. You will need to contact your veterinarian if the kitten has not eaten within 24 hours or is extremely weak. Once they get the hang of it, the kittens should consume the milk replacer greedily. You can stop the feeding when the kitten begins to slow down the consumption or becomes disinterested.

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!

Unfortunately the babies are still young so if mom will not feed them then they will depend on you. The best food is KMR (kitten milk replacer). You should be able to find it online. You can also purchase a nurser bottle. If mom is also not keeping them clean or stimulating urination/defecation this is important as well. I have attached an extensive link that gives a lot of helpful information about raising orphan kittens. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petcoach! www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens