This is the second time I've attempted bottle feeding and it has been much easier than the first time around: it wasn't a matter of life or death as the kittens were already an estimated 4 weeks old when their feral mother escaped from their foster home and the kittens were brought to me. They are installed in my living room, creating havoc - and thriving. Although at first I was feeding them every four hours it was still much more workable than my unsuccessful attempt at 2-hourly stints with newborn kitties. However, it was still tiring and there was always the danger that I would forget the feeding bottles and plastic utensils boiling away in a saucepan.
How do other people cope? There is a lot of equipment on the market for sterilizing human baby feeding bottles but, as far as I can tell, nothing is really suitable for kittens. I have a small secondhand steam sterilizer for microwave ovens. Two U-shaped glass feeding bottles, a plastic human baby feeding bottle (which I use as a shaker for the formula) and the other small parts fit in easily and I've run the microwave several times with no ill effects on the contents. Still, I am not sure if the narrow-necked kitten bottles are suitable for steam sterilizing and if these are not sterile then there's no point in continuing with this method.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this matter? So much Information on the web about bottle feeding kittens and the importance of sterilizing the equipment - but no practical information to help the exhausted foster mother!
The first time I did once fall asleep and let the saucepan boil dry. I nearly poisoned the whole family with the fumes from burning plastic!
How do other people cope? There is a lot of equipment on the market for sterilizing human baby feeding bottles but, as far as I can tell, nothing is really suitable for kittens. I have a small secondhand steam sterilizer for microwave ovens. Two U-shaped glass feeding bottles, a plastic human baby feeding bottle (which I use as a shaker for the formula) and the other small parts fit in easily and I've run the microwave several times with no ill effects on the contents. Still, I am not sure if the narrow-necked kitten bottles are suitable for steam sterilizing and if these are not sterile then there's no point in continuing with this method.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this matter? So much Information on the web about bottle feeding kittens and the importance of sterilizing the equipment - but no practical information to help the exhausted foster mother!