How to Care for a Newborn Kitten

Taking care of a newborn kitten is hard work. Kittens need attention and care throughout the day. When you have just adopted a few new kittens, you will be faced with difficult tasks. If the mother cat is still around, the mother cat alone can meet all the needs of the kittens. You can support the mother by feeding her and avoiding contact with the kittens for the first week after birth. If the mother cat is no longer or is unable to take care of the kittens, you will have to take the responsibility of replacing the mother cat. Your responsibilities include feeding the kittens, keeping them warm, and even helping them defecate.

Table of Contents

Feeding

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Consider the situation. The care you give your newborn kitten will depend on a few factors: the kitten’s age, whether the mother cat is still caring for the kittens, and the kitten’s health. If you have just received a litter of separated kittens, you need to provide them with all the needs that the mother cat would meet, such as food, warmth, and toilet assistance. Take some time to consider before accepting kitten care. ^{[1] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

If you find some kittens that you think have been abandoned or separated from their mother, observe them from a distance of about 10 meters to see if the mother cat returns.
If the kitten is in danger, you need to intervene immediately without waiting for the mother to return. For example, you should intervene as soon as your kitten is in danger, is freezing, is left in an area prone to being run over or trampled by a vehicle, or is in an area where aggressive dogs could hurt them. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Get help from your veterinarian or local animal shelter. Don’t think that you have to take care of the kittens on your own. Taking care of a newborn kitten is hard work, and you probably won’t have what it takes to keep the kitten alive. Contact your veterinarian or local animal shelter for help. They can even provide a surrogate mother cat so the kittens can get enough nutrients, or they can help you bottle feed the cat. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Feed the mother cat if she is still with her kittens. If the mother cat is still present and caring for her kittens, leaving the mother alone to do so will provide the best results for the kittens. However, you can still help by providing food and shelter for the mother cat. Just make sure you leave your food and shelter in a separate area, or the mother cat won’t accept your help. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Feed the kittens . If the mother cat is no longer or unable to take care of the kittens, you need to prepare food and feed the kittens in person. The type of food that you prepare will depend on the age of the kitten. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian about any special feeding needs your kitten has. ^{[5] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

When kittens are 1-2 weeks old, apply milk replacer through the kitten’s bottle every 1-2 hours. Do not give your kittens cow’s milk because it is difficult for their bodies to digest cow’s milk.
When the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, pour the milk replacer into a shallow dish as well as some cat food that has been soaked in water to soften. Feed your cat 4-6 times a day.
When kittens are 6-12 weeks old, reduce the amount of milk substitute and start offering dry cat food. Feed the cat 4 times a day.

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Weigh the kittens once a week. To ensure that the kittens are getting enough nutrition and gaining weight, you need to weigh the kittens once a week and record their weight. Kittens should gain about 49.6 g to 99.2 g per week. Contact your veterinarian if you are concerned that your cat is not gaining weight fast enough. ^{[6] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Carrying and Protecting

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Avoid contact with kittens during the first week of life if the mother is still around. The mother cat may abandon her kittens or become upset when the kittens are carried too much, so for the best of the kittens, leave them alone while the mother cat is still around. However, starting from 2-7 weeks of age, it is very important to let the kitten get used to being held by someone. ^{[7] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

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Hold the kitten gently. Be extremely careful when holding a newborn cat. If you have small children who love to hold cats, teach them how to gently hold them and not let them hold the kittens unattended. Newborn cats are very fragile and even a child can seriously injure them. ^{[8] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Go to the toilet

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Let the mother cat help the kittens with the toilet if the mother cat is still around/can still take care of the kittens. If the mother cat is still around to help the kitten go to the toilet, let the mother do her job. During the first few weeks of a kitten’s life, the mother cat will lick the kitten’s genital area to help them urinate and defecate. Do not interfere when the mother cat is taking such care of the kittens. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Help kittens urinate / defecate when needed . If the mother cat is no longer around, you need to help the kitten urinate and defecate during the first few weeks of life. Use a wet washcloth or damp gauze to gently stroke the kitten’s genital area until the cat urinates and/or defecates. Wash or throw away the towel immediately and dry the kitten before returning it to the litter. ^{[12] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

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Encourage your cat to use the litter box at four weeks of age. At about four weeks of age, the kittens will be ready to use the litter box. To encourage the cat to defecate in the box, place a kitten in the box after the cat has finished eating. Once the kitten has defecated in the box, return the kitten to the litter and place the next kitten in the box. Let each kitten go to the bathroom for a few minutes after each meal. ^{[13] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

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Watch out for kitten problems. If you notice any cat that is unable to urinate or defecate after stimulation or after being placed in the litter box, you should contact your veterinarian immediately to find out the cause. The kitten may be constipated or has an obstruction that needs to be removed. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Advice

Don’t hesitate to seek help from your veterinarian or local animal shelter. They may have volunteers available to help you care for the kittens and improve their survival.
Do not let children under 8 years of age hold a cat unsupervised until the cat is 5-6 weeks old.

Warning

Do not hold the kitten as you would an infant when feeding with a bottle. If you do, the milk will spill into the kitten’s lungs. Always let the kitten stand on all fours on the floor or in your lap while eating.
Remember not to give the kittens cow’s milk! Cow’s milk is very difficult to digest and easily makes kittens sick.
Do not bathe the kittens until they are more than 9 weeks old, or the mother cat will abandon the kittens because they no longer smell like the mother cat.
Contact your veterinarian immediately if your kitten shows signs of illness (lethargy, sneezing, refusing to eat, etc.). Kittens can die if they get sick or malnourished.

If you’re giving away a newborn kitten, make sure it’s in a cardboard box with holes in it to breathe, plenty of blankets, and food to keep the kitten alive. Kittens need to be kept warm, especially when exposed to cold weather.

Steps

Feeding

Carrying and Protecting

Go to the toilet

Advice

Warning

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