How to Take Care of 5 Day Old Kitten
- 1). Keep the kitten warm by holding it close to your skin, wrapping it in a towel or flannel blanket, or by using a heating pad. Allowing your 5-day old kitten to get cold can result in illness or death. If you use a heating pad, turn it on low, wrap a towel around it and place it beneath the kitten. Give the kitten room to move off the heating pad in case it gets too warm.
- 2). Create a cozy sleeping area using a carrier or cardboard box lined with a blanket or towel. Be sure the kitten is separated from other cats; kittens are very susceptible to illness, especially when they are as young as 5 days.
- 3). Feed the kitten if and when its temperature reaches a normal temperature (95-99 degrees). Anytime the kitten's temperature falls below 95, return to step 1 and warm the kitten. If the kitten is shivering or below 95 degrees, do not feed it, as this can result in metabolic shock. Feed your kitten Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or equivalent with a bottle or eyedropper; both items can be found at a pet store.
- 4). Give the kitten Pedialyte, a medicine formulated for human babies but that can be used on kittens. Pedialyte is a an oral rehydration solution that will help reduce the chance of metabolic shock and dehydration.
- 5). Feed the kitten 12 times a day: every two hours, including throughout the night. To feed the kitten, open its mouth and place the nipple of the nursing bottle in, and then squeeze very lightly (to avoid pushing fluid into the kitten's lungs). Place the kitten on your lap; it will naturally suckle on the bottle.
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