In-depth guide

Kitten Care: The Complete Guide for the First Year

Everything a new kitten needs in its first year: setting up your home, feeding, litter training, vaccines, worming, neutering, play and handling.

Updated October 2026 · 14 min read · By the Hushku editorial team · 4 sources

Short answer

A new kitten needs a safe room to start, kitten food fed in several small meals, a low-sided litter box, vaccines from about 8 weeks (FVRCP, rabies where required, and FeLV), deworming every 2 weeks while young, neutering by 5 months, and lots of gentle handling and play. Book a vet check in the first few days.

Key facts

Kittens can leave their mother from 8 weeks, ideally 10–12 weeks.
FVRCP vaccines start from 6 weeks, every 3–4 weeks until 16–20 weeks; FeLV is core for kittens.
Deworm from 2 weeks of age, every 2 weeks, then monthly prevention.
Neuter by 5 months old.

Kittens grow fast: most reach close to adult size by their first birthday, and the habits they learn in the first few months last a lifetime. This guide covers what to do, in roughly the order you'll need it, from the day you bring your kitten home to its first birthday.

Kittens are usually ready to leave their mother at about 8 weeks at the earliest, and ideally 10 to 12 weeks, when they're weaned and have learned from their littermates.

Before your kitten comes home

Set up a single quiet room first, so your kitten can settle before exploring the whole house.

What you'll need:

Kitten food (the same food the kitten is already eating, to start)
Food and water bowls, ideally wide and shallow
A low-sided litter box and unscented litter
A bed and somewhere to hide, such as a covered bed or a box on its side
A scratching post and a few toys, including a wand toy
A secure carrier
A breakaway collar with ID, if you plan to use one, and a microchip

Kitten-proof the home: put away string, hair ties, elastic bands and tinsel, which can cause dangerous intestinal blockages if swallowed. Keep lilies out of the house entirely (they cause kidney failure in cats), secure blind cords, close toilet lids and check gaps behind appliances.

The first few days

Let your kitten explore its room at its own pace. Sit quietly on the floor and let it come to you; short, gentle play sessions build trust quickly.

Introduce other pets slowly, starting with swapping bedding so they get used to each other's scent, then short supervised meetings through a gate or door. Read our guide to introducing a new pet to resident pets.

Book a vet check within the first few days to check for fleas, worms, ear mites and heart murmurs, and to plan vaccines.

Feeding

Feed a complete and balanced food labelled for growth (kittens) until about 12 months old.

8 weeks to 6 months: 3 to 4 small meals a day
6 to 12 months: 2 to 3 meals a day
Use the feeding guide on the pack as a starting point and adjust to keep your kitten lean
Keep fresh water available at all times; wet food helps cats take in more water
Never give cow's milk: many cats can't digest lactose and it causes diarrhoea

Change foods gradually over a week or more. Our cat nutrition guide explains what cats need.

Litter training

Most kittens use litter from about 3 to 4 weeks old, by instinct and by copying their mother. Use a low-sided box with unscented, fine litter, put your kitten in it after meals, naps and play, and keep it scrupulously clean. Provide one box per cat plus one as your kitten gets the run of the house. See our step-by-step guide to litter training a kitten.

Vaccines, worming and parasites

Vaccines (based on the 2020 AAHA/AAFP feline vaccination guidelines):

FVRCP (feline herpesvirus, calicivirus and panleukopenia): from 6 weeks, every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 to 20 weeks, then a booster at 6 months or 1 year
Rabies: as required by local law and the vaccine label
FeLV (feline leukaemia): recommended for all kittens, two doses 3 to 4 weeks apart from 8 weeks, after a negative test

Worming: the Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends deworming kittens from 2 weeks of age, repeated every 2 weeks, then moving to a monthly parasite preventive. Ask your vet for stool tests during the first year.

Fleas: use a kitten-safe product recommended by your vet. Never use dog flea products on cats.

Use our vaccination schedule tool to turn this into dates.

Neutering and microchipping

AAHA and the "Fix Felines by Five" initiative recommend neutering cats by 5 months of age, before they can get pregnant or start spraying. Female cats can come into season from about 4 to 6 months.

Microchip your kitten (often done at neutering) and keep the registration details up to date: it's the most reliable way to get a lost cat home.

Play, handling and enrichment

Kittens have a sensitive period for socialisation in roughly their first 2 to 7 weeks, and they keep learning about people, handling and household life through the following months. Gentle, positive experiences now help you have a confident adult cat.

Handle paws, ears and mouth daily with treats, so nail trims, ear checks and pills are easier later
Get your kitten used to its carrier: leave it out with a bed and treats inside
Play with wand toys, never hands or feet, so your kitten doesn't learn to bite and scratch people
Give climbing spaces and scratching posts; see how to stop a cat scratching furniture
Keep sessions short; kittens tire quickly and sleep a lot

Signs your kitten needs a vet

Kittens can become seriously unwell quickly. Call your vet the same day for:

Not eating for more than a few hours (very young kittens) or a day (older kittens)
Vomiting or diarrhoea, especially with lethargy
Sneezing with eye discharge and not eating (cat flu)
Breathing difficulty, pale gums or collapse
Straining in the litter box

The bottom line

Start with a safe room, the right food and a clean litter box, get the vet visits for vaccines, worming and neutering in the diary, and spend time every day on gentle handling and play. The effort you put in during the first year pays off for the next fifteen or more.

Free tools for this

Sources

We check guides against veterinary sources and update them when guidance changes. How we write and review.

Questions.

When can kittens leave their mother?

Not before 8 weeks, and ideally at 10 to 12 weeks, once they're weaned and have learned social skills from their mother and littermates.

How often should I feed a kitten?

Three to four small meals a day up to 6 months, then two to three meals until about a year old.

When should my kitten have its first vaccines?

Usually from 6 to 8 weeks, with boosters every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 to 20 weeks. Your vet will set the exact schedule.

When should I neuter my kitten?

By 5 months of age, as recommended by AAHA and the Fix Felines by Five initiative.