almost 7 week foster kittens think im Mama?

dreamraider

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My 6 foster kittens are 7 weeks old.. ive never had kittens this young before and never fostered before. They all seam to adore me and climb up to me and cry if I put them down (they don't do this with other people). if I sit in the room they all squeeze onto my lap to sleep.. three of them try to nurse my shirt where my belly is- is this cause for concern since they were taken so early? They pee poop and eat just fine. They are all very active and playful and seam happy.

Side note- they are in a spare room and were given advocate when they were 6 weeks and will be dewormed at 8 weeks aparantly. Are they safe to be with my cats after the 8 week deworming? I have never seen fleas before or anything so I don't know how to know if they are clean enough for my two?
 

maewkaew

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    Yes,  trying to suckle on people or other animals or themselves, or blankets, etc.  is common in kittens separated too young from their mothers,  or who were abandoned or orphaned.    Some of them eventually get over it as they grow up,   but there are others for whom it can be a longer term issue.  and in a few cases it can progress to eating non-food items like fabric.  so that is the thing  to watch out for since it can  be risky.  

Yes they probably do see you as Mama.   You are the one caring for them and giving them sustenance and love.    so they relate to you as to a parent. 

 To check for fleas , the best way is to get a flea comb and comb through the fur, obviously if you find fleas, you know they have fleas,   but fleas often hang out in bedding, carpet, between floor boards etc. and just hop on for a meal.   so also look for dark specks,  which might be flea dirt  ( flea waste).   Put some of the specks on a white paper towel and then drop some hot water on them.  If it is flea dirt, it will turn a reddish brown color ( because it's dried blood) .  

I think you could treat them with Revolution  ( for fleas, mites, roundworms )  at their 8 weeks vet visit.     then they should be fine a few days later to meet your other cats.  

If your other cats share a litterbox with the kittens they would need to be treated for worms too.      It would be a good idea to bring a poop sample from a kitten along to the vet and they can check that for parasites in case they have some other kind of parasite.  then they can be treated for that,  and you can ask about when they can go with the other cats.   

It would be good socially for them to be able to interact with older cats soon.   They can learn a lot from that.     Take the intro gradually though.  at first just some short supervised visits.  and make sure you show a lot of attention to your resident cats.   
 
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dreamraider

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I am not allowed to provide medications or vet work to the kittens and they will not be seeing a vet until 12 weeks for shots, fixing etc. This is what I was told by the group. They had advocate which I was told is like rev- I googled it and its like advantage. They said they are getting a dewormer at eight weeks which name I cant remember but it was just a dewormer that has good reviews when I googled it.

Unfortunatly I cant do anything like that and they don't see a vet until they leave my place- I can go through them with a flea comb, and I have no carpet. I wash pet bedding weekly and they have a separate litter box since they are locked up in my spare room. I bathed them the day after they arrived too. I don't see any flea dirt on them and haven't seen a bug in the past almost week I have had them. They don't seam to itch much- maybe a bit around the ears. the only thing I notice is they keep getting dark eye gunk but I tried the hot water test and it is solid.. it wont smoosh or turn color.. I have to use my finger nail to scrape it off (its just on the inside corner of the eye so I can do that without getting their eye)
 

maewkaew

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Well it sounds like they haven't got fleas.   Flea dirt ( or lack of it) is usually a VERY good indicator.    So either they never did or the Advantage has worked.

 It does sound like they seem pretty healthy.  

   Do you know if the Advantage was also for ear mites?   ( you mentioned the itching on the ears .  That may be no big deal .  everyone has a little itch now and then.  but could be mites especally if itching a lot. ) 

 Have the kittens been to a vet at all?    I should have already asked this,   I was assuming the shelter  or rescue group had taken them to a vet before you even got them ....  but I realize I don't know that.  

If they haven't had a vet exam and tests for FeLV and FIV,    and checked for ringworm and a fecal sample tested ,   I would  be wary about integrating them with  my own cats.   The last thing you need is your other cats getting sick.     

 If they have had those things done and checked out OK,  and continue to seem in good health,    I think they'd probably be OK to meet your other cats after they are dewormed.   
 
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dreamraider

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I asked her about that and got a kinda iffy answer.. she said they will only see a vet before they turn 12 weeks if something is wrong.. so I guess that means they have no seen one yet. I was very turned off by that but as I was having a hard time getting a hold of her to speak with her all my questions were asked when I was already there picking the kittens up. They really don't itch much at all but their ears look clean and no black in them. I had an ear mites kitty before and her ears were black and gunky and had to be kept clean.

taken from offline..

Advocate (Advantage Multi)[emoji]174[/emoji] for Cats:


Advocate for Cats kills fleas, prevents heartworm, hookworm and roundworm, and controls lice and ear mites with monthly application. This product is called Advantage Multi in some countries.
 

maewkaew

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You may want to just continue to keep them separate from the resident cats.   At least it's not a single kitten; they have each other for company.   

 I would be worried about Feline Leukemia mostly.      The vaccine is pretty good but not wonderful in effectiveness.   estimated 75-85% effective.  

Would be especially a concern if you have other kittens under a year old or cats with compromised immune systems.   

 It  is wonderful for the kittens that you are fostering,  but this rescue sounds kinda disorganized if a foster home can't even get in touch with the person you would need to ask about these things!  

 ............Yeah I figured it might be the advantage multi.  

And from your description ear mites didn't sound too likely anyway.   So that is good.  
 
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