Kittens don’t know how cute they are. That’s part of what makes them so cute. They can be so pompous and full of themselves, and then so vulnerable and goofy.
It’s easy to love a kitten.
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But our Tiny Ones have special needs.
We often get kittens when they are really too young to leave their mother. Many breeders don’t let kittens go until 10-12 weeks. This is when they have some confidence and resiliency, and have developed Coping Strategies for handling stress and disruption. Because of the cuteness factor, I’ve gotten kittens from coffee shops and parking lots at 5-6 weeks, or even younger.
Some people, eager to get rid of unwanted kittens, offer them up as soon as they eat solid food, but this disrupts the weaning process. We can wind up with a kitten who is shy or uncertain unless we fuss over their socialization. At this age, they want cuddling and reassurance, and should get plenty of it. Offer food every few hours, since their little tummies can’t hold much, yet their body is growing very fast.
If we have other cats, we should encourage them to take an interest. The kitten is driven to seek out other cats, and most cats find kittens this young to be more baffling than threatening. If we have a cat who is open to interacting with the kitten, we will have a helper who will look out for the baby while we are not home.
If this is not possible, consider isolating the kitten when we are not home to supervise. If they are going to be alone anyway, or the other cats are not yet sure what to do about them, we should consider putting them in a bathroom or even a dog crate while we are away. They will have ready access to food, water, and their litter box. This will kitten proof their surroundings to keep them out of trouble, and will also shrink their world to a size they can mentally handle. Letting a tiny kitten wander around even the smallest apartment, all alone, can overwhelm the kitten and make them feel even more abandoned.
They need to be held as much as possible, preferably skin to fur so they can feel the warmth. They need to be taught how to handle their razor sharp little claws, yet very gently, so we don’t make them afraid of us. Any move with a tiny kitten has that potential; they are dealing with a creature much larger than they are, who looms over them every time they come close.
They are still learning depth perception and physics, so they are likely to get into situations like climbing the dining room tablecloth and then getting trapped on top, or squeezing themselves into small spaces without knowing how to get out. They require more intensive supervision and precautions to safeguard their well-being.
The advantage of the tiny ones is that we are largely responsible for their socialization, and can develop their closeness to people with an ease known to no other stage. Encourage different people to hold them, take them to houses who won’t mind our setting up a temporary litter box and food station during our visit, and try to keep our time away from them to a minimum.
Always be alert. Even when tiny, kittens are capable of Near-Teleportation. (Cats do not obey the laws of physics.) We think they are safely at the other end of the room, and a split second later they are under our descending foot. The safest thing can often be letting our foot down as slowly as we can. While we should never count on it, it is likely the kitten will dodge out from under our foot in their next move. This will prevent the cat dance where we try to avoid them, and they do, too; winding up under our foot again.
Tiny kittens have undeniable appeal, both for their cuteness and their cuddling ability. But of course they don’t stay this tiny very long. We should maximize our time with them when they are so small and vulnerable, making both our care and our presence a constant in their lives.
But be aware there can be disadvantages of taking on a kitten who is so young. They will feel disruptions and traumas more deeply, they will be frightened more easily, and they might exhibit clingy behaviors from leaving their mother too soon. Nursing on couch pillows, panic when being left alone, and stress-related misbehavior can come from bad beginnings, no matter the age the kitten might be when we bring them home.
Even if we don’t get the kitten until later, they might have experienced the double whammy; leaving mother too soon, and then not winding up in a good home during this vulnerable time. So we should make every effort to create security places for our kitten if they seem to need it, such as leaving them an unwashed shirt to sleep on, calling our answering machine and leaving a message so they can hear our voice, and making a ritual of gifting them with a special toy when we leave, that can act as a security blanket.
It says, “We might be gone now. But we will come back.”
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