Kitten milk replacer (KMR) is specially formulated for kittens raised without their mother. In the absence of a kitten milk replacer, you can easily make your own homemade kitten formula substitute using ingredients found in your kitchen.
Young kittens have special nutritional requirements. Furthermore, during their early stages of development, they do not have teeth. As such, they are unable to eat solid food. Abandoned or orphaned kittens would die if not supplemented with kitten formula.
A good kitten formula substitute should be easy to eat and digest. Additionally, it should be able to meet the nutritional requirements of your kitty.
When would you need kitten formula or its substitute?
There are several reasons why you may need kitten formula or its substitute including when;
- The litter is too large for the mother cat
- The kittens are unable to nurse
- The mother may abandon one or more kittens if they are too small or weak
- The mama cat may not survive giving birth
- Some mama cats may abandon a whole litter
- The mother cat may be sick or unable to produce sufficient quantities of milk
- If mama cat dies of un–natural causes such as a car accident
In addition to feeding kittens, you can use this kitten formula substitute to feed nursing queens, sick cats that need special supplementation or old cats.
Homemade kitten formula substitute
You can easily make a number of kitten formula substitutes at home using ingredients available in your kitchen.
Homemade kitten formula substitute may however not be nutritionally complete. We therefore, do not recommend feeding kittens on homemade kitten formula substitute for more than 24 hours unless it is really necessary.
Additionally, if not prepared right some homemade kitten formula substitutes may cause more harm than good. Therefore, we recommend you purchase a good kitten milk replacement (KMR) formula from the nearest pet store or your local veterinarian.
The following recipes were adapted from the Cornell book of cats by the Cornell school of veterinary medicine.
Formula #1; kitten replacement
Ingredients
- 1 quarts of whole goat milk
- 1 teaspoon of non fat plain yoghurt (preferable made from goat milk)
Kittens are lactose intolerant. Cow milk is rich in lactose. It is therefore not recommended to feed kittens on cow milk. Goat milk is therefore favorable for making kitten formula.
- 1 teaspoon of light Karo syrup
- 1 egg yolk
- Unflavored gelatin
Volume of gelatin to be used by age
- Newborn to 1 week – 1 package of gelatin
- 2 weeks – 1 ½ to 2 packages of gelatin
- 3 weeks – 2 ½ to 3 packages of gelatin
- 4 weeks – 4 packages of gelatin
Recipe
- Add the goat milk to a saucepan
- Add the appropriate amount of gelatin based on your kittens age
- Heat the mixture until all the gelatin dissolves in the milk
- Remove from the heat
- Mix in the remaining ingredients
- Feed as necessary and refrigerate the rest
This formula should only be refrigerated for 1 week. After 1 week discard any remaining formula and prepare again.
This formula is more nutritionally complete than other homemade formulas. It should however not safe to use it for many days if you want your kittens to thrive. Replace it with commercial kitten formula as soon as you can.
Formula #2; kitten replacement
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of homogenized whole milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon salad oil
- 1 drop of liquid pediatric multivitamin (optional)
Recipe
- Pour the homogenized whole milk into a jar
- Add 2 egg yolks to the jar and mix thoroughly
- Add 1 teaspoon of salad oil and 1 drop pediatric multivitamin if available and mix
- Refrigerate to keep fresh
To feed the kittens, warm this formula in a hot water glass bath. Test with your palm to see if warm. If the formula passes the palm test, feed to the kittens as necessary.
This formula should only be refrigerated for 1 – 2 days.
Formula #3; emergency formula
Ingredients
- 1 part boiled water
- 5 parts evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon of bone meal (per 16 ounces of liquid)
Recipe
- Pour the ingredients into a jar
- Mix thoroughly
- Refrigerate to keep fresh
Warm this formula before feeding to your kitten. This formula should only be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days to keep fresh for multiple use during the day.
Formula #4; emergency formula
Ingredients
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons of Karo syrup
- 1 drop of pediatric multivitamin (optional)
Recipe
- Pour 1 can evaporated milk into a jar
- Add 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of Karo syrup into the jar
- Mix well
- If available add 1 drop of pediatric multivitamin and mix well
- Pour into a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate
To feed the kittens, mix equal volume of the formula with boiling water. Test the temperature using your wrist then feed the kitties.
When feeding kittens on any of the above kitten formulas, they may develop constipation. Add 1 drop of vegetable oil to the formula when feeding the kitten once daily until the problem resolves.
FAQs on Kitten formula and its substitute
How can I feed kitten formula?
To feed the kitten, warm the formula in a bowl with hot water. Leave the formula in the hot water for a couple of minutes until it is warm to touch. Test the temperature of the formula using your wrist.
Never use a microwave to warm kitten formula. This is because it forms hot spots that could scald the kitten.
Feed the kitten using a pet nursing bottle with a small nozzleOnce the formula is warm, use a milk bottle with a small nozzle to feed the kitten. You can easily purchase pet nursing bottles in any pet store or on online platforms such as Amazon.
Alternatively, you can use a needle-less syringe or an eye dropper to feed the formula to the kitten.
Note that you may have to squeeze the formula into the kitten’s mouth. Some kittens may not be able to suckle the formula from the bottle.
Ensure the kitten is warm before attempting to feeding him or her. You can feel the ears or paws to know if the kitten is cold.
A cold kitten would not be able to feed well. If fed, the formula would stagnate in the kitten’s digestive system and may make the kitten ill. Warm the kitten gradually using a blanket or hot water bottle before attempting to feed them.
How frequent should I feed kitten formula?
Feed the kitten every 3 hours for the first 2 weeks. This is because kittens need constant care when they are young.
Gradually switch to every 4 hours on the third week then every 5 or 6 hours past 4 weeks.
You can then start weaning the kitten after 4 weeks by introducing kitten weaning foods.
Kindly note that as you feed the kitten formula, you also need to help the kittens get rid of waste. You can do this by gently rubbing their behind using a wet cloth after a meal. Rub gently until they either urinate or poo. You will need to do this until they are old enough to use a litter box.
Is evaporated milk okay for kittens?
Evaporated milk is cow milk that has a lot of water removed from it. It is therefore creamier and thicker than ordinary milk. It is however not good for kittens as it may make them have stomach upsets. Most cats are intolerant to lactose present in cow milk.
When cats consume cow milk they develop diarrhoea and vomiting. You should therefore not feed evaporated milk to kittens as it can make them have stomach upsets.
In cases of emergency, you can make kitten formula using evaporated milk and 1 egg as described above. However, we do not recommend using this formula for more than 24hrs unless it is really necessary.
