Feral mom cat plus kittens

I tried something new tonight with the kittens... I have been pulling them out and handling them one at a time, but I've had kind of a rough week and when I got home I wanted to be covered in kitten! So I got all four out at the same time and we sat together on a big fluffy blanket, and guess what, having each other to lean on their fears evaporated! The LOVED every touch, leaning in and crawling closer to get the hand on them! It was incredible! I just wanted to share. my sweet precious babies are so perfect and precious. Thank you again for the advice. Seems like every time I start to wonder if something is normal they just get past it.

My little baby boy...
Little gray female
Orange and gray female
Orange and black female

Enjoy the pics folks! I know I do!!

Oh my, they are precious.  This is such fun - I do miss fostering kittens, so I will enjoy this vicariously!

Haha. Help yourself Ondine. hey, should I start leaving a flat plate of kitten gruel earlier so that Annie can teach them to eat? They haven't any teeth yet... When should I expect her to start litter box training them and introducing them to solid food?

Lauren1989 said:

Haha. Help yourself Ondine.

hey, should I start leaving a flat plate of kitten gruel earlier so that Annie can teach them to eat? They haven't any teeth yet... When should I expect her to start litter box training them and introducing them to solid food?

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Yes, do so if you wish, good idea.   Its not always mom actively teaches them - unless the hunting when they fetch home still alive prey.

Most often they essentially do like mom is doing.  So a flat, shallow plate is useful.  In the beginning they will probably go through the food, getting messy.

Litter box becomes interesting for mom when they eats solids, as the consistency of poo changes and she is not longer so eager to eat it up.  

So, she appareantly both tolerates and accepts you are handling her kittens.

How is she herself to you??

Remember to get non-clumping litter when they start exploring (around three-four weeks). Like toddlers, kittens will explore things with their mouths and clumping litter will cause problems.

Like Stefan said, they will learn from mom. A plate out now may just be something she goggles down but if they get into it, it will be messy. Careful it is completely flat, too. I don't know much about little kittens but I do know they are messy! I usually fostered older ones; they're bad enough!

And thanks for sharing the joy!

StefanZ, she is tolerating it. She is still skittish in the extreme towards me. I tap on the top of the nest quietly with a finger and she exits, looks at me balefully, hisses, and then hides in the corner while I socialize the kittens, so sadly there has been no improvement in her attitude and behavior toward me.

Ondine, my pleasure! About what age do kittens usually start taking an interest in food? As I was handling them I noticed that they really don't have any ability to do more than crawl around. Walking is still glaringly out of their range of abilities. Ergo, no need for food yet as they can't exit the box under their own power.

They're pretty mobile by four weeks. Five weeks and they may try solid food - well, gruel, anyway. By six weeks, you'll be trying to keep them in the room!

I had a foster we got at three weeks. We kept her in a bed in the tub, to keep her safe. One day, when she was six weeks old, I discovered her missing. It took me fifteen minutes to locate her at the bottom of a hamper that was three feet deep. How she got out of the tub and into that hamper, I'll never know. But I still giggle when I think of her sweet face staring back up at me from the bottom of that hamper!

Thanks Ondine! One other question that I thought of... Since Annie was an outdoor feral, is it probable that they have some sort of parasite? If so when is it safe to take them to the vet for a check up, worming, and vaccinations?

They most probably do but are young for worming right now. Someone with experience with kittens might have more info about that.

Can you call your vet and ask if mom can be seen now? I would take them all, her in one carrier and the kits in another, in case she gets wound up in the carrier. But ask your vet first about the best approach.

Okay... Annie has had loose poo for 3 days. Is there some kind of thing that I can give her that's safe for kittens that will stop it? I switched her food about a week ago to the kitten food and don't know if that's why she is now having loose poos, but I put a bowl of the old food out with the new so she can choose. She is also finding the kitten socialization stressful and that has been going on in the last week too... I don't know how urgent this is or is not, please save the doomsday unless this actually is something catastrophic, but I'm trying to figure out if I should just wait a couple more days to see if it clears up or if I should rush immediately to an emergency clinic or somewhere in between?? Advice? Thanks!

If the condition doesnt is alarming with other bad symptoms too, or a violent  diarrhea, this shoudnt be any emergency vet errand.  Contacting your vet whom you were preparing to visit anyway  is the wise to do.

It can be the change of food - although it should come sooner than first after 4 days. So I dont think it was the main reason.

Stress is fully possible.   Worms are very possible - being outside cat she has almost surely worms, both ruundworms and tape-worms.   Successful semiferales usually manage minor  amounts  of worms - it seems it doesnt hurts them.   But if they worms by any reason multiplied - and got out of controll- you will get rare poos and even diarrhea as one of the results.

So, my advice is you contact your vet, and take the deworming as first point, unless your vet is saying something else (yes, he has surely some preparates to suggest too if need be).

Experienced rescuers who know all the ropes, and know what good dewormers therre are to buy in their pharmacy, may deworm themselves - that is not that tricky if you have suitable preparates.

But as you were anyway to let the vet check them up - that is the best and safest way.

Good luck!   @Lauren1989

Not a catastrophe. The new, rich food may have disturbed her system. Keep the status quo - offering her both - a little less of the old food than the new. As Stefan pointed out, it may also be worms, so a call to the vet won't hurt.

She's understandably upset by you handling her babies. She hasn't known you long enough to quite trust you yet. She'll be fine, really. Just keep moving slowly and deliberately when ever you are with her and the kits. Any sudden moves will spook her.

If her poos don't firm up in the next couple of days, you can add a bit of canned pumpkin (no spices, so salt) to her food. It will help firm things up.

You are doing the right things. Don't panic, don't worry.

Okay, thanks for the advice! On to the next thing I'm not sure about... The kittens are now 2 and 1/2 weeks old and it seems like Annie is never in the nest with them anymore. Every time I go in all 4 kittens are in the box and Annie is in the corner on the other side of the room. Is this normal? The kittens are still alert, playful, and clean, but up until this week she was always in the nest box. I would think if she was neglecting the kittens they'd be complaining about being hungry right? Has she just picked up that I go in there at the same times every day and so she's just vacating the box ahead of time because she knows I'm coming? Or is this just a normal part of the process? It worries me that this has been concurrent with her digestive upset too. Seemed a little early to me for her to be leaving the nest so much, but I checked the kits and they are officially teething... Little nubs can be felt on the gums. Why do you think she is spending so little time with the kits? I never get her out of the box in the mornings, but she isn't in there in the mornings anymore either... Thank you all for being so supportive, I just don't have any idea what to expect.

She may hear you coming in and vacate because she knows you will pick up the kittens. As long as they are healthy and not complaining, they should be fine.

Can you get a video camera and run it when you aren't in the room? That will give you evidence of if she's returning to the nest when you leave.

Updates: Annie has solid movements again. Pumpkin is awesome! Thank you for the info!

Kittens are growing quickly, we're on all fours, wobbly, but we're up.

So I have the non clumping litter now... How's that work to clean? Can you still scoop it out?

Lauren1989 said:

So I have the non clumping litter now... How's that work to clean? Can you still scoop it out?

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Yes, no problem.  The poo isnt clumping, but is manageable.  The problem with non clumping is it tends to be more dusty than clumping.

Im happy the mom is OK now.  But yet, the deworming awaits.  do it by the vet or advice,

or go to your pharmacy and look through what preparates they do have.  Write them up, and google on them, or ask us here.

Everybody will get their deworming at 6 weeks. Because there has been no progress with Annie vet recommends just the one visit for her followed by release. So I have a kitten that is eating kitty litter. She won't eat the kitten food I keep trying to feed her but she goes at the litter like its candy! What do I do? I'm scared to leave a litter box that she can get into there when I can't watch her and stop her from consuming litter, but that can't work, she has to learn to use it! What do I do??