How to care for week-old premature kittens if mom isn't interested?

Question

I have three premature kittens I would like to give 24 hour care. It's their mothers first litter and she doesn't seem interested in her kittens, she leaves them often and sits on them, I believe this is how one of her kittens has died already. My problem is though, where I am available to take care of the kittens, the mother will not be. Is this okay? Will it still increase their chances of catching up ? They are a week old. Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | unspayed | 7 months and 26 days old | 9 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

If you choose to care for them, your primary goal will be to keep them warm, stimulate their bowels / urinary tract, and feed them up to every 2-3 hours at first. The use of a blanket and heating pads may be required for warmth. If you do not have a heating pad, I would recommend going out to obtain one in the morning. As for stimulation, you need to rub their bellies and behinds to get them to go to the bathroom after each time they eat. As for feedings, you will need to obtain kitten milk replacer and a bottle. The kittens should be fed in an upright position as to avoid aspiration of the liquid. It is a tiring job and they still may not make it, so do not take it personally if things do not work out. You can certainly try to keep the kitten with mom if you think she isn't going to hurt them, but I would monitor them extremely carefully. If there is any indication of aggression remove them entirely. Hope this helps.

How to care for week-old premature kittens if mom isn't interested?

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