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For Kitten Fosters or New Kitten Parents - Neonatal Kitten Necessities
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items Descriptions are still a work in progress. This is going to be a fully comprehensive list for fostering or raising kittens from neo-natal to adult-hood, likely most useful for fosters.
Sections
3
Need
Nice to Have
Weaning Options
Need
There's some important things you need to know about neonatal kitten milk replacer: It is expensive. There's no getting around that. The best deal will be buying in bulk but what I recommend to start is the can of powder. I do not recommend the premi...
Kitten Milk Replacer Powder
Bottles are acceptable for kitten feeding, especially when they're older and drinking more than the syringes can handle. And they're easier to find quickly. But I still prefer syringes for as long as possible.
PETAG Small Animal Nursing Kit, 2-oz bottle
Luer Lock sterile syringes are a must for neo-natal kitten feeding. The pros of using syringes is you have a much better gauge of how much the kitten is actually eating with each feeding. If you don't have a kitchen scale I would highly recommend the...
BH Supplies 10ml Luer Lock Syringes Sterile
The Miracle Nipple is the most popular (and most expensive) nipples on the market. I've never had an issue with a kitten refusing a Miracle Nipple. that being said, they're not easy to find offline, and they are expensive. They are easy to use though...
Miracle Nipple Mini Pkg/2 Nipples & Syringe
If you're going to use a bottle, I would recommend the angled bottles for feedings since they're easier for kittens to use and will give them less gas.
5 Pack Kitten Bottle for Nursing
These nipples are a good option if you're not going with the Miracle Nipple, since they have two sizes. Though, the shorter nipple is the one I've always had success with, over the longer nipples. This pack is meant for an array of small species, not...
10 Pcs Silicone Nursing Nipples 5ML/10ML
This is a necessity. Kittens are more likely to die from cold than starvation when you first get/find them. A cats internal temperature is over 100 degrees, so a newborn kitten is already going to be battling the temperature change as it is. You must...
SnuggleSafe Microwave Heat Pad for Pets
You will be making the kittens go to the bathroom with every feeding. Wiping their parts so they pee and sometimes poop every two hours to start. Just like a baby, that much wiping will give them a rash or pain if you don't use something consistently...
Puffs Ultra Soft Non-Lotion Tissues, 10 Cubes
I'm adding the playpen as a need but it is very dependant. If you get a playpen, you can probably use it during their entire 8 weeks. Once they're weaned they're probably around 5-6 weeks old and ready to explore a larger area, so you may just want t...
Cat Playpen Portable Pop Up w/ Carrying Case
Yes, a large storage tote is an option for keeping neonatal kittens in, for quite a while actually. You will never, ever, put the lid on, at most you can cover it with a blanket or towel, but it makes it more difficult to regulate temperature that wa...
Rubbermaid Clever Store Latching Tote, 71qt
Where to begin…. Kittens have been known to eat cat litter and if that litter is clumping, it could be deadly. So you never want to use clumping cat litter with kittens. There are tons of options out there for non-clumping, from non-clumping clay, to...
Cat Litter Options and IMPORTANT INFO
Kitten nails are like razor blades, I am not joking. You WILL want to trim them regularly, and it is your responsibility as the foster to handle their feet so they can get used to it. You don't need anything fancy, I prefer these small little clipper...
Nail Trimmers for baby nails
This little kit has everything you need for the little nails and hair. I like a slicker brush for older kittens, but actually when kittens are still neo-nates, you can just simply use a clean toothbrush and give them little brushes with it, just like...
Brushes for various ages.
Nice to Have
Kittens weigh is vitally important when they're being bottle fed. If their weight is not steadily going up, something may be wrong. A digital kitchen scale is the best option for checking weight every feeding. Get a small tupperware, line it with a w...
Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale, 11 lbs
This is another more expensive item, but is completely worth it. Put your snugglesafe heater under the stuffed animale, turn on the heartbeat, and put the babies nearby and they will be completely content and cozy. I've used both the cat and dog vers...
Snuggle Kitty Heartbeat Plush Cat Toy
Potty pads are great for when the kittens are learning to potty on their own, making it easier for you to clean up the constant little poops and pees that will be all over your playpen. I personally invested in washable potty pads and use those now i...
FRISCO Medium Dog Training & Potty Pads, 21 x 21-in, ...
You can use baby wipes on kittens for potty time, but they must be unscented and have no additional anything in them. Their little areas are just too sensitive.
Honest Company Unscented Baby Wipes, 72 Ct
A wipe warmer with a nightlight is just something I learned to really appreciate after my like tenth litter. It gives just enough light to keep an eye on things and just enough warm so they're not screaming at you for wiping their butts with a cold w...
TinyBums Baby Wipe Warmer & LED Light
This is another expensive one, but is very much worth it. If you have ringworm kittens, this is a NEED, not a nice to have. This will kill all the bad germs (including fungus from the ringworm) and is very good for the wipedowns of the playpens and p...
REScue One-Step Cleaner
I'm going to list this one under Nice to Have, however, I personally feel like it's a necessity, as ringworm is a very common thing among stray cats and kittens and it's an easy way to see if the scab on your babies are fungal or not. It also helps f...
Wood's UV Lamp Black Light Flashlight
You know all those little half boxes that your canned cat food has been getting shipped with? Keep those. I'm not kidding when I say those are the perfect starter litter boxes for kittens learning to potty train. And, you can just throw them out. You...
Cat Litter Boxes for the Babies
I don't put my kittens in collars. They don't go outside and any reputable rescue will microchip them anyways before adoption. If you feel the need to put them in a collar, only do so after they're weaned, and it MUST be a breakaway collar. You have ...
Break-away collars for kittens and cats
Really any carrier will do. Your rescue will probably even provide you one. The upside of plastic carriers is they're easy to clean. I personally have like five styles of carriers and almost always choose the backpack option. I just always have a lot...
Carrier Options
You know that expensive cat tree you got for your cat that they never use and is collecting dust in the corner? Congratulations, it's found a new audience. As soon as they are able to jump, kittens will be anywhere they can reach, so a cat tower is a...
Cat Scratchers and Trees
I'm not going to post a bunch of toy options, but rather a do's and dont's of kitten toys: They do like kicker toys, things that make noise, crinkle, light up, have balls, spin in circles, and are generally active. They should NOT be allowed to have ...
Kitten Toys
Weaning Options
This is my all time favorite Royal Canin food. If you have a mother cat, you can feed her and the kittens all the way through weaning with this one food, in the wet food and then eventually the dry version. It's expensive, there's no getting around t...
Royal Canin Mother & Babycat Ultra-Soft Mousse in Sauce ...
Another good weaning option for the kittens. You'll mix in some of this with the bottle milk around five weeks old and start to get them used to the meat taste, before they eventually are just eating this on their own.
ROYAL CANIN Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Loaf in Sauce ...
A good options for weaned kittens, it's more texture for them to learn about and is a good stepping stone to dry food, though not a necessity.
ROYAL CANIN Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Thin Slices in ...
Here's one of your dry food options. Highly recommend if you have a mother cat but also just good for weaned kittens as well.
ROYAL CANIN Feline Health Nutrition Mother & Babycat DRY FOOD
For weaned kittens: As long as the food states that it's "for kittens" and it does NOT have milk in it, you're probably fine. I prefer non-grain free foods since the science is still out on if grain-free is good for cats long term. Royal Canin for al...
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Dry Cat Food
For weaned kittens: As long as the food states that it's "for kittens" and it does NOT have milk in it, you're probably fine. I prefer non-grain free foods since the science is still out on if grain-free is good for cats long term. Royal Canin for al...
BLUE BUFFALO Baby Blue Healthy Growth Formula ...
For weaning: As long as the food states that it's "for kittens" and it does NOT have milk in it, you're probably fine. I prefer non-grain free foods since the science is still out on if grain-free is good for cats long term. Royal Canin wet and dry i...
SHEBA Perfect Portions Kitten Chicken Pate Wet Cat Food ...
You probably already have a shaker bottle at home, but if you don't, it's a nice investment. It makes it easy to mix up the kittens formula while bottle feeding, and then when they start to wean onto wet food.
BlenderBottle Classic Shaker 28oz Clear
extra shaker balls so you can change it out more often without constantly having to wash the same one over and over. I recommend getting a few different sizes.
Bodundirect 6 Pcs Stainless Steel Shaker Balls