Newborn Kittens Foster Care
Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours.
Newborn kittens foster care. As a rule of thumb for every ounce of kitten body weight he or she needs 8 ccs of formula. We are a 501 c 3 volunteer focused organization based in scottsdale that works exclusively with arizona animal shelters to intake their highest needs kittens the most fragile ones that are sick injured or underweight. Weaned kitten s are able to eat food on their own and be left alone all day while the foster is at work. They typically need foster care for about 2 to 3 weeks to get big enough for spay neuter and then are off to adoptions.
They usually love to play and have lots of energy. When the kittens are 3 4 weeks old provide formula in a shallow dish as well as some kitten food that has been softened with water. This is a preventative measure against feline rhinotracheitis virus calicivirus and panleukopenia. Other than feeding kittens need to be kept warm in a toasty 88 92 degrees.
If you foster a kitten that has a mother you will also be taking in the mother cat. The mother cat will do almost all of the work including nursing cleaning keeping the kitten warm feeding and stimulating the kittens bowels. If kittens are abandoned by their mother she might have gotten into an accident lost etc then the kittens will need help human help to survive. Offer these foods 4 6 times per day.
Newborn kitten rescue saves and rehabilitates orphaned neonatal kittens that would otherwise die or be euthanized. Fvrcp vaccine is the standard feline distemper vaccine. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours.
Newborn kittens are precious little things. By participating in this program you are saving lives and helping kittens find families. Care for foster kittens includes a strict feeding schedule cleaning and lots of snuggling and play time. Offer these foods 4 times per day.
Although fostering kittens is a lot of work it is a very rewarding experience. Kittens receive this vaccine at 6 weeks of age and then two boosters 3 4 weeks apart. The arizona humane society ahs is in desperate need of foster heroes right now there are 60 newborn kittens who are too small to be adopted and need some tlc in a foster home. When the kittens are 6 12 weeks old decrease the amount of formula that you offer them and begin to give them dry kitten food.
They need feeding around the clock even if that means it s 3 am. Through fostering we can work together to save them all. They can also be pre adopted at this age.