My newborn kitten is rejected and not eating. What should I do?

She may need to eat or use the litter box, causing her to leave them for a bit. She may have been planning on coming back. It could be that Oya is rejecting her kittens, which can happen. Some cats are poor mothers and will reject their kittens, while others will reject a kitten because they know it's sick and not going to make it. It can take time for a mother kitten attend to their kitten, and I would leave her and her kittens alone for 30 minutes in a room. Come back and see if she has groomed them, and/or started to feed them. If she has started bonding with them, then it's fine. If there is no evidence that she has started taking care of them, then you will have to feed them yourself. This requires a kitten formula and bottles. You can get kitten formula from a pet store or a grocery store. I will put a link below on how to care for newborn kittens. Best of luck, I hope this helps! https://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

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

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.

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.

Your kitten may be sick if she is refusing to nurse. You will need to supplement her feeding with kitten milk replacer which you can purchase at your local pet store. If, after attempting to bottle feed, she still refuses to eat, you will need to take her in to be examined by a veterinarian. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry you are in this situation. You can try Karo syrup if you have that. The problem is that newborn kittens are extremely fragile, and some do not make it. They cannot go long without eating. You can try giving it an emergency formula, but you will have to get kitten formula as soon as possible. I will link an article below on kitten care: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/ https://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

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.