Kitten Crying All Night: Blankets & Warm Water Bottles for the Crate
๐จ Check first
When a kitten cries through the night during the first 1โ3 days home, it is caused by strong anxiety, loneliness, and cold after being separated from their mother and littermates and arriving in an unfamiliar place.
๐ The answer in 3 seconds
- Cover the crate with a large cloth or blanket to create a dark, snug, safe den where the kitten can hide from predators.
- Wrapping an analog clock with a ticking second hand (similar to a mother cat's heartbeat) and a warm water bottle at around 38ยฐC (100.4ยฐF) in a towel and placing them in the bed often stops the crying right away.
- If you take the kitten out of the crate to play when they cry at night, they learn that 'crying gets me let out,' so limit yourself to talking to them softly.
๐ Flowchart
- Step 1Thirty minutes before bedtime, play with the kitten thoroughly, fill their tummy with warm milk or weaning food, and make sure they have used the litter box.
- Step 2In the bed inside the crate, place a towel carrying the scent of their mother or previous home, along with a towel-wrapped warm water bottle (or a pet heater).
- Step 3Cover the top and three sides of the crate with a blanket to make it dim, turn off the lights when you go to bed, and watch quietly (on the first night, sleeping on bedding laid out right next to the crate so the kitten can sense a person nearby helps them feel safe).
โญ Step-by-step fix
Step 1 ยท What you can do at home right now
Thirty minutes before bedtime, play with the kitten thoroughly, fill their tummy with warm milk or weaning food, and make sure they have used the litter box.
Step 2
In the bed inside the crate, place a towel carrying the scent of their mother or previous home, along with a towel-wrapped warm water bottle (or a pet heater).
Step 3
Cover the top and three sides of the crate with a blanket to make it dim, turn off the lights when you go to bed, and watch quietly (on the first night, sleeping on bedding laid out right next to the crate so the kitten can sense a person nearby helps them feel safe).
โ Never do this
- Opening the crate door to pick up the kitten or let them out to play every time they cry (this locks in demand crying).
- Leaving a 2โ3-month-old kitten, who cannot yet regulate their body temperature, in a living room that gets cold overnight with the air conditioner or heating turned off.
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