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NEWBORN KITTEN CARE Custom Search Newborn Kitten Care can be both one of the most exciting experiences you've ever had and one of the most devastating. Throughout my life and my career as a feline veterinarian, I've been involved in raising kittens many times. When things go well, it is very rewarding. However, when a kitten doesn't survive, it is so very sad. 
Newborn kitten care is different from caring for your adult cat or even an older kitten. Newborns are fragile in several different ways: - They are more susceptible to disease than older kittens. - Crowded by siblings - 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. - A Newborn kitten can’t run or walk. - kittens are prone to injury if handled roughly - newborn kittens are prone to hypothermia Consequently, some newborn kittens face a short harsh life. Even with moms giving great attention and care to newborns, 25% of kittens die while still with their litter. 
The first four weeks of life is an important time for baby kittens. Physical growth and also developmental changes occur quickly. Within 4 to 6 weeks, kittens go from being totally dependent on their Mom to being self-sufficient.Similar to human babies, providing newborn kitten care involves making sure that their primary needs are met: food, warmth, learning social skills and also how to urinate and defecate on their own. Most of the time, human intervention is not needed. The mother cat is quite good at providing for and teaching her offspring. Of course, you need to make sure the mom is in good health if she is to fulfill her responsibilities. Adequate newborn kitten care often involves caring more for Mom than for the kittens. This includes taking her to the veterinarian right away, making sure all the kittens are nursing, and most importantly, keeping her really well-fed. A mother cat’s milk provides everything a kitten needs during the first four weeks of life. Therefore, you need to keep mom in tip-top shape. Cats have 8 mammary glands. Each one should be checked at least once a day for excessive redness, hardness, or discharge. The mom can develope mastitis which is infection of the mammary glands. If that occurs, you need to take the mom to the vet right away. If caught early, this condition is very treatable. Your vet will show you how to express milk from the infected gland and how to apply hot compresses. The vet may also prescribe antibiotics. When weaning kittens, this same condition can occur. It is important for both kittens and Mom that the weaning process be done gradually. Newborn kitten care does involve some effort on your part. Trimming the kittens' nails weekly will help prevent scratches on mom's mammary glands which can also lead to infection. Likewise, kittens can begin to get their "baby teeth" as early as 11 days after birth so check Mom's mammary glands daily for bites. A bloody discharge from the mother cat's vulva is normal, so don't panic if you see that. It should lessen in amount, become darker, and be gone within 2-3 weeks.
Newborn kitten care means letting the kittens spend their first days either sleeping or eating. Little twitching movements while sleeping are normal. You may notice a newborn kitten kicking or jerking while they're asleep. You can read more about this under KITTEN DEVELOPMENT. When you are responsible for newborn kitten care, you need to observe the kittens several times daily. Healthy baby kittens have warm skin and round little bellies. They also respond to their siblings and their Mom. Strong kittens have strong suckle reflexes. When they’re hungry, they snuggle up to mom cat where they nurse from the same teat every time because it has been scent marked. Healthy kittens are active and move about, even though they can't walk yet. Sick kittens barely move and they cry frequently. Healthy kittens nurse about every 1-2 hours. If they are eating enough, their abdomen will look round and they will sleep well, rather than cry. If they are crying and moving a lot, they are not eating enough. Their abdomen could still appear large, but that may be due to air swallowed when they cry. If they are lying still an not crying and not nursing, they have become too weak and could be close to death. This is an emergency. Take the kitten to the vet at once. During the first 2 to 3 weeks of life, kittens do not urinate or defecate on their own. Before, during, and after nursing, the Mommy Cat licks the kitten's stomach and genitals to stimulate urination and defecation.
A vital part of newborn kitten care is making sure the kittens are kept warm. Newborn kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature. Without outside warmth, kittens can only maintain a body temperature of about 95°F (35°C). It’s up to the Mommy Cat to make sure that the newborn does not become hypothermic.
Hypothermia (low body temperature) can be life threatening. Taking care of kittens includes making sure that the room where the Mom and kittens stay is kept close to 80 degrees for the first week of life. Then it can be gradually dropped to about 70°F. Heating pads can be dangerous. It is much safer to keep the room warm and let the kittens use Mom as a heat source. They will also lay side by side or piled on top of each other to stay warm and for the contact. I also like to use the warming cushion shown below for Mom and for the kittens.
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 kitten 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. Newborn kitten care means making sure the kittens are growing properly. A normal kitten weighs 100 grams plus or minus 10 grams or 3 1/2 ounces at birth. Those with weights under 90 grams at birth are more likely to die within the first days of life. The minimal weight gain should be 7-10 grams daily, or 1/4 to 1/2 of an ounce, although, they may lose weight slightly in the first 24 hours after birth. A kitten's weight should double within the first 14 days of life. Kittens should be weighed daily or every other day for the first two weeks of life and then 2-3 times a week until weaning. Failure of weight gain is often the first sign of illness in kittens. If you are involved in raising kittens, it is well worth the money to purchase a scale made for infants so you can weigh kittens daily. You need to be able to know that they are gaining weight.
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Providing adequate food to the nursing mom during this period is critical to her health and the health of the kittens. She must have access at all times to clean, FRESH water which must be placed in a way that the kittens cannot get into the water and drown or get wet and too cold. The best food to feed to the mom is actually kitten food. I prefer leaving fresh dry kitten food with mom at all times, but also supplementing her with canned kitten food 2-3 times daily. DO NOT give her milk.
