The kittens have been fed and wee-ed, but wait, you haven’t finished your motherly duties. Wipe his little private parts off with warm, moist cotton balls until he is clean.
As the kittens mature and become more active, they will crawl about and pee or poop onto the bedding they are using. Caring for more than one kitten can turn into a real mess since they, crawl across each other and stimulating their siblings’ bladder and bowels. Ugh. Change the sheets frequently, as kittens they’ll get a diaper rash or pee scalds just like a human baby.
Butt Bath or Full Body Bath
When the fur down the inside of his leg begins to look spiky, he’ll need more than a swab down. It’s time for a little sanitary bath.
- Make sure the room is warm. You don’t want to chill him.
- Before you start the bath, cycle several thick towels in your dryer. These will help warm him up.
- To rinse his bum off, turn the water on a low flow and wait until it’s within a few degrees of body temperature.
- Rinse off his bottom and his back legs.
- If he needs a full body bath, don't submerge his head. Just wipe it with a moist cloth. Avoid getting his nose and ears wet.
- If he has poop collected in the fur around his legs or tail area, apply a few drops of tearless kitten shampoo and use a flea comb to get it out.
- Coat his irritated bottom with petroleum jelly or a triple antibiotic ointment (without pain relief ingredients) to sooth any irritation.
- Wrap him in the warm towel, then dry him with a blow dryer set on low. Keep the nozzle far away from his skin. You can burn him with the blow dryer.
- Don’t let him get chilled. Cuddle him to your chest in a warmed towel until he stops squirming and falls asleep.
