Mary Allen
When your cat has had kittens, one thing is particularly important: the little kittens need their mother’s support in the first few weeks after they are born. It is now the owner’s job to create the right environment for the mother and her offspring to thrive.
The best way to care for a kitten is when you, the owner, understand what happens to the little ones in the first few weeks after birth. Eyes and ears only open in the course of the second week, and the baby cats are not yet able to regulate their body temperature themselves. The mother does that for them, as well as hygiene and of course feeding. So what can you do to make life easier for the little ones?
Take Care of the Mother!
Make sure that the mother and children are left alone and not disturbed too much. In the first few weeks, this applies above all to the nest in which the kittens were born and are growing up. The everyday life of newborns actually consists only of eating and sleeping – so you don’t have to intervene much. Because a kitten grows mainly while sleeping, try not to wake the little ones up. The kittens should gain about 100 grams per week. If this is not the case, the animal may be ill, so a veterinarian should be consulted.
If you’re caring for a kitten, you also need to watch out for kittens developing illnesses such as eye infections in the first few weeks. Otherwise, the little ones are mainly cared for indirectly – by paying particular attention to the mother in the first few weeks after birth. For example, it is important to follow a special diet for new mother cats so that they can provide their babies with enough milk and also cover their own nutritional needs – these are significantly higher in lactating cats.
Caring for the Kitten: Be Tender
From week four, as a cat owner, you can really take part in the life of the little velvet paws: They slowly start to crawl around, and the very clever ones already dare to take the first small steps. The mother will now allow you to take her children out of the nest and stroke them extensively, which the little ones in turn enjoy. Caring for a kitten also means getting it used to people – this works particularly well with such caresses.
Now is also the time to set out small bowls of kitty litter that are as flat as possible so that the offspring can learn to be housebroken in cooperation with the mother. The little ones can also eat their first solid food from about the fourth week of life: It is best to rely on special kitten food, baby food, or pureed cat food.