bottle baby 101: building a nursery

Bottle Baby 101Building a Nursery

What We’ll Cover• Why Bottle Babies?• How APA got started • Facilities & Supplies• Which Ones to Rescue• Key Volunteer Roles• Recruiting (& keeping) Volunteers & Fosters• Training & Importance of Disease Control• Step by Step Care Basics• Lessons Learned

Big Impact to Saving Lives• Thousands of baby kittens die in shelters every

year• Saving just a few litters can improve save rates• Consider pregnant cats or families• Start small, learn,

then grow

What is a Bottle Baby?

Unweaned kittens, usually between 0 and 4 weeks old.  The youngest require attention every two hours.

Development Milestones• At birth weigh 90-110g, double weigh in first

week• 7-10 days eyes open• Eyes stay blue until about 6-7 weeks• 3 weeks become mobile• 3.5 weeks, ears start to stand up• 4 weeks start playing & develop teeth• 4-5 weeks eat gruel• 5-6 weeks eat kibble

Our Start• Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation strategy

(Kendalia, TX)• Problem Solving without Euthanizing

You can start a bottle baby program anywhere!

• Trailer on South Congress (Craigslist $3000)• Blog post to raise awareness/funds• Feet on the street in area led to $10K donation• Volunteers

Finding Your Location• Room, office, closet, bathroom• Must haves• Fresh Water• Refrigerator• Microwave• Medical Nearby

• Nice to haves• Dishwasher• Washer/Dryer• Running Water/Sink

Equipment

•Snuggle Safes• Rice socks• Heating pads

•Blankets/towels•Cages•Dishes (spill proof)•Baby wipe warmer• Litter boxes•Ziploc bags•Storage tubs•SCALE

Nursery Attire

• Smocks for each kennel• Gloves• Closed toe shoes• Hair tied back

Supplies• KMR (or single brand)• Bottles/Nipples/Syringes• Cat litter/newspaper• Cotton balls• Hand sanitizer• Disinfectant (non-irritating)• Bleach (RW)• Towels (small and paper)• Canned kitten food (one brand)• Dry kitten food: (Royal Canin Baby Cat Kibble preferred)• Gloves, smocks• Pet Paint• Esbilac (puppy formula) &

Puppy bottles/nipples – You never know!

Now, the kittens!• As you’re getting Nursery set up, start saving

some kittens to foster• Consider more stable kittens – 4-6 weeks• Eating on their own• More attractive to volunteers & fosters• Easier to fill volunteer shifts

• Consider Healthy • Nursing Moms/older babies,

lactating moms• A note about ferals…

Breeds to Consider• Easy to Adopt/Unique• Longhair• Maine Coon• Siamese• Polydactyl• Colorful litters

BB 101 Organizational Chart

Nursery Lead

Rescue Coordinator

Transport Coordinator

Foster Coordinator

Trainers

Marketing/Outreach

Scheduler

2 Important External Positions• Cat Program Rescue Manager• Oversees anything to do with rescuing cats over 6 weeks

old and once our babies turn 6 weeks old. 

• Cat Adoption Manager • Oversees adoption processes, adoption centers and where

our kittens go when they are old enough to find forever homes

Volunteers & Fosters equally important

• Don’t lose sight of either one• Get people involved EARLY in your

process• Give them roles & responsibilities

Recruiting (and keeping) Volunteers• Positive messaging

• Social media• Signs• Orientation (take a kitten)• Fun

• Stand firm on age requirements

• Keeping volunteers• Train them well• Field trips• Give them ownership• Manage expectations• Partner up!• Expect turnover• Help them• Give them specific roles

Training Your FeedersDefine your protocols first

• Site Protocols• Logistics

• How to get in• Parking• Lights• Help

• Supplies• What/Where• Help

• General Sanitation• Cleaning procedures• Cross-contamination• Smock per litter• Organization helps

• Feeding• Recipes• Warm food/warm kitten• Weigh before/after• Keep kittens dry• Stimulation

• Medical Protocols• Common Illnesses

— URI— Diarrhea— Ringworm— Fading Kitten Syndrome— Other (panleuk, calici)

• Medications/Dosage• Communication

• Log book• Charting• Emails

• Emergencies• What to watch for• What to do• Outcome

• Vaccinations/Testing/Parasite Control

Intaking Kittens• Pick up from Shelter within 2 hours by

volunteer• Name them (Hurricane Naming System)• Test for FeLV

• If positive, retested with serum• If still positive, set up in separate area/foster• If negative, proceed in nursery

• Treat for fleas, worms (Capstar, Strongid)• Pen G Injection• Set up charts• Feed - charted• Set up in kennel, added to white board

Charts

Care Basics• Bottle Baby Care includes many steps: sterilize, warm, feed, medicate,

stimulate, clean, warm, sterilize• Feeding basics:

— mix formula & warm it up (one bottle/one litter)— record kitten’s weight— wrap like burrito, hold upright, and give bottle— bottle nipple must be loose to release vacuum— if no luck with bottle, try oral syringe— record amount consumed (weigh again)

• Consider "topping off" young kittens with a second feeding  • Give meds if applicable• Stimulate kitten with cotton ball & record output (consistency/color)• Wipe kitten with baby wipe• If you ever bathe a kitten under 5 weeks old, you should

completely dry them with a warm towel before putting them back in crate. NEVER BLOWDRY!

• Check heat source and put kitten back in SECURE crate or carrier 

Warmth• Single most important care you can

provide• Cannot maintain own body

temperature• Mother cat 103°F• Snuggle Safe disc (or heating pad

w/o auto-shut off)• Never place kittens directly on

heating source• “Nests” get damp, so always clean

bedding for warmth• Carrier or crate, covered with a

blanket in a non-drafty area• Isolated from other animals• Kittens must be kept warm when

eating

How Often & What to Feed• Feeding Intervals• Bottle baby kittens need to be fed every

2-3 hours (3-4 hours overnight)• Syringe gruel babies (older kittens who

need help eating on their own) need to fed every 4-5 hours (6-7 hours overnight)

• Gruel babies (kittens who are eating on their own) just need to be fed every 5-6 hours (7-8 hours overnight)

• Food Progression• 0 to 3 weeks – formula from bottle or oral

syringe if not suckling• 4-5 weeks – transition to gruel (mixture

of formula/water & wet kitten food)• 6-8 weeks – supplement wet kitten food

with kibble (e.g., Royal Canin BabyCat)

x

How Much to Feed

• 1st week 3.7 cc’s per ounce of body weight• 2nd week 4.9 cc’s per ounce of body weight• 3rd week 5.7 cc’s per ounce of body weight• 4th week 6.3 cc’s per ounce of body weight

As long as the kitten does not cry excessively, gains weight, and feels firm to the touch, the diet is meeting his/her nutritional needs.

Healthy Weight Progression

• At birth - 3.0 to 4 oz. (90-110g)• 2 weeks - 7.0 to 11.0 oz. (200-300g)• dewormed

• 3-4 weeks - 11.7 to 15.0 oz. (350-450g)• dewormed

• 5-7 weeks - 1 to 1.5 lbs. (450-700g)• 6 wks, 1st vaccinations & begin advertising

• 8 weeks - 1.7 to 2 lbs. (800-900g)• 8 wks AND 2 lbs. schedule for S/N

It is critical that babies are weighed at every meal. Weighing before & after can also tell you if they are actually eating. Over time will indicate trends.

Fading Kitten Syndrome• Sometimes kittens just fade• Stop growing• Lose weight• Stop nursing/eating• Can’t stay upright• Cry continuously

• Chronic Illness can also pose problems (e.g., persistent diarrhea even after treatment)

• If kitten becomes lethargic/gasping for air:• Wrap kitten in heating source/pad, protected with a blanket, like

a burrito• Make a sugar water mixture (or diluted Karo syrup) and carefully

force feed with dropper or oral syringe• Call On-Call Person

For more details on medical emergencies with examples, refer to the Austin Pets Alive! Bottle Baby Manual: http://austinpetsalive.wiki.zoho.com/Bottle-Baby-Manual.html

Aspirating• If a bottle baby accidentally gets formula into their lungs

while feeding:• Firmly pat kitten’s back until you hear a cough• If no coughing, turn baby upside down (tail over head)

and shake GENTLY, then pat back again

Because any fluids in the lungs can lead to infection, it may be necessary to start the kitten on Amoxicillin

but consult Med Techs.

Weaning & Litter Box Training• At about 4-5 weeks,

introduce “gruel” • Gruel is a mixture of wet

kitten food & KMR or water• Serve on a flat saucer• Shallow litter box• Use shredded newspaper

or non-clumping cat litter• Kittens will be messy• Kittens will also start

learning to clean themselves

• Expect accidents!

Instructional Video• YouTube video on how to feed and care for bottle

babies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lifzi3oOVo4&feature=relmfu

Instructional Video• YouTube video on how to feed and care for gruel

babies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFNcs3mCCUQ

Instructional Video• YouTube video on how to prepare for a Nursing

Mom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2pK3svQ3wE

Losing a Kitten• Never easy• Can be very emotional• Set expectations early• Verify with medical team• Wrap in paper towel• Place in labeled Ziploc bag• Place in freezer

Scheduling Nursery Coverage• Feeding shifts- 95% +

Volunteers!• Google

Calendar/Google Group

• Feeder board/log book

• Lock box so it can be accessed 24/7

• You cannot over-communicate

Lessons Learned

• Volunteers• Send Welcome Email with videos• Send occasional Thank You emails• Schedule events• Update with progress report• Shadowing is very important• Set realistic expectations

• Fosters• Just as important as any other

team member• Need support/mentoring• Proximity to medical is important

• Kittens• You can’t save them all• Weigh before/after eating• Vaccinate at 1lb• Monitor overall trends • Sometimes you’ll need to triage

between a fading kitten and others who need to eat

• Core Team• Communicate with each

other on operations• Communicate with Medical

– report concerns• Have a Disaster

Preparedness plan (virus outbreak)

• Set capacity based on volunteers/ staff that you have to feed

• Be able to say no to volunteers or fosters

• Get creative!• Be prepared to grow

APA! Bottle Baby Progress Report

2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Number of Lives Saved

100%

Never Give Up!