Kittens & Pregnant Queens
Welcome to the basics of caring for queens and their newborn kittens.
These pages will cover how to take care of orphaned newborn kittens, pregnant queens and a mother with her babies. Kitten season begins in early March, and runs until December. We usually have more newborn kittens than specialized foster homes.
Domestic cats are very fertile. Litter size averages four or five kittens. Gestation or the length of pregnancy of a cat averages 64 days but is generally between 62 and 67 days or about 9-10 weeks.
If you are interested in learning more, it's a good idea to educate yourself on best care practices & know what potential issues to look for BEFORE you get your Queen or kittens.
You can download the entire manual of all things Kittens & Queens here.
Why does TCR take in queens & kittens?
The foster care program allows TCR to take in kittens and/or queens that are at risk in our city shelters due to limitations of space and resources. Typically, kittens in the foster care program are those who need extra care. Kittens may not have yet reached 8 weeks old (the usual spay/neuter age) and require more individual care than the city shelter can provide. At this young age, they are also fragile and susceptible to getting very sick from viruses in the shelter.
It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience to care for kittens. If the kittens are older than 8 weeks and are not yet spayed or neutered, it’s likely because they need medical or socialization intervention that the shelter cannot provide.
Are you ready for the commitment?
Fostering requires a flexible schedule and a personal commitment to the kittens. You will generally spend around 2-3 hours a day caring for the kittens and queens.
Fostering kittens can be a lot of work. It requires a great deal of patience & resolve. It can sometimes be heartbreaking, but it is a very rewarding experience. You get to help kittens grow from helpless little beings into confident, well-adjusted family pets. You also get the fun of raising a kitten without the responsibility of lifetime care (and vet bills!). Most importantly, you are saving lives.
On a typical day, you can expect to give food and water to the kittens anywhere from every 2-3 hours to twice a day. The litter box(es) need scooping at least twice a day. You may need to administer medication.
