Kitten Care

Usually, when you adopt a kitten, he’ll be at least eight weeks old. That’s because it’s best for a litter to stay with their mother until they are at least this age.

However, there can be times when it’s necessary to separate a litter from their mother earlier than this. For example, a mother cat may reject her litter, refuse to feed them, or become unable to due to mastitis or other illnesses.

If you’re caring for kittens who are not nursing, you’ll need to feed them special kitten formula four times a day. Please note that this is different to supermarket-purchased ‘kitten milk’.

When your kittens are approximately six weeks old, they can then be weaned onto solid dry or tinned kitten food. You’ll need to feed them this three times daily until they are 10 months old.

Once they are 10 months old, you’ll need to feed them either once or twice a day, depending on their energy levels so that they can maintain a healthy weight.

Remember that cats are obligate carnivores and need a balanced, high-protein diet to stay healthy.

You will need to ensure your kittens:

• are house and litter trained
• are kept up to date with flea and worming preventatives, as well as vaccinations
• are properly socialised
• are veterinary checked
• have access to clean water
• settle into your house comfortably, with a quiet place to call their own