lily the kitty had five kittens ! help

In a nut shell, my fiance and I ( 20 ) just moved into a new rental house. And a cat lily we call her was a stay/ ditches by the previous renters. Anyway, she was dirty and fatty and nasty but terribly sweet so we decided to take her in. We got her groomed and all cleaned up then a trip to the vet for getting slated and that's when it was discovered lily was pregnant she could have still slated her and aborted it which I said go ahead and after it came down tonite.. I couldn't do it. I'm a avid animal lover and couldn't go through with it. So of course after this all happened she had her kittens they are very very cute they were born on the 3rd of this month. But I really know nothing about kitten care as in litter box training when and what they should start eating and one of the kittens still has its umbillical cord! I should have gotten her spayed and wish I would have.. and she will after these Kittens go. Even though lily is an inside kitty now anything helps just to give me an idea on the umbillical cord and food and stuff please Thanks so much !

The umbilical cords should fall off on their own, usually within the first week, but it is not abnormal for it to take longer. So long as the area around it doesn't look infected then just let it fall off on its own. Their eyes should start to open in the 10-14 day range.

Most kittens start on solids between 4 and 6 weeks. There are a number of recipes on this board you can find for making your own kitten "glop." Personally, I just use wet canned kitten food and water it down with warm water so they can lap it up. Be forewarned: it gets messy when they are first learning! You should have Lilly on a dry kitten kibble if nothing else, and let her eat as much as she wants. When they are ready, they will watch Mom and start eating out of her bowl. Some people will water down the dry kitten kibble to start them off- it's really just a preference and trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. They will continue to nurse while they are learning. 

In the 5-6 week range they will also be ready to start litterbox training. Cookie sheets with raised edges work well as training boxes. I use the small cardboard boxes that canned cat food comes in- most pet stores will let you take them for free. It is very important that you DO NOT use a clay based litter. As part of their training they will eat the litter and it can expand in their intestines and cause a life-threatening block. Use a corn base or one of the other alternatives: pellets, newspaper, ect. I start by just putting them in the box every time after they eat. If they do have an accident, I pick it up and put it in the box and then put them in so they can smell it. Eventually they will catch on, but they will have accidents at first. Get some really good urine remover (I love Natures Miracle) and clean up after them well so that they don't continue to mark. 

The most important thing you need to have is a scale to weigh them everyday. Most people use a kitchen scale as it measures in ounces so you can get an accurate weight. Weigh each one at the same time everyday and make sure they are gaining. It's not so important how much they gain but that they are consistently gaining and not losing weight. If any one starts to lose weight, take them all to the vet. 

I would also recommend calling your vet and asking at what age they de-worm and start vaccinations. If you can it's good to get that taken care of. It is ideal to wait until they are at least 12 weeks to adopt them out. In many States/Countries it is illegal to adopt them prior to 8 weeks so keep that in mind. And, I know you said Lilly is an indoor cat and you will have her spayed at a later date, but just be aware that cats can go back into heat very quickly after giving birth (my last foster started calling when her babies were 12 days old). At that time she absolutely can get pregnant again so take extra care to make sure she can't get out. I only mention this because it was something I didn't know with my first foster- I thought that as long as she was nursing then she couldn't get pregnant, and that's not true at all! 

Finally, take advantage of this board and read through old posts. I think you will find a lot more detailed answers to a lot of your questions. Hopefully this can at least get you started with the basics and give you an overall timeline. 

Good Luck! 

Thanks for the info that's basically all I have needed I've raised stray animals babys a lot just not ever kittens its hard to find information since everyone says get your cat spayed without even reading what I write or what others write so I really do appreciate your positive answer and taking time to read everything I wrote and not calling me a back yard breader

All good advice above, except I recommend weighing in grams as you don't have any decimal points to worry about.  A kitten should generally gain 10g / day or more though lots of litters had the odd day when they don't.

You need to record the results as well, and you need to be able to tell the kittens apart to do that effectively.

You also need to think about worming and defleaing the mother and kittens.  She must have been out since she got pregnant, so she could have picked up worms and/or fleas.  Most of the pet shop preparations are ineffective and/or dangerous.  Since you don't say where you are presumably you are in the US where unfortunately Milbemax isn't available - it would be the first choice for the mother in the UK and treats tapeworms, roundworms and some others as well.  Panacur is good for kittens, but needs administering on three consecutive days three times.  Panacur can be brought without a prescription in the UK, there are several kinds and strengths and people normally use either the paste or the weaker liquid for kittens.  You need to know how much they weigh to give the right dose.

Otherwise - enjoy!  And once their eyes open they are into the sensistive period, when gentle handline by as many different people as you can find, and playing with them all help to make them nicely socialised kittens.