Kittens tend to be good pets, they provide companionship and are usually quite independent, so you won’t have to chase after them all the time. But you must be careful; that they are quite independent does not mean that they do not require some care and affection.
Unlike dogs, cats tend to be more treacherous than dogs if their basic needs are not met and their doses of affection are not given.
If you want to know how to take care of kittens, keep reading the following article where we are going to give you all the keys you need to take care of your kitten perfectly so that it grows up healthy and strong.
Caring for a cat about to give birth and her kittens
In the event that your cat is about to give birth and you are worried about taking care of the next kittens, then these tips are for you.
First of all, you must prepare a comfortable place for the mother where she can rest and later give birth. As the day of delivery approaches, cats will spend more time lying down resting, losing a bit of their typical energy and mobility.
This place can be a cat bed, or a cardboard box, a cat house, etc., whatever you think is most convenient, the important thing is that it is comfortable, and that your cat can lie down and relax, so it is much better than put a blanket or towel on the bottom so that the cat can lie on it. In general, it should be a place that provides shelter and security, since it is what the cat will look for due to her protection instinct.
Do not worry if your cat rejects the place you have prepared for her and curls up somewhere else, like under the bed or under the sofa, as I was telling you, they are just looking for a place that is very safe for their young.
If you see that the time of delivery has come, you should let the mother cat give birth in peace, they by nature know what they should do, if you interrupt her or get close you could stress her. But you should take a look from afar from time to time to check that the birth is going well and without complications.
Leave the mother cat with her kittens for 4 or 5 days without disturbing them. No matter where she gave birth, the mother needs to establish a strong connection with her kittens. If we put our hands on them to caress them, hold them, or if we want to change their place, it could provoke a strong rejection of the mother towards the kittens.
If it is really necessary that you change places, you could do it from the fifth day and if you think that the link has been established perfectly.
Throughout the first weeks of the kittens’ lives, especially the first two, the mother will not want to leave her kittens for a long time, so it is best to put the food and water bowls as close as possible. As close as possible, and if you can also put the cat litter box nearby, so the mother can cover her needs while keeping an eye on the kittens.
If you had to go to another room to drink water or urinate, for example, and you couldn’t hear your kittens, it could cause stress and anxiety. In addition, some mother cats would stop getting up to eaten or drink water in order not to leave their kittens alone to look for food, and it is very important that they are nourished so that they continue to produce milk.
It is always important to feed our cat well, but especially during this time when the mother will need many more nutrients to produce good milk for the kittens. She could give you a portion of young cat food, so she will pass on the nutrients to her kittens.
As for cleaning, you should also try to stay away as much as possible, because the mother by nature will try to keep the place as clean as possible, also the kittens that have just been born do not defecate or urinate on their own, the mother must stimulate excretion licking their bottoms before and after, so you can keep the whole area clean.
In the event that the place is very dirty and you need to change a blanket, try to do it when the mother goes out to use the litter box.
You must check that immediately after delivery, the kittens begin to lactate. You will see how the kittens will spend all their time sleeping, waking up every two or three hours to nurse. If you see that the group puts aside a kitten and does not let it eat, you can always feed it artificially with the help of a special bottle for kittens.
Once the kittens are weaned, you can sterilize the mother, which usually the most is recommended to avoid having more kittens than desired and end up being abandoned and suffering. In addition, sterilization also brings some health benefits to the mother.
Around two weeks of life, when the bond between the mother and her young has already been strongly established, you can take the opportunity to take the kittens to the vet for evaluation and for them to explain what you should do with them and start putting the first vaccinations if you consider it appropriate. In addition, it is also important to start deworming the kittens, which the veterinarian can also help you with.
Caring for orphaned kittens
If you have found newborn kittens and you have the noble task of caring for them, and then think that the fundamental thing is to feed them correctly so that they can be healthy and strong and can grow despite not having their mother nearby.
To feed the kittens you must buy a special bottle for newborn cats and give them some kind of milk substitute, such as Cimices. You can buy these products at pet stores, at the vet, or even online.
It is the equivalent of formula milk for human babies, and in each container it is detailed how it should be prepared and what dose should be administered.
If the kittens don’t wake up every three hours to eat for at least the first week, you should wake them up and encourage them to eat, starting slowly.
Never give kitten’s cow’s milk as the lactose could make them sick. If you do not have this milk at the precise moment that the kitten is really hungry, try giving it boiled water with a syringe or with a dropper, this way it will notice a full stomach, it will be hydrated and it will not hurt its stomach.
After each bottle feeding you should burp the kittens. You should do this the same way you would a baby, holding the kitten up high on your shoulder or putting a hand under her stomach and then patting her on the back.
Since the mother is not there, you should be the one to stimulate the kitten’s excretion. You must always do this process before you give him food and after. Help yourself with a paper towel or gauze soaked with warm water to stimulate excretion. You should always rub in the same direction so as not to irritate it, and you can do it on the litter box to make it cleaner. After each meal keep rubbing until nothing comes out.
