© 2004 LeAnn R. Ralph

Over years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell out of nest in our barn when they were only a day old.

Raising motherless kittens is not a difficult process, but it does require patience, time and plenty of TLC.

Here are some tips to help you raise your orphaned kittens:

1. Make a nest.

Normally, a mother cat spends many hours a day in nest with her kittens, which helps her babies stay warm. Keeping kittens warm is important because if they're not warm enough, they won't want to eat, and in fact, all of their bodily functions will slow down.

To keep your orphaned kittens warm, make a nest in a small box and line it with towels or old t-shirts or sweatshirts to help babies conserve their body heat. Put a towel over box to keep out light. Female cats choose nests that are dark. If you don't have a heat lamp, use a small 40-watt desk lamp and place it several feet above box to help keep kittens warm.

If box is big enough, you can also use a jug or another large container filled with hot water to keep babies warm. Place jug in box and then make a nest with towels beside it. Refill jug when it cools off. You can use a quart jar as a "hot water bottle" too except that a quart jar cools off very quickly.

2. Use an eyedropper or a syringe to feed kittens.

The first time I raised orphaned kittens, I discovered that small nursing bottles available at vet clinics were too big. The kittens couldn't get their mouths around nipples. So, at first, for newborn kittens, I used an eyedropper. As kittens grew bigger, a syringe worked very well, kind of syringe for giving injections (without needle of course!). I started out with 3 cc size and used larger syringes when kittens grew bigger. The tip of a syringe is about size of a cat's nipple, and my kittens eventually sucked hard enough on end of syringe to draw plunger down by themselves.

A word of caution: Whether you're feeding with an eyedropper or a syringe, be careful to give only a few drops at a time. My veterinarian told me that if kittens were given too much formula at once (more than they could swallow), they might inhale it. Inhaling formula will make your kittens much more susceptible to pneumonia.

Along way, I have also discovered that it is best to feed kittens as much as they want to eat. They will settle down and sleep until next feeding if they are getting enough to eat. Tiny kittens will start out taking maybe 1 CC at a time. As they grow bigger, they will eat around 12 CCs at a time (usually in several different helpings).

Kittens learn very quickly that food comes from syringe you hold in your hand. If you are having trouble getting them to take formula from syringe, let them "root around" in palm of your hand for a few seconds or let them suck on your fingers. Then introduce syringe and let them suck on it while you very slowly press plunger down.

3. Feed kittens KMR or kitty formula that you have mixed yourself.

KMR, canned cat milk replacer, is available at most vet clinics in either a premixed or dry form. It is specifically formulated for kittens to provide all nutrients they need. Follow directions on label. The amount to feed is determined by body weight. My newborn kittens weighed three ounces each,and for first several days, they only needed a half an eyedropper of KMR at a time.

My vet clinic also gave me a recipe for "kitten formula." After first can of KMR, this is what all of my kittens have been raised on.

Here is recipe for Kitten Formula

1 cup whole milk 1 tablespoon white corn syrup 1 egg yolk a pinch of salt

Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so bubbles will have time to dissipate.

Warm over medium heat. Heat formula so it feels slightly warm to touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true for KMR.

4. Feed your kittens on a regular schedule three times a day.