Basic supplies for a foster kitten are pretty universal. We’ll walk you through what you need right away and what can wait.
After finding a stray kitten, you’ve decided to take them home and foster them. Unfortunately, you don’t have any cat supplies ready, and your local pet store is closed! What are you supposed to do?
Supplies You Need To Care For Your Foster Kitten
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Let’s start with basic supplies for a foster kitten you need right away. What you need will depend on how old the kitten is.
There are three types of kittens in my book: neonatal (0-4 weeks old), toddlers (4-8 weeks), and adolescents (8 weeks and older). Each stage requires different care.
Neonatal kittens are very different from their older siblings. Their first few weeks are the most important days of their lives. This is when a lot of the development occurs, such as eyes opening, their first steps, and so on. I am not an expert on neonatal kittens, but Kitten Lady is. Click the link to see her neonatal kitten care guide (complete with all the supplies you need!).
Kittens 4-8 Weeks Old
Kittens in this stage are starting to explore, chew things, and generally be a nuisance (albeit an adorable one). In order to help their body develop properly, you need to feed them appropriate foods.
Food
Once the kittens have weaned, they can start to eat solid foods. Kittens wean at different ages, but the typical age for weaning is about 5 weeks. Due to a kitten’s small tummy size, split their feedings into four meals per day.
Primal Pet Foods is what we feed our cats, but a few of our other top recommendations are:
(Note: When feeding a raw diet, always use stainless steel dinnerware) Don’t skimp on the serving sizes, either! Kittens don’t have to worry about being fat; their little bodies burn the fat faster than you can feed them. This doesn’t mean you should free feed constantly, but giving them a little extra in their serving is just fine. DO NOT underfeed kittens. Kittens require up to three times the amount of protein an adult cat would during their growth stages. Make sure they always have clean, fresh water.
Emergency Solution: If you need something right away and the store is closed, DO NOT feed them tuna. It will make your foster kitten gassy and cause them discomfort. Acceptable proteins (with no seasonings) include scrambled eggs, turkey, ground beef, and boiled chicken. You can add chopped spinach, chopped carrots, or rice. Use this only until you can go to the store — these foods by themselves don’t have the necessary nutrients your foster kitten needs!
Potty Supplies
Kitten-sized litter boxes exist, but it’s hard to find them sometimes. Chewy has this adorable (and cheap) litter box for kittens, but your foster kitten will soon outgrow it. As long as a regular litter box is shallow enough for them to get in, use that!
Kittens in this stage are still learning how to use the litter box, so be patient with them. Stock up on paper towels or pet cleansing wipes, and read What To Do In A Poop Emergency so you’re prepared! Litter mats are a must when you have cats.
DO NOT use clumping litter. Since kittens like to chew on things, they may swallow litter, which could result in a blockage. Pretty Litter is a great, non-clumping solution that also helps you monitor your cat’s health.
Emergency Solution: In a pinch, you can use a shallow cardboard box lined with a garbage bag. It will get holes poked in it, but it’s better than nothing! Use shredded newspaper for litter.
Grooming Supplies
Even little kitties need a good grooming! With tinier kittens, I typically buy a set of toothbrushes from the Dollar Store and use those. They’re gentler than a full-size brush would be and easier to use. If you really want to use a full-size brush, we recommend Safari’s soft bristle brush. Our cats love it!
Your kitten will get used to brushing faster if you start when they’re young. The same goes for trimming their nails. Since kittens are so tiny, you won’t need much more than a pair of human nail clippers. You can read our guide to trimming your cat’s nails for some pointers!
Last, but definitely not least, is tooth brushing. Even if your kitten doesn’t have all their teeth yet, it’s important to get them accustomed to this grooming procedure. Gingivitis affects 4 out of 5 pets by the time they’re 3 years old! This cat toothbrush (pack of 8) from Amazon is compact and comfortable for your kitty.
If you struggle to brush your kitten’s teeth, Petplan has a guide to caring for your kitten’s teeth.
Emergency Solution: While you’re waiting for your cat toothbrush to be delivered, use an infant (0-3 months) soft bristle toothbrush (if you have one) or a soft bristle adult toothbrush for your kitten’s emerging teeth. Be gentle!
Toys
All you have to do is go to the store and buy any old toy, right? Wrong! Some toys simply aren’t kitten-appropriate, and vice versa. Since kittens like to chew on things, we don’t recommend buying anything that has parts that can break off. Catnip toys are fine, but don’t expect your kitten to experience a high: catnip doesn’t affect most kittens until they’re older.
These toys are easy for kittens to play with, and some of them help improve coordination and hunting skills:
- Petstages’ Kitty Dental Chew Wheel
- Petstages’ Tower of Tracks Cat Toy (our cats LOVE this one!)
- SmartyKat Skitter Critters Catnip Mice Toys
- Laser Pointer with Switch (no more cramped hands!)
Emergency Solution: Cardboard boxes, ponytails, and these awesome DIY cat toys are free (or really cheap!).
Kittens 8 Weeks & Older
This stage of your foster kitten’s life is all about exploration and discovery. Now that they’ve figured out how to walk, run and jump, there’s no stopping them! The basic supplies for your foster kitten in this stage need to be able to grow with them, but the list isn’t much different.
Food
You can continue to feed your foster kitten their kitten food (see previous Food section) until they’re a year old. Hopefully you’ll find a furever home for them before then, but it never hurts to be prepared!
Some pet experts argue that there are no ‘life stages’ for cat food. I tend to agree, as kittens would eat the same thing in the wild as their parents would. Just make sure that whatever food you choose, it provides for your foster kitten’s nutritional requirements.
Once again, young kittens should have their food split up into four meals per day because of their small stomach size. You can decrease the amount of mealtimes as they grow older.
Potty Supplies
Ditch the kitten-sized litter box and get a medium to large one. Your foster kitten will be able to climb in and out of it as long as it’s not terribly tall. Depending on how messy your kitten is, you may need to add a bigger litter mat to your basic supplies list.
Grooming Supplies
Trade in your human nail clippers for a professional pet nail clipper. The FURminator nail clipper for dogs and cats features an adjustable nail guide and stainless steel blades for a clean cut.
Add a full-size pet brush and some more cat toothbrushes, and you’re all set for grooming supplies!
Toys
Your foster kitten needs environmental enrichment for healthy development. That means they need places to scratch, climb, roll around on, and run around in.
Cat trees are an efficient way to put most of those things into one awesome play place.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Your foster kitten’s coordination and balance can be improved with feather pole toys and laser pointers, or just ordinary shoelaces!
Additional Supplies (Optional)
Now that you know what basic supplies for your foster kitten are, there are some additional supplies that you’ll find useful. These aren’t absolutely necessary, but they make things much easier!
Pet-Safe Cleaning Supplies
I would highly encourage kitten foster parents to use pet-safe cleaning supplies. Check out our full list of non-toxic, cruelty-free cleaners for some ideas. For a gentle laundry detergent, you can use this all-natural DIY recipe.
For cleaning carpets, we use Nature’s Miracle Cat Stain & Odor Remover. Their Urine Destroyer stain remover specifically targets urine messes, so that’s another option for your cleaning arsenal.
Foam Floor Mats
You know those foam exercise blocks that fit together like puzzle pieces? These are GREAT for kitten foster rooms! Kittens are very messy in their earliest weeks when they’re trying to figure out the litter box. Foam floor mats are easy to clean and resistant to stains, which is especially helpful if you have carpet like I do!
These floor mats can be bought in packs of six and expanded upon if necessary. Use them under the litter box or across the entire room to prevent carpet stains or messes on your floors.
What supplies do you consider essentials for fostering kittens? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
