How Take Care of a Kitten

Kittens provide love and companionship to new owners, but need special care to ensure they grow up healthy and strong. Whether caring for a newly adopted kitten, fostering one or caring for a young kitten abandoned by its mother, provide the little one with the nutritional and medical care it needs. A kitten also requires proper socialization and time to bond with you in its new environment. Provide your young cat with a good start in life by caring for it properly and ensuring its safety.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat bed
  • Canned kitten food
  • Mother's milk-replacement formula
  • Dry kitten food
  • Litter box
  • Food and water bowls
  • Cat litter
  • Heating pad or hot water bottle
  • Blanket
  • Wash cloth
  • Cat scratching post
  • Cat toys
  • Soft-bristled cat brush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Bring your cat to a veterinarian for an exam, to get any necessary vaccines and to treat any potential illnesses. Have your kitten tested for the Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Disease before introducing it to other cats in your home, to prevent the kitten from passing these diseases to the other cats. Tell the veterinarian to check for worms, mites and other parasites during the exam, as kittens can suffer from anemia due to flea infestations. Once your kitten has a clean bill of health, bring it home with you.

    • 2

      Confine your kitten to a small room in your home to let it acclimate to its new surroundings for a week or two before allowing it access to the rest of your home. Kitten-proof the areas in the home by tucking away loose electrical cords or drapery pulls that kittens can chew on or become tangled in. Provide a soft bed for your kitten to sleep in, a litter box, fresh water and wet kitten food. Kittens require foods rich in protein and calcium specially formulated for young cats. Use bowls with low sides to feed your kitten so it can easily access the food and water.

    • 3

      Keep a kitten under 10 weeks old warm by providing it with a heating pad or hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket. A kittens under 4 weeks old needs to nurse from its mother. If the kitten has been separated from or abandoned by its mother, feed it with a mother's milk-replacement formula in a small bottle with a nipple every 1 to 2 hours. For a kitten between 4 and 8 weeks old, feed it the milk-replacement formula in a bowl and begin to mix it with a small amount of wet kitten food to form a slurry. Wean your cat off the formula by 8 weeks old. Kittens can eat dry kibble after 8 weeks of age.

    • 4

      Train your kitten to use its litter box by placing it in the box after meals, starting at 4 weeks of age. Kittens have a natural instinct to bury their waste and it should not take long for your kitten to understand how to use the box. Keep a litter box with low sides and no cover so your kitten can access the box easily. Kittens younger than 4 weeks need their mother to stimulate them to eliminate properly. If the mother is unavailable, use a damp, warm washcloth to gently rub your kitten's genital area after meals to prompt it to defecate and urinate.

    • 5

      Play with your kitten to properly socialize it to trust people and bond with you. Use toys on strings to take advantage of your kitten's hunting instinct. Give your kitten toys that they can kick and bite to exercise, with attached bells to attract its attention. Provide a scratching post for your cat to stretch and groom its claws on.

    • 6

      Groom your cat with a damp washcloth to help keep it clean. Brush your kitten with a soft-bristled pet or baby brush to keep its coat free of mats. This will get your kitten used to grooming later in life.