How to Care for a Newborn Kitten

A Newborn kitten is the cutest, and also needs special care. In this blog edition: we have a video you can watch, and a written summary below!

It is kitten season right now. The time of year when kittens are left abandoned on the side of the road, or left with their mama. You might find a kitten or a batch of kittens that you might not know how to take care of. Having 3 cats of our own, we wanted to make sure our other cats weren’t stressed. Not bringing the kitten around our other cats- we kept him separated completely. Read this BLOG of ours about introducing new cats. He sleeps through the night at the moment, meaning no night feedings, kittens who are younger may need midnight feedings.

To feed your newborn kitten

You will need formula, we use KMR. Take two small scoops to put in the bottle. Fill it up with room-temperature water, about 2/3 full and shake it up. A good way to check the temperature is to put a little dot on your wrist; making sure you can’t feel anything. Wipes are used to stimulate them to go to the bathroom after you feed them. You will also need a bottle cleaning brush.

Our newborn kitten is 3 weeks old and in the morning we fill the bottle to the 45 cc line. We feed about every 3 hours. He wasn’t drinking this much in the beginning-but now he’s drinking a full line every feeding. When holding them, take a towel and wrap them up so they feel nice and warm and safe. Even though you might be inclined; don’t hold them on their back like a baby to feed them. Instead, hold them upright. They may meow for a minute, but will soon start suckling.

If they don’t suckle right away; act like their momma and pet them between the eyes. That’s where their mom would lick them. In the beginning, we had trouble feeding Vincent, because he wouldn’t take the bottle, and this trick worked for us. Sometimes they’ll need a little break and that’s ok. You just try again.

Things to keep in mind with your newborn kitten

Another thing that you might need for their comfort is a towel; folded up several times on top of a heating pad placed inside a cat kennel. Make sure the towel you have inside of here is fully covering the heating pad. You don’t want your newborn kitten to be burned. Medium or low is perfect. You can leave it on all the time, creating a cozy place for your newborn kitten.

After feeding your newborn kitten.

You might wonder why you don’t need a litter box when you have a newborn kitten. At 2-3 weeks old they don’t often go on their own unless you stimulate them. Hold them like their mother; cleaning the back of their private parts with the wipe to make them go to the bathroom. They’ll actually go to the bathroom right in the wipe. It’s good to have a towel or something on your lap to prevent you from getting messy. Then throw the wipe away and you’re good to go.

Wash your hands, put the bottle back in the refrigerator, a bottle is good for 24 hours. Every day make a fresh bottle. We feed him every 3 hours and then let him run around for a bit then put him back in the carrier. He’ll go right to sleep. In a few hours when he’s hungry, he’ll get up and want to eat again.

Thanks to San Antonio Animal Defense League for their tireless work in saving and caring for animals. Subscribe and find us on facebook Clean Litter Club or on Instagram @TheCleanLitterClub