so i posted earlier about taking in ONE stray kitten that is living under the deck of a firend's mothers along with the rest of the litter..well i have decided to take them all and find them homes. what should I do? how do you look after a whole litter of kittens? i found out that they have lived there for about 2 months. i am not sure if the mother is ther or not. what should i feed them..how should i go about giving them out for adoption?? thanks for all the help!
2007-03-07 07:49:52 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
how many kittens might i expect??? i will be keeping one and i have 2 friends who are interested in adopting a cat each, i know that my friends will give the cats a good home, but i made them promise to get their cats fixed ( only seems fair)....so how many more kittens do you think i will need to find homes for?
2007-03-07 14:07:56 · update #1
If they are 2 moths old, then they are weaned. Feed them kitten chow (watch feeding them wet food as it sometimes bothers their tummys) - really good brands are Nutro and Royal Canin.
As for putting them up for adoption you can probably do that right away. Put in an ad in the paper advertising free kittens. When they come, interview about the house etc., make sure they are good homes and plan on getting the kitty fixed and all its shots.
good luck
2007-03-07 07:56:34 · answer #1 · answered by allyalexmch 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I commend you for taking in all the kittens to provide a safe environment to them until they can get a permanent home. I do this with small animals myself.
First thing I would do is take them all to the vet for a check up. Kittens born as strays can have ear mites, worms and other health problems, many are transmitted to other animals. This is not going to be cheap either with a litter, you may even consider getting their first series of shots at this time too. At 2 months they can be given kitten food and water. Don't give milk, it will cause diarrhea. I recommend they be kept inside, make sure to put a litter pan down for them and place them in it so they get the idea, since they were reared outside. By bringing them all in you assure they will be safe from dogs and other predators
They, at this age are old enough to be adopted out. Start by asking those you know first (take and show them pictures to them), post a notice in every vets office in the area with a picture of each kitten, don't forget to put your contact number. Also place an ad in the local free ad papers. Don't feel bad about placing a small fee on them, many people are willing to pay a little for a kitten that has been deemed healthy by a vet with first shots given. Lastly contact an animal rescue league and post the kittens with them. Where I rescue small animals, I can post with them and place an adoption fee on the animals to help offset my expenses. Just have a picture and a description of each when you post them.
2007-03-07 08:12:35 · answer #2 · answered by wolfinator25840 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If they are really about 2 months old - then they must have had a mother that was looking after them. They couldn't have survived by themselves that long. It is good that you are taking them though - less stray cats in the world!
They should be old enough to start eating solid food. I would buy some kitten formula (sold at pet stores) and mix with kitten food. Depending on how much they like it, you will add more or less formula to the solid food until they are gradually just eating the solid food - they may just be used to mother's milk, so it may take a couple weeks to adjust to solid food totally. Start looking for wonderful homes to take in the new kittens. Get a free ad on petfinder.com or your local newspaper or call local shelters and see if they have room for some kittens. Kittens this young go pretty quickly, don't worry.
2007-03-07 08:02:24 · answer #3 · answered by babykittycat44 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jessie
Can you possibly afford to take them to the vet to get tested (for leukemia and parasites) and wormed? I know this is a big order, but perhaps a vet will consider your circumstances and give you a big discount; some animal rescue groups will pay for this, too. A kitten that is known to be in good health is a lot easier to adopt out.
As far as food goes, they're plenty old enough to eat on their own. Any of the major brands, like Purina, are good quality. Of course they'd love some canned food as well!
At two months of age, your kittens should be capable of taking care of themselves. Just provide them with a litter box (maybe two, depending on the number of kittens) , food, water, and lots of toys. They may get into a bit of mischief, so you may want to confine them to a bedroom; just make sure you spend lots of time with them to socialize them.
Your friend's Mom might be able to set out food to try and attract the mama cat. She needs help, too, or else the same scenario might happen again and again. If she's feral, she could be live-trapped, spayed, and returned.
Jessie I would suggest placing posters at vet's offices and an ad in the paper offering the kittens for adoption. I would also charge a fee for them, as they're more likely to get good homes. PLEASE don't be afraid to do a detailed interview of any potential adopters; you don't want all your hard work to go for naught. I'm so happy that you have chosen to not turn your back on these helpless babies as so many others might have done. You are truly special and deserve to be commended. Thanks from ALL of us kitty lovers out here! :)
2007-03-07 08:29:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can place classified ads on http://petfinder.com , http://catster.com and Craigslist Pets to find homes. Usually it is recommended that you ask for a small fee to keep away people who should not be taking the animals.
Feed them kitten food. Get a few litter boxes (I'm not sure how many kittens there are, but you'll want more than 1 box). Be prepared for some chaos!
2007-03-07 08:05:17 · answer #5 · answered by Christina 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed them Kitten chow and get litter boxes. You will really need to spend alot of time with them in order to socialize them. It is very unwise to adopt them out unless they have been checked by a vet. Some cats carry diseases that spread easily to other cats so they need a health clearance by a vet because they might end up going to a home with other cats.
2007-03-07 08:02:04 · answer #6 · answered by KathyS 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They would have to get shots at the Vet, which can be $$$. Also if you choose to bring them into the vet check to see if they are old enough to be taken away from the mother. Kittens can't survive without their mother if they are really young. 2month old might be too young, but check just to make sure.
I am trying to put my two dogs up for adaption and it's not easy, but you can't give up. You have young kitten so you can probably bring them to a no kill animal shelter and post up flyers.
good luck
2007-03-07 08:06:08 · answer #7 · answered by Shadow 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I tottaly think that is a great idea! I love the fact that you wanna help poor, helpless,cute,hungry kittens! If I were you I'd keep doing that. That is one thing I would do (saying I am a animal lover and a vet). So keep on doing what you do and soon you'll have a career from just collecting poor,and helpless animals. Email me at chellyfrommars@yahoo.com if you more information on your question!
2007-03-07 07:58:27 · answer #8 · answered by chellyfrommars 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed them wet and dry food. I hope you realize how much work this will entail. You'll have to teach them to use the litter box and stuff. But good for you! I'm the same way, I'll do anything to help an animal
2007-03-07 07:56:32 · answer #9 · answered by gizmo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How about taking the momma cat also. She could help teach the babies. She probably left in search of food for herself, I'm sure she will return to look for her kittens.
Good for you on helping them out!
2007-03-07 07:59:10 · answer #10 · answered by mom of 2 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋