How to Take Care of a Newborn Baby Kitten

Ideally, a kitten should be tended by its mother. However, this isn't always possible and sometimes humans have to lend a hand to tend to abandoned or orphaned pets. Caring for a newborn kitten takes as much time and energy as caring for a human infant and the care is much the same.

Things You'll Need

  • Large cardboard box
  • Towels
  • Heating pad
  • Gram scale
  • Kitten formula
  • Bottles for kittens
  • Cotton balls
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make a home for the kitten. Place a towel on the bottom of a large cardboard box. Wrap a heating pad in a towel, put it on its lowest setting and place it underneath the box, at one corner or side. Place the box in a quiet, draft-free location.

    • 2

      Determine the amount to feed your kitten. Weigh your kitten on the gram scale. For every four ounces he weighs, you will feed him two tablespoons of formula a day. This amount should be divided into six feedings.

    • 3

      Warm the formula to about 99-101 degrees F. Put the sterilized bottle into a warm bowl of water. Do not put it in the microwave.

    • 4

      Feed the kitten by placing the bottle's nipple against the kitten's mouth while the kitten is on her stomach. Pull the bottle up so her head is elevated slightly. Be sure you are using a bottle made for kittens, not for infants. These bottles can be purchased from the same pet store or veterinary clinic you purchased the kitten formula.

    • 5

      Burp your kitten after each feeding. Hold your kitten's back against your chest and rub her stomach gently to encourage burping.

    • 6

      Wet a cotton ball in warm water and gently rub your kitten's genitals to stimulate him to urinate and defecate. This needs to be done until your kitten is at least four weeks old, when he will start to urinate and defecate on his own.