What to do about my orphaned kittens suckling and aspirating?

Question

I am nursing four 8 day old kittens who were separated from their mom at around day 2. It’s been heaven until the last two days. One of the cats has serious suckling issues and has sucked the umbilical chord area of another cat so hard she started to bleed. I separated the two from each other but they will not stop screaming. When feeding, the anxiety and stress is so high that they both jam their mouths on the nipple of my feeding bottle and drink so fast they get fluid in the lungs. What to do. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 7 days old | 0 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

First, if one of the kittens has an injury to the umbilical cord it is best to seek veterinary care to ensure it doesn't become infected or need additional treatment. Second, it may be you are not feeding the kittens often enough which is why they are crying and starving by the time you do. It is best to feed smaller meals more often than one large meal as it will prevent aspiration and keep the kittens full in between meals. You also want to make sure they are on their bellies and not their backs when nursing to avoid aspirating milk. I'm including an article on orphaned kittens that may help as well! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/

What to do about my orphaned kittens suckling and aspirating?

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