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Young Kittens
In order to be in a position to best help a found kitten, it is helpful to determine the kitten’s age.
- Birth to 2 weeks:
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Between the ages of one to two weeks, kittens start hearing sounds and are able to orient toward those sounds. Their eyes are starting to develop and are usually open by two weeks of age. They are very delicate at this age and should stay with their mother if at all possible. |
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- 3 – 4 weeks
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By the time kittens are three weeks old, their sense of smell is almost fully developed and they can see well enough to locate their mother. At 3-/12 weeks their ears stand up. By the fourth week, their sense of hearing is fully developed and you will notice some interaction with their littermates. Their teeth are beginning to erupt and they are learning to walk at 3 weeks and can walk well at 4 weeks. Kittens born in the outside should not be taken from their mother before they are 4 weeks old. If taken away from mom at 4 weeks old, they will need bottle-feeding for at least another week. |
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- 5- 7 weeks
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Sight is fully developed by 5 weeks. They are steady on their feet, beginning to play, avoid obstacles, run and pounce on “prey.” They will begin to groom themselves and each other. If you see kitten running around the yard they are at least 5-6 week sold. Five week old kittens can be introduced to canned kitten food. By six weeks old they can often eat dry cat food mixed with canned food. Five-Six weeks of age is the best age to socialize a homeless kitten. Seven week old kittens are usually fully weaned and but will occasionally suckle on their mother. They, too, can be socialized to be good pets but this takes a little extra effort. |
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- 8-12 weeks
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These kittens are very well developed they are very active and rarely, if ever, nurse. They will play with toys, chase their tails and leap and pounce. Kittens found at the age of 8 – 9 weeks who have had no contact with humans whatsoever can sometimes be socialized to become pets although some may always be shy cats around strangers. Kittens 10-12 weeks who have had some contact with humans are sometimes able to become pets if proper socialization is given. These will likely be social toward their owners and shy of others. |
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8 week old kittens 
How to care for homeless kittens up to 5 weeks old
Homeless kittens are unable to eat wet or solid food and should remain with their mother if at all possible until they are between the ages of 4-6 weeks old. If the mother is friendly and you can take the mom, great. Then let the kittens stay with mom until they are 7-8 weeks old. If their mother is not available, then please read on:
- Keep kittens up to four weeks old warm (about 90 degrees). If they have no mom, a heating pad set on low and placed under a heavy towel will do. Place the kitten on the towel (never directly on the heating pad) and place it in a cat carrier or box. At approximately 3 weeks they will start to pee and poop on their bedding and this must be kept clean.
- Try finding a foster feline mother; breeders, veterinarians and animal shelters may know of a nursing cat. You can also try to call cat rescue organizations to see if they are able to help you if you can’t care for them yourself (see PANT network). If you are taking care of the kitten yourself, place the kitten in a separate room away from your other cats. Wash your hands after handling the kittens if you have other cats in your household.
- Make sure you stimulate the kitten after each meal. This is what a mother cat would do to help the kitten go to the bathroom. Take a cotton ball dipped in warm water and gently rub it on the kittens behind until you see that he has urinated or defecated or both. Normally this takes less than a minute. Be careful to rub only enough to get them to expel waste materials. Keep the area clean and watch for chafing which might indicate that you are rubbing too hard or not cleaning thoroughly enough.
- A kitten’s instinct is to suckle and sometimes a kitten will suckle on a litter mate’s ear or other body part causing irritations. Try to satisfy this need to suckle by caressing each kitten’s mouth with your finger or soft cloth or the nipple on a small bottle.
- Check to see if the kitten is dehydrated. If, when lifting the skin between the shoulder blades, the skin stands up for a couple of seconds instead of immediately springing back to its normal position the kitten may be dehydrated. A trip to the veterinarian may be necessary especially if the kitten is quiet and/or not eating.
Instructions for bottle feeding a kitten:
Kittens are unable to eat on their own until at least 4-5 weeks of age. Purchase kitten infant formula such as Just Born or KMR sold at feeds stores, veterinarian offices and sometimes at Walmart. If after hours, you can go to a 24-hour grocery store and use goat’s milk as a short-term, emergency substitute. DO NOT feed the kitten cow’s milk. Feeding can be done with an eyedropper or a nursing bottle (available at the vet, Petco, PetSmart or other pet or feed stores). If using the eyedropper, be careful not to force feed the kitten. Let the baby suck the fluid at its own pace, otherwise you can fill the baby's lungs with milk and cause pneumonia. Keep the kitten on his belly when feeding – do not put him on his back like a human baby.
If the baby is old enough to suckle, the bottle method is best. These can be purchased usually whereever milk replacer is sold. One company even makes a special kitten nurser which is designed to keep air bubbles out of the baby's tummy. The company is Catac ($15 to Kitte Res-Q, Dept. C, P.O. Box 723, Santa Paula, Ca 93061).
All utensils should be sterilized before each feeding.
Formula should be warmed to body temperature and fed to small kittens every 3-4 hours. As they get older every 6-8 hours will be enough. Check the package for recommended feeding amounts and feedings per day. The chart below can also be used as a guideline. The kitten's age determines the number of daily feedings it should receive.
To feed your kitten, place it on its stomach down on a towel. Open its mouth gently with the tip of your finger, then slip the nipple between its jaws. To prevent air from entering the kitten's stomach, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, keeping a light pull on the bottle to encourage vigorous sucking. Don’t hold the kitten on its back like a baby.
If a suckling kitten aspirates formula into its lungs (this is rare) immediately hold it upside down until the choking subsides. If the kitten is not strong enough to suckle, seek veterinary assistance ASAP.
When a kitten has had enough formula, bubbles will often form around its mouth, and its tummy will be rounded. After each meal, burp the kitten by holding it upright against you shoulder and patting it lightly on the back.
Do not overfeed kittens, as this can bring on diarrhea as well as other problems.
It is very important that after feeding the kitten that you stimulate him to go to the bathroom. Take a cotton ball dipped in warm water and rub the rectal area of the kitten going from the base on the tail downward. At each feeding the kitten should urinate and should defecate at least every 24 hours. Sometimes, kittens become constipated. If a kitten has not defecated after 24 hours, slightly water down the formula and give a drop of olive oil in the formula. You can also seek advise from someone in our network or your vet. A kitten that has not gone defecated in 36 -40 hours should be taken to the vet.
Feeding guide:
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Age in Weeks |
Average Weight |
Amount of Formula per DAY |
Number of Hours between Feedings |
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1 |
4 oz |
32 cc |
3 hrs. – 8 feedings per day |
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2 |
7 oz |
56 cc |
4 hrs – 6-7 feedings per day |
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3 |
10 oz |
80 cc |
4 hrs – 6 feedings a day |
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4 |
13 oz |
104 cc |
5 hrs. – 5 feedings a day |
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5 |
1 lb. |
128 cc |
6 hrs. – 4-5 feedings a day |
How to care for a kitten 5 – 7 weeks old
Homeless kittens should be taken from their mother between the ages of 4-8 weeks (5-6 weeks is ideal) as this is the time, if they are handling frequently by humans, they will become social enough to become wonderful pets. Four-week old kittens will still need to be bottle-fed although some may start eating canned kitten food mixed with a little kitten milk replacer (see instructions for bottle feeding) . Most 5 week-olds can eat canned kitten food and usually they start on dry kitten food at 6 weeks.
If you are unable to adopt the kitten yourself, check various shelters, veterinarians and the PANT Network to see if someone can take the kitten. Insist that your kittens be placed on a waiting list and check back frequently. If rescues are full and you have been placed on a waiting list, take the kitten into your home keeping it separate from your other cats. While waiting for the shelter to have room for your kittens you should:
- Provide proper nourishment. Kittens 5 weeks old can be started on wet kitten food – sometimes adding a kitten replacer (available at feed/pet stores and veterinarians offices) to the wet food can help a kitten who is a little undernourished. Kittens 6 weeks and older can eat wet or dry kitten food. Kitten formula foods are much more nutritious for your kitten.
- Handle the kitten often while under your care. This is CRITICAL. There is a small window of opportunity to make your kitten a social, wonderful pet. Pick the kitten up several times a day, play with him/her, and hand feed the kitten often. Spend as much time with the kitten as you possibly can.
- Provide the kitten with a litter box. At the age of 4-6 weeks he should be using a litter box.
- Bring a fecal sample to your vet and get worming medicines if needed.
- Check for fleas. Be careful about what you use as some flea treatments are toxic to young kittens. Use a flea comb. Or you can put your kitten over a sheet of white paper and comb the kitten. If you see little black specks with a red tinge, your kitten probably has fleas. Your veterinarian can prescribe (usually without requiring a visit) a safe flea treatment for your kitten.
- At 8 weeks, if the kitten is still on a waiting list at a shelter or waiting for a home and you have other cats in your household, you may want to have the kitten tested for Feline Leukemia and AIDS and parasites. This is best done at your veterinarian’s or it can also be done at Petco. Assuming the kitten is negative, you can mix the kitten with your household cats, if necessary.
How to help kittens who are 9 weeks and older:
If the kitten is 9 or 10 weeks old and has not been in contact with humans it is sometimes possible to socialize the kitten to become a good pet. This takes a lot more handling and time and the kitten may or may not always be a little shy toward members outside the family. (see the 5-7 week old section for help)
Kittens who are over 10 weeks old and never been socialized with humans can be worked with but with no guarantee that they will ever be cuddly, affectionate pets. If the kittens are to remain outdoors, they should be treated as feral cats (see our feral cat section). Kittens over the age of 10 weeks can be safely spayed or neutered and rabies vaccinated. Make sure the kitten has his left ear tipped. This is a small notch in the left ear and is used as a universal identification mark indicating that a feral cat has been spayed or neutered. If at all possible, when spaying and neutering ask for a distemper vaccine and worming medication since their immune system is weak at this young age and they are more susceptible to getting distemper and suffering the effects of parasites.
