Perhaps we have a kitten at home and she has given birth to her kittens early. We may even come across these prematurely newborn cats and need to take care of them. Be that as it may, we must bear in mind that they were born before their time and that, therefore, we must take care of them in a different way than a four-month-old kitten that has already been breastfed by the mother and can become more independent.
Therefore, we give you a few tips so that you can take care of your premature newborn cat in the best possible way.
WHEN THE PREMATURE NEWBORN CAT COMES HOME
The fact that a newborn cat is premature means that it has been born before completing the pregnancy by the mother, which is why it is more defenseless than a cat that has completed the gestation cycle. Therefore, as with human babies, they must receive special care.
The first thing we must do when the premature newborn baby comes home or is born is to find a space for him. We can buy a small container or recycle a shoebox. In it, we will insert a few blankets to give it the warmth that its corporal mother would give it and that it needs to survive. If we decide to put an electric blanket on it, we must ensure that it does not come into contact with the water, that is, that it does not get wet and that the kitten does not pee on it, otherwise we could put its life at risk.
We will control that the temperature in the box or container is always adequate for the well-being of the premature newborn cat. You can move the box with you depending on the room in which you are in order to give the kitten company, but during its first months of life it will need to be quiet and calm, so it is best to find a quiet room where the temperature is right. ideal and do not get the sun directly.
WHAT DO I FEED THE PREMATURE NEWBORN CAT
A kitten that is born prematurely cannot eat the same food that we would give a five or six-month-old cat, so we must consult with the veterinarian as soon as possible about the best diet for your little one.
Cat’s milk is normally given in a bottle every two to three hours. That means that the premature newborn cat will be a task that the owners should take very seriously, since its life depends on it being in a suitable place, with the ideal temperature and that it is also perfectly fed.
While you feed him, you can wrap him in one of the blankets that he has on his bed, which gives off the same smell, so he will feel more comfortable and secure in your arms. It would be ideal to keep your kitten company and lightly stroke it with your finger from time to time. In this way, he will gradually get used to your person and will also receive the affection and love he has from his mother both before and after birth.
Don’t despair if your newborn cat cries at night. They may miss you spending time or pampering them, so make sure they have everything they need and that they are okay. Enable an area with sand so that he can relieve himself and learn little by little, but in these first months of life, it is normal that you should clean his bed more than once since they still have to learn how to do it since they were born premature and they are still forming.
Because they still do not know how to control their urge to urinate or defecate, kittens will stain more than when they are older. In addition, they still cannot lick themselves to clean themselves and, if we do not have the mother with us, she will not be able to fulfill her role as mother when cleaning them. We will only have to do it with a little water and a paper or cloth and rub it little by little, without harming the animal, that is, very gently.
The care and advice that we have given you are some of the most general, but there will be many others that you should take into account and that you should inform yourself properly. Newborn preterm cats cannot eat anything other than mother’s milk or store-bought milk. If you give him other foods that are usually given to older cats (such as cow’s milk) you can hurt his stomach, something that can do a lot of damage to his still weak body.
Another advice and care that we give you are that you help yourself with a syringe to put the food in the mouth if you do not want to suck from the bottle. Some kittens still don’t know how to do it, risking getting sick and even putting their lives in danger. For this reason, it is ideal that we buy a syringe and put the food directly into the mouth. Little by little, over time, the kitten will learn to drink from the bottle or it will get used to eating this way, through the syringe, and when it is older it will be able to eat on its own.
