Hi...I am a new kitten Mommy

Hi...I had a Mainecoon cat that needed to be put down.

I have never had kittens before. 2 days ago, went to the animal shelter and adopted 2 brothers, 7 weeks old. They were rescued with their mommy a few weeks earlier. The shelter said they were too young/underweight to neuter, so I am going to do it in a few weeks.

I have been doing tons of searches on this board for my questions, but there are a few things I am still wondering about.

My old cat had the worst time with clumping litter sticking to her paws, yesterday I saw one of the kittens step in his urine in the litter box, and he got litter all over his paw. After doing much reading here, I went out and bought Feline Pine. I followed the directions, about putting the old litter on top, and they have been going in the box But is this OK for them to use with their little soft pads on their paws? During the day I have been carrying them to the litter box in the bathroom and sit in there with them and wait, and then they go. Should I just wait and see if they go in there on their own? When they go poop, their backside still has a little bit of wet poopy on it, and I have been wiping it off (it just grosses me out to leave it there), should I leave it alone? I have not seen them clean their bottoms yet, just cleaning of their fur.

I will write another post since this one is getting long...

Their Mommy had long hair, fluffy tail and looked like she had Mainecoon in her. These kittens have hair that I would call medium, it's soft and fluffy....will they have long hair and a fluffy tail like her, or is it too soon to know?

I am a stay at home mom, so during the day, they are in the family room/kitchen with me. At night, I have been closing them in the bathroom with their bed, food and litterbox...how long should I keep doing that?

Here they are

Awww..congratulations!!! I remember being a new kitty mommy...but it was almost 9 years ago I would actually put disposible aluminum pans with a little litter around your home so that they don't have to remember to get back to the bathroom. Also...it is a bit too early to tell if they will end up looking like maine coon mixes or not...but aren't they just sweet.

Katie

They are adorable and I love the two different colors
They catch on very fast and if you put a few boxes around for them it shouldn't be a problem. They would rather go in the litter than not.
In the beggining they are a little sloppy with their bowel movements and grooming is not as important as eating and playing . You may have to clean up after them for another week or so.
Congrats! I guarantee they will bring a smile to your face every day!

How old will they be before they coming running to their names, and want to be petted?

Right now when they are not sleeping, they play wildly We all pick them up and hold them, pet them for a minute or two before they are wiggling to go and play more. Is this OK to do?

Originally Posted by AMYSCRAZY

They catch on very fast and if you put a few boxes around for them it shouldn't be a problem. They would rather go in the litter than not.
!

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I thought I was supposed to just put their box where it will be permanently so they will be used to it?

I don't think pie tins will work, I have a small litter box now and they are already wild with that.....LOL

Originally Posted by BaseballMom

I thought I was supposed to just put their box where it will be permanently so they will be used to it?

I don't think pie tins will work, I have a small litter box now and they are already wild with that.....LOL

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Kittens are like babies...they really can't always "know" when they will need to use the bathroom and unlike babies, they don't wear diapers. So the best thing is to give them as many "options" as possible. I don't know what litter you are using..but they don't recommend clumping litter for kittens because they can accidentally digest it. You may want to look into clay litter or using biodegradible litter (such as feline pine). Yes, they will make a mess of it..but better a mess of litter than an oops.

Katie

Originally Posted by BaseballMom

How old will they be before they coming running to their names, and want to be petted?

Right now when they are not sleeping, they play wildly

We all pick them up and hold them, pet them for a minute or two before they are wiggling to go and play more. Is this OK to do?

Click to expand...

I don't think mine really know their names...they know "food" they know "come here".

What little boys do you know that want to be held for a long period of time?? Yes...let them play...that is very normal for kittens.

Katie

I hold my kittens all the time and they too want down after a second or two. They are just like kids, play, play, play! They don't have much of an attention span. They will let you know if they are unhappy with the situation, you will get a growl or a swat I find I can hold there attention much longer if I sit on the floor and play with them. I sneak in a pat and a kiss before they chase off.
They will learn soon to come to the sound of your voice. It is so funny to come in the door and call out and see them come running. Make sure if you want them to learn their name, you use it all the time. I say their name while petting them. Don't substitute kittykittykitty or they will think that is their name

Originally Posted by BaseballMom

How old will they be before they coming running to their names, and want to be petted?

Right now when they are not sleeping, they play wildly

We all pick them up and hold them, pet them for a minute or two before they are wiggling to go and play more. Is this OK to do?

Click to expand...

They pick it up fast I love there colors and look so perty.....My Skittles looks really soft that little and man is she even softer now. I think she is softer then a cottonball.

TNR1, you missed it--she said she was using Feline Pine already. So that's good--no clumping litter in kitten stomachs.

Yeah, the're beautiful little ones! That's the life of a kitten... eat, sleep, play!

Interact with them... play with them, talk to them... they should calm down as they grow up. As they grow older and need less sleep, they will start to spend more time in calm wakefulness, and probably want more calm interaction. Many cats remain playful as they grow, especially if you play with them--this is a great way to get indoor cats some exercise, and much better than letting them out because outdoors is so dangerous for cats...

Closing them in the bathroom with food and litterbox? Technically, you could do it all their lives, if you wanted to; but that would be a question of keeping them off your bed, and really preference... I think it really depends: As soon as they are finding their own way to the litter box, and know their way around the house, you could gradually increase the space they are allowed to roam on their own. Of course, watch out for the usual dangers (electrical cords, poisonous house plants, household chemicals)... But you probably know that; you are a mom after all, and kittens are not so very different from human babies!

As for what they will look like when they grow up: I'm of the opinion that they will probably be smaller than a Maine Coon... they do have the same tabby pattern (if not the color), though, and the nice tufts of fur on the ears might be there too. Possibly some of the same genes are there. I'm thinking Domestic Shorthair right now.

Congrats on the two new babies!! They are adorable

In regards to them sleeping, we would love for them to sleep with us on our bed...BUT knowing they are kittens, we don't want them to be wild and playing with our feet all night. So do we just wait till they are older?

Is it OK to have their food in the bathroom at night, when it's not supposed to be near the litter box?

I think they have kitten colds, they keep sneezing...and I also think they have ear mites. I looked in their ears with a tiny flashlight and saw these tiny black icky things.

They have their first Vet check tomorrow.

It will be good to have them looked at for those things. They are easy to treat so don't worry. Talk to your vet about setting up a time in the somewhat near future to have them neutered. 8-12 weeks is the best time to do it. Some vets want to wait until 6 months but they could already start spraying by then and with 2 males, you really don't want that whole mess

They are adorable!

I am worried, one of the kittens has been asleep nearly all day, only waking up for a few minutes here and there.

Do they sometimes just sleep a whole lot?

I picked up kitty, his one eye was very weepy and he looked exausted. He walked about 2 feet, turned around, walked back to his bed and fell asleep.

Could his little cold cause his to be this tired....I am really worried now.

If he has a cold, yes, it could be making him feel weakish and sick. You said you were getting him check tomorrow by a vet, right? Just keep a close eye, if you think it's really life threatening, by all means get him to an emergency vet.

If he's eating though, and playing a little, then seeing the vet tomorrow should be fine.

I don't remember if you said you've had them tested, but I would ask the vet about testing them for fel-v if you haven't yet, and getting their shots.

I hope all is well. My guys had a little cold and some antibiotics cleared them all right up.

However, if the vet does give one cat antibiotics he should give it to both. Once one kitten has a cold, the other one has it too, even if its not showing yet.

The last time he ate or played was late this morning.

Is a cold in a cat different than a human? meaning....a cold in a human is a virus and antibiotics do not work. Is a cold in a cat caused by bacteria?

Is he eating? Drinking? Using his litterbox? Kittens do sleep a lot, but if you have an emergency vet number, I might call and ask them if I were you. Definitely take him to the vet first thing in the morning, unless the emergency vet says otherwise and you need to take him tonight. You can also put your ear up to his side (at the ribs) and if his breathing sounds rattly instead of clear, he needs to see a vet right away. And you might want to check his temp . Have prayed that he will be okay, please let us know.

PS-I called my vet once, got her home from the lake early on a Sunday, only to find out that the meowing, and panting wasn't an infection and high fever with dehydration that needed fluids like last time, but she was in her first heat . Felt kinda bad, but would do it again- don't be afraid to call your vet after hours- they are used to it.

Often what is called a "cold" is an upper respiratory infection, and it is bacterial, and antibiotics will help. Colds caused by a virus can also make a good breeding ground for a bacterial infection (that normally wouldn't bother them) to get a hold in their tiny lungs. fI have Cystic Fibrosis- am waayy too well aquainted with that .