Caring for Newborn Kittens

How to Keep a Kitten Warm

Sara
By Sara . Updated: January 20, 2017
How to Keep a Kitten Warm

During the breeding season of cats it is not an uncommon sight to find a litter of kittens huddled in some secluded corner with their mother. But sometimes one or more kittens can be found unattended as some circumstance may have lead their mother to leave them. Such orphaned kittens are quite vulnerable to outside dangers especially during winter season. To keep these kittens safe, the most important thing is to keep them out of danger and to keep them warm. If you are worried about keeping the tiny kittens at the right temperature then keep reading this OneHowTo article to find out how to keep a kitten warm.

You may also be interested in: How to Know if my Cat is Cold

Contents

  1. Drying off wet kittens
  2. Hot water bottle
  3. Heating pad
  4. Warm towels

Drying off wet kittens

If you have found orphaned kittens then chances are they are wet and cold due to the chilly night and snow. So, the first thing is to dry them gently with a towel. You can also blow dry the kittens with the hair dryer but remember to set the heat on low. Also, do not blow dry the kitten’s face as it may become restless.

How to Keep a Kitten Warm - Drying off wet kittens

Hot water bottle

Newborn kittens spend most of their time cuddling beside their mothers. The heat from their mother’s body helps to keep a kitten warm. An orphaned kitten will have a hard time in keeping the right body temperature. You can help them by placing a warm hot water bottle right next to the little one. Take care that the hot water bottle is warm enough but not scalding hot. Also, you can wrap the hot water bottle in a warm soft towel so that the kitten can feel the warmth and also the softness they enjoy from their mother’s body.

Heating pad

If you have a heating pad then set it on low. Then wrap it up in a towel and place it below the kitten’s nesting box. This will warm the little one up.

Warm towels

Kittens cannot generate their own body heat and hence it is very important that they should be provided with adequate warmth. Since they can’t generate their own heat there is no point in just wrapping them in a towel. But a warm towel might do the trick. Place a towel in the dryer. Take it out after a couple of minutes and check if it is the right temperature. Then wrap the kitten in this towel.

When the temperature of the towel drops back to normal then unwrap the kitten from it and again place it in a warm towel. In the towel method you have to change the towel after every couple of hours.

How to Keep a Kitten Warm - Warm towels

If you want to read similar articles to How to Keep a Kitten Warm, we recommend you visit our Pets category.

Write a comment
What did you think of this article?
2 comments
Wilbert
If you are not an expert, then don't pretend to be one. Don't post your suggestion unless it has been time tested by a professional. I loath people who think they know everything and want to prove it by sharing their ignorance.
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Wilbert,

Thank you for your comment, but our articles are well researched by experts in their field as well as well experienced journalists.

This article in particular has some common sense ideas to make sure a lost kitten is kept warm without damaging them any more than they may already have been. If there is something in specific you'd like to challenge, we'd be happy to address it.

We hope you're well and look forward to hearing back from you!
maria shazad
my kitten is 2 weeks old and she suffering from flu and i notice a voice coming from her chest side? what should i do
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Maria,

We're not sure what you mean by a ‘voice’, but kittens are very susceptible to disease due to their still developing immune system. They should not be removed from the mother before a minimum of 8 weeks (usually longer). However, a sick kitten should be removed from the rest of the litter in case they too become infected. When this happens you will need special treatment, so you should speak to your vet for the right course. They will also examine the kitten to confirm if it indeed does have the flu and not some other condition.
1 of 3
How to Keep a Kitten Warm