- Joined
- Mar 2, 2016
- Messages
- 5
- Purraise
- 2
So I posted a while back because I was worried about the health of my housemate's newborn kittens. They're doing fine now, the boy had to have eye drops but they're otherwise lovely and healthy. I'm posting now because I'm struggling a bit to start them eating. When I had kittens before, there were five of them and by 6 weeks, all but one were taking an interest in food mixed with cat milk. These two will be 6 weeks old on Sunday and I've yet to get either of them to even lick some cat milk from a spoon. I've seen both of them drink from their water bowl, pee in their litter tray and sometimes try to eat the litter, as expected. They sometimes watch their mum eating, but when I offer them cat milk or food on a spoon, my finger or in a shallow dish, they have no interest, they don't even walk in it. Yesterday, I tried shutting their mum away for a short time just to see if any of the food I left for them vanished, but it didn't and she ate it when I let her back in.
It was a good 7 years ago, but I don't remember starting the weaning process this late or the kittens being so disinterested. I do wonder if that's because there are only two of them, as opposed to five curious little fluff-balls who are all copying one another. It could also be that this is Smoky's first litter that's reached this age and she hasn't decreased their suckling time herself. I'm not sure about that one, but I haven't noticed much difference in the time she spends with them over the past couple of weeks and she is somewhat overprotective of them when they're exploring. My cat pretty much left her kittens to do their own thing apart from feeding them at this age.
It's really important that I get this process started soon, I'm moving out in the next couple of weeks and honestly, all of my housemates are pretty clueless. I'll still come check on them when I can, because I'm planning to take the boy when he's fully weaned and I'm trying really hard to make sure their mum gets spayed. Of the four of us humans, though, myself and my boyfriend (who doesn't even live here) are the only ones who have actually done anything to care for the kittens (making the whelping box, cleaning the boy's eyes, taking them to the vet and paying the vet bill, making a pen for them, changing/cleaning their towels when they started peeing on their own, providing litter trays, making sure Smoky always has dry food and clean water available, etc.), despite the fact that one housemate owns the mother and the other two have said they want to keep the female. I'm trying not to put too much of my frustration in this post, but when you're essentially caring, and mostly paying, for six animals but only own two (and a half?), it's hard not to worry about how things will be when you're not around.
Anyway, got a bit off topic there. It does seem quite late for them to be taking an interest in food. Any suggestions?
It was a good 7 years ago, but I don't remember starting the weaning process this late or the kittens being so disinterested. I do wonder if that's because there are only two of them, as opposed to five curious little fluff-balls who are all copying one another. It could also be that this is Smoky's first litter that's reached this age and she hasn't decreased their suckling time herself. I'm not sure about that one, but I haven't noticed much difference in the time she spends with them over the past couple of weeks and she is somewhat overprotective of them when they're exploring. My cat pretty much left her kittens to do their own thing apart from feeding them at this age.
It's really important that I get this process started soon, I'm moving out in the next couple of weeks and honestly, all of my housemates are pretty clueless. I'll still come check on them when I can, because I'm planning to take the boy when he's fully weaned and I'm trying really hard to make sure their mum gets spayed. Of the four of us humans, though, myself and my boyfriend (who doesn't even live here) are the only ones who have actually done anything to care for the kittens (making the whelping box, cleaning the boy's eyes, taking them to the vet and paying the vet bill, making a pen for them, changing/cleaning their towels when they started peeing on their own, providing litter trays, making sure Smoky always has dry food and clean water available, etc.), despite the fact that one housemate owns the mother and the other two have said they want to keep the female. I'm trying not to put too much of my frustration in this post, but when you're essentially caring, and mostly paying, for six animals but only own two (and a half?), it's hard not to worry about how things will be when you're not around.
Anyway, got a bit off topic there. It does seem quite late for them to be taking an interest in food. Any suggestions?
