The mother’s milk is very important for the kittens’ nutrition and proper growth. This milk transfers antibodies to the kittens, which helps protect them against infectious disease.[5]Newborn kittens are also unable to produce concentrated urine, and so have a very high requirement for fluids.[6]
Hand-reared kittens tend to be very affectionate with humans as adults and sometimes more dependent on them than kittens reared by their mothers, but they can also show volatile mood swings and aggression.[16] Depending on the age at which they were orphaned and how long they were without their mothers, these kittens may be severely underweight and as such can have health problems later in life, such as heart conditions. The compromised immune system of orphaned kittens (from lack of antibodies found naturally in the mother’s milk) can make them especially susceptible to infections, making antibiotics a necessity when caring for such kittens.
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