How to Use a Kitten Incubator
Neonatal kittens are the most vulnerable animals in the sheltering system, relying on foster parents to provide them with nutrition, safety, and warmth. One of the most critical elements of care is thermoregulation: keeping them warm enough to survive. In this article, we’ll explore the role of incubators in kitten care, how to use them safely, and when they are (and are not!) necessary.
You Don’t Need an Incubator to Foster Kittens
Fostering kittens does not require an incubator. In fact, I didn’t get my first one until I’d been fostering kittens for nearly a decade and founded Orphan Kitten Club! For foster parents, a heat disk works perfectly well, and is substantially both more portable and affordable while having largely the same effect on the kitten. Read my article on heat sources for more information on recommended options.
As tempting as it might seem to blow your budget on an incubator, I caution foster parents not to focus too much on the need for this large, bulky, expensive and unnecessary appliance. $1000+ can go a long way to help kittens, and caregivers are advised to focus their budget around more important lifesaving tools like diagnostics and timely medical care, which can have a much greater impact on a kitten’s likelihood of survival than the type of heat source you provide.
A Snuggle Safe is an affordable, portable heat disk best suited for foster parents and organizations caring for large volumes of kittens.
Incubators are large, expensive and best suited for hospitals, shelters and kitten nurseries.
An incubator is best suited for professional kitten care settings such as hospitals, shelters, and nursery facilities. These organizations may have one or several incubators reserved for the smallest and sickest, while other kittens in their care will use a heat pad. Foster parents should only consider investing in an incubator if funding and space allow, and if regularly caring for orphaned 0-3 week old kittens.
How Does an Incubator Work?
An incubator is a closed unit that draws external air in through a filtration system, adjusts it to the desired settings, and circulates it evenly throughout the chamber. Users can set the target temperature and humidity, and built-in sensors will monitor and adjust just like a thermostat in a home. Let’s take a closer look at how each component works:
Air Filtration: The incubator pulls in room air through a replaceable filter, removing dust, dander, and other particles. This helps protect fragile kittens from some airborne pathogens and keeps the environment as clean as possible—especially important for immune-compromised neonates. Filters can be disinfected or changed between litters, and should always be changed after being exposed to highly infectious disease such as panleukopenia or ringworm.
Temperature Control: Heating elements inside the incubator work in tandem with fans and sensors to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the chamber.
Humidity Regulation: Many incubators allow you to attach tubing to a bottle of distilled water, turning it into a humidification system. This adds moisture to the air, which helps prevent dehydration, supports respiratory health, and protects the skin from drying out due to constant warm airflow. Humidity is typically set around 55–65% for neonatal kittens. Distilled water is advised.
Accessory Ports: Some models come equipped with sealed ports for devices like nebulizers or oxygen concentrators. These can be useful in some medical cases, allowing additional treatments without exposing the kittens to open air or fluctuating conditions.
How to Use an Incubator
Incubators are appropriate for kittens who are:
Premature
Under 3 weeks old and orphaned
Being treated for serious illness and/or struggling to maintain a healthy temperature
The following incubator settings are advised based on veterinary literature and current best practices from Kitten Lady and Orphan Kitten Club:
Humidity settings: 55-60% at all ages
Temperature settings:
0–1 week old: 87–90°F (30.5–32.2°C)
1–2 weeks old: 85–87°F (29.4–30.5°C)
2–3 weeks old: 80–85°F (26.7–29.4°C)
Temperature should be gradually lowered as kittens age and develop thermoregulation abilities. Around 3 weeks of age, it’s typically appropriate to remove the kitten from the incubator and house them in a small playpen with a heat disk to promote increased mobility. At 4 weeks of age, most kittens no longer require a heat source unless they are sick, underweight, or being cared for in an area with a cool room temperature.
Always use a secondary external thermometer when housing kittens in an incubator as a failsafe. Some thermometers can even link to an app to alert you if the temperature is outside of your target range.
Picking the Right Incubator
All incubators are not created equal, and picking the wrong one can be dangerous or deadly for your kitten.
Kitten Lady’s Minimum Standards for a Kitten Incubator
Adequate size: should be large enough to allow for age-appropriate mobility including movement, stretching, repositioning, and moving towards and away from a stuffed animal or littermate—ideally no smaller than 24”x16”x16”.
Learn more about incubators in my instructional video:
Option #4: Rice Mom
Cons
Not appropriate long-term
Heat wears off after ~2 hours
Must use multiple rice moms to properly heat a bed
Has a strong smell
Pros
Cheap or free
Made out of products you already likely have at home
Works great in an emergency situation
Watch this video to learn how to make a rice mom.
Tips
Use dry, unflavored rice from your kitchen cabinet and pour it into a long, clean sock. Tie a knot around the ankle and microwave until warm. Repeat until you have enough rice moms to heat the bed.
Be cautious about overheating! Don’t use a rice mom that is too hot for you to touch.
Reheat as necessary.
Use several rice moms to heat the kittens’ bed.
Watch this instructional video to see a rice mom in action!
Option #5: Single-Use Hand Warmers
Cons
Too small; must use several to properly heat a kitten’s bed
Heat wears off quite quickly
A wasteful product to use long-term, as it is disposable
Product is dangerous if ingested
Pros
Affordable
Small, easy to keep on hand
Work great in an emergency situation
Stay warm for ~8 hours
Tips
Only use single-use hand warmers in cases of emergency, such as in a rescue kit that you keep in your car or if traveling a short distance with kittens.
Cover the warmers with a soft blanket and monitor the kittens to ensure they are not biting or chewing the warmers.
Check on the heat and replace as needed.
Once you are able, get the kitten a more permanent heat source.
