Some advice needed

My kittens were 3 weeks old yesterday. and they are doing well. I can tell the difference in there learning speeds already. I have been putting out canned and dry food for momma, and I put the kittens near the dish when she is eating, and to let them see her.. a few of them will sit and stare in amazment, but as soon as they realize that momma will feed them, they go there.. haha. I am not sure how long it will be till I should start seeing them feed on there own.. *so i know to keep food down* And also.. I went to get a Aluminum lasagna type pan.. for the kittens litter pan, I put it in the crate with the kittens*which the door is left open for momma to roam the room* And I have a big normal one outside of the crate for momma to use,cause she wont use the litter pans near the kittens.. *If i have her locked in the crate with the kittens,and put the pan in there, she wont use it * Am I doing things right? Lol And after 3 weeks, she is sooo skinney still.. and I am feeding her soo much! is that normal? And I am feeding her one of the best kitten foods around.. LOL *spoiled kittys*. And is there any tips I can get?
THanks

When you put canned food out for the mama take the kittens and dip their mouths in it. Mine are 3 weeks old too and just starting to learn to lick food and formula from a dish. If you dip their mouths in the food they will lick their mouths, find out they like the taste, and go back for more. So far one of my kittens has it down, the other 2 are still working on it. 1 even tends to get indignant when I dip her face in the food and won't eat it.LOL!

Also, yes, it is normal for the mama to eat a lot a and still be skinny. She will tone up over time, don't worry.

I have been putting out canned and dry food for momma, and I put the kittens near the dish when she is eating, and to let them see her.. a few of them will sit and stare in amazment, but as soon as they realize that momma will feed them, they go there.. haha. I am not sure how long it will be till I should start seeing them feed on there own.. *so i know to keep food down*

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Just let them continue to watch her....soon they will get up the nerve to actually "try" mom's food. That is how my fosters learned...from their mom, no human intervention required.

I went to get a Aluminum lasagna type pan.. for the kittens litter pan, I put it in the crate with the kittens*which the door is left open for momma to roam the room* And I have a big normal one outside of the crate for momma to use,cause she wont use the litter pans near the kittens.. *If i have her locked in the crate with the kittens,and put the pan in there, she wont use it * Am I doing things right?

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Is the pan in the crate the same size as the one that she has outside the crate?? If not..it could be too small or doesn't have enough litter for her to feel comfortable using it.

Katie

Let them do it on their own. Since Momma is there with them, she will teach them everything they need to know about solid foods, the litter box, how to effectively catch and kill bugs *smile* ... while there are indeed times to force the issue along such as in the case of orphaned babies, if Momma is present and caring for the babies, then don't force it. It will happen when everyone is good and ready.

As for Momma being skinny, please make certain she has an unlimited free access to a good, high-quality kitten variety of food in both dry and canned.

Ok.. Well I will still keep a eye on them on eating to make sure I put out enough canned for them too,and yes they get a great diet.. LOL They eat "Chicken soup for the kittne lovers soul" I Heard it was really good they were on "Blue" But it was WAY Too high priced for the amount they were eating! lol

And the litter pan, Well It is smaller then the normal one.. cause I didnt wanna put one the size she has been usining in there, that wouldnt leave much room in the kennel .. Lol.. But when I had the big one in there, when she first had em, she wouldnt use it.. no matter the size, But when I opened the crate door all day,and put the pan out of the cage, no probs, she uses it.. Soo I bout the lil Metal pan thing for the kittens, and put it in the crate, hopeing they may get the idea. When they start coming out of the cage on there own, I Will move the pan out,and maybe momma will use it in front of em.. LOL I Have 3 litter pans in the room! lol One in a cat play pen*Which i keep trouble in at night* And one in the room for her, and one in the crate with the kittens .. AND one in the living room when trouble is out in the house! Wowsers lots of litter pan cleaning every day! teehee