Kittens

Photo Credit: T.M.

This section will help you learn about kitten milestones, and the role fosters play in ensuring your foster kittens are healthy, happy, and acquire good habits. While fostering kittens is a lot of work (and mess!), it is a very rewarding experience! You will watch your kittens grow into their unique personalities, learn what makes each of them special, and help them find the perfect forever homes! We hope that after you've done it once, you'll want to do it again and again!

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Weighing Kittens

Weighing baby kittens is crucial for monitoring their health and progress, as weight gain is a primary indicator of their overall well-being. Regular weighing helps detect early signs of illness, ensures proper feeding during bottle-feeding or weaning, and is essential for accurately dosing medication. A kitten failing to gain weight or losing weight is a critical health warning that requires immediate veterinary attention.  

All kittens under 2 weeks of age need to be weighed every day, 3-5 weeks every 3 days, in Grams, and recorded on our weight chart.  It is important to send a photo of the weight chart in a text every day or other day to the momsandkittens team
  

KITTEN WEIGHT CHART

Kitten Age

Source: http://www.kittenlady.org/age

Kitten Timeline

Age	Milestone
1-2 weeks	Submit 1 photo of each kitten Submit kitten names to The Mom and Kittens Team for approval Kitten eyes will open @ 200gms (2 weeks) administer 1st dose of strongid (0.1 mls)
3 weeks	Kittens will begin exploring outside of the nest - set them up in a small enclosure Begin litter box training; see section on Litter box Training below
4 weeks	Kittens will begin playing with toys Kittens will begin to walk and run more confidently Administer 2nd dose of Strongid  (0.15mls)
5 weeks	Kittens begin weaning; see section on Weaning below Kittens should be using litter consistently
6 weeks	Foster should submit a vaccination request form ​
7 weeks	Kittens should be fully weaned​, Submit Bios and Photos for adoption Prep
​8 weeks	Kittens will receive their first vaccinations if they are a minimum of 800 Grams​
9-10 weeks	Adoption viewings and adoption! Kittens must be vaccinated before adoptions paperwork can be completed, however viewings can take place before

Litter Training

Around 3 - 3.5 weeks of age, kittens will naturally begin eliminating on their own. As bad litter box habits are hard to break, we ask that you promote and maintain good habits by keeping kittens contained in a small area until they are having absolutely no accidents. 

Set Up

• Set kittens up in a small enclosure or bathroom.
• Place several small, shallow, kitten litter boxes in the kitten enclosure - ideally 1 per kitten. 
• Kittens will naturally be drawn to corners of their area to eliminate, so place the litter boxes in corners if possible.
• ​VOKRA provides you with pine pellet litter. Place enough litter to fill the bottom of the litter box, scoop out the poops daily, and then change the whole litter box to fresh litter whenever necessary, depending on the number of kitties. Clumping litter is extremely dangerous to kittens, please do not use it!​
• You can line the boxes with paper towels and fluff up the pine pellets by spraying them with water so it is softer on kitten paws.
• Keep a larger litter box in the room for mama as well, so they will learn from watching her.

Getting Them Started

Generally, most kittens will begin using the litter box naturally. If they do not, help them along by:

• Placing kittens in the box right after they wake up, and after they eat.
• Encouraging kittens to dig in the litter with their paws (manipulate their paws in a digging motion).
• Gently stimulating the kittens by rubbing their genitals with a soft tissue. Once they start peeing, place them in the litter box so they will finish their pee in the box.
• Leaving the tissue with pee on it in the litter box so the scent is there (watch to ensure the kittens do not try to eat the tissue).
• Starting with boxes lined with paper towel and fluffed pellets, gradually begin removing the paper towel and add more pine pellet litter gradually every day.

Additional Tips

• Clean any messes very well with a urine removal recipe to avoid leaving scent which may encourage kittens to pee in the same spot.
• Fluff up the pine pellets with some water.
• Place kittens in the box that has been used by mama cat (they will smell her pee).
• Regularly empty out and clean the litter box.

Please contact your Moms and Kittens Team if your kitten is having trouble with litter training. In general, most kittens learn within a few days.

Weaning 

Weaning Kittens (Around 5 Weeks Old)

At around 5 weeks of age, it’s time to begin the weaning process. Weaning can be a messy stage, so be prepared for kittens to walk through their food and leave tiny “foody footprints” behind! A great solution is to use small soy dipping bowls, which help prevent kittens from stepping directly into their food.

Some kittens may also need help keeping their faces clean, as they haven’t yet mastered effective grooming. Gently monitor for food build-up around the mouth and chin, which can lead to acne or skin irritation. If you notice caked-on food, soften it with a warm, damp cloth and gently wipe it away. Avoid letting crusts form, as they become harder to remove and may cause skin infections. Please click here for Feline Acne

Food & Preparation

When kittens are beginning to wean, please feed First Mate Chicken only, as this food is the easiest on their developing digestive systems.

Since kittens are used to drinking their nutrition from mom, solid food should be introduced gradually by mixing the wet food with warm water to create a thick soup or “slurry” consistency. The mixture should be warm (similar to mama’s milk) to encourage interest.

If kittens are bottle-fed, you may add a small amount of warm formula on top of the slurry to help with the transition.

Feeding Tips

Place the slurry in small dipping bowls (preferred) or a shallow dish.
Set kittens in front of the bowl so they can smell and explore it.
Some kittens will dive right in, while others may show little interest at first—this is completely normal.
Continue offering the slurry at least twice daily until kittens begin eating consistently. To encourage them:
Dab a small amount on your finger and gently wipe it on their mouth or nose.
Start with small amounts and gradually increase as their appetite and confidence grow.

Patience is key—each kitten progresses at their own pace during weaning.

Monitoring & Feeding Weaning Kittens

Young kittens must be fed a minimum of four times per day (5th feeding left overnight.) It is extremely important to monitor weaning kittens closely to ensure they are receiving adequate intake from solid food and/or mama’s milk.

Fosters are required to weigh weaning kittens daily to confirm they are gaining weight appropriately. Weight gain is one of the earliest and most reliable indicators that kittens are eating enough.

When kittens first begin eating on their own, they are at high risk for hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). Watch kittens carefully to ensure they are eating well and behaving normally.

Signs of Trouble
If a kitten:

• Does not appear to be eating well
• Becomes lethargic, weak, or unusually quiet
• Immediately check for dehydration.

To test hydration, gently lift the skin at the back of the neck:
If the skin snaps back into place right away, hydration is normal
If it takes more than 1–2 seconds to return to normal, the kitten may be dehydrated

If a kitten appears lethargic:
Call Karen immediately at 604-418-4008 if this occurs.

Prompt action can be lifesaving for hypoglycemic kittens.

Once all the kittens are eating the slurry mixture and gaining weight, you can start to gradually reduce the amount of warm water you're adding to the food.
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If any of your kittens will not eat solid food by 5.5-6 weeks of age, contact the Moms and Kittens Team for more tips and tricks!

Feeding Guidelines

(5-7wks)   
1 heaping tsp of wet food in a soy dipping dish every 4 hours, leaving some overnight.  The tummy capacity is very little at this age.

7 weeks:  
1 tablespoon (35 to 40 grams)  in a small bowl every 3.5 to 4 hours and left overnight

8 weeks and over:  
1-2 tablespoons (40 to 80gms ) every 4 hours  


Daily Wet Food Amount  1kg - 2.5 kg 
180gms to 150gms every 4 hours

By Weight (Helpful Guide)
Kitten Weight
Wet Food / Day

2.5–3 kg (5.5–6.5 lb)
180–220 g

3–4 kg (6.5–9 lb)
200–230 g

4–5 kg (9–11 lb)
230–250 g
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➡️ Adjust up or down by 10–15% based on body condition, appetite, and activity level.

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Deworming and Vaccinations

• Deworm  1st dose of Strongid at 2 weeks, 2nd dose  at 4 weeks

• Vaccinations: Kittens can receive their first vaccination​ at 8-9 weeks old or a Minimum weight 800gms. Please submit a vaccination request when your kittens are 7 weeks old and arrangements will be made for a vaccination team member to come to your home to complete the vaccination when they are big enough.​ Mama cat should get her vaccine at the same time as the kittens.

Socialization

The first 10 weeks of a kitten's life are extremely important for their socialization. Fosters are asked to spend as much time as possible with the kittens from weeks 4 to 10, handling and playing with them.

Things you can do to help your foster kittens become well socialized:

• Pick them up often.
• Touch them all over, including their stomach, ears, mouth, and feet.
• Trim their claws regularly.
• Leave a carrier in the room, so they will be familiar with it.
• Do not allow a foster kitten to play with your hands, as this creates bad habits (use a toy such as a kicker toy instead).
• Play with them using a wand toy, and give them small toys to chase and pounce on.
• Expose them to household noises such as TV, kitchen noises, and the vacuum. This doesn't mean you need to stick a running vacuum in their faces, but you also shouldn't be tip-toeing around them either. They will transition more easily to their forever homes if they are already used to the normal sounds of a home.
• Expose them to as many people as possible​.