by Heather Craig

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

Caring for newborn kittens.

Don't worry, its a lot easier then it sounds. There's not much for you to do.

I have a lot experience in this field as I have helped in the delivery and care of 3 separate litters.

Immediately after birth, the kittens should be wiped off slightly with a soft cloth following the mother cats cleaning of the babies.

After being cleaned off the kittens will start to feed. They are aware of this and are able achieve it on their own. They will not need much assistance, however, their eyes are still shut and will not be opened for a few more days. They may need help finding the nipple.

The kittens should be put in a spot, cuddled in warmth, with their mother. A spot in your home where the MOTHER feels safe keeping her kittens. They can be laid either on a soft clean mat or towel . Though newspaper is better because it can be easily changed when need be.

Now, what to do about the kittens waste? Well, not to worry, the mother cat will take care of that for now. (She licks it up)

In the first few days you wont need to do much of anything aside from sitting back and admiring the newborns. All they do at this stage is suckle, and sleep (cuddled up next to each other, it's very cute.)

When the newborns are of a week or two old, the they start to look more like kittens rather than tiny rats. The eyes should be entirely open and they will start to use their legs and wander. But they wont stray very far from their mother during this time. The baby cats are still very unbalanced and wobbly. They may also just sit and look around, taking in the scenery. They will add this to their schedule for about a week or so until they start to wander farther and farther away. And the mother, if she has not already, will begin making short purring sounds. This is for the kittens to know she is there with them and "all is well"....

The kittens soon start to roll around on their backs and swat at seemingly nothing, since their vision has not been perfected yet.

When they get a bit older, roughly three to four weeks, they will start to run around and play with each other and the mother cat (or you, if there is only one kitten.)

During the following several days, they can begin learning to use the litter box and eating food from a bowl. Teaching the young kitten to use a litter box is generally done by taking them to the box multiple times a day and rubbing their paws in the litter. They will also learn by watching their mother (or other cats in the household) use the litter box. WARNING: there will a few accidents on your floor or carpet while the kittens are leaning the way of the litter box.

Now, it's feeding time. It's easy to tell when a kitten is ready to be weened. They will start to lick you. When the tongues are moving it's time for lapping.

The best food to start with is "Gerber's baby cereal." (this has not been confirmed by a veterinarian, only through personal experience.) It looks a lot like thinner oatmeal. Mix a little of the cereal with water and set on a small plate. The kitten will, of course, get very messy during this process. Just wipe them off afterwards. Its also best not to let this be their only source of food. they will still need to feed from the mother until they fully grasp the concept of eating from a plate or bowl.

If you have done your job well, you will have happy, active, cute and cuddly kittens! And remember to love the ugly ones too!

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