Milk Replacement Formula for Kittens

Emergency Milk Replacement for Kittens

Do not substitute cow or goat milk for a high quality milk replacer, they are not equivalent. Do not feed raw egg whites, as a biotin deficiency may occur due to an enzyme in the white part of the egg which is destroyed with cooking. 

Do not use honey as it can contain the temperature resistant spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism. This could prove fatal to a kitten. This organism is a strict anaerobe, meaning that it only grows in the absence of molecular oxygen. The problem with infants (and animals) and honey, is that the small, intestinal tract of an infant apparently is sufficiently anaerobic to allow the spores to germinate into actively growing C. botulinum organisms. Essentially, an infant serves the same role as a sealed, airtight, contaminated can of beans as far as the organisms are concerned. There in an infant's body, the bacteria secrete the dangerous toxin that causes the symptoms of botulism.

Quite a few documented infant deaths have occurred due to honey. Most pediatricians recommend no honey for the first year so you know it would not be good to give any newborn animal honey. 

• Kittens need to be burped during and after feeding.  Hold them upright or over your shoulder and pat their backs gently. 

• Bottle or tube feeding must be done carefully to prevent aspiration.

• Kittens should not be fed while on their backs but while lying on their stomachs as they would normally nurse when the mother is present.