How to Take Care of a Kitten

Give the kitten a milk substitute. Cat milk substitutes (such as Cimicat) can be purchased at your veterinarian’s office, large pet store, or on the Internet. A good quality milk substitute is KMR. This type is similar to baby formula, with the same ingredients as mother’s milk. The milk substitute has instructions on how much powder is needed at each meal.

• Do not give your cat cow’s milk because lactose can upset the kitten’s stomach. If a milk substitute is not available and the cat is hungry, you can give them cooled boiled water with a dropper or syringe until you get to the vet clinic or pet store. This provides enough water for the kittens and doesn’t upset their stomachs. ^[8]

Use a kitten bottle with a specially designed nipple. You can buy it at your veterinarian’s office, a large pet store, or on the Internet. In an emergency use an eyedropper bottle or a small syringe to drop the milk replacer powder into the kitten’s mouth. ^[9]

Stimulate kittens to burp after each meal. Do the same as for a newborn: hold the cat face down on your shoulder, or place one hand under its belly. Pat and rub their backs. ^[10]

Stimulates kittens to excrete waste. Before and after each feed, you can wipe your kitten’s genitals with a tissue or gauze soaked in warm water. This stimulates the kittens to defecate, otherwise they will not be able to excrete waste on their own. ^[11] Keep kittens within the litter box and rub their genitals and anal area with a washcloth after each meal. Continue doing this until the kitten has finished urinating and defecating (when the waste is no longer secreted).

• Rub in one direction—rubbing back and forth will cause discomfort.
• Cotton wool should not be used because the material is easily broken. ^[12]

Look for signs of healthy waste. Urine should be yellow with a slight odor, and stools should be a yellow-brown, lumpy appearance. Dark urine and a pungent odor are signs of dehydration; Green stools can be a sign of overfeeding, while white stools can be a sign of serious malabsorption. Call your vet if you have any concerns.

• If the kitten does not urinate within 12 hours, you need to call the veterinarian immediately.
• Most kittens poop once a day, but the schedule can be different for each one. Take your kitten to the vet if they haven’t gone to the bathroom for more than two days. ^[13]

Follow your kitten’s meal schedule. For the first two weeks after birth, kittens eat every 2-3 hours. Kittens will let you know they are hungry by meowing and writhing as if looking for a nipple. Full-fed kittens often doze while nursing and have round bellies. After two weeks, you can feed every three to four hours, with six-hour intervals overnight. ^[14]

Keep kittens warm with a discreet heating pad. Newborn cats (under two weeks of age) cannot regulate their own body temperature and often stay warm by snuggling with the mother. You can simulate this behavior by holding them on a heating pad designed for puppies or kittens. Avoid placing them in direct contact with the pad: if the kittens come into direct contact with the heating pad, they may experience local burns or thermal shock. However, regular pads are covered with fleece so it shouldn’t be a problem, unless you remove the cover to wash it, it can be replaced with a towel.

• As the kittens get older (over two weeks old), they may move away from the pad if they feel too hot. ^[15]

Do not give milk to a cold kitten. If the kitten’s temperature drops, you need to warm it up slowly. Kittens are getting cold if the ears and/or pads under their paws feel cold. Put your index finger in their mouth: if kittens feel cold, their body temperature is too low which can be life-threatening. You need to warm up slowly by covering the cat’s body with a fleece blanket and bringing it close to your body, rubbing it gently with your hands for an hour or two. ^[16]

Learn more about caring for orphaned kittens. You can start with this article. Contact your veterinarian for more information and some recommendations. Veterinarians can also provide vaccinations against common diseases and deworming of kittens.

• Orphaned kittens can be dewormed at two weeks of age, and, depending on their situation, can be vaccinated between 2-8 weeks of age. Kittens have weak immune systems because, unlike other kittens, they do not receive antibodies from their mother’s milk. ^[17]

Start offering more kitten food. If the mother cat is nearby, weaning (moving from breast milk to solid food) occurs spontaneously from about four weeks. At this point, the mother cat gets tired of the kitten chewing on her nipples and begins to spend time away from them. In turn, kittens when feeling hungry will eat foreign food and often discover the mother’s food.

• Once kittens begin to eat food, they can begin the weaning process at this point. ^[18]

Water supply. Kittens don’t need water until they start weaning, around four weeks old. Any kitten this age, however, needs to be provided with a constant supply of water. Change the water when the old water is contaminated (because cats often step in and/or poop into the bowl). ^[19]

Provide food for hand-raised kittens. If you breastfeed your kittens yourself, the same goes for weaning. You can pour the milk replacer powder into the dish and dip your finger in it to teach the kitten how to lick first. Then, you mix more wet food with milk replacer powder to form a thick paste for kittens to practice licking food. Once they have mastered it, you can add more to thicken the mixture until the kittens are fully transitioned to solid food. ^[20]

Adapt your kittens by introducing them to new things. Adaptation is a very important process when kittens are between three and nine weeks old. From three weeks of age on, you should be in contact with the kittens as much as possible on a daily basis. Introduce them to different sights and sounds, such as vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, bearded men, children. . . anything you can think of. Around six weeks of age, kittens are usually excited about new experiences, and what they encounter now will be as easily accepted without any question as adult cats, making kittens happy, interested, and happy. well mannered and sociable. ^[21]

• Use cat toys, balls, strings, or other objects to play with the kittens, but do not use small objects that they can swallow. (Note that kittens and cats can eat string or yarn if left unsupervised, so only allow this while interacting with you. Otherwise the kitten could suffocate.)
• Do not train kittens to treat human fingers and hands as toys, or they may continue to bite and scratch as adults.

Provide clump-free sanitary soil. Choose the placement of the litter box carefully, as once you get used to it, the kitten will likely continue to use it. If you’re potty training your cat, simply put it there after every meal, or whenever the kitten starts to crouch and scratch the floor in preparation for pooping. Clean the litter box at least once a day, or the kitten may not use it anymore.

• Choose a tray with a low side so the kitten can get in and out easily. ^[22]
• Avoid allowing the litter to clump, as kittens can eat the lumps, which can damage their digestive system. ^[23]
• If the kitten doesn’t seem to want to go to the litter box, gently hold it by its paws and mimic the act of digging. Then let the cat dig a hole to go to the toilet on its own, and repeat the soil.

Keep the cat indoors until it can control itself. With your veterinarian’s permission, you can let your cat out to explore. You need to watch carefully until the kitten knows how to return home.

• Let the cat out when they are a bit hungry. Make them come back by calling their names and giving them food. This will remind the cat that while exploring the outdoors can be fun, its ultimate destination will always be your home.

Give kittens responsibility. If selling or giving away kittens, you should wait until they are at least eight weeks old, but twelve weeks is ideal. Take them to the vet and get them vaccinated before they leave you. Always combine follow-up with the new owner to make sure the kitten is vaccinated and is expected to be spayed. Exchange phone numbers with the new owner, so you can confirm the cat is well taken care of, or in case the owner wants to return it (at least you can help the kitten find another owner).

Ask previous cat owners to provide blankets that smell like the mother and kitten’s siblings. This smell helps them feel comfortable while in their new home. ^[24]

Ask about the type of food the kitten has eaten in the past. Then give them that food for a few days so it doesn’t make a big difference at once. ^[25] Once the kittens have settled into their new home, here is your chance to change out their food with your choice and take it slow: replace a small amount of the kitten’s old food with food. new, increase feed intake slowly over a week. ^[26]

• If your kitten eats dry pellets, then you should pour that into the bowl to feed them all day. If the kittens are eating wet food, you can feed them several small meals every six hours. ^[27]
• Continue to give kitten food, do not give adult cat food until they are one year old. ^[28]

Water supply. Kittens over four weeks old need water, so you need to have clean water ready for them.

• Cats tend to drink water that is not next to their food bowl. You should encourage them to drink water by placing lots of water bowls around the house.

Let the kitten get used to the new home slowly. Introduce only one room at first: letting them explore the whole house can be overwhelming on the first day. Prepare a resting place (preferably with two sides and a roof so the kitten feels as safe as in its nest), place food and water in the corner of the room, and a litter tray in the opposite corner. Show the kitten food and water and a place to go to the toilet, and then let it rest. This is a big day for little cats, so you need to let them acclimatize and get a few hours of sleep. ^[29

Take care of the kitten as much as possible. Spend a lot of time grooming, playing, playing, and interacting with the kittens. This will help them grow up with a sociable, friendly personality. ^[30]

Ensure the safety of kittens and objects in the house. Keep power cords and appliances out of reach of kittens so they don’t chew them. You can invest in a child lock for the lower closet if the cat is curious.