Expert: Jessica - 10/1/2009

Question
i have got 4 kitten.They were abandoned by their mother for 10 days from now.i don't know what feed them,do i give them cow milk with biscuits,or boiled chicken breast with milk.please help I have lost 2 kitten already.

Answer
Hi Niladri.  So sorry to hear you are losing the babies.

I'm not sure if there is commercially prepared cat food available in your area, but if so, this is the best thing for the kittens to eat.  Kitten food is balanced with all the protein, fat, vitamins and minerals that kittens need to grow strong and healthy.

If no cat foods are available, probably the best thing to feed them would be a variety of meats mixed with a little boiled rice.  Chicken is excellent.  Eggs can be healthy, too, if the kittens will eat them.  Cow's milk isn't always so great for them because when they are around three months old, it will start to cause them diarrhea.  And as a main part of their diet, it will fill them up without providing enough fat or protein.  

Kittens need an amino acid called taurine in their diets to develop healthy hearts, eyes and brains.  A food that you make yourself will be difficult to make complete because of the lack of this ingredient.  However, taurine is found in meat, in larger concentrations before it's cooked.  So if the kittens will eat it, I would recommend feeding them raw meat (allow the rice to cool before mixing it with raw meat to preserve taurine).  The issue here is that the meat must not be left out for long periods, or it may be harmful to the kittens due to bacterial growth.

There could be other problems causing the loss of the babies, so if there are any veterinarians in the area, it would be a great idea to have them checked out.

I hope the little ones are better soon!

Jessica