Hand-Rearing Kittens

Their sucking reflex may also be poor and they may require tube feeding. Kittens born more than 6 days early should be tube fed. Very premature kittens also require steroids and antibodies (administered by the vet) to help their immature lungs. Premature kittens often resemble mice in that their tails, legs and ears lack fur. Sometimes the body fur may be so fine as to be barely visible.

In general, the first week or so of their lives is spent reaching the full-development stage at which they should have been born. They don't put on weight at the same rate as a full term kitten because their bodies are expending energy on growing fur (up to 30% of their intake may be devoted to growing and maintaining fur) and "finishing off" immature internal organs.

When the fur has "grown in" they often gain weight rapidly. Because premature kittens must finish off crucial development outside of the womb, weight gain often begins later than in full term kittens e.g. a week later, though they usually catch up after several weeks. A two week premature kitten will be at a similar stage of development to a normal few days old kitten, not at a similar stage to a two week old born at full term. I have found it helpful to think of them as "minus 2 weeks old", "minus one week old" instead of "a week old", "two weeks old" etc as this gives a more realistic idea of how fast they should be growing.

Basic Considerations

When hand-rearing, you must minimize physical stresses on the kitten. Its actual rate of growth will depend not only on food and warmth, but on its state of health and whether it was born full-term or premature. Kittens do not all grow at the same rate - the figures quoted here are averages. Some will grow faster, some will grow slower. As long as the kitten is healthy, do not immediately panic if your kitten is not growing at the expected rate. If you are concerned at lack of growth, seek veterinary advice.

Not all readers will have state-of-the art facilities. Many cat-rescuers have worked wonders using improvised equipment and sheer hard work. The basic needs for hand-rearing are:

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