Last updated on February 5th, 2023 at 06:10 pm
Homemade milk for kittens is a vital milk formula, especially when the lactating cat mother is unavailable. Therefore, if the kitten cannot suck, the recipes will be a better option to keep the newborn alive and healthy. Sometimes, the kitten milk supplement formula is called kitty glop or cat milk substitute for some breeders. These kitten milk formulas are commonly used to feed orphaned kittens, even though some people also use them to provide for newborn kittens. In normal conditions, lactating cats care for their newborn kittens. The milk from the mother cat is the best diet for the kitten as it provides them with all the required nutrition to keep them healthy during the early stages of their lives.
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Situations when you need homemade milk for kittens
Sometimes, difficulties may arise, making the milk from the mother cat unavailable. Some of these difficulties include:
- The cat’s inability to survive during birth
- The mother cat may decide to disown and abandon her newborn litter.
- The kittens may also be too large, making them difficult for the mother cat to manage independently.
- The mother cat may also sometime reject a kitten, especially when they are too weak or too small.
- The mother cat may feel too sick or develop postnatal issues.
Therefore, the kitten will have to rely on manual feeding from humans to keep them alive and healthy. In this situation, if you don’t feed kitten, they may risk dying of hunger as their body will lack the necessary nutrients. They will also suffer a lack of proper care, which can also make them part of stressed. For this reason, homemade milk for kittens formulas become the best option in case your kitten faces such challenges during their early ages. The recipes provide the kitten with the necessary nutrients to make them survive and keep them healthy. The recipes also make them develop their body organs properly over time. However, how can you make the milk formulas for your kitten? That’s the question everyone desires to know.
How to make kitten formula
There are many recipes you can use to make homemade milk for kittens. You will only have to choose a recipe that looks simple for you to understand. Some people also prefer buying a milk replacement for kitten from the local pet stores around them, which is also a good deal. However, if the milk replacements are unavailable, you will have no option to make your kitten formula. In this case, you will have to choose your preferred recipe, which you have all its required ingredients available with you at home. This will make the process of making the kitten formula easy and practical for you at home.
When using homemade milk for kittens formula to feed the newborn, ensure you don’t use the formula beyond twenty-four hours. This is important, especially when the homemade milk replacement is out of the refrigerator. Taking into consideration the precaution, there are different homemade milk kitten recipes we prepared for you in this article. These formulas are from the Cornel book of Cats. This is a famous book written and published by the Cornell School in the Veterinary department.
The kitten replacement recipe #1
Ingredients
- One quart of milk from a goat
- One teaspoon full of Karo syrup (use a light syrup)
- One tablespoon full of fat-free plain yogurt (should be preferably made of milk from goat)
- One egg yolk and gelatin, preferably unflavored
Procedure
- Put the milk from the goat into a saucepan.
- Add the unflavored gelatin to the saucepan.
- Not that the gelatin should be added according to the age of the kitten. For instance, if the kitten is between birth to one week old, one package of gelatin is enough.
- If the kitten is between one to two weeks old, use one and a half to two packages of the gelatin.
- Use two halves to 3 packages of gelatin between two to three weeks.
- Lastly, if the kitten is four weeks old, use four packages of gelatin.
- After adding the correct package of gelatin, warm the mixture to dissolve the gelatin.
- Remove the mixture from heat, add the remaining ingredients, and store it in a refrigerator.
- The formula can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week before expiring.
The kitten replacement recipe #2
Ingredients
- Eight ounces of whole milk (preferably homogenized goat milk)
- Two egg yolks, One teaspoon full of salad oil
- One drop of pediatric vitamins (this can be optional if not available)
Procedure
- The procedural preparation of this recipe is straightforward; you only need to mix all the ingredients carefully.
- After mixing them well, allow the mixture to boil before removing it from heat.
- When the mixture temperature is within the skin temperature range, you can pour the mixture into the feeding bottle and use it to feed the kitten.
- Store the remaining mixture in a refrigerator and keep it refrigerated when not used.
- However, the mixture should not take too long in the refrigerator.
- The longest time the mixture can take when stored in a refrigerator should be one week and below.
- Always ensure you warm the formula before feeding the cat, especially when you remove the recipe from the refrigerator. Adding the pediatric liquid vitamin into the mixture gives the kitten more appetite for food.
- However, it can be omitted if it is unavailable or when the kitten responds positively to food.
The kitten replacement recipe #3
Ingredients
- Boiled water of about one part and five parts of evaporated milk.
- A half teaspoon of bone meal for every sixteen ounces of fluid.
Procedures
- After gathering all these ingredients, mix them well and keep them cool in a refrigerator.
- You will also need to warm this formula before using it to feed your kitten.
- For instance, after removing the formula from the refrigerator, you need to heat it to a moderate temperature suitable for feeding the kitten.
- The temperature should, however, not be higher than the average skin temperature.
The kitten replacement recipe #4
Ingredients
- One egg yolk
- One can of evaporated milk
- Two tablespoons of corn syrup
- One drop of pediatric vitamin (preferably liquid human but can be optional if not available)
Procedure
- Put the egg yolk, milk, and syrup in a saucepan container and mix them well.
- Store the mixture inside the jar in a refrigerator.
- Ensure the jar is tightly sealed before keeping the formula in the refrigerator.
- When feeding the kitten with this formula, mix half of your estimated amount of the feed with boiling water of an equal amount.
- Always mix the kitten formula with one drop of the liquid vitamin once a day.
These recipes are the best for preparing homemade milk kitten formula for your newborn cat. You will only have to choose the simplest one you are comfortable with to make your formula. On the other hand, you need to remember that homemade recipes are not recommended for feeding your kitten long-term. You should not use one formula in feeding your kitten for more than a week despite storing it in a refrigerator. The highest number of days these formulas can take when still active is up to seven days. Furthermore, when preparing the recipe, ensure you use the correct amount of ingredients and mix them properly.
When you use less amount of some ingredients in making your recipe, the formula will not contain the exact amount of the necessary nutrients for your cat. For this reason, the cat will still show signs of starvation despite being fed manually. In addition, you should also not overfeed your kitten, as this will make the kitten develop a negative attitude toward the formula. Unlike puppies, kittens always like eating a small amount of food at a time. They will not always rush towards food and will only feed when it’s completely hungry. Some cats may also lack the appetite for food; in this case, you will have to add some drops of the pediatric vitamin to the formula during its preparation. The vitamin will give the kitten more appetite and positively respond to food.
How to feed a newborn kitten
After preparing the best homemade milk for kittens replacement formula, it is essential to learn how to feed your newborn cat with the formula. This will make you feed the kitten effectively as required for healthy growth. Most people prefer using the bottle-feeding method. If you choose this method as your favorite feeding method, you will have to use a specially designed baby bottle. Such bottles are tiny and designed with baby nipples. These bottles are available in many online retailers and can also be purchased from any pet store nearby.
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This is a nurser feeding bottle kit that comes with replacement nipples. It is a feeding kit suitable for use in kittens, puppies, and other small baby animals you may have at home. The kit package contains four pet syringes, a 60mml feeding bottle, five nipples, and a cleaning brash. It is made from food-grade materials that make them easily washable and reusable. The feeding bottle also has an accurate syringe that makes it easy for you to feed the correct amount of formula to the kitten. Therefore, follow the link below to grab your kit today and enjoy a perfect feeding experience for your cat.
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Cons
❌ The nipple could be designed better
If you cannot find a tiny baby bottle around you, don’t worry; you can also use the syringe that is not fitted with the needle. This can also help you as a better alternative to the use of baby bottles, especially when the kitten is not comfortable with the bottle. In addition, the oral syringe is easy to get as they can be purchased from any pharmacy near you at much cheaper prices. Before feeding the kitten, ensure you heat the formula to warm it moderately. It should not be too warm or too hot; make it feel warm. When warming the formula, avoid using a microwave.
How often should you feed newborn kitten
The best amount of the formula you need to feed the kitten is about eight milliliters of formula in every ounce of the weight of the body in a day. This statement means that, in case you have a kitten weighing four ounces, you need to feed the kitten with about 32 milliliters of the formula in a day. In this case, you will have to feed the kitten about eight milliliters of the formula every four hours, totaling six times a day.
In case of constipation when feeding the cat, you will have to add at least one drop of oil, preferably vegetable oil, into the formula. The oil should be added only once per day until the problem is fully solved. The oil has been tested and proved to be the best when it comes to the treatment of constipation in pets. Therefore, it is no doubt that the oil will ideally make your kitten heal from the occurrence of constipation. Furthermore, when feeding the kitten, you need to take into consideration the age of the kitten. This will help you prepare the formula well and feed the kitten the required amount. The best age range for kittens suitable for feeding by the formula is between birth time to four weeks old.
Conclusion
The homemade milk for kittens recipe is the best replacement formula for kitten in situations when the mother cat milk is not available. There are many reasons why the milk may not be available; however, such a situation should not make you lose your kitten. The homemade kitten recipe available in this article is the best feeding milk replacement for kittens. They have the necessary nutrients that will keep the kitten healthy and alive in its entire young age until it grows up and become strong enough to feed itself naturally. Therefore, please choose your preferred recipe today and use it to feed your kitten ideally without worrying about the situation of the mother cat.
