Help with Kittens!?

Question

I have two cats, aged 14 months, and they have had 3 kittens, born 24th Dec 2006. The kittens are very active now, running around and playing, but the past two days or so they have been crapping in the kitchen. I thought the Mom Cat would train them with the litter tray. Also, when do I have to help with weaning?

Answer 1

firstly u need to litter train them-the mum cant really do that.

here is some info copied from the website listed in sources box.
hope this is all helpful

All About Weaning Kittens

The best time to separate a kitten from its mother is between
seven and eight weeks of age. It is at this point that weaning
has been completed (the switch from nursing mother's milk to
eating solid food) and a kitten can best adjust to living in a
strange home with a new family. If taken away too early, kittens
may have to be bottle-fed by their new families and frequently
behave badly due to premature departure from the nest.

Kittens need milk feeding for the first four to five weeks of
life, so formula needs to be provided for a newborn kitten in
cases where the mother cat is unable to nurse it. If a kitten is
orphaned when it's two weeks old, for example, it needs to be
bottle-fed for at least another two weeks until it can be
introduced to solid food at four weeks.


See our reports on Taking Care of Abandoned & Orphaned Kittens


http://petcaretips.net/orphaned_kitten_care.html


http://petcaretips.net/abandoned_kitten_care.html


The milk produced by the queen in the first hours following delivery
contains colostrum, which is rich in protective antibodies that can
defend a kitten against illness during the first three months of life.


Here are some things to look out for with kittens who are
orphaned too early: First, they tend to have oral fixations
throughout their lives--they either suckle objects, such as
blankets or their new parent (you, the pet owner) or themselves.

Many cats will suck on their owner's fingers, hair or skin
whenever given the chance. This may go on for their whole lives!
Most owners seem not to mind, however. Cats who lick themselves
can do so to the point of baldness, usually on their bellies or
sides. Another possible result of early adoption is a kitten who
is slow to learn or one who displays aggressive behavior.

Kittens who are separated from their mother when older than seven
or eight weeks will have a harder time accepting the new family,
as they have become accustomed to their mother and siblings.

In order to make this transition easy for the kittens, you should
start introducing kitten food early on. At about four weeks of
age start mixing a good quality kitten food with milk or water,
and soak it until it resembles oatmeal. Place the food in a
shallow bowl and stimulate the kittens to eat it by placing a bit
of the food in their mouths. Once the kittens are eating well out
of the bowl it is safe to stop the nursing with the queen.


See Alfred's Recommendation for a Quality Kitten Food below


It may seem mean sometimes to take a kitten from its mother, but,
believe it or not, the well-being of the queen often requires
that her kittens be taken away from her. By the time seven weeks
have gone by, the queen is pretty tired of nursing--after all,
she's been satisfying the needs of many hungry kittens, who at
this point have sharp teeth and claws.

The mother needs a break from producing milk, which is best done
by separating her from the kittens. To prevent her glands from
becoming over-full and painful, it helps to impose a 24-hour fast,
withholding both food and water. It sounds cruel, but it forces her
body to reabsorb the milk in her mammary glands, thereby keeping
her from having painful swelling and potential mastitis (mammary infection).

You can also apply an ice pack to the swollen area to reduce pain and
further milk production. Since the act of nursing stimulates the
production of more milk, it is important to keep the kittens away
for at least one week.

Kittens should be vaccinated at eight and twelve weeks of age
against feline distemper and upper respiratory viruses with a
rabies vaccine given at twelve weeks.


Go Here for Recommended Vaccination Schedule
http://petcaretips.net/cat_vaccination_schedule.html


Be sure to have your veterinarian test your kitten for feline leukemia
and feline AIDS (tests are most reliable after a kitten is nine weeks old),
and bring a fecal sample to have analyzed for intestinal parasites.
We do Not recommend giving over the counter vermicides!
Follow your veterinarians recommendations.

At eight weeks of age, kittens are mature enough to
adapt to a new home, find their litter box and use it, take care
of their own grooming and start a love affair with their new
family.





What Should You Feed Your Cat?
By: Alfred

Hey guys, I guess you could say I'm an expert when it comes to eating!
I do it every day, and I know what Tastes Good and what is Good For Me!

Let's get a little science lesson in here:

You know that cats are carnivores, meaning they are meat eaters. They
don't have the ability to manufacture proteins in their liver as dogs
and humans do, thus they have to get their proteins from food.

Complete proteins come from meat sources. Incomplete proteins come
from grains. Incomplete proteins do not have all the amino acids present
required to form what we call a complete protein.

Also you will want to consider the presence of harsh chemical
preservatives that are in some foods, such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin.
All have been proven to play a role in various degenerative diseases
such as kidney and liver disease, and cancer.

Now, what do you believe would be better for your little kitten, a food
that has a cancer causing agent, or a food that has all natural preservatives?


Our suggestion then is to look for a cat food that has at least
2 to 3 meat sources of proteins to every one grain source.

When your kitty goes out for a hunt, does he bring back an ear of corn,
or mice and rodents?

Also look for a food that has all natural preservatives instead
of toxic chemicals.

Our recommended food is Life's Abundance Premium Health Food For Cats

It is a 100% complete and balanced formula that is safe for your cat
or kitten, and will supply them with the nutrients they need.


best of luck
shell

Answer 2

Your kittens are getting "lost". Because they are roaming over a larger area they are forgetting where the litter tray is. The mother cat has trained them, after all it has been just the last couple of days.
I suggest a couple of options with the litter trays. Either have a tray in or near the kitchen so they can use it, or keep them confined to a smaller area. As they are young still I would opt for the latter.

As for weaning, put sloppy wet food out for them when you feed the mother. Make sure there is a dish for each kitten and cat, so all have a chance of eating. The kittens will copy mum and try the food. They may even try hers. If the kittens are a bit slow in picking up how to eat from dish - put some of the food on your finger, let them lick it off, repeat with your finger closer the dish and so on until they get the idea where the food is.
I suggest you give them proper kitten food to eat as it has all the nutrients. And also make sure there is water there for them as well.

They will need to have food put out for them at least three times a day. They have little tummies.

Also have you wormed them and the adult cats? The kittens should be wormed every two weeks until they are three months old then monthly after that :o)

Answer 3

You have to be the mum when it comes to training the kittens to use the litter tray to some degree. When my cat had kittens they started to do their business in the kitchen too. I started by covering the the whole kitchen floor in old news paper (changing it when needed of course), but not actually removing the litter tray, and then slowly making the covering smaller and smaller. The kittens got into the habbit of only crapping on the floor where the news paper was and when there was only the one paper under the litter tray left - they started to use the tray as their toilet.
When it comes to weaning you must let nature takes it course. The mum cat will know when the time is right for her to stop giving them any milk. But before that happens start by offering the kittens a little bit of kitten food so they can get used to eating solids.

Answer 4

Most often, YOU will have to litter-box train the kittens. It is best to have a separate litter box for the kittens, set it up fresh and clean, and introduce them to it by placing them right in there. I have had exceptionally good luck with this--it's like instinct "kicks in" and they know what to do and what that box is for. As far as weaning the kittens, they are still too young, you don't want to start this until they are 6 to 7 weeks old. Although, you can introduce them to small amounts of canned kitten food once or twice a day. This will help greatly with the weaning process when they know they can go "hunt it down" themselves. Good luck

Answer 5

they are cute little kittens, but you have to train them to do there toilet , I think the best way is when they poo, take it to the litter tray , then take your kitten there gently put his or her little nose down so they smell it and after that they should go there themselves, I also think you might have to have a second tray , with so many using they same tray they might not all want to go to the same place ,it will take time . with the feeding if the mother has stopped giving milk then you put just a small amount of food for each kitten in there tray´s they will soon learn to eat on there own . Hope this helps you . have fun with the kitten´s I wont one now

Answer 6

Ok, you were terribly irresponsible and didn't get your cat spayed. Now, you'll double that irresponsible act and give intact kittens away. You need to s/n them and s/n your cat. If you are not willing to do that, and I'll assume you won't, then at least take the kittens to your SPCA or Humane Society. They will probably charge you a small fee to take the kittens, but they WILL s/n them before placing them. They also screen the people adopting them and charge them a fee. They will do a much better job than you finding them good homes.

Answer 7

They will usually copy mummy cat but have you thought of getting another litter tray as cats (even kittens) can be very fussy - you could try putting the new tray in the kitchen and showing it to them.
The general rule is one tray per cat.

Answer 8

The mom cat is not going to be able to train them. Unfortunatly that is your job. Once they have finished eating, bring them over to the litter box. A lot of it is repetition. That is the best way to train any animal. Doing things over and over and over, and make sure you do it the same way each time so that they get used to the repetition. After a while...they should be able to figure it out on their own.

Answer 9

You are the dedicated person to teach them to crap in the kitty litter. After they have eaten, you take them to the litter and put them on in. They obviously do not know where to do their business. Mommy cat does not train them with the tray.

Answer 10

Yes, i had the same problem once upon a time...You need to be the mom for this part and do the training...As far as weaning, you should be putting food out for them now...The mother will actually do the weaning....Great question...

Answer 11

Place their poop in the litter box and then take the kittens to the box and let them smell it so they know it's the place to dump. They'll get the point, but you may have to do that a few times.