Kitten Care

When you bring home a new kitten, one of the very first things you will need to teach them is how to use the litter box. Proper litter box training early on will help your kitten develop healthy habits for life.

Congratulations on your new kitten! One of the first decisions you will need to make is to choose an appropriate diet for your kitten. Proper nutrition is one of the most important aspects of caring for your kitten. You may be feeling overwhelmed with all the cat and kitten food choices on there. Where do you begin?

A new kitten entering your home is thrilling. You might have eagerly anticipated this moment, or perhaps the kitten's arrival was an unexpected surprise.

Kittens are the epitome of playfulness, but they seem to get their tiny paws on everything imaginable. While letting your kitten play and explore is important to its mental development, you need to make sure that what it's playing with is safe.

When bringing home a newly adopted kitten, it is imperative that you get it checked out by a veterinarian as soon as possible. This is not only for your kitten's own health, but to also ensure that it doesn't share any serious communicable diseases. Ideally, your kitten would be examined prior to even bringing it home with you, but you should try to get it seen by a vet within 48 hours if the kitten appears to be healthy. If the kitten is showing any symptoms of an illness, such as watery eyes, sneezing, difficulty breathing, or failure to eat, it should be seen immediately. Regardless of whether or not you think your kitten is healthy though, you should keep your kitten away from other cats until a veterinarian gives your kitten the go-ahead for socializing.

All kittens require early socialization in order to become good pets. It helps kittens learn to interact with other cats and pets as well as people, and it requires positive interactions. Socialization also helps build confidence in young cats and makes them feel secure in their home environments. Taking the time to properly socialize your kitten now is like giving it emotional health insurance that will stay with your cat for all of its nine lives.

These days, we could all use a bit more kindness, acceptance, and understanding. That said, whether you're a cat person or a dog person, it's time to set aside your differences and accept the facts: While puppies and kittens are pretty great on their own, they're even better together. How you may ask? Well, when puppies and kittens are paired up, you get double the cuteness, double the cuddles, and double the baby animal hijinks. It's pretty basic math here.

To ensure the survival of a newborn kitten, ample nutrition must be provided. Sometimes, however, the mother cat grows ill and cannot nurse her young or she alienates a kitten from the litter due to an injury or disability. In these situations, you will need to step in and take on the role of the mother cat. This often requires bottle feeding a newborn kitten until the kitten is strong enough to eat regular cat food.

If you haven't already planned to keep all the kittens from the litter, you'll need to start thinking about placing them in permanent loving homes when they are eight to twelve weeks old. You will want to find potential adopters for your kittens who will love, care for, and appreciate them as much as you do.

Raising newborn kittens is both challenging and time-consuming; it can be intensely rewarding and heartbreaking, as well. If you don't have the time or the emotional stamina to deal with the potential of losing kittens, you might leave the job to trained professionals. However, if your bleeding heart is ready to take on the challenge of stray babies, then go for it. Just make sure you can find a home for them all.

Historically, most cats don't like water, so bathing one doesn't immediately sound like a good idea. But kittens can get quite messy and may require a little help from you to get them cleaned up. The self-grooming skills of a kitten aren't as developed as an adult cat, and since litter box messes are more common, and hungry baby felines tend to get food all over their faces, you should know how to safely give your kitten a bath.

How often should cats and kittens eat? There is no quick and easy answer, as the age and relative health of your cat, how many cats you have, your home environment, and the type of food you feed will all play a large part in how you handle feeding.

Most cat owners enjoy the sound of their cats purring. If your cat isn't very vocal, it might be part of its natural behavior, but watch for any signs that suggest a more serious issue.

Fading kitten syndrome occurs when newborn kittens fail to thrive due to one or more health concerns. Sometimes, the cause of fading kittens is unknown, and it's heartbreaking for cat owners and rescuers who care for newborn kittens. It can be frustrating to helplessly watch some kittens inexplicably fade and die under the most attentive care. However, an extremely perceptive caregiver might be able to recognize the signs of fading kitten syndrome, increasing kittens' chances of survival. Here's what you should know about fading kitten syndrome.

Kittens are adorable and playful, but they're also unique individuals that have personalities, needs, and behaviors of their own. Before welcoming a new kitten (or kittens) to your home, you'll need to prepare your home for a curious critter with the ability to climb, leap, and scratch. You'll also need to provide your kitten with appropriate toys, bedding, litter boxes, and food.

Cats go through three main stages of aging. Their nutritional needs, activity levels, and veterinary care vary during each stage.

Kitten constipation can happen for various reasons. Kittens unable to defecate can be uncomfortable and face serious health issues if not treated. If your kitten is litter-trained, you may not even notice constipation until you realize you haven't seen any stool for a few days. Here's how to tell if your kitten is constipated and what to do about it.

Newborn kittens may be born fully furred but they aren't done growing once they leave their mother's womb. The first week of a kitten's life is full of major changes and growth. If you have a litter of baby kittens, it's a good idea to know what to watch for—as well as know what you can do to help your kitten get off to a good start in life.

The first six weeks of a kitten's life are crucial for development. Kittens grow quickly but are susceptible to various threats. Now outside the womb, a kitten will need warmth, food, and protection from infectious diseases and parasites (such as fleas).

What’s better than one cute, cuddly kitty? Two cute, cuddly kitties! Aside from doubling your cuteness, there are several solid arguments for adopting two kittens, rather than one.

Kittens go through a lot of changes very soon after they're born. The first few weeks of their lives are full of new sights and sounds, and by the time they reach 6 weeks of age, they are almost ready to leave their mothers. But that doesn't mean the growing, changing, and learning comes to a halt. Between the ages of 6 and 12 weeks of age, there are still several big milestones that a kitten needs to pass.

The all-important first six weeks in a cat's life will do much in determining its personality and character for the rest of his life. This period is extremely important for the health of the developing kitten.

Your cat has gone through pregnancy, and she has delivered her kittens. Now, it’s time for her to care for her newborns, but she may not be able to nurse them. She might even be ignoring them. Perhaps she has rejected one or more kittens, or you’re uncertain if her milk supply is adequate.

Postnatal care for a mother cat and her newborn kittens is crucial after birth, and your observational skills are essential during this delicate time. In the first few weeks, watch for health warnings and kitten development milestones, such as physical activity.

When a kitten is born, its eyes and ears gradually open, it develops teeth, and eventually, it transitions from nursing to eating solid kitten food. Many changes occur in just the first few months of a kitten's life.

In their first year, kittens grow rapidly, much like human babies. They need plenty of food to support this fast development. Both the quality and quantity of their food affect their growth and health.

If you are deciding between naming your new kitten Max or Luna, you might think it’s as simple as taking a quick look. However, determining a kitten’s gender can be tricky when they’re very young. For best results, check below the tail.

Kittens should stay with their mothers for 12 to 13 weeks of age for them to be properly developed physically and behaviorally. Each kitten needs to be weaned before being placed in a new home because the mother cat's milk provides essential nutrients. Weaning too early can increase the risk of health problems and more veterinary visits.

Friendly, single adult cats can have trouble adjusting to a new kitten. Older cats may seem sad or reclusive, hiss frequently, and sometimes stop eating or begin urinating in unusual places if they aren’t adjusting well to the new family member.

Determining if a cat is male or female isn't always obvious. Male cat traits may not be clear to new cat owners, and it's even more difficult to identify the sex of a kitten or a neutered male.

Your new kitten will go through some notable changes from six months to one year of age. She will be more confident and comfortable to freely explore her environment and voluntarily play with other existing pets and you.

When you adopt a new cat or kitten, it can take them a little while to adjust to their new home. One way to help with this transition is to set up a “safe room” in your house. This is a place where your new kitty can hang out until it feels more comfortable.