New born kittens

During the pregnancy period, kittens securely grow and develop in their mother's womb. All the necessary nutrients alongside with oxygen are received from the mother's organism via the placenta. At the moment of birth, a number of changes, especially the ones related to the heart and the respiratory system, take place: the new born kitten for the first time inhales all by itself and its lungs start fully functioning. Newly-born kittens already have a strong sucking reflex and straight away start looking for milk.

For the first several weeks kittens are helpless, blind and absolutely reliant on their mother or on a human (in case the mother is not fulfilling her maternity responsibilities). People should always be ready to take care of the kittens if the need arises, especially if their feline is having its first litter.

Most often if the queen is caring and attentive, if she has enough milk, she can take care of her kittens without humans' aid. Kittens spend a lot of time nursing and sleeping, whereas their mother is trying to keep them warm, feed them, lick them, massage their abdomens thus aiding their urination and defecation, and keeps the nesting environment clean. If the newly-borns are full and satisfied after the nursing they silently fall asleep.

How should you understand that your cat or her kittens need help?

If the kittens are restless, continually mewing and crawling, it can be the case that the queen is short of milk, or that she has mastitis, or that she is not licking her kittens enough and they are suffering from a bloated belly or that they are cold. If it happens that you have to raise the kittens by yourself, the most important things to remember are the following:

Warmth.

During the first weeks, kittens'thermoregulation is not sufficient and they are not capable of maintaining their body temperature. Normally the mother cat and litter mates alongside with a dry and clean nesting environment would provide a good deal of warmth. Kittens always sleep in a clump, because it is warmer that way. If the queen does not provide warmth for the kittens, their body temperature quickly drops thus weakening their suckling reflex. Kittens stop feeding and can, in consequence, develop hypoglycaemia leading to death. Hypoglycaemia can also develop if the kittens are being fed at irregular periods or not frequently enough. In case of hypoglycaemia, it is easy to get trapped in a closed circle: inability to feed kittens in due time causes hypoglycaemia in them, which, in turn, reduces their suckling reflex; in consequence, the kittens will not try to suckle during the next feeding, thus intensifying hypoglycaemia, which in the end will be fatal. Warmth for the kittens can be provided by means of a special warming lamp or by a hot-water bag placed among them.

Feeding.

Without any doubt the best food for the kittens is the queen's milk, especially in the first 24 - 72 hours following birth. Only in this period the kittens are able to get and process the colostrum (the first milk). Colostrum abounds in important and valuable substances and immunoglobulines which secure early protection against viruses and boosts the immune system.

If you must feed kittens yourself before weaning age, choose special feline milk substitutes obtainable from pet shops or veterinary institutions. The composition of cow milk differs significantly from feline milk and is not sufficiently nutritive to the kittens. You can also try to find a foster feline mother, who is having a litter of a similar age. Cats will very often feed kittens other than their own. For the first few days it is best to feed, through the day, every two-three hours with portions of 1-2 ml of milk. After several weeks kittens can sleep all night and do not wake up to feed. For feeding you can use a nipple or the rubber end of a dropper. Be careful not to make a too big hole in the teat, because too much milk running down the throat will cause choking. Milk has to be warmed up to around 37 degrees Celsius.

After feeding, kittens' abdomen and bottom should be gently rubbed with a damp finger. This action stimulates the discharge of waste. In 7 - 10 days, kittens open their eyes and start hearing, and in 3 weeks they start eating by themselves, playing and exploring the environment.

Occasionally, a queen may refuse to care for her kittens because she might not be feeling well, or she has contracted mastitis or postnatal eclampsia, or she has not recovered sufficiently from the Cesarean section. Supposedly, a strong maternal instinct is genetically inherited, since the offsprings of a caring mother feline take care of their kittens equally well.