Question about feral cats abandoning their kittens..

[Sarthur2]

Yes, because it will get eaten! [emoji]128512[/emoji]

 

[commanderscott]

Awesome thanks!

 

[commanderscott]

image.jpeg

• commanderscott
• Aug 20, 2016

It finally happened! I actually had to put the food in her mouth so she could know she could eat it but almost immediately after she went for it. Here you can see Hercules hogging the food because he's a hungry hungry hippo.

They're also starting to explore the house a bit. So there's a lot of progress all around.

 

[catwoman707]

Is it acceptable to leave a plate of wet food out overnight for them? I had dry food soaked in water before but he seems to like this more.

Actually, wet food left out is MUCH better than watered dry food, which quickly grows bacteria, loads of it.

 

[commanderscott]

Thanks for letting me know! I was wondering what the ideal would be for an overnight scenario. Should
I still plan on setting an alarm after a certain amount of time to get rid of any uneaten wet food?

 

[catwoman707]

Thanks for letting me know! I was wondering what the ideal would be for an overnight scenario. Should
I still plan on setting an alarm after a certain amount of time to get rid of any uneaten wet food?

I wouldn't bother, you will know soon enough what amt is too much to leave out because it doesn't get eaten.

It doesn't spoil, just dries around the edges and smells stronger, but they won't eat that anyway if it gets that way.

 

[commanderscott]

Awesome. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Sarthur2]

Glad to hear they are both eating now! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

 

[commanderscott]

Brief update: They're eating primarily wet food now. Won't eat it with formula though and won't take the bottle so I water each meal down so they stay hydrated. I feed them three times a day because they're always hungry. It's getting to the point where between the two of them, they're eating almost 2 cans of food a day -- and they're not even 2 months old yet! They spend most of their time out of the crate and only go in at nights and during meal times. Sometimes we take naps together but Lucy claws at my back to play and Herc likes climbing on my face to snuggle, so those don't last long. Happy snuggle bugs though.

 

[Sarthur2]

They will eat a lot while growing up. It will taper off after they reach 6-8 months old. They really need to eat wet food 4 times a day, and they need access to dry kitten chow at all times.

I'm glad the kittens are doing well! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[commanderscott]

4 times a day with dry food available it is, then! Thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

Great! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

 

[commanderscott]

Kitties are doing great. Semester starts tomorrow so I'm going to have my grandmother check up on them every few hours. But a real quick question.

Shepard is around 6 months old. And she's a wild cat. She's sweet, but she plays rough. But I've noticed that she plays differently with the kittens than she does with the dogs and other cats. She catches them and keeps a good grip on them, then just licks them. Gives them a full body bath. A few weeks ago, she would stimulate them and get them to go to the bathroom. (I had to keep her from doing it since at that time I didn't know if they had any diseases.) Sometimes she will bite, but not hard at all. I know she likes them. And it's clear that they like her. But I'm wondering why she's acting so motherly to them. Any ideas? Is it possible that she just wants feline companions since the other cats in the house rejected her? Is she a natural mother kitten? Or is this normal behavior for a kitten her age, even though she plays rough with everyone else? Thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like normal "mothering" behavior to me. She likes them and is enjoying playing with them and teaching kitten manners. I would not discourage it. It's good for all three of them!

Good luck with school! I thought your brother was planning to help babysit?

 

[commanderscott]

I only separate them when Shepard gets rough. I'm glad she likes the kitties then. :3 I really wanted some friends for her.

Thanks! And he is, but his birthday is coming up this week so he'll be out of town for a while. By the time he gets back, they'll probably be spending most of their days around the house. I just want to make sure they're able to climb and run without falling over, first. Besides. My grandmother is starting to like them. Finally. :3

 

[Sarthur2]

Yay for grandma liking the kittens! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

 

[commanderscott]

So Herc has some diarrhea. It's a normal color. He's eating and playing fine -- and I mix water in their food to keep them hydrated. Tent test wasn't showing anything wrong this morning. I switched their food earlier this week to a new flavor, because the store has been out of their food. It's a different brand by the same company. Could that change result in the diarrhea, even though it was changed a week ago? Or could it be the stress of me not being home as often? They get the run of my room, I disturbed by other animals during the day. There's no food or anything bad for him that he could be getting into and Lucille doesn't have diarrhea.

Also, because I'm not home, I keep extra wet food out for them. They eat two cans a day. But I used to feed them at regular intervals, half a can four times a day, instead of just two really big meals a day. They're pretty good about stopping when they're full and coming back to it when they're hungry, so I don't think he's over eating.

Could any of those things be the reason?

Thanks. :3

 

[Sarthur2]

C commanderscott

I think you named good reasons why he could be having diarrhea. Hopefully, it clears soon!