Josephine sent me a sms early this morning at 8am. Said she found a new born kitten in her home and didn't know what to do with it. Haha it can get very confusing but it's always very exciting to have new born kitties at home ^^. Anyway, she asked me how to take care of it, but frankly, I wasn't too sure too cos everytime a kitten is born in my house, the mother is usually around to take care of it and since the mother is uaually familiar with us, she allows us to handle her kittens without feeling threatened by our presence...

Well, I used to think that the kitten won't be able to survive without the mother cos kittens dunno how to drink on their own, only know how to suckle. So I told her to just leave the kitten alone until the mother comes home. But at the meantime, she left the kitten in a tray with a towel and she has just told me she's gonna send it to SPCA....

I went online to find out more info about taking care of new born kitties, and I must say that I learnt alot! I guess many of u would have encountered this problem esp in Singapore where stray cats are aplenty... So in case this happens to you, let Pearl tell u what u should do ^o^.

1) Well, I stay by my policy of just leaving the kitten alone until the mother returns to pick the kitten up. Dun think that just cos the mother isn't there she has abandoned the kid cos as strays, they definitely have to go out to look for food, ya? Motherly instincts should have told the mother to leave the kitten in a safe place where it's free of predators and is warm enough for the kitten (like all new borns, kittens cannot regulate its body temperature). Only move the kitten if it's under direct sunlight, or is in a cold environment.

2) In the event where u HAVE to move the kitten, try not to use ur bare hands cos ur scent on the kitten may confuse the mother cat. While I'm not sure if the urban legend of cats eating up their kittens after they have been touched by humans is true, there certainly is a danger of the mother abandoning the kitten once it picks up an unfamiliar scent on the kitten, hence making it hard for the mother to recognize it. Probably the best to do is to handle the kitten with rubber gloves or something to that nature.

It's easy to pick up kittens. Remember how we always see mother cats picking up their kittens by the back of the neck? Well, that's the way to do that for us uninitiated humans too. Pinch the back of the neck of the kitten and lift it up (not too high, of course). Once it's being picked up like that, the kitten will instinctively quiet down and curl into a ball.

Remember to keep the kitten warm. Since it's generally warm in sunny Singapore, just make sure the kitten is surrounded with towels. But try not to wrap it to tightly as the kitten has to be able to move out once it gets to hot. And leave it in a dark place, must must avoid direct sunlight.

3) A new born kitten has to be fed every 4 hours. If the mother doesn't return by a few hours, u know that something bad has happened. By this time it's probably prudent to send the kitten to either the vet or the SPCA (thou I dunno what the SPCA will do with the kitten >.<). But if for some reason u can't immediately do that, you could try feeding it. See here for more info on what to feed and how: http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/orphans.shtml


There's more to be done than just loving kitties!