Neonatal Kitten Care
Fostering orphaned kittens is fun, adorable, and rewarding! Kittens can be fragile and need specialized care. We have gathered a variety of resources to help ensure you have access to all of the information and best practices you need to successfully raise your kittens! If you’ve recently found stray kittens outside, learn more about what to do here.
Scroll down for instructional videos!
Alley Cat Allies, National Kitten Coalition, and The Kitten Lady both have fantastic resources if you’ve found orphaned kittens or community cats. Check out some of our favorite resources below.
Need more supplies? Email the foster team at DASFoster@dallas.gov.
If you need supplies in a pinch or during odd hours, head to your nearest 24 hour Walmart – they carry KMR and bottles in many stores! Goat’s milk or boiled and cooled cow’s milk works in a pinch if you run out of KMR.
When your kittens are 2 months old and weigh at least 2 lbs, they are ready to be spayed or neutered and made available for adoption.
Send pictures for your kitten or puppy’s adoption profile to DASPhotos@dallas.gov.
Send a bio for your kitten or puppy’s adoption profile to DASBios@dallas.gov.
To reach the foster team, please email DASFoster@dallas.gov.
If you are having an emergency between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., please call 214-671-1928.
If you are having an emergency after 6 p.m. and you live in the city of Dallas, please call 311. If you live outside of city limits, please call 469-936-0101.
If you have an emergency medical situation outside of Anipanion hours you will now be required to drop off and come back to pick up. Early in the day, these will likely be same-day pickups unless it’s determined to be Emergency Rescue or Rescue Only, but later in the day, it will likely be a next-day pickup. Emergency medical drop-off is available between the hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
If the medical team determines when the pet arrives that it is not an emergency, pets will be treated in order of urgency.
Once the pet has been treated, we will reach out to you and let you know when you can pick up.
If there is an emergency outside of DAS hours, you can bring your foster pet to an emergency vet, but we are unable to pay for the treatment or reimburse fosters for treatment through a third party.
Instructions for downloading the MyVCA and Anipanion apps
All medical questions and concerns should be submitted through Anipanion. Anipanion is a mobile app monitored by DAS Veterinarian Dr. Boden Monday – Friday 9 AM – 3 PM. When you start a chat, please include a description of your concerns and how long the symptoms have been going on for. Once you start the chat, you will have the ability to go in and upload photos and videos, which are very helpful for the medical team to help diagnose and treat.
Outside of Anipanion hours, Dallas Animal Services fosters can access medical support from the experts at VCA Animal Hospitals through the MyVCA app. They can triage difficult situations and offer basic medical advice, but they won’t be able to diagnose or prescribe medications.
Ready for spay/neuter? Book your surgery appointment here:
Kittens or puppies due for preventatives? Use this link to schedule an appointment:
Determining a Kitten's Age
Wondering just how old those neighborhood kittens you’ve found are? Check out these helpful guides!
Feeding Orphaned Kittens
Bottles are often too big for newborns, so start with syringe feeding. Make sure they’re always laying flat on their bellies during meals to avoid aspiration, which can be deadly.
Once they’re ready for a bottle, transitioning is easy! Make sure they’re always laying flat on their bellies during meals to avoid aspiration, which can be deadly.
Weaning Kittens
At three weeks of age, it’s time to begin the weaning process. Congratulations — you now have “gruel babies!” Gruel babies are more independent, more active, and naturally, a little messier — but they’re also absolutely adorable!
Dealing with Fleas
We have one word for fleas – yuck! These little ones are not big enough for flea medicine though. A ring of Dawn dish soap around their neck and a gentle scrub in warm water can help eliminate fleas. Use your fingers to work the soap through their fur and a flea comb to gently remove fleas. Remember: completely dry the kittens after the bath and immediately place on a heating pad. Remove all bedding and blankets and toss in the wash. Replace with fresh bedding. Repeat daily until those pesky fleas are history!