Before you bring your new kitten home, you need to know how to raise a kitten so you understand what you can expect and to make the transition as smooth as possible for every member of the household.
- Treat these babies just like they are newborn humans. Clean, clean and clean some more. Keep antibacterial soap in dispensers all over the house and always wash hands before you handle a baby and right after. Wash their blankets and towels every morning in hot soapy bleach water just to insure that not harboring or spreading any disease or bugs.
- These babies need to be kept warm, hydrated and fed. They are kept warm by different methods, favorite being a heat lamp placed over the carrier you have them in. Make a nest for them using soft and warm blankets. Another method is to place a heating pad, on low, covered by a towel and then the blanket and then the baby. You don’t want to cook them, just keep them warm. Be sure to provide a “cool” spot for the kittens to crawl to if they get to warm.
- The third thing to realize is these babies do not come with the knowledge of “going regularly”. They would, under ideal circumstances, have their moms clean their bottoms and help them urinate and defecate. Use a nubby textured wash cloth and hold them under warm running water wiping.
- Newborn kittens do not drink cow’s milk but they drink goat’s milk.
- Do not be afraid to bathe these babies regularly. Use an antibacterial soap (avoiding their eyes) for the first couple of weeks until their eyes open then graduate to baby shampoo. Dry them well, followed by a hair dryer set on low. Keep one hand between the dryer and the baby to be diffusing the heat and avoid any “hot” spots on the Kitten. This will also insure the heat is kept at a low temperature. Put them immediately back into their nest when you are done.
You can tell their age very approximately by several methods. If they still have their umbilical cords they are probably between 1 and 3 days old. If their eyes are still closed they are probably between 1 and 10 days old. By 10 days their eyes should be open. Open their mouths and look for teeth. Do you see little nubs coming in? About 2 weeks. Are they attempting to stand? Possibly 2 to 3 weeks. Are they starting to play? Figure their age at about 4 weeks.
