My kitten cries at night: why, and how to help it sleep
A kitten's first nights at home can be long: it meows, cries and won't let you sleep. It's normal and usually short-lived. It has just lost its mother, its littermates and everything it knew. The important thing is to make it feel safe without creating bad habits, and to tell crying from loneliness apart from crying from hunger, cold or feeling unwell.
Why it cries: it has just lost its whole world
Until a few days ago, your kitten slept curled up with its mother and littermates, somewhere that smelt of them, warm and in company. Suddenly it's in an unfamiliar home, with new smells and sounds and, above all at night, alone. Crying is its natural way of calling its mother and asking for reassurance. It isn't crying to annoy you or because it's badly behaved: it cries because it feels alone and unprotected. The good news is that this stage usually lasts only a few days, sometimes a week or two. Understanding why it cries will help you respond patiently and give it what it needs to adapt to its new life as quickly as possible.
First: is it old enough?
A kitten separated from its mother before eight weeks is much more likely to cry intensely, because it still depends on her a great deal, and it may also need feeding more often. If your kitten is very young, under four weeks, because you found it on the street, the situation is completely different: it needs special kitten milk, never cow's milk, every few hours through the night as well, constant warmth and stimulation to pee and poo. In that case it's crying because it's hungry or cold and can't wait: see a vet as soon as possible. For a kitten of eight to twelve weeks, crying at night is usually about settling in.
Hunger, cold and the litter tray
Before assuming it's crying only from loneliness, make sure its needs are covered. Kittens have small stomachs and need to eat several times a day, three or four meals at this age, so give it a last meal before you go to bed. Make sure it has water. Make sure it's warm: young kittens lose heat easily, so give it a cosy bed with blankets, and you can add a hot water bottle filled with warm water, never hot, wrapped in a towel, or a heated pet pad, which imitate the warmth of its littermates. And make sure there's a litter tray close by, because a young kitten can't hold on and may not find one that's far away.
A base room for the first few days
For the first few days, rather than letting the kitten roam the whole home, it's better to give it a quiet room as a base, with everything it needs within reach: its bed, the litter tray, water, food, toys and a hiding place, such as a box with a blanket. A whole house is too big and unfamiliar for a small kitten, and it may get scared or lost. In a smaller space it feels safer and finds its things easily. That room can be your bedroom, if you want it to sleep with you, or any other. Gradually, once it's confident, you can open up the rest of the home to it during the day.
Can it sleep with you?
Yes, and for many kittens it's the quickest fix for crying at night: sensing you nearby, your smell and your breathing, calms them straight away. You're not creating a bad habit, you're giving it the security it needs. If you want it to sleep on your bed, remember it's small: make sure it can't fall off and hurt itself, and that you won't squash it when you move. An alternative is to put its bed next to yours. If you don't want it sleeping in your room in the long term, you can start with it close by and, once it has settled, gradually move its bed to wherever you like. What causes the most crying is sudden isolation from the very first night.
A familiar smell and company
If you can, ask the rescue or the home your kitten comes from for a blanket or cloth that smells of its mother and littermates, and put it in its bed: it's one of the most comforting things for it. If that isn't possible, an item of your worn clothing also helps. A soft toy about its size can give it something to snuggle up to. A pheromone diffuser, which mimics cats' calming scent signals, may help a little as back-up in those first days. And if you're thinking of having two cats, adopting two kittens together, ideally littermates, hugely reduces crying at night, because they have each other.
Tired out before bed
A kitten is a bundle of energy, and if bedtime comes before it has burnt it off, it's more likely to be restless at night. Have a good play session before you all go to bed, with a wand toy or a toy it can chase and catch, until it's tired. Then give it its last meal. That's a cat's natural cycle: hunt, eat, groom and sleep. With a full stomach and its energy spent, most kittens fall asleep quickly. Avoid playing on the bed itself or letting it attack your feet under the covers, because it will learn that night-time is playtime. The same routine every night helps it know what's coming.
How to respond when it cries
If the kitten cries and is near you, a calm word or a stroke is often enough to settle it. If it's crying in another room, go and check it's all right: that it isn't hungry, isn't stuck somewhere and can find its litter tray. Don't leave it crying alone for hours, because that increases its insecurity and stress. But don't turn every meow into a party of games and attention either, because it will learn that crying at night brings fun. Respond calmly, see to its needs and go back to sleep. With consistency, the kitten learns that its new home is a safe place and that it doesn't need to call for someone to be there.
When crying means something more
Settling-in crying improves within days. But pay attention if, as well as crying, the kitten shows other symptoms: if it isn't eating, is listless during the day, vomits, has diarrhoea, sneezes or has gunky eyes, complains when you touch its tummy or if the crying sounds like pain. Kittens can fall ill quickly and dehydrate easily, so if you see any of these signs, see your vet without waiting. The same goes if you see it straining in the litter tray without producing anything. And if after two or three weeks your kitten is still just as distressed at night despite everything, mention it at the next check-up.
It's normal for a kitten to cry for the first few nights: it has just lost its mother and littermates. Make sure it isn't hungry or cold and has a litter tray nearby, give it a base room, play with it and feed it before bed. Letting it sleep with you or close by is fine. If it also stops eating, vomits or is listless, see the vet.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.