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Newborn kittens are adorable, but require special care. Learn how to feed, handle and play with newborn kittens in this free video series from a professional veterinarian.
There are 26 videos in this series:
Care for newborn kittens by checking with a local veterinary clinic, keeping the kittens warm, feeding them kitten milk replacer and not over-handling them. If the mother cat is present, allow her to care for the kittens and consider information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
To determine the gender of a kitten, look at the distance between the anus and the genital region; female kittens have a vertical slit very close to the anus. Identify male kittens by their round penile opening farther away from the anus than a female cat with help from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Feed newborn kittens a kitten milk replacer every two to four hours, being very gentle and avoiding over-handling the kittens. After feeding newborn kittens, learn how to massage the genital area to stimulate urination and bowel movements as a mother cat would, with instructions from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
When handling newborn kittens, keep them warm, be very gentle and avoid holding and handling them too frequently. If the mother cat is around, find out why it's best to leave newborn kittens alone for the first few weeks with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Cats are generally pregnant for 65 days before they will give birth to kittens. Signs of a pregnant cat will include swollen mammary tissue, swollen abdomen areas and the cat may start to produce milk. Find out how to identify and care for pregnant cats with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on pregnant cat care.
Kittens will nurse on the mother cat or a bottle with kitten milk replacer for five to 10 minutes or until they are full. Newborn kittens will generally nurse until they are four weeks old. Learn more about nursing kittens from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
The average mother cat will have a litter of three to five kittens, with the extended range being one to eight kittens. Get an X-ray or ultrasound of a pregnant cat to find out how many kittens she will have with insight from a veterinarian in this free video on pregnant cat care.
Newborn kittens will generally nurse every two to four hours and sleep the rest of the time, while older kittens will sleep a little less and be more active. Discover why sleeping is important for kittens to gain energy and digest food with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
If a newborn kitten is an orphan, it can be handled right away in order to give feedings, but if the mother cat is present, handling should be kept to a minimum. Avoid over-handling newborn kittens until they are several weeks old with tips from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
When a cat is delivering kittens, stay quiet, observe the birth, avoid interfering with the birth and contact a veterinarian if it seems like there are problems with the delivery. Help a mother cat deliver kittens by removing the amniotic sack or umbilicus, only if the mother is having trouble, with help from a veterinarian in this free video on pregnant cat care.
Wean a bottle-fed kitten around four weeks of age by putting kitten milk replacer in a bowl, adding a little bit of soft food and then begin feeding softened dry food. Encourage kittens to eat from a shallow bowl to wean them from the bottle with help from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
To move newborn kittens, allow the mother cat to care for the kittens if she is around, and try to move all the kittens at once to a safe place if the mother is not around or the situation is dangerous. Keep kittens warm when moving them and be gentle with tips from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
If your cat has just had kittens, quietly observe the birthing situation and call a veterinary clinic if complications occur. Make sure a mother cat is grooming, licking and stimulating a newborn kitten with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
For the first stage of pregnancy, a cat will not show any signs, but two to three weeks before delivery, the mother cat will have an increased appetite, swollen mammary tissue and a larger abdomen. Be sure to feed mother cats, or queens, the proper nutrition required to support kittens with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on pregnant cat care.
Taking care of newborn kittens requires allowing the mother cat to care for the kittens and avoiding over-handling them until they are several weeks old. In an orphan situation, learn about feeding newborn kittens and keeping them warm with help from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
To take care of nursing cats, provide the mother cat with a high-calorie, high-calcium kitten food and give the mother cat a quiet, calm place to nurse. Contact a veterinarian if it seems like kittens are not nursing or the mother is sick with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Wean kittens from their mother or bottled kitten milk replacer by putting milk replacer and soft food in a bowl and then switching to softened dry food and just dry food. Find out the best time to wean kittens, usually between six and eight weeks of age, with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Kittens eat their mother's milk or kitten milk replacer until they are weaned onto soft or dry kitten food around six week of age. Avoid feeding kittens table scraps or dry food too early, as it can cause digestive issues, with insight from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
After they are born, kittens will be cleaned and stimulated by the mother cat, begin looking for the mother cat's nipples to suckle and then fall asleep. Find out how often kittens need to eat, typically every two to four hours, with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Kittens are technically ready to be given away after six weeks of age, but they will generally do better after eight weeks so that they have time to socialize with the litter and other people. Make sure a kitten is weaned from its mother before giving it away with tips from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
A kitten will begin to urinate without being stimulating by the mother after two or three weeks; this is also the time to introduce litter to a newborn kitten. Find out how to get a kitten to use the litter box with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
At six weeks old, kittens can leave the mother cat, but generally they will do better socially and health-wise if they are kept with the mother until eight weeks old. Avoid taking a kitten from its mother too early, particularly if the kitten is sickly, with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Kittens will generally go into heat around six, eight or 12 months of age, causing them to become very vocal and affectionate. Get a cat spayed before the first heat cycle to prevent mammary carcinoma or breast tumors with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Kittens will start eating solid foods around five to six weeks in the form of moistened kitten food and then move to dry food by six to eight weeks. Wean kittens off of milk by placing solid food mixtures in a shallow bowl with tips from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
Kittens are born with their eyes closed and will naturally start to open their eyes after seven to 12 days. Avoid forcing a kitten to open its eyes prematurely, which could cause an infection, with information from a veterinarian in this free video on kitten care.
A pet cat is much more than just an animal. Our pets are our loved ones, our friends and sometimes our children. For almost a thousand years, people have been drawn to cats for their affectionate and dignified nature, companionship and keen hunting skills. Properly caring for cats is important, especially for young kittens, since we have domesticated these animals from the wild and taught them to expect to have their needs met by humans. In order for the pet-human relationship to work, we have to do our part. In this free video series on kitten care, a veterinarian explains how to care for newborn kittens. Get information on how to help a mother cat deliver kittens and learn about what happens after the kittens are born. Find out what to feed orphan kittens and how to handle newborn kittens. Learn about weaning kittens and when kittens can be taken from their mothers. Kittens are adorable creatures that require a certain amount of care and comfort to survive, so learn the basics from an experienced vet in this free video series.
Dr. James Talbott Dr. James R. Talbott is a staff veterinarian at Belle Forest Animal Hospital and Kennel in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to providing general animal care for many different types of animals, Talbott also specializes in oncology, ultrasound procedures and endoscopy.dkdk
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