Raising and socializing singleton kittens
Our singleton, Babby, at one month (left) and at two years (right)
About two years ago we got a frantic call from a friend who had found a newborn kitten alone in a backyard. After some back and forth, we ended up taking the kitten in and raising her to live with our gang. However, raising a single kitten was something I had never done before - over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of kittens but always in litters (also known as “kindles”), with or without moms. This particular kitten couldn’t be exposed to our adult cats until she was around 3 months old and had been snap tested for FIV/FEV and received her vaccinations (this was for her safety as well, she had a very fragile immune system as a newborn who wasn’t getting milk from her mother). So we were on our own with her, teaching her how to be a cat.
Singleton kittens (kittens raised alone, without a mother or siblings) are often referred to as nightmares and are commonly either euthanized or considered unadoptable. When single kittens aren’t hand raised properly, they can develop biting and scratching issues, as well as misplaced aggression. The first and most important socialization period for cats is between 2-7 weeks of age, and is really when kittens are learning how to be cats - how to communicate with each other, how much biting and clawing is too much, what signals play and what signals a fight, etc. This is also an important time for them to learn about snuggling with each other, to find comfort with their siblings/mom and to learn how to self soothe. But singleton kittens miss out on all these important lessons, and can later on have a difficult time getting along with other cats because they don’t speak the same cat language.
So what did we do? All the usual things for newborn kitten care - Babby was in a high sided cardboard box on a covered heating pad (set on low), surrounded by plush toys. We helped her go to bathroom until she was able to do so on her own, and gave her bottles of kitten formula until she transitioned to kitten wet food. We provided as much cuddling and handling time as she could stand, and swapped turns in the room with her so she was never alone. At night, Babby slept with us in the bed (falling asleep on one of our chests) or in her own bed on one of our used tshirts for the comfort of our smell. Babby found that sucking on her toes was a good substitute for the comfort she would have had when nursing from her mother, and to this day she self soothes this way every night before falling asleep (see above photo).
Once Babby was old enough to walk and move around properly, we began teaching proper play signals and how much was too much. We encouraged her to play with items that were appropriate to bite such as kicker and flirt toys, and even paper balls. Kittens go through a stage of extremely rough play with each other (generally around the same time as they are teething), and we made sure to give her a ton of playtime. We even got her a child’s teething ring to bite that we kept in the freezer! However, if she hit or bit too aggressively, play stopped. Play was also stopped if Babby bit or scratched at our hands, feet or legs. Training her was all about play and positive reinforcement (cats do NOT learn from negative reinforcement or positive punishment styles).
Babby is now a strong, independent woman of 2 who has integrated very well into our gang. She snuggles with us every night and gives (very appropriate) head bonks to all the other cats, and to us. Sometimes she struggles with play, choosing to pair the usual feline side lean play signal with a high pitched yowl, confusing her playmate and setting off a play/fight combo. She loves to play fetch, and brings us paper balls (still her favorite toy) every night to throw for her until she gets tired. So don’t be afraid of trying to raise a singleton! With time and patience, it CAN be done.
Single Kitten Syndrome
Do you suspect your cat might be suffering from Single Kitten Syndrome / Single Cat Syndrome? Some symptoms include:
Excessive neediness towards humans
Meowing constantly and longingly
Obsessively suckling on your clothing, your hair, your other pets, themselves
Biting you when you try to walk away
Destructive behavior like chewing wires, scratching walls
Going to the bathroom on your bed, pillow, couch, or in your shoes
If so, don’t hesitate to reach out or book an appointment to work on your specific case!
You can also check out my article on socializing feral cats here.