Can You Touch Newborn Kittens – Safely Handling Your Pet

There is something magical about brand new life. Whether it’s a human baby or an adorably tiny kitten, the newness and vulnerability of babies can tug at your heartstrings. But, most people know that it’s important not to mess with newborn animals because you can accidentally hurt them or frighten their mother away from them. But, can you touch newborn kittens?

It’s best to avoid touching newborn kittens at least until their eyes are open. Touching kittens too soon can frighten them and make it harder for them to form appropriate social bonds with people and other cats. Touching a newborn may also upset their mother, change their scent, or cause discomfort for the kitten.

Of course, not every situation lets you avoid touching newborns. Sometimes a mother cat might decide to have her kittens somewhere that isn’t safe, or you may need to take over mothering duty for a female cat that doesn’t have strong maternal instincts or who is hurt or missing while her kittens are newborn.

Don’t worry too much; we’ll cover everything you need to know to keep your kittens as safe as possible and to make it easier to tell when you need to touch newborns and when you shouldn’t.

What Happens If You Touch A Newborn Kitten

Most of the time, touching a newborn kitten won’t hurt them and isn’t a huge deal, as long as you have a strong relationship with the mother cat, and she’s comfortable with you touching her kittens.

It usually takes a few days at least for mother cats to let anyone near their kittens willingly. Touching her kittens too early may spook her and make her move them to a different hidden location.

It’s also true that touching newborn kittens can cause accidental injuries. Newborn kittens are incredibly vulnerable, and their bodies can’t handle a lot of rough handling or pressure. While it’s possible to touch a newborn without hurting them, it can be not easy to be gentle enough.

Unless you have a lot of experience with newborn kittens or are in the middle of an emergency, it’s better to avoid touching newborns entirely. Even with experience, try to avoid touching newborn kittens any more than is necessary.

You might not cause permanent damage or frighten the kitten’s mother, but the chances are too high that you will.

Will A Mother Cat Abandon Her Kittens If You Touch Them

No. Fortunately, the idea that a mother cat (or most mother animals) will abandon her kittens if you touch them is mostly a myth. However, if you accidentally injure a kitten, she may not pay as much attention to that kitten so that the rest of her litter has a better chance of survival. That behavior may be where the abandonment myth comes from.

There are rare instances where a mother cat might abandon her kittens, but touching them usually doesn’t have much to do with it. Instead, mother cats are more likely to move kittens somewhere safe and hidden to protect them.

Do Cats Reject Their Kittens?

It’s incredibly rare for mother cats to reject their kittens, but it does happen. Rejection is more common with a cat’s first litter than subsequent litters, partially because mothering instincts may not kick in during the first litter and pregnancy.

However, most female cats are good and attentive mothers, even with their first litters.

If your cat rejects just one or two of her kittens, it may be that she doesn’t think she can take care of all of her kittens or that the ones she rejected were born runty or with signs of poor health. In these cases, it’s less that she’s abandoning the kittens she doesn’t care for and more that she’s trying to make sure her other kittens stay healthy and improve all of their survival odds.

Thankfully, when a mother cat rejects a kitten, she won’t object if you try to take care of it most of the time. That’s one of the few situations where it’s alright to touch a newborn, primarily to feed them and help them go to the bathroom.

How Can You Tell How Old A Kitten Is

With newborn kittens, one of the most critical indicators of age is whether their eyes are open. A kitten’s eyes will open after a few days, but they probably won’t be completely open in the first week. By the end of the second week, most cats’ eyes will be open, and their eye color will have started to change to their permanent adult color instead of baby blue.

From there, kittens will get larger and more coordinated every week until they’re pretty steady on their feet at about 4-5 weeks old.

A kitten that’s naturally weaned off its mother is probably about 8-9 weeks old.

After that, a kitten’s age is determined mainly by size and coordination. The larger and better coordinated a kitten is, the older they probably are.

Can You Touch Newborn Kittens With Gloves

Wearing gloves is a good idea when handling newborn kittens because it can help reduce how much of your scent gets on the kitten. Gloves also protect the kitten from anything that might be on your hands, like soap or shampoo, leftover food, or cleaning solutions.

It’s better to use a thin glove than a thick one. The thinner your glove is, the easier it will be to be gentle.

If you need to wear a thick glove for any reason, try to use a padded glove instead of a work glove. The extra padding will help protect your kitten if you accidentally use a little too much pressure when you touch them.

How To Feed Newborn Kittens

If your kitten’s mother has rejected them, it’s essential to try and keep your kitten fed and hydrated. You’ll also need to keep the kitten clean and help them go to the bathroom between feeding times.

Fortunately, once your kitten is a couple of weeks old, they should be able to use a regular baby bottle with kitten formula. If your kitten is too small for a bottle, you can drip formula into their mouths with a small plastic syringe.

Contact your vet if you don’t have a suitable syringe or even a dropper for feeding your kitten. They should have the supplies you need or know where you can get them in a hurry.

Remember, if you’re feeding a very young newborn, you probably only have a couple of hours to give them the food they need before it’s too late. You shouldn’t ever give a kitten cow’s milk or even goat’s milk except in an emergency. Even then, you should water down any non-cat’s milk you offer to make sure their bodies can process it.

Never try to feed newborn kittens on plant milk; it’s not a nutritious option for them. Kitten formula is the best nursing replacement for newborn kittens of any breed.

Things To Consider

While you shouldn’t touch newborn kittens, especially kittens younger than two weeks, it’s essential to touch and handle your kittens as they get older. Around the 3-4 week mark, it’s essential to touch and handle kittens to help them learn how to socialize with people.

If you miss that 3-4 week socialization mark, getting those kittens to be good pets may be challenging. Instead, kittens that haven’t gotten that critical socialization might be effective working cats or barn cats with no human interaction.