My kitten was born too early. What care does it need to survive?

Keep him warm and dry. If he is nursing, allow him to nurse but supplement with a kitten milk replacer, such as KMR. You can find in it the local Petco. An exam with your veterinarian would be recommended to diagnose and treat any underlying conditions or to confirm good health.

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.

You need to keep her warm inside your home 27/7, a carton box with fleece or other warm cloths would be a good option, you can also use warm bottles under the cloths. it's important to feed her kitten milk replacer only, normal milk is not good enough for kittens, she can't survive on it. you can buy kitten milk replacer in any pet shop.

You need to keep it warm, use blankets, fan or a hot-water bottle. Try to put her with the mum and see if he will feed from her. You should put his face right on the nipple and try to 'attach' him. If he is not able to feed from the mum you will have to syringe-feed or bottle-feed the kitten with a cat milk formula. After feeding you need to massage the belly with a warm cloth to stimulate urination and defecation.

Some kittens don't make it no matter what we do to help them out, and some cats are just not cut out to be moms. There is also the possibility that there is a congenital internal defect. If the kitten is very weak and won't suckle from the nipple or a bottle, you can try to slowly syringe the kitten milk replacer, but there is an increased risk of it going into his lungs and causing aspiration pneumonia. If this doesn't work, you should take the kitten to get checked out by a vet. The vet can show you how to safely tube feed the kitten to get its proper nutrition. Make sure that the kitten is staying warm and clean, and that you are stimulating urination and bowel movements. Here is a good article on raising orphan kittens: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. She should be bottle fed every 3 hours or so. Keep her nice and warm, environmental temperature should be around 80 if she isn’t snuggling with mom or with the other kittens. I would try to encourage her to nurse first, and then offer the bottle. Weigh her on a gram scale daily to make sure she is gaining weight daily. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I recommend using a bottle with a small nipple - you can find kits for newborns at most pet supply stores. A commercial milk replacer like KMR is best, and you should feed the kitten every 2-3 hours. The kitten should be taking about 25 ml of milk per day and you should offer the bottle with the kitten laying on its stomach, not held on its back like a baby. You will also need to stimulate the kitten to urinate and defecate after eating by rubbing a warm washcloth on the genital and anal openings - neonatal kittens cannot urinate or defecate on their own. If the kitten is not interested in the bottle you may need to tube feed and should see your veterinarian for a demonstration.