Summary
Once kittens have left your care, it’s essential to deep clean and disinfect their space and everything in it. This process will help minimize the transmission of pathogens to the next kittens you care for or your pets. This article describes the steps to deep clean and disinfect the space as much as possible.
Disinfecting after Kittens Leave
Deep Cleaning and Disinfecting the Kitten Space
When all the kittens have left, it is time to deep clean and disinfect the kittens’ space and everything in it. Clean everything! The process is to clean first to remove material and debris and disinfect second to kill pathogens. Disinfecting is not effective if the materials are not clean.
- Wash and disinfect all the towels, sheets and blankets used in the kitten care area. Organize them by type and size, place them in clear plastic bags (so you know later they have been cleaned and disinfected) and store them in an area away from animals and possible contaminants.
- Collect all the utensils, dishes, bottles, medication containers and other food-related items and wash them thoroughly. Then, disinfect them using an appropriate disinfectant, boiling them or an autoclave. If using a disinfecting product on dishes, be sure it is safe for food items and rinse very well as required.
- Scrub (or discard) litter boxes and scoops. Then soak in a disinfecting solution.
- Wash the cages, carriers, plastic bins, playpens and other containers used to house kittens. If possible, completely submerge them in a disinfecting solution rather than merely wiping or spraying them. This helps ensure that nothing remains in the corners, nooks and crannies. Rinse as needed. Then, store items appropriately away from animals or in clear plastic bags.
- Hose off items like cat trees outside with a cleaning solution, leave them to dry in the sun, and then saturate them with Rescue® spray and allow them to dry again. However, this process is unlikely to disinfect cat trees thoroughly. Instead, consider using items that can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, like stacked Plexiglas cubes or other similar products made for kittens to climb.
- Remove as much as possible from the room to make it easier to clean and disinfect the windows, light fixtures, ventilation grates, non-porous walls, doorknobs, light switches and anything else that cannot be removed from the room. The final step is to clean and disinfect the floors.
- It may not be possible to thoroughly clean and disinfect carpet and upholstered furniture, which is why it is so important that sick kittens or seemingly healthy kittens be kept in a space without these surfaces during a quarantine period and until it is clear they are not sick or shedding pathogens post-illness.
Tip: As you finish with kitten supplies that kittens have outgrown (e.g., smaller litter boxes), clean and disinfect them and store in a sealed container (sealed plastic bin or plastic bag) so they are ready for use for the next litter of kittens and will not need to be cleaned and disinfected again. Check dates for food, cleaning or other supplies and discard expired ones.
