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Caring for kittens is a gift, but it’s also an around-the-clock job. Along with the constant feedings, kittens are prone to hypothermia, which can be life-threatening. This means it’s crucial to keep them warm and comfortable during their first 3 weeks of life.
You can use your natural body heat if you have nothing else, but it’s wise to have help from other heating tools to ensure your kitten stays safe. Here are the best ways to keep your kitten warm until they can regulate body temperature on their own.
How to Keep Kittens Warm at Home
1. Set the Bedding Correctly
A kitten needs a warm bed with a heating pad covered with a blanket or towel. The bedding should be changed daily to avoid dampness that can cause the kitten to chill.
2. Check for Drafts and Faulty Heating
Is your heating system working properly? If not, place a space heater in the room on low. Turn off fans, close windows and block off any under door drafts, as all these things may chill the air and make your kittens cold.
Use a thermometer to ensure the space is adequately heated. For kittens, the room should be warmer than your own comfort level, around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Wash Only the Necessary Parts
If your kitten needs cleaning, use a warm rag to wash the necessary areas instead of submerging the kitten in a bath. Dry the kitten with a towel until completely dry.
When It’s Time to Eat
Breast milk is warm and helps a kitten grow healthy and strong. But if the mother isn’t around, you’ll have to bottle-feed the kitten yourself. Pet stores everywhere offer kitten formula for this very reason. Even some grocery stores offer kitten formula in the pet food aisle.
Since the mother’s body temperature would be about 102 degrees Fahrenheit, a good temperature for the formula is between 98–102 degrees.
Mealtimes should be every 1 hour per how many weeks old they are, so 1-week-old kittens need to be fed every hour, 2-week-old kittens need to be fed every 2 hours, etc.
To make: Mix 1 part kitten formula with 2 parts warm water. Or follow your veterinarian’s instructions.
A Kitten’s Natural Body Temperature
Kittens under 4 weeks old, or neonatal kittens, have a body temperature between 97-98 degrees Fahrenheit. As kittens get older than 4 weeks, their normal body temperature will rise to 100-101.That may seem high, but an adult cat’s temperature is between 100–103 degrees Fahrenheit.
During their first 3 weeks alive, kittens can’t regulate their own body temperature, so they must have an adequate source of warmth. Typically, the mama cat can do this since her body temp is much warmer, but sometimes she’s not around, and it’s up to us to improvise.
If you’re unsure, you may choose to have your kitten checked out by a veterinarian.
The Dangers of Hypothermia
Adult cats can shiver when they’re cold to generate heat, but kittens don’t have that option until they’re about 2 weeks old, so hypothermia can set in if they aren’t warmed from an external source.
Signs of hypothermia include:
A hypothermic kitten may not want to eat normally, and hypothermia actually prevents food from moving into the intestines for absorption. Because of this, hypothermia can be fatal if it’s not reversed in time.
Rather than trying to force-feed a hypothermic kitten, instead, warm the kitten slowly until a normal body temperature returns, then you can resume feeding.
Be Careful With Heaters and Heating Pads
Heaters and heating pads are excellent tools for keeping kittens warm, but they can also be very dangerous. Kittens mimic the surrounding temperature, so if it’s very hot in the room, the kitten will also become very hot, which can be just as life-threatening as being too cold.
Heating pads can also scald the kitten’s skin if it’s too hot and the kitten doesn’t have a place to escape the heat. Pet stores offer pet-friendly heating pads for this reason. If you use a regular heating pad, add an extra layer of bedding on top and switch the setting to low. Check on your kitten frequently to ensure they aren’t getting too hot or too cold.
Conclusion
Caring for kittens is a big job, including frequent feedings and keeping them warm. Fortunately, most healthy kittens can be kept warm at home with just a few simple changes and proper monitoring. Keep your kittens warm and well-fed and they’ll be healthy, full-grown cats before you know it.
Featured Image Credit: OlgaBartashevich, Shutterstock
The post How to Keep Kittens Warm at Home: 3 Vet-Approved Tips appeared first on Pet Keen.