Sunday 24 June 2012

Little Eric

Angel faced

Little Eric has melted the heart of everyone here and we are really rooting for him. So far he is responding well and is gaining weight daily. Cat Carer Emily has managed to get a few hours sleep too! 

Kittens are born blind and deaf. Their eyes are closed and their ears folded down. In the first week of life kittens basically sleep and eat. At this stage Eric needs feeding between 10-12 times a day. When they are awake, they stay close to the mother. Newborn kittens are unable to regulate their body temperature and rely on mum to keep warm. The kitten's environment must be kept at a constant temperature to avoid either hypothermia. Because Eric is without his mum we have to make sure that he is kept warm at all times.

The umbilical cord remains attached for the first 3 days. At birth they usually weigh between 90 - 100 grams. Toileting is stimulated by the mother. After her kittens have fed, she will lick their belly  genital area, eating any faeces and urine. We have to stimulate Eric so that he can pass urine and faeces. At about three weeks old Eric should be able to start to do this by himself.

We will keep you updated on how little Eric is doing. 


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