Tips for Caring for Young or Orphaned kittens

Note: all products shared in this post are items I’ve used. Also, any source links I share have been found via a general Google search.

Back in late September, September 25th to be exact I had a big surprise. My next-door neighbor showed up with a 9-hour old kitten. It had been abandoned by its mother. I’d never dealt with a kitten that small so I took it from him so he could run home to bring some kitten milk he had. Once I wrapped the kitten in a towel and warmed it up a bit. I got my mom so we could figure out what to do.

We were able to have it feed using a dropper. It nursed fairly well. So with that out of the way we all felt better about it. Well, the next day I had an equally bigger surprise. I found the kitten’s sibling or littermate in the yard. It was crying its lungs out behind a panel that was covering some things. I quickly picked it up and rushed inside. it had been so scared it pooped itself. I cleaned it up and gave it to my mom to warm it. I didn’t find any other littermates after that.

We knew who the mother cat was and we were surprised she’d left her babies since she’d been such a good mother cat with her two previous litters.

Now that I have my long-winded story out of the way let’s get to care tips.

To be honest this was whole new territory for me. I’d bottle-fed kittens but they were always nearly a month old or older. So having newborn kittens is a bit of a daunting feat.

If you find a abandoned kitten

There are a few steps to take if you find an abandoned or orphaned kitten.

1. check to see if you see the mother cat.*
   *if you suspect the mother cat is nearby leave the kitten alone. Wait awhile then come back to check on the kitten.
2. If mom doesn’t come back you can gently pick up the kitten.
3. inspect it for any wounds. You can also see if it still has it’s umbilical cord attached as well. If it’s attahced it will be a little nub on it’s tummy.
4. Warm your kitten my wrapping it in a towel or hold it near your body.
5. If the kitten still has it’s eye closed and folded ears it’s very young. If the kitten’s eyes are open and it’s a bit wobbly it’s closer to a month old.

what you’ll need

Let’s start off with newborn kittens first.

If your kitten is a few hours or days old here are the things you’ll need to care for it:

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• towels/ small bankets
• box or bin
• a heat source
• kitten replacement milk
• bottle or syringe for feeding. a dropper may work in a pinch.
• a small stuff toy if it’s a single kitten

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Assessing your kittens needs

After you’ve given your kitten a good once over you can assess their needs.

Young kittens can’t regulate their body temperature so they will need to be kept warm. You can wrap them in a blanket or towel while you gather up supplies to make them a home.

I found that microfiber towels work well for young kittens. Wash cloths and hand towels do as well. Anythig that’s soft works.

a box or plastic bin will work to house your kitten for the first week or two of it’s life if it’s very young.

If your kitten still has it’s umbilical cord attached leave it alone It will fall off on it’s own. Most mother cats chew it off at around and inch or two from the belly button. If it’s longer just let it dry up. This may take about 4 days depending on the length.

If you have a single kitten find it a toy to keep it company. After my current kittnes brother died I found it a small stuff toy to keep it company. Make sure the toy is easy to clean in case your kitten pees on it or it gets full of milk.

Keeping your kitten warm

You will need to keep your kittne warm. There are several ways you can do this. You can use a hot water bottle or a heating pad. Or you can make rice socks.

Rice socks are easy to make. All you need is a pair of socks and some rice. It doesn’t matter what kind it is or even if it’s old.

I found that about a coup of rice works well. You can tie the socks closed and place them in the microwave. I opt to heat them at 30 second intervals. I found that about a 1 and 30 seconds is about right. But this will vary by microwave. You want the sock to be warm or even slightly hot to the touch but not burn your skin. As always test this on your arm first.

I also like to place the rice socks between a hand towel so it insolates them and keeps the kitten from over heating.

I would like to note that sometimes the rice may smell like it’s burnt after a while. So you kitten might smell like rice.

feeding supplies

Bottles

The next thing you’ll need is kitten milk and bottles for feeding. I always like to have two on hand. That way you have a backup bottle. PetAg is the most common brand you may find out on the market.

Here’s and example of the kit that’s sold via Chewy.com.

You may also be able to find this kit at your local pet stores. This kit is great because it offers a variety of nipples that you can try for your kitten.

Just a note if the nipples are a bit stiff dip them in warm or slightly hot water to make them more pilable. you may need to snip a portion of the nipple off if piercing it doesn’t work.

Young kittens may not be able to suck from a bottle so a syringe or dropper may be required for feeding. This takes a bit of skill because you need to drip the milk into the kittens mouth.

Remember to thoroughly clean the bottles, syringes or droppers well before and after using them.

Your kitten may also benefit from the Miracle Nipple. I never tried it but I’ve heard good things about it.

This product may also be found at your local pet store.

Kitten milk

Kitten’s need to drink specially formulated kitten milk. PetAg has two types. One is powder and the other is a liquid. I’ve used both types and I haven’t noticed a big difference. The only thing is that the liquid milk needs to be used within a week of opening it.

They also sell two types of powdered milk. Again I’ve used both types and haven’t noticed a big difference in my past kittens growth or development.

The milk needs to be prepared following the directions on the can. I found that if i mix it in a smaller glass container I can add it to the bottle quickly when I need it. Also you should feed a kitten cold milk. It needs to be warm or warmed.

For this I either add a bit of warm to sighly hot water to the cold mixture. Or I pour some hot water into a cup and rest the bottle in it. Alwasy test the milk on your wrist before feeding it to your kitten you don’t want to burn them.

Just a side note the milk can curdle and it will smell bad if the mixture is too hot. Also the milk is only good for 24 hours after you mix it in water.

The kitten replacement milk can be purchased at many retailers.

Whiskas also sells a kittne milk. Pal used to love it. It’s in liquid form.

Feedings for young kittens is typically every 2 to 3 hours including over night.

Other kitten care

Kittens under 4 or 5 weeks of age can’t pee or poo on their own so be ready to help them do that. You will need to take a soft tissue or toilet paper and rub their bottom until they pee or poo.

You can clean your kittnes face after feedings with a damp cloth.

some kittens might be gassy so you will need to burp them by either lightly patting them on the back or rubbing their backs.

Things to watch out for

Young kittens are very susceptible to many types of illnesses. They are young and if they didn’t have a lot of milk from mom their immune system can be low.

I think that’s what happened with our first kitten that my neighbor brought us.

He began to show signs of lethragy and refusing to eat about two weeks after we began to care for him. We also noticed that he was having slow digestion.

This may be sign of Falling Kitten Syndrome(source Chewy.com). He began to slow in his growth while his sibling thrived in theirs.

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