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Are you capable of saving an orphaned kitten's life? Sadly, many newborn kittens are orphaned or abandoned. So what should you do if you find yourself responsible for the life of a tiny and precious orphaned kitten? Surprisingly, it is fairly straightforward to care for your orphaned or abandoned kitten successfully. The most burdensome aspect of the whole process is the amount of time you will need to invest in the care of this newborn bundle of fur. Also, you will need to equip yourself with seven essential pieces of kit that will be required to help you with your task. First, you will need to find a suitably sized cardboard box, then: A hot water bottle. Suitable nesting material. A small eye dropper. 2ml hypodermic syringe fitted with 5cm plastic tubing. Sterilizing solution for a baby bottle. An old towel. The above items will make sure you are able to give your orphaned kitten the basics of life - food and warmth. Kittens generally get their warmth from their mother and is is essential that your orphan doesn't become chilled. This can happen very rapidly and you will need to maintain a temperature of 30-35 degrees centigrade in the first week of life and 25 degrees thereafter. Placing your kitten's box near a radiator is a good way of achieving this. Alternatively, you can provide warmth by placing a hot water bottle under one corner of the box. This way, your orphaned kitten will be able to snuggle down into its warmed bedding or choose to move to another, cooler part of its box. It is important to make sure that your kitten cannot climb out of its box. Once away from its home, your kitten will become chilled very quickly. However, the box must be roomy enough to allow your kitten to move and play easily, whilst still providing security and a comfortable temperature. Using an old towel to partially cover the open top of the box is a good way to meet all these needs. As you are acting as 'mother cat', it will be your job to keep your kitten's bedding clean. Old newspaper is great to use as bedding material as it can be easily removed and disposed of when soiled. Once you have made sure that your kitten's warmth and security have been adequately provided for you will need to address the problem of feeding. You will need to learn the technique of feeding your kitten with an eye dropper or, for larger kittens, a plastic tube attached to a syringe. Patience and persistence will be the order of the day! You will be able to get suitable kitten formula milk from your vet, together with any equipment you are short of and good pet stores generally have a range of equipment suitable for nursing small kittens. Always remember to sterilize bottles and equipment after each use, just like you would with a baby. Place your kitten on an old towel on a firm surface - you lap will do if you feel that is sufficiently secure. Gently steady your kitten's head as you carefully squeeze a drop of milk into its mouth. With luck and patience, your orphaned kitten's suckling reflex will kick in and they will start to feed. Ensure that the teat is always full of milk and that you keep up a gentle pressure in response to your kitten's sucking. Your vet will advise you on the amount of milk to feed your kitten and always be aware of your kitten's general health and demeanour. If your orphan gives you any cause for concern, please do call in your vet straight away - small kittens can deteriorate in health very quickly. The sense of parental pride you will feel as you see your orphaned kitten grow and develop will be amazing. Your intervention, care and dedication, given with love, to this tiny and helpless creature has secured a happy and healthy future for a kitten that would otherwise have perished at birth. So you definitely can save an orphaned kitten's life. However, to succeed, you will need to have the best information and guidence to help you in your task. It will be your responsibility to find out all you need to know and then to use that knowledge to ensure that your kitten recieves the very best care you can give. Your time and trouble will not go unrewarded though - your healthy, playful kitten will return your love many times over!
Article Source: http://www.fubrus.com
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