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What to do with Orphaned Kittens
By: Alfred and Miss Patches Marie Kitty
If you ever come across some abandoned kittens, your mommy
cat rejects her own kittens or a mother cat has become ill
or died and is unable to care for her own kittens, then you
will need to know how to raise the kittens yourself if you
want them to survive. Also sometimes kittens are taken away
from feral wild cats and are in need of taming in order to
be suitable pets for humans.
If it is possible kittens should not be taken away from the
mother cat until they are five to six weeks old (if the
kittens are feral, in some cases you may want to take them
away at four weeks old, since the older a kitten gets the
harder it is to tame).
Milk from a female cat's is the best way for kittens to get
all the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow. The milk
also contains valuable antibodies and immunities that are
passed on to the kittens. These immunities usually last
until the kitten is between six and fourteen weeks of age.
So kittens that do not have a mother are especially
vulnerable to sickness and disease.
In some cases you may be able to find a foster mother cat.
Go to your local veterinarian and if there is a mother cat
that has recently had kittens or a breeder at the
veterinarian's facility that mother cat may accept a few
more kittens to her litter.
The veterinarian may also know of any recent litters and can
point you to a mother cat whose owner may be receptive to
adding your kittens to the litter. If you call any cat
people you know they can tell you whether they know of any
recent litter births. Most mother cats are receptive to some
additions to their litters.
But of course you may not be able to find a foster mother
cat. In the event that you can't you will have to hand feed
the kittens yourself if they are below weaning age. In that
case you will need to devote a considerable amount of your
own personal time and energy to provide constant care and
attention to the kittens if you want them to have a good
chance at survival.
Be forewarned that very young kittens may not survive
despite all your attention and care because they are
fragile; you have a better chance of success the older a
kitten is. But if you can give the time and attention, you
may be well rewarded with happy and healthy cats that are
amazingly well socialized.
See our other articles on this web site for more information
on caring for orphaned kittens.
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