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A few questions about our new kittens

post #1 of 9
7/28/05 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

at last I have found the place to ask those things that I dont feel right bothering the vet about

Our cat, Marmite gave birth last week to three healthy kittens. Their eyes are starting to open and all looks okay.

I have a few questions:

- When do I need to provide water for the kits?
- Mum seems to spend more time out of the box away from them than with them, should I be doing more to force her to spend time with them?

thanks for any help,

Simon.
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post #2 of 9
7/28/05 at 3:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by marmite
Hi all,

at last I have found the place to ask those things that I dont feel right bothering the vet about

Our cat, Marmite gave birth last week to three healthy kittens. Their eyes are starting to open and all looks okay.

I have a few questions:

- When do I need to provide water for the kits?
- Mum seems to spend more time out of the box away from them than with them, should I be doing more to force her to spend time with them?

thanks for any help,

Simon.
Simon....it's ok for mom to spend some time away from her kittens...but I would recommend that you keep her and her kittens confined in a room with them....a bathroom or a bedroom is ok. There should be a nursing box, litterbox, food and water for mom located in the room. If the kittens seem to be healthy and are getting enough to eat..all should be ok..but if mom doesn't seem to be feeding them enough or if the kittens seem to be underweight..you may have to provide supplement feedings with kitten formula (you can find it at any Petstore).

At the appropriate age, the kittens will begin to drink out of the water and eat the food (you should feed mom kitten food while she is nursing her kittens to provide her with extra protein). Please do not allow the mom any opportunity to get back outside until she has weaned her kittens and has been spayed. In fact, you may want to talk to your vet about setting up an appt. for her spay.

Katie
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post #3 of 9
7/28/05 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Katie,Responsible owner here (well, when it comes to the cat )

She has been on kitten food and isn’t allowed outside and is set to be spade as soon as the little ones are weaned.
I shall pick up some formula tomorrow and see if they want any. The room they are in doesnt have a door so trapping her in is hard, its now been over a week and they all seem okay so unless you really recommend it I shall allow her to roam our flat.

As the kittens are confined to a box they cant get out of, should I put water in the box for them?
Or wont they need it till they can walk and hence be out of box and destroying flat….

Thanks,

Simon.
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post #4 of 9
7/28/05 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by marmite
Hi Katie,Responsible owner here (well, when it comes to the cat )

She has been on kitten food and isn’t allowed outside and is set to be spade as soon as the little ones are weaned.
I shall pick up some formula tomorrow and see if they want any. The room they are in doesnt have a door so trapping her in is hard, its now been over a week and they all seem okay so unless you really recommend it I shall allow her to roam our flat.

As the kittens are confined to a box they cant get out of, should I put water in the box for them?
Or wont they need it till they can walk and hence be out of box and destroying flat….

Thanks,

Simon.
Hey Simon...good to read that you are having momma spayed. If momma seems to be feeding the kittens ok..then it's ok that she roams your flat...just make sure she doesn't dart for the door. Also..if you suspect she isn't paying sufficient attention to the kittens...you may want to confine her (and the kittens) to a smaller space..but it sounds like it is all ok right now.

The kittens don't need water...they need momma's milk at least for a few more weeks. The kitten formula should be easy to find..it's called KMR and it comes in both a powdered and liquid variety. You should buy a special bottle also to feed the kittens if you feel they need it. The kittens right now need lots of momma milk to grow up healthy and strong.

Katie
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post #5 of 9
7/28/05 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
The kitten formula should be easy to find
Except I live in this back water country known as England

Oh well, at least I have a mission for tomorrow.

Thanks for the help,

Simon.
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post #6 of 9
7/28/05 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by marmite
Except I live in this back water country known as England

Oh well, at least I have a mission for tomorrow.

Thanks for the help,

Simon.
Oh....well, there are many people on these boards from England and should be able to tell you where to get formula from....BTW...my mom is from Scotland. We go there every couple of years.

Katie
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post #7 of 9
7/31/05 at 5:09pm
Kittens usually start to eat and drink at 3-4 weeks. Start prompting them to drink KMR from a bowl at three weeks, but dont get too worried if they dont. Mom will teach them everything they need to know.
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post #8 of 9
8/1/05 at 5:01am
i live in england too, telford. ive found the milk in asda, good old asda eh
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post #9 of 9
8/1/05 at 5:35am
and 'Pets at Home' and my local vets sells it. I dont think you need it though as long as she is feeding them ok.
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