Caring for Kittens
Adopting, Fostering, and Caring for Kittens
There are lots of great online resources on how to care for kittens of all ages. Whether you found a newborn kitten outside and not sure what to do, or you're adopting a kitten from the shelter, these websites go in-depth into kitten care, bottle feeding, and even socializing feral kittens. Here are my favorites:
Below are some general tips and recommendations for kitten care
Kitten Care Basics
Feeding Weaned Kittens:
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Feed kitten food: Kittens that are weaned (usually around 4-8 weeks of age) should be fed food labeled for kittens since they require more nutrients and calories for their growing bodies. Good nutrition is the number one way to keep a kitten healthy and/ or help them recover from being sick.
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Feed a variety: Rotating through different brands and flavors of kitten foods, even the occasional table scrap (such as cooked chicken) can help them build a stronger stomach as adults. I like to give a mixture of kibble and wet food to keep them hydrated.
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Do not free-feed kittens: This allows you to keep a mental note of how well they're eating and how much daily. This also means monitoring them during each meal. If a kitten doesn't readily eat at meal time, this usually means something is wrong, and they don't feel well. Free-feeding also leads to overeating because kittens are such ravenous eaters. Overfeeding can quickly lead to overweight kittens, making them prone to becoming obese as adults.
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Intestinal worms: Most kittens have intestinal parasites such as hookworms or tapeworms, causing a "worm belly" appearance, which is a very rotund belly. This is often mistaken for a chunky belly. All kittens should be dewormed by your veterinarian multiple times as they grow. Intestinal worms can cause life-threatening problems for kittens, such as anemia (blood loss from blood-sucking worms), severe constipation, and diarrhea, which can lead to severe dehydration and even death.
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Keep kittens lean: Lean means at a healthy weight- not too skinny, not too fat. It is normal to be able to easily feel a kitten's rib cage, they grow so fast that they're usually on the skinnier side. As mentioned above, overweight kittens are more likely to become overweight adults. Feline obesity is the number one health problem among house cats.
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Feed routine meals: Feed 3-4 meals per day (for weaned kittens) and follow the guidelines on the back of the bag for how much
A kitten with a rotund "worm belly"
General Kitten Care:
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Two kittens are better than one: If you're considering adopting a kitten, I HIGHLY recommend getting two that are around the same age or littermates. Not only do they keep each other company, but kittens learn best from one another. When kittens play together, they quickly learn how hard is too hard when biting or scratching, and when to stop. Play fighting is a vital part of kitten development. Through these playful battles, kittens learn bite control, scratching limits, and social manners that carry into adulthood. When you see kittens wrestling, don’t stop them, it’s how they practice boundaries and learn to play nicely. And watching two kittens play together is my all-time favorite thing to do, I promise you won't regret it.
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Restrict kittens to a small area: A small space like a bathroom not only helps you keep track of them but helps them to settle in until they are used to you and the home. Keep kittens in this space until they are big enough to climb things. When they're too small, they can easily get lost, fall from heights, or crawl under something where you can't get them back out. Be aware that bathroom cabinets usually have holes at the bottom that lead to a crawl space UNDER the vanity. Kittens will find them and crawl into them. I like to shove a washcloth in them to block the hole.
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Keep litter boxes clean: Kittens poop and pee like crazy! While most kittens instinctively know how to use a litterbox, they're still figuring things out and often play in the litter, resulting in poopy kitten paws. To help with this, be sure to clean their litter boxes at least twice a day. And if you have a litter of kittens, I highly recommend multiple litterboxes.
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Keep their living area warm: Kittens can't control their body temperature well so providing nice cozy beds and blankets will help keep them toasty.
Hole under bathroom vanity
Hole now blocked with a washcloth
Kittens play-fighting. If you see kittens wrestling like this, let them be, it's how they learn
Socialization and Play time:
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Kittens need space to run around and play with their littermates. This is how they learn to interact, play, and learn their manners.
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Kittens can get pretty rowdy and crazy. This is completely normal. As soon as they can climb, they'll want to climb anything and everything. They also LOVE running, jumping, and doing the "Halloween cat" pose as they learn how to express themselves.
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When playing with kittens, always use a toy and never your hand. If you use your hand to play and let them bite you, they will learn that this is okay and although it doesn't hurt now, it will when they're full-grown cats. If you're okay with them biting you as adults, then by all means. (I let my cats bite me because I think it's fun).
Sick, Feral, and Flea Infested:
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With sick kittens, the best medicine is good nutrition, good hydration, and a clean and warm space. Of course, if your veterinarian recommends actual medications, please also give those.
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Sick kittens also do much better when they're with their siblings, so even if only one is sick, don't separate them. The others have likely already been exposed to whatever it is they have, so it's best they get through it together.
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Many feral kittens can be socialized and become well-adapted house cats. View the websites listed above for more info on how to go about this process.
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Fleas on kittens can be life-threatening because fleas suck their blood, causing them to be anemic. Kittens with severe flea infestations should be given a flea bath- aka a warm water bath using Dawn dish soap. This kills and removes fleas wonderfully and is safe for kittens. Watch this video for a demonstration on how.
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If bathing a kitten, it is super important to use warm water and then dry them off and warm them up as quickly as possible afterwards to make sure they don't get too cold.
"Halloween" Cat Pose
Feral Kitten Socialization
In this presentation, I briefly discuss how I went about socializing a litter or feral kittens to prepare them to be adopted into loving new homes. The above resources also have lots of great information on raising feral kittens.