How to feed an unweaned kitten? Milk, bottles

Without proper nutrition, an unweaned kitten will have little chance of survival, even if you give it lots of love. How to feed an unweaned baby kitten? What milk to give? When to switch to wet food and/or dry kibble? Find all our advice so your little ball of fur can survive, grow, and become a “big” cat confident on its paws.

From the kitten’s birth, the mother cat plays a crucial role. She provides warmth, protection, and food. And up to two or three months (or even more), she takes care of its nutritional and social weaning. She teaches it to eat, to clean itself, to be clean... She teaches all the basics of feline behavior! Unfortunately, sometimes a newborn kitten is left to fend for itself. Death, abandonment, or the mother cat being unable to care for it due to an accident or illness… there are many reasons.

If you have to take care of a kitten less than two months old (under 8 weeks), your role will be very important, and appropriate nutrition will be essential for its survival and development. The challenge will be to feed it properly and provide all the nutrients it needs to grow into a beautiful, strong, and healthy cat. Some nutritional deficiencies in kittens can cause growth delays and even neurological disorders that can sometimes lead to death.

Nutrition: How to feed an unweaned kitten?

First of all, it is essential to consult your veterinarian so they can examine your little kitten and detect any possible health issues, especially if you found the abandoned kitten or if its mother rejected it.

A vet visit is even more important if your kitten is only a few hours old. The first moments of a kitten’s life are critical because during the first feedings (within 24 to 48 hours), the kitten benefits from its mother’s colostrum, a substance secreted by the mammary glands packed with antibodies. These antibodies protect it from germs in its environment, various infections, and diseases!

This yellowish liquid concentrates many essential nutrients: vitamins, minerals, proteins, and digestive enzymes. If the kitten did not get access to this colostrum, it will be very vulnerable. An injection of artificial colostrum is vital for the kitten (within the first 15 hours after birth).

Milk formula for unweaned kittens

A kitten younger than 4 weeks only needs milk. But be careful, do not give cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or human baby formula. These milks are too low in fat and too high in casein and lactose. They are absolutely not suitable for kittens’ nutritional needs.

For your little kitten, choose a milk formula specially designed for kittens. Your veterinarian will recommend the most suitable milk and, depending on its age and weight, will tell you the dosages and the number of bottles to give daily.

How many bottles should I give my kitten?

Too small, the kitten will not yet be able to lap from a bowl. You will need to feed it by bottle, like a baby. The number of bottles and the dosages will decrease as it grows. Gradually, you will be able to introduce “solid” food in a bowl.

The milk should be warmed to an ideal temperature of 38.5°C. It must not be too hot to avoid burning its fragile digestive system, nor too cold to avoid hypothermia. Very sensitive to cold, the newborn kitten indeed needs warmth.

Here is a table to help you.

Note: this table is indicative only. It does not replace your veterinarian’s advice.

How to give a bottle to your kitten?

Unlike human babies, a kitten does not take its bottle lying (or almost) on its back. The best position to feed it is on its belly, as it would with its mother. Hold it in your hand (covering it with a small cloth to keep it warm) or place it on your belly, and offer the bottle by gently squeezing the nipple.

Do not rush it, go gently. Your little cat will suckle its milk at its own pace. If it does not drink all the milk, do not force it. Ideally, give the bottle in a quiet place to avoid stress. Of course, before giving the bottle, remember to sterilize it and wash your hands to prevent germs and bacteria that could endanger the kitten’s health.

After each bottle, also massage its little belly to help digestion. As a substitute mother, you will need to help it go to the bathroom—something it cannot do alone yet—by stimulating the lower belly and anus with a cotton ball or damp cloth.

Feeding an unweaned kitten: milk and some wet food

A kitten needs milk until about 6 weeks old. From 3 weeks, you can start introducing solid food. But again, only specially formulated food for kittens.

Adult cat food is absolutely unsuitable for its nutritional needs and can cause deficiencies. Without proper nutrition, the kitten may develop growth delays and many health problems such as poor immune response to illness, neurological and digestive disorders, etc.

Unlike an adult cat, a kitten needs more protein and fat. It also requires higher amounts of minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus, and very little fiber in its diet. These elements are not provided by adult cat kibble and wet food!

For your growing little feline, choose kitten food. Preferably, wet food mixed with milk. Wet food pairs well and has the advantage of being richer in water than kibble. It is an excellent source of hydration and meets its water needs.

Moreover, wet food is easier to eat and digest. At this age, the kitten does not yet have all its teeth. Milk teeth start to appear around 3 weeks and all come in between 6 and 7 weeks 😺

A quality wet food for kittens!

So give kitten wet food but pay attention to quality. There is a wide variety of wet foods specially made for kittens on the market, but they are not all equal. Some are very low in animal proteins (and good quality protein), which is essential for your kitten’s health. They may contain reconstituted meat (a mix of vegetable and animal protein) or poor-quality meat chunks with little nutritional value.

At Ziggy, we offer kitten wet food rich in quality proteins and meeting all the nutritional needs of kittens. All our recipes are formulated by Dr. Géraldine Blanchard, veterinary expert in feline nutrition.

How much wet food to give?

Start with one teaspoon per day (to mix with the milk).

Then, from the 4th week, you can give one teaspoon of wet food per meal. You can then increase the amount of wet food and reduce the milk, until stopping milk at the end of the 7th week.

The transition must be gradual. A sudden change could cause diarrhea and vomiting.

If your kitten is reluctant, put some wet food on its paw. By reflex, it will lick it and start to get familiar with its new food. You can also try gently rubbing some wet food juice on its gums. This may arouse its interest in the taste and texture of the new food.

When it fully switches to solid food, do not hesitate to let it try different tastes and textures so it does not become “neophobic,” i.e., wary of new things when it grows a little. Once weaned, let it try minced meat, canned sardines, plain yogurt, or boiled zucchini. Always in small amounts, of course.

For more information, feel free to check our article on kitten weaning on our blog.

Monitor your little kitten’s weight

Throughout its growth, weigh your kitten every day to ensure it is gaining weight properly. At birth, a kitten weighs about 100 grams and gains roughly 100 grams per week, until it weighs about 1 kilogram at 9 weeks (2 months and 1 week).

If it does not gain weight or loses some, consult your veterinarian as soon as possible, who can then adjust its diet.

Feeding an unweaned kitten is a difficult task. It can be a real challenge for you, but your kitten will need all your attention to survive and grow into a confident cat.

Besides providing warmth, protection, and love ❤️, nutrition is the key. And if things go wrong, don’t blame yourself. Even doing your best, some kittens are sometimes too weak to survive without their mother.