Caring for Kittens 9 Weeks and Older

If the kitten is 9 or 10 weeks old and has not been in contact with humans it is sometimes possible to socialize the kitten to become a good pet.   This takes a lot more handling and time and the kitten may or may not always be a little shy toward members outside the family.  See Caring for Kittens 5 to 7 Weeks Old for information on socializing.

Kittens who are over 10 weeks old and never been socialized with humans can be worked with but with no guarantee that they will ever be cuddly, affectionate pets.  If the kittens are to remain outdoors, they should be treated as feral cats (See Caring for Feral Cats).  Kittens over the age of 10 weeks can be safely spayed or neutered and rabies vaccinated.   Make sure the kitten has his left ear tipped.  This is a small notch in the left ear and is used as a universal identification mark indicating that a feral cat has been spayed or neutered.   If at all possible, when spaying and neutering ask for a distemper vaccine and worming medication since their immune system is weak at this young age and they are more susceptible to getting distemper and suffering the effects of parasites.