How to Take Care of a Newborn Kitten if Its Mom Has Run Away

Newborn kittens without a mother require diligent supervision and care.

If a newborn kitten's mother has run away, the kitten's care and upbringing are now in your hands. While it is always ideal for a kitten to be raised by a mother cat who instinctively knows how to raise her babies properly, with the right supplies and knowledge, a human can successfully raise an orphaned kitten to healthy, happy adulthood.

Things You'll Need

• Small cat carrier or boxes
• Towel or blanket
• Small stuffed toy or sock
• Heating pad or hot water bottle
• Milk replacer for kittens
• Kitten nursing bottle
• Litter box
• Cat litter

Instructions

1. Make a cozy den for your kitten. A small cat carrier works perfectly, as does a pair of nested boxes. Place the den in a room without drafts or bright light and put a towel or blanket in it to make it comfortable. If the kitten is by itself, provide a small stuffed toy or sock for it to snuggle up against.

2. Keep the kitten warm at all times. Newborn kittens are unable to control their body temperature, so they can quickly develop hypothermia without a constant heat source nearby. Put a heating pad or hot water bottle covered with a towel in the kitten's den. Make sure that the heat source is warm to the touch, but not hot, and that there is enough room in the den for the kitten to crawl off the heating pad if it gets too warm.

3. Feed your kitten frequently. A kitten under 3 weeks old needs to nurse every one to two hours. Use a nursing bottle to feed the milk replacer to the kitten. From 3 to 4 weeks of age, your kitten needs to eat four to six times per day, but it can begin drinking its milk replacer from a bowl and gradually be given moistened kitten food. When it's 6 to 12 weeks old, feed your kitten four times per day and gradually wean it off the milk replacer. When your kitten is between 3 and 6 months of age, you can feed it kitten food three times a day.

4. Help the kitten go to the bathroom after eating. Normally, the mother cat will lick the kitten's urinary and anal areas to encourage elimination. Since the kitten's mother is not around, you will need to do this with a soft washcloth or paper towel dipped in warm water. The kitten should begin eliminating on its own when it reaches 2 to 3 weeks of age. When it's 4 weeks old, begin litter box training by placing your kitten in a litter box immediately after it eats.

5. Clean your kitten after it eats and eliminates by gently wiping its face and body with either a slightly dampened paper towel or washcloth. This teaches your kitten about the basics of grooming, and as it gets older, it will begin to clean itself on its own.

6. Socialize your kitten by handling it regularly when it is between 2 and 7 weeks old. This will help the kitten to become accustomed to human interaction.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk with your veterinarian to find out what he recommends you feed your orphaned kitten; some vets may be able to match you with a foster mother cat who can nurse your kitten along with her own litter. Otherwise, your veterinarian can recommend a healthy milk replacer that you can bottle-feed to the kitten.

• When litter training your kitten, gently take its front paws and make little scratching motions in the cat litter after they eliminate. This helps to encourage their natural tendency to bury their waste.

• Be very gentle with a small kitten to avoid injuring it and always supervise closely if the kitten is being handled by a child.

• If you have other pets in your house, try to isolate the kitten from them until it's at least 6 weeks old to prevent the other pets from hurting your kitten.

• If your kitten becomes listless, chilled or has a fever, contact your veterinarian or emergency animal hospital immediately.

References

• ASPCA: Newborn Kitten Care
• Best Friends Animal Society; The Care and Feeding of Orphaned Kittens; Virginia Clemans
• Fanciers.com; Orphaned Kitten Care FAQ; Olivia Russell; 1997