Basic Newborn Kitten Care

Providing newborn kitten care is different from caring for an older kitten. Newborns kittens are especially fragile and care must be taken when handling such young kittens. They are dependent on cat moms or surrogate human moms to take care of their every need. Even with moms giving great attention and care of newborn kittens, 25% of kittens die while still with their litter.

Between being crowded by siblings and disease, newborn kittens can face a short harsh life. The first four weeks of life is an important time for baby kittens. They will be growing at astounding rates. Newborn kittens will also make dramatic developmental milestones. They will go from to relatively self sufficient in a matter of weeks to months.

First Few Hours of Life

Newborn kitten care can be critical the first few hours of life. After birth, kittens are completely helpless and have not yet developed necessary survival skills. Kittens are born deaf and blind. They do not open their eyes or ear canals until around two weeks. Newborn kittens cannot eliminate waste on their own. Mom cat must stimulate her kittens’ anal region in order for them to void. Kitten gender can also be determined at this time.

Cat Moms

Cat moms have the big task of nurturing and providing newborn kitten care to multiple babies. Luckily, most cat moms have the advantage of learning from their own moms and natural instinct. Cat moms show kittens how to hunt, play, and interact with other species. Caring for newborn kittens is a full-time job for cat moms.

Human Surrogate Moms

You may end up as a surrogate mom. You may have found kittens on the side of the road. Kittens’ mom may have been killed. Whatever the reason, hand-raising and bottle feeding kittens can be a lot of work. It’s best if you can find another cat to be a foster mom to your kitten (or kittens). With human moms, newborn kittens may lack the crucial socialization necessary to function in cat world and in human society.

Why Is Newborn Kitten Care So Hard?

Newborn Kitten Care is a round the clock job. Cat moms can just roll over in the middle of the night and nurse her kittens. As a surrogate mom, you will be required to feed them multiple times per day and night. Just like a human infant. If you’re not up for the challenge, it may be best to take the kittens to a rescue organization or shelter.

Photo by Hexidecimal Time @ flickr.com

A healthy newborn kitten exists to sleep and eat. Newborn kittens spend most of their days either asleep or eating. You may notice newborn kittens kicking or jerking while their asleep. This is normal. Just like humans kittens have rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycles.

Healthy baby kittens have a strong suckle reflex. When they’re hungry, they instinctive snuggle up to mom cat and begin suckling a specific teat that has been sent marked. Healthy kittens also have chubby little bodies and warm skin. A health newborn is also responsive to its mother and siblings. They’ll hang around the pack and don’t wander off too far from the family. Since kittens are both blind and deaf, they must use smell and touch to identify their surroundings.

Newborn kittens can’t run or walk. But, they can waddle. Healthy kittens are active and waddle about. Sick kittens barely move and cry a lot.

Why Temperature Is So Important?

Newborn kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature. They have little body fat and immature circulatory systems. Newborn kittens immediately after birth have about the same body temperature are mom cat. As little as 15 to 20 minutes after birth, a kitten’s body temperature can drop dramatically. Without outside warmth, kittens can only maintain a body temperature of only about 95°F (35°C). It’s up to either cat mom or surrogate mom to insure that the newborn does not become hypothermic.

Hypothermia can have devastating effects on newborn kittens. Newborns can develop potentially life threatening low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) due to the decrease in body temperature.

Is Your Newborn Kitten Gaining Weight?

Another component of newborn kitten care regards weight gain. Newborn kittens must gain weight steadily in order to develop properly. Increased body fat also helps kittens regulate their body temperature. On average kittens newborns should gain about twice their birth weight by two weeks of age. Failure to thrive is a major problem for newborns.

Mom cats instinctively know if one of their kittens is failing to thrive. They may gradually push the weak kitten out of the litter and focus on her healthy, growing kittens. As a surrogate mom, you can spend more time nurturing your kitten back to health. Charting kitten weight gain can make life much easier when providing newborn kitten care. You’ll be able to see your kitten’s progress or see where dietary modifications are in order.

Newborn Health Issues

Newborn kittens are especially susceptible to diseases. Keep in mind that baby kittens have immature immune systems. They cannot fight off infections like older kittens or adult cats. If they have been nursing from mom cat, they retain some of her immunity for the first few weeks of life. If not, newborn kittens will be at a greater risk from infections. Here are some common newborn health issues:

• Parasitic worm infestations
• Fading kitten syndrome
• Polydactyly
• Respiratory infections
• Aspiration pneumonia
• Eye infections
• Diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Hypoglycemia

Remember…newborn kitten care is time-consuming. Don’t become overwhelmed! Seek help if you need it.

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