Can I feed a kitten with baby food?

If a newborn kitten appears in your house, then the question immediately arises of how to feed it, because the mother cat is not always nearby, or cats do not always have enough milk to feed the baby. Can I feed a kitten with baby food? Will this harm the fragile health of the baby?

First you need to learn about some of the characteristics of the kittens' body, as well as about the intricacies of feeding. Everyone knows that newborn kittens in the first month of their life should eat exclusively milk. Of course, ideally, the cat itself should feed the kitten, but this is not always possible. Therefore, the first thing that comes to mind is to feed the newborn kitten with baby food.

After the first feeding with such a diet, it is imperative to monitor the reaction of the kitten's body and its behavior. If, after the first feeding, the pet feels good, does not worry, falls asleep normally and, waking up, is active, then this is good. It is also important to monitor his stool: it should be normal, without strong odors. If everything is in order, then you can continue to feed the kitten with the selected mixture.

In the event that the animal becomes lethargic, it is constantly tormented by abdominal pain, the stool has a pungent odor, there is mucous discharge or even blood streaks, then you need to choose a different diet.

You can not choose a mixture with various additives for feeding a small pet. For example, there are formulas for babies three to four months old that contain cereal supplements. There are also formulations with the addition of honey or even sugar.Such food is absolutely not suitable for a kitten.

Before giving your kitten baby food, you should remember that such milk formulas are much richer and fatter than cat's milk. For this reason, it is imperative to observe the recommended proportions and dilute the mixture correctly.

Look at the ratios shown on the box and double the required amount of water exactly... In case of non-observance of the proportions, you can harm the still fragile body of a small cat. It is recommended to dilute the mixture exclusively with boiled water. You can also use purified water for children. Such bottled liquid will need to be heated to 37 °.

Since the sucking reflex has not yet developed in a small kitten, it must be fed correctly. To do this, you can use a syringe (without a needle), a pipette, or purchase a special bottle for feeding newborn kittens at the pet store. Before each meal, all this must be sterilized so as not to harm the health of the kitten.

Remember that during feeding, the baby himself must make an effort and independently try to suck milk from the container. In the event that you pour the mixture into him drop by drop, then he will not develop a sucking reflex, which will negatively affect his health in the future.

When feeding a small kitten, you need to hold it properly. Do not lay the animal on its back, as this can harm its health during feeding. The container with the mixture should be held comfortably, slightly at an angle. If the kitten has already eaten and refuses the mixture, then it is impossible to force-feed it with the remains of food. After feeding, be sure to wipe the pet's tummy with a damp sponge, lightly massaging it. Usually, after feeding, the mother cat licks the kittens, which helps the crumbs to go to the toilet in a timely manner.

Leftover food can be refrigerated until next meal... It will have to be reheated before use. It is important to remember that a mixture that is stored in the refrigerator for more than a day can no longer be used for feeding.

The frequency of feeding a kitten depends directly on its age. If the baby lives in the world only for the first week, then the mixture will have to be given to him every two to three hours. However, remember that you will have to feed him even at night. A two-week-old kitten will eat a little more, but not so often: it will need to be fed every four hours. At night, the baby will not wake up so often, therefore, the frequency of night feedings will be reduced.

Three week old kittens are already stronger and more independent. They will need to be fed every five to six hours. It is also important to remember that kittens over twenty days old should be gradually taught to lap from a bowl. In addition, it will be possible to introduce complementary foods for a kitten older than one month. During this period, it is important to monitor the small cat's digestive system and its reaction to complementary foods.

As soon as the kitten gets stronger and begins to lap up baby food on its own, you can start thinking about the first complementary food. A variety of baby food can also be used as it. For example, you can feed your pet meat puree.

It is only important to remember that you need to choose the most suitable food, that is, such mashed potatoes should not contain sugar, salt and various vegetables, otherwise it can negatively affect the digestive system of a small kitten. A small content of carrots in mashed potatoes is allowed, but it is better to refuse food with potatoes or broccoli.

For example, it is recommended to give the liver to kittens no more than twice a month. Beef can be eaten daily.But it is better to refuse such fatty meat as pork and goose altogether. If you choose poultry puree, then there should be no skin in its composition.

As soon as the baby is one and a half months old, you can introduce a small amount of cottage cheese as a complementary food. Choose a product that is low in fat. In addition, there should be no additives in the dairy product. When the kitten is 2 months old, he will already be completely independent, and it will be possible to diversify his diet.

You can learn more about feeding kittens with baby food from the following video.