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Cats/2 Ferals

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Expert: - 6/19/2010


Question

Sister and Brother at
Hello!

I'm so glad I found this site first of all. A friend of ours has a feral who had kittens and abandoned two. About several weeks ago she brought them to our house to nurse and to care for. Unfortunately we can't keep the darlings, but they already know that I'm their mama so when they were still little (their age, I'm still unable to determine!)I helped them eliminate, I cleaned them, I snuggled them, they sleep at my feet now, etc. They're to the point now where they're RARELY falling over when walking, they're growing more bold every day (we have a shi-zhu who wants nothing more than to play with the two of them!) they're growing baby teeth.
I've read SO many things online- I even visited our local vet for advice and yet I still don't know how to approach certain things! I introduced them to the forumla-wet food mixture, but they really were not keen on it and I'm still unable to get them to get a handle on the litter box thing. After every meal I set them inside it and make them scratch, but I still don't know how to get them to do it! As a result I still are only bottle feeding them at this point.
Part of me believes they're still too young to do some of these things, but then why are they old enough to be peeing around my room! I think a clue on how old they are would help me figure all of this out. I've attached a picture that I only took yesterday while they were playing with each other (They're very social and they've been social with people and only recently mildly social with our dogs since they were brought here!)

Answer
Hi Georgia.  They're so adorable!  The babies look to me to be about 3-4 weeks old.  Their teeth might be the best way to estimate their age.  If all four canines are in, this puts them at at least four weeks of age, but I am pretty certain by looking at them that they're not very much older than this.  If you got them several weeks ago, they must've been brand new!

Four weeks is a good age to start introducing kittens to wet food, but orphaned kittens can be notoriously difficult to get onto solid foods because they have no example to follow.  There is no other cat to make them realize the foreign substance you're offering them is edible.  I find that using chicken baby food goes over better than canned cat food sometimes.  Whichever you choose, I recommend you spread it out flat in a saucer and allow the kittens to explore it.  Sometimes the kittens will ignore it.  Sometimes they'll walk in it.  Put a dab on their nose, and they will lick it off, hopefully making the connection.  Try to allow them to accept the new food at their own pace as much as possible.  It isn't a problem to allow them to strictly bottle feed for another few weeks.  But if you're making no progress in a week or two, baby food can be easily fed with a syringe, and this makes a good transitional food between formula and canned cat food (it should only be used for a couple of days, however).

As for the litter problems, for the same reason cited above, orphaned kittens can have some difficulty learning to use the litter box.  That said, these babies are still very young, and accidents are bound to happen.  It's best to keep these little ones confined to a small area until their litter habits are quite solid.  There tends to be a week or two between when the kittens gain the ability to urinate and defecate on their own and when they get the idea that they're supposed to be doing it in a litter box.  With my orphans, I keep them in a bathroom or a cage during this time.  

You have the idea right - put them in the box after meals.  Even when my kittens have reached the age where they have just started urinating on their own, I will hold them over the box and stimulate them after meals.  The stimulation still works if their bladder is full or if they need to defecate.  Once the baby is done eliminating into the box, I place them in the box and allow them to sniff around.  With their own waste in the box, they quickly come to see the litter as an area to be used for elimination.  If you ever find any solid waste outside the box, move the waste to the box and then show it to the kitten (without scolding).  

The kittens will need a couple of weeks to master control over their bladder and bowels.  Remember to keep them confined to a small area or to keep litter boxes in every room that they have access to.  Accidents can happen even after they're properly trained simply because they're too far from a box to make it in time.  Most kittens are using the litter box pretty consistently at 6 weeks old.

Best of luck weaning and litter training them, and most of all, finding them the perfect homes!

Jessica  

Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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