Kitten help

[kaysiekylessx]

Im getting a kitten next week. Not sure about the age, she stated it was born on 11 march 2013 i went to visit last week and theyre tiny! Im getting it when its probably 6 weeks id hope.. How can i tell the kittens age? And is there anything extra for me to do for the 6 week kitten?

 

[catapault]

Yes. Wait a minimum of two more weeks until the kitten is at least 8 weeks old before taking it away from its mother. And waiting until it is 10 or even 12 weeks old it better yet. A 6 week old kitten is just  weaned to solid food, needs to be really confident about using a litter pan, and hasn't learned good manners from its mother and litter mates.

What's the rush? If you can wait 2/ 4 / 6 more weeks both you and the kitten will be much happier as you start your new life together.

 

[manizheh]

yes if you and the cats mum can wait till the kittens are a bit older every one will be much happier. the manners that Mummy cat will teach babies is something you cant do. The toileting habits will be a lot better too. You will have a much more confident pet right from the start.

 

[Willowy]

If they were born on march 11, then the kittens aren't even 5 weeks old, and that's WAY too young :/. Ideally, kittens should stay with their mother and littermates for 10-12 weeks, and the absolute youngest should be 8 weeks (under normal circumstances, of course. In emergencies, you do what needs to be done). If you can manage to convince them to let the babies stay with their mother for at least another 3 weeks, you and all the other kittens' new owners will be much happier, and of course the kittens will be too . Kittens learn a lot from their mama those last few weeks.

 

[kaysiekylessx]

Its probably 6 weeks next week. Ill take a poc of it next week. Will i need heating pads?

 

[Willowy]

There's no way to convince the owners to keep the kitten longer? Really, the challenges you'll have to meet having such a young kitten may not be what you want to deal with. They're prone to behavioral problems like biting and poor litterbox habits if taken from their mother too young. These problems can be overcome but it will take a lot of extra work.

But anyway, no, you won't need a heating pad, it's risky to use those even with tiny kittens because the human kind frequently get too hot for kittens. Just keep the kitten in a warm dry area, not outside or in a drafty room.

 

[kaysiekylessx]

The owner is going on holiday next week. Latest i can take her is monday next week when shes 6 weeks.

 

[manizheh]

Can you get two kittens instead of one? They are good company and playmates with each other. With six week old kittens be aware that they are very young. so if you have a big room they will be staying in, at least three litter boxes. When they wake up put them in there to go to the toilet. after playing , same, after eating , same. the toilet training is not really finished by the mum at this age. The food should be three times a day (small amount like a table spoon and a half) of wet food and dry food (a couple of table spoons) left available all the time. for a sleeping place if you have little tents with folded up towels in it they will probably love it. If just one kitten make sure they are safe. ie can't squeeze into pipes they cant get out of. Screwed up paper tied to string dragged by you is an excellent toy, or just the string on its own. Little ones sleep a lot. They play hard for a little while then sleep. If its cold a hot water bottle half filled with warm, (skin temp) not hot water under the folded up towel is all he needs. The tent you can make out of cardboard or A box with a hole cutout will be good too. The box should be not huge, You know the boxes oranges come in ? those are a bit big but ok size, just have enough stuffing to make it cozey. Kitten food is enough but if you want to also give them cow milk be careful as a lot of cats are lactose intolerant and milk gives them diareah. Pet stores sell kitten milk. This is not something they need but an option. Always have fresh water. From ceramic bowls are good as it keeps the water cool longer. Hope you found all this useful. good luck :-)

 

[kaysiekylessx]

Thankyou, i will try all those. . I cant get 2 kittens because that means i have to neauter/spay both. I can only afford the vet for one kittten. Im still unaware though. Will she be able to poop and wee on her own? And what if she doesnt eat food, i know she drinks kitten milk though.

 

[catapault]

You can probably get 2 male kittens neutered for about the same cost as spaying one female kitten.

 

[catsallaround]

2 kittens are preferable but they do still add up fast. Around me it is 30 dollar difference at a vet office and 20 or less difference at clinics. Can you wait till after holiday or offer to take the mom/litter if no one is watching them(mom will be pregnant again very soon if not already.

6 weeks can pee/poop on own.  Have some canned food in house whenever you do get her(6/8 whatever weeks).  I would not worry about milk much as it is costly and not a must have.  If dry you can add water to soften it till she is able to chew easier as she gets older.  If you do that do very small amounts at a time as not good for food to sit wet

You may want to look into if any shelter/store offers discount vaccines/testing and look into spay/neuter programs as you may qualify and some you need to register very early for(by me 8 weeks/2lbs is good to go for surgery).

 

[kaysiekylessx]

You may want to look into if any shelter/store offers discount vaccines/testing and look into spay/neuter programs as you may qualify and some you need to register very early for(by me 8 weeks/2lbs is good to go for surgery).

How old should a kitten be before spaying? Ive heard that most people don't like doing it at a young age, most do it at 5months? but the cat would already go in heat by then..what age would you recommend for me?

 

[catsallaround]

I have any kittens done at 8 weeks.  They bounce back FAST and there is no chance of heat/accidental pregnancy so everything they take out is smaller/not swollen.

The sooner the better! Latest I would wait is 14 weeks.  By 4 months you can have an in heat female. The kittens done later need more time to recover in my experience.  I had 4 females done at 8 weeks and they were playing that night like nothing happened.  I crated them just that night as it was unreal how unaffected they were and I did not have energy to keep eye on them being so back to normal.

 

[kaysiekylessx]

Oh right, it's just i heard on google people saying it's not worth it that young.

I'll get her fixed about 8-10ish weeks