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101 Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week Guide

How to Take Care Of Newborn Kitten?

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Newborn kittens are usually very fragile and Sensitive. In such a situation, this is the right way to take care of them. (Full Guide)

Kitten season is the perfect time to learn how to take care of a newborn kitten. The weight of the kitten is about 3.5 ounces, which is a precious handful.
 
They are one of the most unique and beautiful creatures of nature. When Kittens turns 6 months, she becomes sexually mature and has a gestation period of 56 to 72 days.
 
They are super-fun, entertaining, cute, and loving, and having a newborn kitten brings joy, laughter, and warmth in your house, that’s why the internet is full of kittens photos and videos.

Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week

Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week

Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week
If your cat has given birth to a newborn kitty or has just adopted a kitty, this is the right time for you to go ahead and take care of it. But with care and caution, your cat is very fragile at this time, so you may try to do something good for her, but unintentionally do more harm than good.

 

Taking care of kittens is quite a happy and responsible job. You have a lot of responsibility, for which you have to have special knowledge about newborn kittens.

A kitten is called a newborn from birth to 6 months, which is quite a long time for her to wean her mother and to learn some life skills like eating food and using the litter box. Whether you are alone looking after him or with his mother, you must have every essential equipment and knowledge for taking care of her.

Before we start let’s know 10 interesting facts about newborn kittens

10 Interesting Facts About Newborn Kittens

Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week

  1. When cats are born, their weight is within 3 to 4 ounces.                                                                                                 
  2. Kittens are blind and deaf when they are born. Their eye and ear canals are closed and it takes at least 14 days for their eyes to open.                                                                                                                       
  3. All kittens are born with blue eyes and their true iris color takes 8 weeks to visible.                                                    
  4. They cannot go to the bathroom themselves. Kittens have to go to the bathroom, but he needs to get stimulated before that. Her mother stimulates by licking her rear end.                                                                                
  5. Kittens are unable to thermoregulate herself. In such a situation, the newborn kittens need some heat source to stay warm. The ideal temperature for a newborn kitten is 90 degrees Fahrenheit with 55 to 65 % humidity.                                                                                                                           
  6. Kittens get an Immune Boosting Colostrum from her mother. Without Colostrum, Kitten’s immune system will not become healthy.            Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week
  7. Kittens need to eat every 2 to 3 hours. If they do not get food properly or get less, then their blood sugar decreases and it can also become a threat to their life.                                                                                    
  8. Their baby teeth start appearing in about 3 weeks and when they are 14 weeks old, their deciduous teeth fall and the central incisors start coming.                                                                              
  9. When the kittens are 10 days of age, then they start to stand, and when they are 21 days of age they start walking. After about 4 weeks she learns to have fun playing.                                                                               
  10. They are vulnerable to Fleas. The fleas can also cause life-threatening anemia.

Kitten’s Age Description & Analysis 

  • 0 to 7 days old: Their eyes are closed and ears are flat, the skin is pinkish and weighs under 4 ounces.
  • 7 to 10 days old: Their eyes begin to open, but the ears remain flat, they are smaller than our hands and weigh 4 to 6 ounces.   
  • 2 weeks old: The eyes are opened and they start crawling. Their eyes are blue and they keep sleeping. They weigh between 6 to 8 ounces.   
  • 3 weeks old: The eyes are fully open and the ears are erect. Their teeth start to appear and at this age, they also start walking. Their weight is now almost 8 to 12 ounces.   
  • 4 to 5 weeks old: Now they start jumping and jumping. At this age, they start eating food. They also start using the litter box and weigh about 8 ounces to 1 pound.       
  • 6 to 7 weeks old: Now she is very active and starts playing. Their eye color changes from blue to their permanent color and their weight is now around 1 pound to 1 ½ pound.
  • 8 weeks old: Now they are ready to learn new things and they weigh 1 ½ pound to 2 pounds.
Newborn Kitten Care Week by Week

Taking Care of Kittens in the First 6 Months

  • Under 4 Weeks of Age: Under 4 Weeks of Age: Kittens are called newborn Kittens when they are aged between 0 and 4 weeks and in this stage, they are having motor skills and coordination development. During this age, she is learning how to regulate her body temperature and in this moment of life she is completely dependent on the warmth she gets from her mother. If the mother is with her family, she still needs some human care such as nutrition and veterinary care for her mother. If her mother is not there to take care of the kitten, then you must help her grow up and thrive. It is very important to feed the kitten and monitor her progress. This includes giving bottle feeding every 2 to 3 hours, keeping the surrounding environment warm and safe, and helping to urinate and defecate. Always take care that you use Blankets to keep her warm if she is away from her siblings or mother. Do not use too much pressure while holding her, in this stage, her bones are developing, so always lift, and hold slowly and gently.

Newborn Kitt Care Week by Wee

  • 5-11 Weeks of Age:Now by this time Kittens should be weaned off from her mother and bottle feeding off. In this stage, she should be given foods full of high protein and energy. In such a time, her motor skills and coordination should be in the progressing stage. Be aware that at this time your kitten will become quite the force to be reckoned and it becomes difficult to handle it. At such an age, she has to be looked after with full proper supervision so that it is ensured that she does not get any harm.
  • 2-4 Months of Age: Kittens’ growth is very rapid in this period. You can expect that there will be a lot of energy in your kitten, it is often seen that they have more energy than adult cats. If she wants to play, she is often ready to get up at night. To take care of them in such a stage, you and her bonding should be strong enough during their playtime. If you talk about feeding, then you should give a high protein meal only – 3 to 4 times a day.                                                                          
  • 4-6 Months of Age:Your kitten is reaching an age of adolescence and sexual maturity. In such a situation, you are likely to see changes in her behavior and an increase in energy. In such a situation it is perfect to go and visit the Vet with your kitten. 

What to Feed a Newborn Kitten

When to feed a newborn kitten depends entirely on its age. That is why you must know his age correctly and completely and if you do not know his age, then you can get advice from the Vet.


What to Feed a Newborn KittenIn the first 4 weeks, Kittens needs only his mother’s milk because the nutrition he needs at that time can only be obtained from his mother’s milk.
 
So newborn kittens should stay with their mother in this delicate situation and drink their mother’s milk. If he is outside the picture, then giving cow’s milk to him is not right.
 
You can give goat milk to newborn kittens but only for the short term, otherwise, you can use this recipe for 24 hours only. Appropriate kitten care can be achieved by giving her a proper kitten milk replacer. You can feed this milk to her.

 

How Much You Should Feed Your Kitten

  • From Birth to 4 Weeks: Hopefully, After birth, her mother will be with him, so the newborn kitten should drink his mother’s milk. If her mother refuses to feed her, then you have to take care of the newborn and feed her with a bottle. Give her the best brand milk replacer, which is the KMR.                                                                                 
  • From 4 to 8 Week: Weaning Kittens is a very gradual process, so you can feed your kitten mixing dry kitten food (one part) and a kitten milk replacer (two parts). Then slowly keep reducing the liquid.                                                                                                                                        
  • From 2 Months to 3 Months: At this stage, Kittens chooses her food preferences, who will always be together in her life. In such a situation, you can feed her dry travel weight food. As you know that the stomach of Kittens is very small, in such a situation you should feed her 4 times a day.                                                                                                                                                         
  • From 3 Months to 6 Months: By now Kittens should appreciate her food routine. You should keep her food in a cool and safe place. In this stage, you can feed your kitten 3 times a day, but keep in mind that her food may not change or switch much because feeding less protein can make your cat and kitten face problems.                                                                                                       
  • From 6 Months to a Year: Now your kitten starts being counted as a cat. In such a situation, Vet recommends that you should not give a vegetarian diet to your cats as they are carnivores animals.

Tips for New Born Kitten Care

 
Bedding - Newborn kittens are born blind and they open their eyes in about 8 to 14 days, so it is very important to keep them safe and warm. In such a situation, they panic and curls up to her mother. If possible, provide them a soft bed layered with a blanket of wool

  • Bedding –  Newborn kittens are born blind and they open their eyes in about 8 to 14 days, so it is very important to keep them safe and warm. In such a situation, they panic and curls up to her mother. If possible, provide them a soft bed layered with a blanket of wool ( This is one the best bed I’ve used recently which is Self-Warming bed for kittens )  and keep the bed in a safe corner where no other animal or pet will disturb the newborn kittens. And if you do not have a soft bed, you can also use a medium height card box or a large basket bed and layered it with a wool blanket. And remember that the area where you are keeping them is safe and clean.                         
  • Flea Control –  Newborn Kittens get flea anemia very quickly, so you should take care that wherever you are keeping the mother and their newborn Kittens, they are absolutely flea free. You can use Flea Removal Products ( This is Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Spray for Cats ) but only on their mother.  Flee Removal Product should not be used on Newborn kittens at all. If you see fleas present in your kit, you can infuse them with the dawn dishwashing liquid and use a small comb to remove the fleas. Do not ignore antibacterial soaps at all and do not use them.
  • Cleanliness – You should use such bedding material which is also very soft and washable. Linens should be changed daily, especially in the first week. Another trick is that you can use a lot of towels to make a layer on the bed so that you can lift the dirty layer from the above and always have a fresh towel underneath it ( this towel is warm yet washable and ideal for kittens). Always take care to keep the bedding area dry, warm, safe, and clean.
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  • Wellness – According to experts, you should make an appointment for your first Veterinarian session for your kitten as soon as possible, preferably after 1 or 2 weeks of birth, so that doctors can check her overall wellness. Newborns are often prone to illnesses such as upper respiratory infections, internal parasite, ear mites, distemper, and flea anemia. If you have any concerns don’t hesitate to contact the vet. In my view, The Drake Centre is the best option for newborns in terms of  Veterinary Care.
 
    1. Grooming – Brushing her coat and trimming her claws are both very important elements of newborn kitten care. Regular brushing or combing removes the excess hairs and makes them look pretty clean and shiny while clipping her nail reduces the chance of its claw snags. The sooner you start this cat care routine, the easier it will be for both of you.
    2. Monitoring Progress – If you do not have much experience in taking care of moms and kittens or nursing, then the best idea would be to take mummy cat and newborn kittens to the vet every 1 to 2 weeks so that they can make sure that everyone is doing well and there is no effect/harm on their health. The weight of the kittens must be increasing steadily, that is why you have to monitor their weight every week. You might also want to take the FeLV / FIV test because this will indicates that the babies will also have FeLV / FIV. check the schedule for deworming and vaccination from your VET. 
  1. Food and Water – Mother Cat will do most of the work, so you have to take care of her mother. And in return, she will take care of the babies. Feed the best quality foods to the mother cat, especially the wet food. The mother cat is in great need of wet food so that her babies can get the best nourishment when they are in a growing phase. When the kitten is 4 or 5 weeks old, she is ready to be weaned off her mother’s milk and to feed wet food.