Pregnant cat/newborn kitten questions

[Sarthur2]

This is what can happen when a kitten has kittens. Her motherly instincts have not fully matured so her timing is off. Moms begin to gently bite and kick their babies as a form of discipline and to teach them manners, but she is a week or so early.

They are too young to eat on their own for another 3-4 weeks, so they need to continue nursing mom. Gently but firmly tell her no and stop her for now when she does this. And set a spay appointment for mom to be fixed in 4 more weeks when the kittens will be 6 weeks old.

Mom may go into heat before then, so do not let her out or around intact males until she is spayed!

 

[Courtneyg86]

Yeah this is not gentle. I had to remove her from the box, I separated them for awhile and she seems ok now but I will definitely keep an eye on her!

 

[Courtneyg86]

Tomorrow my cat's kittens will be 4 weeks old I want to know when I can start trying to feed them and what should I start feeding them because their mama is only 9 months old and she is starting to show little interest in feeding them anymore also I have them in this special pet enclosure which isn't very big but I do let them out to explore a little when should I start letting them be more independent and when and how should they start using a litter box TIA

 

[Nebaug]

Tomorrow my cat's kittens will be 4 weeks old I want to know when I can start trying to feed them and what should I start feeding them because their mama is only 9 months old and she is starting to show little interest in feeding them anymore also I have them in this special pet enclosure which isn't very big but I do let them out to explore a little when should I start letting them be more independent and when and how should they start using a litter box TIA

Gruel, kitten food mixed with water I prefer goat milk or kitten formula Gerber baby food. Only pure chicken, turkey, beef. Any fo store carries that. Put it on a shallow plate and enjoy watching them.

 

[Courtneyg86]

Gruel, kitten food mixed with water I prefer goat milk or kitten formula Gerber baby food. Only pure chicken, turkey, beef. Any fo store carries that. Put it on a shallow plate and enjoy watching them.

Sorry may be a dumb question but I'm new to all this what is gruel? and what kind of kitten food do I mix with the water/milk wet kitten food or dry kitten food ? By any chance due you know how I can start to have them use a litter box?

 

[HeyKat]

Litterbox: set out a litterbox in their enclosure. If they poo/pee on the floor, wipe it up with a tissue and put the tissue in the litterbox to help them get the idea. They should start using the litterbox themselves within a day or two. Make sure you use a non-clumping litter. Like human babies, kittens like to put things in their mouths.

Food: gruel is food mixed with liquid. Since kittens start out only drinking mother's milk, the gruel can help them transition to solids. Wet food will be much easier for them than dry food. Kitten Lady on Youtube has a great video on how to wean kittens, but basically, put the food in a shallow dish in front of them. If they don't go for it themselves, try putting a bit of food on your finger and offering it to them. If they lick it off, you can lead them to the bowl with your finger.

Alternatively, just try feeding them wet food with mom cat. If they see her eating it, they're more likely to get curious about it themselves. Especially if she's closing off the milk bar!

Don't worry if they take a few days or even weeks to start eating the food. The kittens will get there at their own pace. Also, kittens get their premolars at 5 weeks, which they need to chew food, so for now just offer them soft food they can lap/suckle, like wet food or gruel.

 

[Courtneyg86]

Litterbox: set out a litterbox in their enclosure. If they poo/pee on the floor, wipe it up with a tissue and put the tissue in the litterbox to help them get the idea. They should start using the litterbox themselves within a day or two. Make sure you use a non-clumping litter. Like human babies, kittens like to put things in their mouths.

Food: gruel is food mixed with liquid. Since kittens start out only drinking mother's milk, the gruel can help them transition to solids. Wet food will be much easier for them than dry food. Kitten Lady on Youtube has a great video on how to wean kittens, but basically, put the food in a shallow dish in front of them. If they don't go for it themselves, try putting a bit of food on your finger and offering it to them. If they lick it off, you can lead them to the bowl with your finger.

Alternatively, just try feeding them wet food with mom cat. If they see her eating it, they're more likely to get curious about it themselves. Especially if she's closing off the milk bar!

Don't worry if they take a few days or even weeks to start eating the food. The kittens will get there at their own pace. Also, kittens get their premolars at 5 weeks, which they need to chew food, so for now just offer them soft food they can lap/suckle, like wet food or gruel.

This is so so helpful thank you so much!