How to Care for Your Cat and Her Kittens After Birth

The first two weeks after a litter arrives are mostly about staying out of the way while providing exactly what mother and kittens need close at hand. Here is what that looks like in practice.

Setting up the nesting area

Keep the mother and her litter in a quiet, low-traffic room, away from other pets, loud noises, and heavy foot traffic. A low-sided box lined with clean, soft bedding works well, placed somewhere warm but not hot, ideally away from direct sun and ceiling fans. Keep the room around 29 to 32 degrees Celsius for the first week, since newborn kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature, then gradually reduce it as the kittens grow.

Feeding the mother

A nursing mother needs considerably more food than usual, often two to three times her pre-pregnancy intake, since she is producing milk for the whole litter. Feed a high-quality kitten food or a food specifically labelled for pregnant and nursing cats, since the extra protein, fat and calcium support milk production. Keep fresh water constantly available near the nesting area so she does not have to leave her kittens for long to drink.

What to leave alone

Resist the urge to handle newborn kittens too much in the first week or two. A mother cat who feels her litter is being disturbed too often can become stressed, and in rare cases may move or even reject kittens. Let her lead. Brief, gentle handling once she is relaxed and settled is fine, and helps kittens get used to human touch, but keep visits short.

Keeping the area clean

• Change bedding regularly, as gently and with as little disturbance as possible, ideally while the mother is out eating or using the litter box.
• Keep a litter box close to the nesting area but not inside it, so the mother does not have to go far.
• Watch for and clean up any discharge, and note anything that smells foul or looks unusual, since this is often the earliest sign of a postpartum complication.

Keeping other pets away

Keep other household animals, including a resident male cat, away from the nesting area for at least the first couple of weeks. Even a generally friendly male cat can behave unpredictably around newborn kittens, and the disruption alone is often enough to stress a new mother. A dog who is normally gentle should still be introduced very gradually and only once the mother seems settled, ideally on a lead at first.

The umbilical cord

The mother will usually bite through and clean each kitten's umbilical cord herself during delivery, and the small remaining stump normally dries up and falls off on its own within a few days. Leave it alone rather than trimming or applying anything to it, and simply watch for any redness, swelling, discharge or odour around the area, which would be worth a vet mention.

Weigh each kitten daily for the first couple of weeks using a kitchen scale, aiming for a steady gain of roughly 10 to 15 grams a day. A kitten who is not gaining weight, feels cold to the touch, or is crying persistently and cannot find a nipple needs attention, sometimes as simple as being moved to a less crowded spot on the mother, sometimes needing a vet visit.

When to call the vet

Book a check-up for the mother and litter within the first few days of birth, and again around the two to three week mark to start deworming. Call sooner if you notice any of the mother's postpartum warning signs, fever, discharge, mammary swelling, tremors, or if any kitten is failing to gain weight, crying constantly, or seems weak.

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