VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

ORPHAN CAT REARING

     

• Temporary care requires if the dam is ill or has had a caesarean section.
• In some case like death of mother or refusal to care for kitten require complete care.
• The needs of this kitten are same as that of others.
• Most important care is provision of ambient environment to the kitten; the sleeping area should be slightly warmer than the body temperature of cat.
• Since orphans did not receive colostrum, care must be taken to minimize exposure to pathogens or chilling.
• Orphans can be fed using either a commercial kitten formula or a homemade formula.
• For the first few days, kittens should be fed every 2 to 3 hours. This can be decreased slightly to every 4 to 5 hours until the kittens are 3 weeks of age.
• From 3 to 6 weeks, they should be fed at least 4 times per day.
• Eye dropper can be used to feed the food to newborn kittens because only small quantity is fed at a time.
• During the first 5 to 5 days, orphaned kittens should be weighed daily as a means of monitoring health.
• It is the goat when caring for orphans that they achieve near-normal rate of weight gain.
• For the first 2 weeks of life, the kitten must also be stimulated to urinate and defecate by stroking the belly, genital, and anal areas with a washcloth dampened with warm water.
• At 3 weeks kitten can be introduced to semisolid food and gradually weaned, just as if the mother were present.