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Kitten help

post #1 of 16
5/13/10 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 
my friends cat has just had two kittens and she is keeping one and I'm having the other..
I was just wondering in anyone had any knowledge they could share with me as we are both new to the kitten scene, ive only ever had grown cats...
Anything you know would be helpful from if wecan touch them, when things will happen roughly and when they can leave mum..
thanks
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post #2 of 16
5/13/10 at 2:35pm
Congratulations on your new kitten. You should start handling them immediately as long as momma cat is okay with it. Initially I held Goldy's babies just long enough to weigh them. I would limit it to a minute or less three or four times a day until they're a week or two old . If momma gets agitated, leave them alone for a while longer, but stay close and let them smell you.

The kittens need to stay with mom until minimum 10-12 weeks to be sure they're completely weaned and well socialized. They also should be spayed or neutered as soon as your vet will do it. (Some do it at 2 months & 2 pounds, others won't do it until 4-5 months.) Mom needs to be spayed as well, but it's best to wait until the kittens are weaned.

Do you have pictures?
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post #3 of 16
5/13/10 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
they were born on the 3rd of may, my friend has been touching them a little and i only went round today and was touching them... mum seemed fine with me as i touched her first and let her smell me... we go worried as my mum said we shouldnt have touched them as mum might still reject them but i phoned my friend and she is lying with kittens now and still ltting them suckle...
mine has opened both eyes and the other is getting there...
we have been told that they can start to be weaned at 4 weeks is this right... they suggested mixing wet food wth warm water to make a paste...

when is it safe to go get mum spayed??

how do you tell if the kittens are boys or girls?? ive started calling mine tinkerbell and my friends is alladin as we had hunchs on the sex..

im blabbing lol
thanks for your help
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post #4 of 16
5/13/10 at 2:52pm
The mother cat will wean them on her own, you don't need to do anything to help. I put out kitten food for mine when they were 4 weeks old, but they didn't start eating any of it until they were almost 5 weeks. Mom ate most of it instead. Kitten food is good for a lactating mother anyway, it gives her more calories to produce milk without losing too much of her own weight.

Sometimes spaying will cause mom's milk to dry up. If you wait until they're at least 8 weeks old you can be pretty sure that they don't need it any more, even if they're still nursing some.

I know there's a link to some pictures that help you determine gender, I just can't find it at the moment. Somebody else should be along soon to help out.
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post #5 of 16
5/13/10 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
seen a couple of sites that say its too young to be able to determine sex... oh well no harm in trying... just dont want to be calling it tinkerbell for 2 months to then find out its a boy haha..
thanks for your help anyway ill pass it on to my friend and ill keep you up dated..
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post #6 of 16
5/13/10 at 3:09pm
My vet said that at that age it is not possible to determine gender.

Congratulations on your new little one. Maybe can you post some pics?
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post #7 of 16
5/13/10 at 3:19pm
My mother was always 100% on gender on newborn kittens, and I'm pretty darn good. Most here can tell.

It's fine to touch the kittens. In fact, if you DON'T handle them from a young age, they don't socialize properly with people. Just try not to take them out of mama's view, so she knows where they are.

The mother cat may try to move them. If so, give her a new, clean box and bedding. It's important for the kittens to stay warm, so help her keep them in an area that isn't too cold.

There is lots and lots of information on this site, so if something isn't clear, feel free to do a search or ask if you need more specific information. We all like talking about kittens!
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post #8 of 16
5/13/10 at 5:00pm
my cat had her kittens on May 3. We have 1 boy and 2 girls. You can google it to see pictures.
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post #9 of 16
5/13/10 at 5:14pm
It's fine to handle the kittens for short periods of time- as long as the mom cat is alright with it, she won't reject them. It's never too acurate at this age to sex them, but I'm pretty good at telling, although I am wrong sometimes. If you have any pics, we can take a guess for you.
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post #10 of 16
5/13/10 at 6:30pm
Try this and see if it helps to sex the kittens.
http://kitten-rescue.com/sexing_the_kitten.html

My little boy (born on May 3) was unmistakenly a boy.
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post #11 of 16
5/14/10 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by farleyv View Post
My vet said that at that age it is not possible to determine gender.
You can tell sexes at birth, I'd be questioning a vet who said it's not possible. It's even more evident if you've got different sexes they will look different.

Photo's on this site might help you http://www.siameseplanet.co.uk/kitten_sexing.htm
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post #12 of 16
5/15/10 at 2:42am
Thread Starter 
how do i put pictures up and ill put some on
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post #13 of 16
5/15/10 at 5:15am
Ost of us use photobucket.com or tinypic.com...there is a demo forum somewhere here, maybe the fur pictures section?
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post #14 of 16
5/27/10 at 3:29am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all your help but it doesn't matter now... My "friend" has decided I can't have the kitten coz she wants to keep it.. After getting my hopes all up and letting me get attached to it... Oh well my mum says she will get me a nicer one.. She has found a little black one that is 8 weeks old and is the runt so can still just sit in your hand.. X x
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post #15 of 16
5/27/10 at 4:22am
Aw, some friend! I hope you and your little black kitty have many years together!!
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post #16 of 16
5/28/10 at 12:56am
8 weeks is a bit young to be away from mum, 10-12 weeks is best. Especially being a small 'runt', kitten would benefit from staying perhaps until 16 weeks to ensure the best start in life.
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