Room temperature for kittens

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tewing84

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We are currently fostering a set of kittens which we keep in our spare bedroom/office. They were originally in our 2nd bathroom, but only have 2 bathrooms in the house so we moved them because we needed it. The room they are in doesn't get good airflow so the room is always a few degrees lower than the rest of the house, but nothing drastic. Maybe 2 to 4 degrees off.

Right now in Texas it is really cold so we keep the heat at around 70 to 72 in the house. So just guessing that would put the room at around 66 to 68 degrees, worst case. Is that too cold for them or about what tempuratures would they feel comfortable at? When I go in there it is not cold to me and I'm fine, but my girlfriend who gets cold easily gets a little chilly in there. Its wood floors but we have a bunch of blankets, beds, and a covered bed stuffed with a flannel blanket.
 
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sivyaleah

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Ok first, I'm no kitten expert but I do know they need to be kept warm.  72 sounds too cool to me if younger than 5 weeks or so.  How old are they? Are they already mobile or confined in an area?  If under that 5 week mark, I think 80ish is much better for them. Or even 75 would do.  Newborns are at special risk because they are not able to regulate their body temperature yet at all.

Do you have a heating pad you can put on a very low setting for them? You can put that under a blanket (make sure it's on low).  Or, make your own heating pack by putting uncooked white rice or beans in a sock - microwave until warm to touch.  Put that into the bed with them, again with another blanket or towel over it to protect them just in case it's too warm or has some hot spots.

Hopefully someone else who is well versed in kitten care will show up here to help you!
 
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tewing84

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sivyaleah said:
Ok first, I'm no kitten expert but I do know they need to be kept warm.  72 sounds too cool to me if younger than 5 weeks or so.  How old are they? Are they already mobile or confined in an area?  If under that 5 week mark, I think 80ish is much better for them. Or even 75 would do.  Newborns are at special risk because they are not able to regulate their body temperature yet at all.

Do you have a heating pad you can put on a very low setting for them? You can put that under a blanket (make sure it's on low).  Or, make your own heating pack by putting uncooked white rice or beans in a sock - microwave until warm to touch.  Put that into the bed with them, again with another blanket or towel over it to protect them just in case it's too warm or has some hot spots.

Hopefully someone else who is well versed in kitten care will show up here to help you!
Click to expand...
Oh no these kittens are about 8 to 12 weeks old, at least. For some reason 70 in our house is actually really warm, may need to have our thermostat redone. 80 seems a little excessive. 72 makes the house hot, thats just what my girlfriend puts it at when I'm gone.

20161219_155515.jpg

20161219_155515.jpg


This picture was about 3 weeks ago
 
sivyaleah

sivyaleah

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tewing84 said:
This picture was about 3 weeks ago
Click to expand...
They are precious!

Ok, you should be pretty ok with the house temp as is.  No need to supplement.

I think all the soft nesting materials you have are fine. Maybe add a little cave like cat house so they can snuggle in it together but you really seem like you have it under control. 
 
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tewing84

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sivyaleah said:
They are precious!

Ok, you should be pretty ok with the house temp as is.  No need to supplement.
I think all the soft nesting materials you have are fine. Maybe add a little cave like cat house so they can snuggle in it together but you really seem like you have it under control. 
Click to expand...
Ok cool, thank you! I probably need to get a temperature reading and see exactly what it is. We just get so paranoid when it comes to our cats and fosters lol. We have a screened in porch and our adult cats always want to go out, even when its 20 degrees. That temperature doesn't even seem to phase them...so I was curious what was tolerable.

But yeah I do need to invest in a good heating blanket because we do get kittens much younger than them at times.
 
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