Published 2026-08-16
Make sure each kitten is warm, active and able to nurse well during the first day.
Daily weighing and stable warmth help you detect problems before a kitten becomes critically ill.
A cold, weak or quiet kitten should never be ignored. Early action can be decisive.
For breeders and carers: the essentials of feeding, warmth, toileting and timing for newborn and young kittens.
1. What is the correct position for bottle-feeding a kitten?
Correct answer: On its belly with the head level, similar to how it nurses from its mother
A kitten should be fed lying on its belly with its head roughly level, the natural position it would use to nurse from its mother. Feeding a kitten on its back can cause milk to enter the airways and lead to dangerous aspiration pneumonia. Keeping the head neutral and letting the kitten suckle at its own pace is safest.
2. What should you feed an orphaned kitten that needs hand-rearing?
Correct answer: A proper kitten milk replacer formulated for cats
Orphaned kittens need a commercial kitten milk replacer, which is balanced for their specific nutritional needs. Cow's milk is unsuitable and commonly causes diarrhoea because kittens cannot digest it well, and human formulas are not designed for cats. Using the right replacer, warmed and correctly mixed, protects a fragile kitten's health.
3. Around what age can kittens usually begin the weaning process?
Correct answer: From around 4 weeks of age
Weaning onto solid food typically starts at about 4 weeks, when kittens become more mobile and curious about their mother's food. It is a gradual process, often beginning with a soft gruel of kitten food and replacer before moving to firmer food. Rushing weaning too early, or delaying it too long, can both cause problems.
4. Why do very young kittens sometimes need help to toilet?
Correct answer: Because newborns cannot pass urine and faeces without stimulation, which the mother normally provides
Newborn kittens cannot urinate or defecate on their own and rely on their mother licking the genital area to stimulate them. When hand-rearing, the carer must gently mimic this with a warm, damp cloth after feeds until the kitten can go by itself, usually around three weeks of age. Skipping this can cause dangerous constipation or bladder problems.
5. What is generally considered the best minimum age to rehome a kitten?
Correct answer: From 12 weeks or older
Twelve weeks or older is widely recommended as the best minimum rehoming age, and many breed clubs and welfare bodies advise it. By this age a kitten is fully weaned, has usually started its vaccinations, and has gained vital social skills from its mother and littermates. Leaving too early is linked to more behaviour and health problems later.
6. Why is keeping newborn kittens warm so important?
Correct answer: Newborns cannot regulate their own body temperature and chill easily
Newborn kittens cannot control their own body temperature in the first weeks and become chilled very quickly, which is dangerous and can stop them feeding and digesting. A gentle, reliable heat source and a draught-free nest are essential, while avoiding overheating. A chilled kitten should be warmed slowly before being fed.
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