New to orphaned kittens (need advice)

[moriles9]

Okay thank you! Would chewing on a small teething ring help them out when they all start?

 

[handsome kitty]

It couldn't hurt and they would enjoy it.

 

[moriles9]

So my calico now isn't sucking on the bottle at all, she just chews on it until little by little comes out. i know she's hungry because she crys if I take the bottle out of her mouth until it goes back in. She's not lethargic or anything. Is there something I can do or is she just a very slow eater?

 

[catwoman707]

Make sure the nipple hole is big enough for her to easily suck milk out of it, as they get older they will want to get more from it then when they were tiny.

If plenty comes out you might want to add a bit of gerber rice cereal to add thickness, it's much more satisfying.

Be sure if you do to open the nipple up more so it can get through.

 

[moriles9]

Thanks that fixed the problem!

 

[handsome kitty]

I read a teething thread in another forum I thought you might like to have.  They wet a wash cloth and freeze it.  their kitten gnaws on it.  Then just wash it and have another in the freezer.

 

[moriles9]

Thanks for the idea! I've heard that being used on human babies too

 

[moriles9]

So there is this cat that's been coming around off and on, and before she had babies but now she's pregnant again and my mom wants to introduce the kittens to her to see if she would take them in. My only problem is that she's an outside cat so she has fleas and ticks and all sorts of stuff like that so would we be doing more harm than good if we introduced them? We've let her sniff them and she loves them.

 

[Sarthur2]

She needs to be treated for her ticks and fleas. She does not need to meet the kittens nor take them in as she will be having her own litter soon. She also may have other parasites or contagious issues. Best to get her to a vet.

 

[catwoman707]

Yes I agree and would not put her with your kittens.

Please trap/catch her and get her butt fixed! Now is as good a time as any, her body would be grateful for that.

 

[moriles9]

That's what I thought! And I WILL get her fixed. She's not feral so it won't be a hard task.

 

[Sarthur2]

That's great news!

 

[moriles9]

Questions about weaning and litter training:

They turned 3 weeks old yesterday can I start litter training and how do it do it?
And on weaning do I need to wait until they're teeth have grown in all the way or can I gradually start giving them soft food?

 

[Sarthur2]

You can begin introducing mush now. It may take another week or even two before they are eating it well. Four to five weeks is when they get bettet about it.

Once they are eating solids and mush they will need putting in a kitten-sized litter box after each meal as their poops will become formed.

Good luck!

 

[moriles9]

Thank you very much! Also they really need a bath, as they don't have a mother to constantly clean them and they smell very strongly of urine. I have dawn and baby shampoo is either safe to use on them?

 

[handsome kitty]

the poor kitties.  When you wash them remember to keep them warm.  They are still very young and may not be able to regulate their body heat yet.  Either will work, use the soap sparingly.  You can wipe the kittens down with a warm cloth everyday to avoid this issue.  It will also teach them to groom themselves.

Can we see some pictures of the little kittens?

 

[LotsOfFur]

You can use unsented baby wipes to wipe the kittens down. I always warm them like I did for my human babies.

 

[moriles9]

image.jpg

• moriles9
• Aug 5, 2015

Here's Niko (left) and Winnie cuddling

image.jpg

• moriles9
• Aug 5, 2015

The big grey one who I can't figure out what to name and can never get any good pictures of

image.jpg

• moriles9
• Aug 5, 2015

And a close up of Miss Winnie!

 

[handsome kitty]

very cute!

 

[LotsOfFur]

Precious! [emoji]128158[/emoji]