Is it possible to feed a kitten with baby food?

If a newborn kitten has appeared in your house, then the question immediately arises as to what to feed it, because the mother-cat is not always nearby or the cats do not always have enough milk to feed the baby. Is it possible to feed a kitten with baby food? Will it harm the fragile health of the baby?

First you need to learn about some of the features of the body of kittens, as well as 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 food, it is necessary to follow the reaction of the kitten's body and its behavior. If after the first feeding, the pet feels good, does not worry, normally falls asleep and, waking up, is active, then this is good. It is also important to monitor his stool: it should be normal, without pungent 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, he is constantly tormented by abdominal pain, the stool has a pungent smell, there are mucous secretions or even blood streaks, then you need to choose a different diet.

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

Before giving the kitten baby food, it should be remembered that such milk mixtures are much richer and fatter than cat's milk. For this reason, it is imperative to observe the recommended proportions and properly dilute the mixture.

Look at the ratios indicated on the box and increase the required amount of water exactly twice. In case of non-compliance with the proportions, you can harm the still fragile body of a small cat. It is recommended to breed 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 small kitten has not yet developed a sucking reflex, it must be fed correctly. To do this, you can use a syringe (without a needle), a pipette, or purchase a special bottle from a pet store to feed newborn kittens. 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 efforts and independently try to suck milk from the tank. In the event that you will drop a 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 keep it right. Do not lay the animal on its back, as this can harm its health during feeding. The container with the mixture should be kept comfortable, a little at an angle. If the kitten is already full and refuses the mixture, then it is impossible to feed him with leftovers. After feeding, be sure to wipe the pet’s tummy with a damp sponge, massaging it lightly. Usually, after feeding, the mother cat licks the kittens, which helps the crumbs to go to the toilet in a timely manner.

The remaining food can be stored in the refrigerator until the next feeding.. Before use, it will have to be reheated. It is important to remember that the mixture, which is stored in the refrigerator for more than a day, can no longer be used for feeding.

The frequency of feeding a kitten depends on its age. If the baby lives only the first week, then he will have to give the mixture every two to three hours. At the same time, remember that you will have to feed him even at night. The two-week-old kitten will already eat a little more, but not so often: you will need to feed it every four hours. At night, the baby will not wake up so often, so the frequency of night feeds 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, whose age is already more than twenty days, should gradually be 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 digestive system of the little cat and its reaction to complementary foods.

As soon as the kitten is strong and begins to lap up baby food on its own, you can begin to think about the first feeding. A variety of baby food can also be used as it. For example, it will be possible to feed a pet mashed meat.

It is only important to remember that you need to choose the most suitable food, that is, there should not be sugar, salt and various vegetables in such a puree, 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 that kittens be given to the liver no more than twice a month. Beef can be consumed daily.But from fatty meat such as pork and goose, it is better to completely abandon it. If you choose mashed meat from poultry, then it should not contain skin.

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

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