3 Day old Kitten – Feeding

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  • 3 May, 2008 at 12:34 am #16904
    kit42
    Participant

    I have a two day old kitten that I fed emergency formula the first night and replacement formula after that. I also got my hands on some fresh (not powdered) goats’ milk from a friend with a farm.

    I was wondering if I can make the formula with the goats milk instead of water. It seems to me like a good idea to me. I mean why not. Does anyone know why not?

    Thanks!

    3 May, 2008 at 12:39 am #213394
    AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew
    Participant

    try and get KMR for the kitten, its a replacement milk with the properties basically the same as the mother’s milk. Others will chime in as they have experience feeding newborn kits. Welcome to TDK with your little one.

    3 May, 2008 at 12:42 am #213395
    Buttercup
    Participant

    Here are some recipes if you can’t get KMR right away;

    Homemade Recipe for Short-term Use

    One such formula consists of:

    • 1 cup whole milk

    • 2 egg yolks

    • 2 teaspoonfuls of Karo syrup

    Another similar recipe is:

    • 1 egg yolk

    • 1 teaspoon Karo or maple syrup per pint mixture

    • 1 teaspoon brewer’s yeast or bee pollen per pint mixture

    • A vitamin-mineral supplement like Fauve or Vital Nutrition.

    12oz of water

    1 envelope Knox Gelatin

    1 12oz can of whole evaporated milk (not skim)

    2 tablespoons mayonnaise

    2 tablespoons plain yogurt, not nonfat

    Boil the water, add the gelatin – stir well. Add the following

    ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:

    1/2 of canned milk (canned goats milk preferred)

    mayonnaise and yogurt

    the rest of the milk

    3 May, 2008 at 12:44 am #213396
    Buttercup
    Participant

    website,

    http://petcaretips.net/orphaned_kitten_care.html

    Good luck and let us know!

    The last one uses goats milk but I’m not sure about fresh goat’s milk(not pasturized).Hopefully someone else w/ more experience will let you know.

    3 May, 2008 at 1:55 am #213397
    caroline
    Participant

    Liquid ‘KMR’ or ‘Just Born’ formulas are best in my opinion..Check out Buttercup’s website. It will help a lot.

    I’m helping a friend with two kittens that are now about two weeks old.. so precious!

    3 May, 2008 at 3:40 am #213398
    tuttibella
    Participant

    From the way I read her post, it seems like she is already feeding replacement formula. I think she got the powdered variety and was wondering if it’s ok to mix it with fresh goat’s milk instead of water.

    I don’t really know the answer but I just don’t want it to be a case of *overload*. Perhaps it’s safer to mix the powder with water as directed since fresh unsterilized/pasteurized goat’s milk might harbor bacteria.

    3 May, 2008 at 3:47 am #213399
    Buttercup
    Participant

    Yes Tuttibella,from what I read about “the raw milk debate” raw milk can be consumed but it has to be very carefully and hygenically obtained or the high bacterial counts can make people sick.

    K42 It sounds like a healthy thing to do but a 3 day old kitten is just so fragile that personally I wouldn’t feed it to her.

    3 May, 2008 at 5:40 am #213400
    kit42
    Participant

    Right – I want to mix the KMR with milk instead of water. The people we got the goats milk from drink it themselves and feed it to all the baby animals on their farm. It hasn’t seperated in my fridge in the last day so I assume it is pasturized.

    3 May, 2008 at 2:58 pm #213401
    ailuromaniac
    Participant

    Goat’s milk does not separate like cows milk so it does not require homogenization to keep the fat mixed in the skim. If you bought your goat’s milk from the farm down the road you most likely have RAW milk. This is the freshly milked product before any processing other than chilling. You would need to pasteurize the milk yourself to ensure this process was done.

    Cat’s have such a narrow dietary requirement set that tampering with a formula is risky. That is why the replacement forumulas are for short term emergency use only. KMR is formulated to closely represent Mother Cat’s milk and would not need “enrichment”. Such an addition could make the milk too rich for the young digestive system causing more trouble than help.

    3 May, 2008 at 9:25 pm #213402
    Tigerlilly
    Participant

    I am currently fostering and bottle feeding 3 3week old kittens. I got a lot of information from the rescue group ( as I had no prior experience) and goats milk was not recommneded, KMR mixed with warm water has all the nutritional value that they need. Good luck

    3 May, 2008 at 11:54 pm #213403
    Karenopa
    Participant

    Hi kit42..How’s the little one doing? Would love an update. After the Kentucky Derby..I could use some good news… 🙂

    4 May, 2008 at 12:27 am #213404
    3kits staff
    Participant

    Kit42

    Yes you can make the formula with goats milk. goats milk is the best milk for any animal it is easier for the baby to digest and will not cause stomach problems. I have raised many animals on it other than kid goats,kittens,cats, pigs, lambs, cows, squirrels and even puppies they thrive on it. I put cats in there because when my 19yr old cat Noah started with his thyroid problems, Chucky(one of my now cats) was a baby and was on goats milk. I started giving Noah it, well his enzymes came down and he didn’t need as much of the meds for the thyroid as goats milk is easier to digest.

    How is the baby doing?

    make sure you wiggle the belly so he goes to the bathroom and keep him warm.

    Best of Luck

    Dorie

    PS goats milk is naturally pasturized!

    4 May, 2008 at 2:08 am #213405
    bumblebee
    Participant

    Goats milk doesn’t last if it is raw. I forget how long it lasts, a day or two or 3? I have a friend who has goats and that is all they drink as far as milk goes. I brought some home years ago and was told to use it up quick as it doesn’t last very long without spoiling.

    How is the baby doing? Good luck with him. Awwwww….

    4 May, 2008 at 2:14 am #213406
    ailuromaniac
    Participant

    3kits staff,

    I am sorry but your statement “goat’s milk is naturally pasteurized” is inaccurate.

    Pasteurization is the process of killing bacteria by heating a product in a sterile container to a temperature (approximately 140 deg F) and holding the temperature long enough to kill most pathogenic bacteria (30 min minimum).

    HOMOGENIZATION is the process of emulsifying fat molecules and blending them with the remaining product so that it does not separate. As in the cream rising to the top of cows milk. The separation is when the fat globules are too large to be suspended in the other materials. The fat molecules in goat’s milk are smaller and remain suspended without a mechanical means of breaking them down to smaller units and blending them in.

    There is still a risk of infection from drinking RAW (un-pasteurized) goat’s milk.

    4 May, 2008 at 2:38 pm #213407
    elaine from portland,ore,11-24
    Participant

    yes I agree, use only KMR OR JUST BORN kitten milk replacers,i raised lucky- lacey(yesterday’s daily kitten on that stuff)and you can see she’s just fine.

    4 May, 2008 at 5:18 pm #213408
    dieselsmom
    Participant

    since you already have the KMR, just mix it with warm water. Mixing it with goat’s milk will just overload the kitten’s system. The KMR is formulated to be as close to Momma cat’s milk as possible, so you just need to mix it with the warm water. I wouldn’t change the recipe at all.

    5 May, 2008 at 5:00 am #213409
    kit42
    Participant

    I gave her a few bottles with the goats’ milk as the liquid for the KMR, but now I have gone back to just water.

    She is doing so good! The only thing is she seems to be developing out of order. I have read through several websites that list at what day old she should be doing what. They all seem different (I guess this should be a flag not to worry to much)

    It is day 5 for her and she started purring today, and I really think her ears opened a little. She has been walking (wiggle walking) and climbing since day two. Her eyes are still closed. She is gaining weight at the normal amount of about 10 grams per day, but wants to eat double what the KMR can suggests. She was born with some great instincts! I feed her on this small table – when she walks (like a drunk uncle) to the edge, she feels that it is the edge and backs up. Wow! Of course my hands are always right there just incase. She does fall over a lot!

    The only thing I worry about is the color of her poop. It was yellow (even before the goats’ milk) and today it is a greenish yellow. It started the greenish tint after I have her a tube of BENE-BAC yesterday. I did that because one website said that yellow poop meant an imbalance of bacteria in the stomach. I took her to my vet who said that he wasn’t worried about the poop because everything else was ok. He also said that he couldn’t test for any diseases or worms yet. I worry about that last part because I have many other animals in the house. Of course I have her quarantined – but still.

    What does everyone think?

    5 May, 2008 at 5:55 am #213410
    ailuromaniac
    Participant

    Sounds like you are doing fine.

    Like any infant developmental stages never go by the book. As long as you are ahead of the curve you have little to worry about (caveat here: obesity is not good for kittys or humans). Feed your prescious package according to weight and you will not be under feeding. So if she is the size and weight of a two week kitten you would feed for a two week kitten…

    The eyes and ears thing seems to be related to hair length. Short hairs open their eyes earlier. Also, unless you were present at the birth the age estimate could be off a bit.

    Baby poop changes color with digestive system maturity and diet. So unless you are seeing signs of blood, no worries as long as it is not too soft or hard. Keep the belly well messaged and use a warm cloth or cottonballs to stimulate elimination and clean the bottom.

    Keep up with the vet and keep us posted.

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