Found 2 Kittens! Need Help and advice....

Hey,

I'm new to this website and have been looking around to help with my two kittens, one is def. male and I've named him Ace, the other I'm not so sure and I've named him/her Schizo. I'm from the UK and this Sunday I was doing a bit of DIY; so I went into the shed to pick up some tools and heard tiny 'meows'. I moved a few boxes in the corner and sitting in my old carpet where two kittens. I looked for their mother but couldn't see her around, the kittens looked like they hadn't eaten for a while so I took them in and tried to feed them milk but they didn't take it (good thing as well because i just found out cows milk is bad for kittens ).

I went to the local pet store and picked up some powdered milk and bottles etc and fed them every four hours. I think they are about 3-4weeks and are quite friendly, they always crawl to me when I let them out of their box!

I'm still looking out for Schizo and Ace's mom but she hasn't been back for 3 days now.
I have a few questions:

1. How much should I feed them in a day? Right now I feed them 25-30ml each feed, four times a day and they seem happy.

2. Why don't they poo? They pee after every feed and they are using their new litter box well.

3. Where should I keep the litter box? Right now I've put it in their box where they sleep (big box) in case they want to use it at night.

4. How do I know if they have fleas or mites? I'm getting paranoid and keep scratching myself LOL

5. Whats the best way to wean them on to solid foods?

6. Their claws seem to be getting sharper should I be worried? Also, they keep sniffing my feet and I'm afraid they'll bite!

Thank You,

Mozy

Originally Posted by Mozy420

1. How much should I feed them in a day? Right now I feed them 25-30ml each feed, four times a day and they seem happy.

2. Why don't they poo? They pee after every feed and they are using their new litter box well.

3. Where should I keep the litter box? Right now I've put it in their box where they sleep (big box) in case they want to use it at night.

4. How do I know if they have fleas or mites? I'm getting paranoid and keep scratching myself LOL

5. Whats the best way to wean them on to solid foods?

6. Their claws seem to be getting sharper should I be worried? Also, they keep sniffing my feet and I'm afraid they'll bite!

Thank You,

Mozy

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Feeding them every 4 hrs is good and let them eat as much as they want. You need to wipe their behinds with a washcloth to get them to go poo. Keep the litter close by. If they have fleas you will see them crawling on them. It sounds like they are old enough to give canned food. They might not eat it right it away but will probably start any day. I would not worry about their claws.

Originally Posted by kitytize

You need to wipe their behinds with a washcloth to get them to go poo. . It sounds like they are old enough to give canned food. They might not eat it right it away but will probably start any day.

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Yes, use a somewhat wet cloth (or wet and wrung) on their behind and a little on the tummy too. Like their mother would do with her tongue to stimulate them.
If they seem to have already get hard, you may try with butter made on goat milk. You do have it in UK? We have in Sweden, and Norway. Thus a common home-remedicum for cats who get hard stomache...


Canned food, or minced meat, is good to begin with.

A great good job you are doing!

I think you can let them lap up their milk mixture and begin to feed them wet food. You will have to help them clean up - they'll be complete messes if you don't help every time they eat.

They need help going to the bathroom. At our vet's, they just hold their back ends under warm running water and rub their abdomens. You can also just use a warm cloth - but they need the stimulation to go. And they'll need help cleaning up from that too.

As to helping them learn "good" behavior, again, just treat them like mom would. When they do something they shouldn't be doing - like nipping at your ankles or chewing on cords - and as they get bigger and start getting onto things they shouldn't be on - mom would hiss at them, or mom would put her paw on their foreheads with a very gentle push. So you can blow a short puff of air into their faces and say "no" - or place a finger on their forehead gently and say "no." Cats learn by association, and they'll learn the meaning of "no," and they'll understand what you're "saying."

What a wonderful thing you're doing!

If you want to trap mom to have her spayed, you can put food out for a few hours in the morning or evening - at the same time every day. You'll know in a few days if she starts coming around to eat. And with the regular timing of putting food out, it would make it easier to trap her to get her some place to be spayed so she can't have any more kitties. Of course, this isn't a responsibility you're expected to take on - just something to consider.



Laurie

Awww, best of luck with those little ones! How lucky for them to have found you!

I think LDG had all the right answers! I'm not really up-to-date on how to care of indoor kittens, but I have rescued lots of barn cats and raised them till they were old enough to survive. We always took a paper-towel or washcloth and got it damp with warm water, wrung it out, and washed their behinds and abdomens. Be sure the cloth doesn't get too dry or you don't rub too hard or much, or it'll irritate the skin.
What we have always done to start the kittens on food is just warm up some milk and soak the kitten chow in it, so it's soft, and they will drink up the milk first, but eventually will start eating the chow.
And LDG had it covered for behavior. Think like mommy! I usually place two fingers on their head or the side of their head and push them away kind of sudden, but gentle. They learn soon enough. But remember, they are just kittens... they need to play! Good luck!

*--KK

Thanks for the great advice.

I just gave both of them a bath and they're gone to sleep.

Seems like I wont have to teach them much. They're using the litterbox pretty well and Ace is pooing on his own and cleaning himself! Schizo is learning by copying Ace and they both play fight a lot.

I gave both of them milk in a saucer and Ace drank it up straight away, Schizo coughed a little but soon got the hang of it. On their next feed I mixed in some dry food and they ate a little bit of it but mostly drank the milk.

Now I just put the food in a bowl with water in their box and they eat it as and when they like but I still feed them milk every four hours.

So far, so good! Im planning on keeping Ace and giving Schizo to a close relative.

I do have a question, both Ace and Schizo are getting big for their box but I dont think their old enough to roam around the house (may get stuck somewhere, as my house is being renovated) and I was wondering when is the best time to let kittens out of the box and also when should I let them out into the garden?

Thank You,

Mozy

I would keep them inside until you give them to your relative... perhaps switch them into an area like a bathroom where they're confined and unable to get into anything. I suggest keeping them inside because if you're relative decides to make them into indoor kitties, if you take them outside you'll be instilling a "desire" to be out there, and it makes it more difficult to keep them in. It's also much safer for them, especially when they're that tiny.

In either case, and I may be wrong about this, but I wouldn't think that they'd be old enough to go outside until at least 8 weeks of age, which is probably when you're going to be looking at giving them to their new home regardless. Someone else may have a better idea about this than I do, so hopefully someone will chime in with clearer information.

when should I let them out into the garden?

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Only once they have completed their distemper shots AND have received FELV/FIV testing AND have received their rabies shot (although they may not give rabies shots in the UK). Personally, I wouldn't let them outside until they are spayed/neutered. Females can become pregnant as young as 4 months of age, so best not to risk it.

Katie