Hand-Rearing Kittens

Kittens cannot urinate or defecate unaided during their first two weeks (approx). The mother normally stimulates these function by licking their lower belly/anal region. Where the human foster mother is entirely responsible for the kittens, this must be mimicked using moist cotton wool or moistened tissue. A kitten must past urine and feces at least once per day. Always stimulate a kitten's elimination functions after waking it up. After each feed is also good time - since you will be cleaning up milk spillages as it is. If they don't eliminate each time, don't force the issue - you could abrade their delicate skin. If they become constipated (a few do) see your vet. Very occasionally an enema is required.

At 2 - 3 weeks old, the kittens should start controlling their own functions. Placing them on the litter tray should trigger the reflex to urinate and/or defecate. Leave a small amount of soiled litter in the tray to build up a scent association for the kitten.

Growth Rate

Keep a log of the kittens' weights. Accurate digital scales are best for weighing, but good kitchen scales will suffice. Weigh them daily (twice daily is even better) at the same time each day until they are fully weaned and are obviously thriving. Full-term kittens should double their birth weight in the first 7-10 days, then continue to gain weight steadily. Premature kittens gain weight more slowly until their bodies reach the stage of development of a full-term kitten. Keep an eye on whether the kittens are gaining/losing weight or there is no change.

Kittens which have suffered a setback e.g. illness may lag one - two weeks behind in growth. Premature kittens may not begin their growth increase until after the day they should have been born. When keeping records, it is easy to become confused if you have a litter of several near-identical kittens - especially when you are doing a 2 a.m. feed and are on auto-pilot. A dab of nail varnish on a claw will help to distinguish between kittens. Either use a different color for each kitten, or paint the claws of a different paw on each kitten. When keeping records, make a note of the kitten's nail varnish color or pattern (more on record-keeping later).

Signs of Illness

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