How Many Grams Should A Kitten Gain Per Day
How Many Grams Should A Kitten Gain Per Day
If you have ever had kittens in your care, you know that it can be extremely difficult to get them to gain weight. It’s not uncommon for a kitten to even lose weight for the first few days after birth. To make matters worse, it can be hard to determine whether or not a kitten is actually gaining weight because they are so small! A gram or two of increased body weight might not seem like much on something that only weighs 250 grams. Despite the challenges that come with getting newborn kittens to gain weight, it is absolutely crucial that they do gain weight quickly. Luckily, there are some easy ways to ensure your kittens thrive from day one.
It can be very hard to get a newborn kitten to gain weight.
Kittens are born with a very small stomach and must nurse often to gain weight. They also have a very small body mass, high metabolism, and low fat content.
This makes it hard for newborn kittens to gain weight.
The best way to feed a kitten is through nursing, but kittens can be fed by bottle when necessary.
Bottle feeding is the most common way to feed a kitten, especially if you don’t have an adult cat around to nurse. However, bottle feeding isn’t actually as effective as nursing — kittens need the nutrients and antibodies that come from their mothers’ milk. If possible, try to get your kitten to nurse from its mother or another nursing mom instead of bottle feeding it yourself. This will still allow your kitten to get the important nutrients that it needs without having to go through the process of bottle feeding itself.
If you must bottle feed a kitten because there’s no mom around or she doesn’t want anything to do with her litter yet (not uncommon), follow these guidelines for how often and how much you should be giving each day:
When you are caring for orphaned kittens, a scale is an invaluable tool.
If you are caring for orphaned kittens, a scale is an invaluable tool.
- To weigh a kitten: place them on the scale and press the “zero” button.
- To weigh accurately: keep your hand over their feet and tail to prevent them from moving around while you read the weight. They may not be happy with this but it’s better than an inaccurate result!
- To weigh safely: Use a soft surface like a folded blanket or towel, rather than hard floors that could hurt their little paws. Be sure that any weights are well secured so they don’t move around during weighing (and hurt themselves).
A kitten should gain approximately 4 grams per day during the first week.
A kitten should gain approximately 4 grams per day during the first week. After that, you can expect to see an increase of 8 grams per day during the second week, and another 12 grams per day by the third.
For kittens who are not gaining weight, consider giving them Pedialyte.
For kittens who are not gaining weight, consider giving them Pedialyte. Pedialyte is a great way to replenish fluids. It’s available in different flavors and sizes, as well as packaging options. Pedialyte comes in individual pouches or boxes of 12 pouches with a resealable top that makes it easy to handle and store.
Some kittens take better to the taste of water than others do, so if your kitten isn’t drinking enough, try adding some flavor enhancers like apple juice or chicken broth!
If a kitten’s weight loss seems to be due to diarrhea, consider giving them Panacur.
If your kitten’s weight loss seems to be due to diarrhea, consider giving them Panacur. This is a common drug to give to kittens with diarrhea who are not otherwise ill and are not experiencing a fever.
Paying careful attention to a newborn kitten’s weight gain is essential in order for the kitten to thrive.
Paying careful attention to a newborn kitten’s weight gain is essential in order for the kitten to thrive. The average amount of weight that a newborn kitten should gain each day is 4 grams (0.14 ounces) during its first week, 2.5 grams (0.09 ounces) during weeks two and three, 1 gram (0.035 ounces) during week four, and 0.5 grams (0.0151 ounces) per day from five weeks until weaning at six weeks old.
Calculating a kitten’s weight gain can be tricky, but it is well worth the effort. We hope that you found our tutorial helpful for caring for your new kittens. Feel free to comment below if you have any other questions about weighing your newborn kittens.