If the mother cat (queen) is present, she will usually meet most newborn kitten care needs for the first month or so of her kittens’ lives. Even so, you’ll want to check on them every 2 to 3 hours for the first few days of life to ensure they’re being kept warm and nursing. If you have orphaned kittens, raising kittens includes keeping them warm, bottle-feeding approximately every 2 hours and stimulating them to urinate and defecate.

A kitten who no longer needs to be cared for by their mother can be left alone for around 4 hours during early kittenhood, but it’s recommended to check in on them at least once in the middle of the workday. Leaving your kitten alone for too long can negatively impact their socialization. Newborn kitten care means checking in on them every 2 to 3 hours.

Your kitten should have their first veterinary visit when they’re 6 to 8 weeks old, unless they have signs of illness prior to this age. The 8-week kitten veterinary visit is when your kitten will get their first wellness exam, first round of vaccines and dewormers and get started on parasite preventives. Your VCA care team will also provide you with new kitten care tips and ensure you’re prepared for the joys of kittenhood.

Kitten socialization actually begins at around 2 weeks old, with the most sensitive period of socialization ending by 7 weeks old. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue socializing though. You can continue to socialize your kitten throughout kittenhood by having safe and positive introductions to new people and places.

The stages of kittenhood begin when your kitten is a newborn and last until they’re an adult, which depends on their expected adult size. Generally, we think of the stages of kittenhood as the neonatal period (birth to 2 weeks), socialization period (2 to 7 weeks), active play period (7 to 14 weeks), testing or ranking period (3 to 6 months) and then adolescence (6 to 18 months). Your VCA care team will keep these stages in mind when developing your kitten care guide week by week.