My cat gave birth to three kittens

Umm I am not perfectly sure but I suppose it is clay. It says bentonite something on the cover (its in italian) and that's a type of volcanic natural clay, so I believe it is clay. It does clump though, and I've tried damping a bit on my hand and it looked exactly like the dirt we see outside, the clumps it forms are weak normally and I believe it is similar to eating dirt outside, don't think it should cause any problem for the kittens. The only other type of litter I've found in my area was some white litter with perfumes, but I believe that could be worse. The vet told me the one I am using is safe for kittens, so I believe it is safe even though it does form some weak clumps. It has been collected in nature, I know for sure cause I find many leaves on it, so let's pretend the kittens are growing outside...I guess. It is the only thing I can hope for or go for the factory made white litter which I don't think the kittens should be using for now, I'm not sure, but that litter is made of plastic. It could be worse, maybe...would like some opinions about this.

Btw it looks like this: http://www.msdeekay.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bentonite-clay-cat-litter.jpg

You can try to use fine playground sand or dirt. Maybe put some in a small box/kitten size litter pan to see it they would use that instead.   I'm just wondering if the kitten who won't stay in the litter box doesn't like the feel of the litter.

I don't think that's the case, they sometimes go into the box themselves and lick the litter and bite the plastic box, I believe it has to do with them not knowing what the litter box is used for, cause until now they've never seen their mother using it, she always does it away of their eyes. Other than the main box the mother uses, I've improvised 2 other smaller boxes for the kittens but they only play in them, they are like children. But they definitely do not avoid stepping on it, just need to show them how to use it also.

How old are the kittens now?

4 weeks and 4 days old

That may be why they are having a hard time learning. They are just a tad on the young side. They should understand and get better at using the boxes in the next week to two weeks. Try putting doggie pee pads on the floor around the boxes to see if they will at least begin using the paper.

Ok. I am aware they are too young but I need to control their peeing a bit, it's getting out of control. Definitely going to get the carpets washed after they grow a bit, I'm not even sure where they've eliminated, it doesn't even smell, it's like water but still gross, and I'm trying to control it as much as possible at the moment. My only condolence is the fact that they're locked out of our everyday room. I'm not even sure when their mom stopped cleaning them, I only noticed this on friday night when their bed was wet. Since then its become a toilet and they are sleeping on the floor lol.

Have you tried removing the bed altogether and putting a litter box there instead? The pee pads will help too.

If they really like the idea of going on cloth, like shirts, blankets, and a cat bed, maybe you could try taking an old towel and putting it in the box with just a little litter, and gradually add more and eventually take the towel away. Puppy pads near the area and in corners of the room are a good idea too.

I just thought of it and have never tried it (I might if I run into this issue, mine are 3 weeks old right now) but it's worth a shot if you're desperate!

Yes the bed is gone cause it was smelling terribly, a litter box has replaced it. I am also moving the mothers litter box to a visible spot and letting them stay in the corridor, they simply will be able to see the box from the corridor in the bathroom. I've seen them trying to sip water and it was so cute, obviously imitating the mother, they werent even taking the tongue out lol, so I'm hoping they will imitate her on the litter box usage as well. 

I've thought about the cloth idea but never thought of adding litter to it. I've actually placed an old towel for them to use, Ill just put it on a box and add a little litter to it, or maybe wait a bit before adding the litter, I'll see. Thanks for the idea, worth a try.

Dont wanna be hasty but I think there's result. I put the litter box in a visible spot from where the kittens were sleeping, and the mother used it at night a few times. Soon as I woke up I put each kitten in a litter box each. One of them started to dig! He didn't use it but I see no urine anywhere so I believe the mother cleaned them after all. But the fact that he was digging shows imitation. Because of practical reasons (cant close bathroom door), will have to move the litter box back where it used to be but going to repeat this every night until they learn. Or I could simply lock them in the bathroom, I believe the result would be similar.

Great! Just keep repeating it. They will learn!

While I was writing that someone used it. And it wasn't the mother, she was here in the room with me all the time. When I went to scoop, I found some partially covered liquid on the box. And it's so little only a kitten could do it! Hope I'm not excited for nothing though, but at the moment things look good

Edit: 2 more clumps on a smaller box. Yay me.

They are getting there! Good job! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

Yeah they are regularly using both boxes now, one of them even started to cover it himself. Yay.

I believe this issue is now sorted, I'll shout if I need more help.

Thank you for everyone who replied, for all the ideas, suggestions and over all for helping me sort this issue. I'll shout if I have anything else to ask for in the future

This is good to hear! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Hello again,

I weighted the kittens today, 2 of them are 520 grams each and the third is 600 grams (520 grams = 1.15 pounds and 600 grams = 1.32 pounds). It was expected, he has been bigger since birth and is obviously "the dominant male", but I have a small problem with him: He is aggressive. He is smart, he is the only one who eats solid food, drinks water and covers the remains in the litter box, the others just do it on the surface and still rely purely on mothers milk. He has obviously outgrown them until now, but when I pick him up he will bite and scratch and scream as much as he can. He also enjoys climbing on my legs etc. It is not alarming, but he definitely is more aggressive than the other 2. While weighting him today he basically kicked the weighter 3 or 4 times, the other 2 just sat on it.

So my question is, is there anything I can do to reduce his aggressiveness during his growth or is his personality completely out of my control? He's being treated exactly the same as the others, he's just a bit more aggressive than them. For now it is ok but when he grows up he could be mean to his owner/s whoever that is, I still haven't decided which one I am adopting myself but you understand the point I believe. If there is anything I can to do teach him how to be nicer I'd like to do it before it's too late, so if anyone has experience with such issue please let me know what to do.

Thanks

He likely isn't aggressive, just a scared baby. You say he mostly does it when being picked up, he likely hates being lifted. Some cats hate being picked up and kittens don't know how to handle it except to scream and fight.
If he bites you, say "ow" loudly/high pitched enough so that he knows it hurts you, and he will learn that he can't do that eventually. Mama will teach him better as he gets older.
If it continues and gets worse I'm sure someone has better advise than me but i hope that helps a little.

Thanks for the reply.

Well, he is becoming lovely now. He is bigger than the others and they always pick on him, they play fight 2v1 all the time, so that probably fuels to him feeling big

At the moment I am trying to keep him away from my keyboard, or if I dont he will send random text to people on skype or facebook if they are up lol, he simply loves to dance on the keyboard. The aggression is going away, he is becoming a lovely little kitty. Definitely not the non-adoptable one anymore, he is becoming maybe the loveliest of all the kittens

It's funny how quickly they change, sometimes they do stuff that worries me, hours later they do the opposite

Hello,

It's been a long time since last post, the kittens are growing up well. Today the 3rd and final kitten started to eat solid foods after persuading her a bit, now she is no longer interested for mothers milk. Mother has been spayed (not sure if I mentioned this before) and she is back outside since last week, only comes in a few times a day to feed and lick the kittens. Can I start restricting her from visiting the kittens now? They are 7 weeks and 3 days old but the mother has fleas and we we have been unable to give her a bath. My idea is to only allow her to come inside 2 to 3 times a day for 1 more week then 1 time a day next week then completely keep her outside and feed her there if she is interested but I doubt it, she is a good hunter outside anyway. The two kittens who have been eating solids for weeks completely ignore the mother, she licks them and they run away from her. Today the final kitten began to ignore her as well, she came in 3 times and they didn't drink or respond to her calls, poor mother, they still do drink sometimes but overall they are not very happy to see her like they used to be when they depended on her milk.

The 3 kittens will spend the rest of their lives inside, is there anything the mother has to teach them, or is this a good age to finally separate them from the mother? When does the mother normally stop feeding and start hissing the kittens, at what age? I'm not sure if I should wait until that time, I don't want her to teach them any wild skills that's all. All she does when she comes in is call them, usually 2 or sometimes all the 3 kittens ignore it, then she goes to sleep then the kittens passing by sometimes drink some milk, she licks them a bit and that's it. She has never called them outside (luckily for me) and doesn't care about teaching them how to hunt. I think her job with them is pretty much done, what do you guys think? Can I expect the kittens to be independent from the mother now or do they still need her?

Thanks.