Anybody would want to care for an orphaned kitten, however, note that the younger the baby cat, the more you will need to toil.
You can contact the local cat rescues, animal shelters, and foster homes to check if they can take the abandoned kitten and provide it with the care it needs. Raising the little kitten yourself would be even better, at least until you find it a forever home.
Should you adopt the stray, support it with the best care, love, and affection. Caring for young fur babies also involves being prepared with pet health insurance. Pet insurance for cats is as essential for baby cats as it is for adult and senior cats.
Contemplate purchasing a policy so your little furball can avail of optimal health coverage with minor financial implications. In the meantime, read this article to learn how to care for an abandoned baby cat.
Initial steps
Once you bring the kitty pie home, take it to the warmest zone of your house. If the kitten feels cold, wrap it in a warm blanket, or you can even wrap a small heating pad in soft towels and place the kitten on it. Ensure the heating pad is on the lowest setting, so the young kitten feels warm but not hot.
Baby cats under three weeks require warmth because their bodies aren’t prepared for temperature regulation yet. Plus, a warm environment is essential for proper digestion. Carefully observe the kitten’s sleeping postures to get hints about how comfortable it feels with the heating arrangement.
If the kitten tends to move away from the heating pad wrapped in the towel or sleeps along its edges, then it probably doesn’t need the extra warmth. In such a case, you can remove the heating pad on its bed.
You can use a compact cardboard box to shelter the kitten. However, place a few blankets inside so the bed is nice and cozy for the little feline. Change the bedding daily for sanitary reasons. Also, take the tiny paws to a vet for age determination, physical examination, dietary advice, and health advice.
If the kitten hasn’t been weaned yet, it must be bottle-fed. Never offer the furry little one cow’s milk. You should give it specially formulated kitten milk in a bottle made for kitten feeding. Kittens under four weeks should be fed every two to three hours.
You should warm the formula and sterilize the bottle and nipple before use. Learn how to position the baby cat while feeding to avoid aspiration. Let the kitten drink the milk at its pace, don’t force feed or squeeze the formula into its tiny mouth.
After feeding, hold the kitten upright and make them burp by softly rubbing and patting its back. Soon after, you should stimulate the baby cat to urinate and defecate using a moist cotton ball, as it won’t be able to do it instinctively until about a month after birth.
Once they cross the four weeks milestone, you can start weaning them by offering a combination of milk and solid food.
Stray kittens require round-the-clock care. Seek help from cat rescues and your veterinarian when in doubt about how to care for your newly adopted furry young one. Also, consider being equipped with pet insurance for cats, so getting medical help need not be financially burdening during sickness and emergencies.
Pet health insurance allows you to provide quality medical care during challenging times of health at affordable costs, so why not contemplate purchasing a policy?