Hi cat friends, I’m a long time lurker of this site but finally decided to make my own account.
I recently rescued a stray cat and then found out after that she was pregnant (eek!). The kittens -there’s 5- are now 4 1/2 weeks old. I’ve been taking a lot of advice fromThe Kitten Lady on youtube, and they all seem happy and healthy. The birth was one of the most wonderful things I’ve experienced, and I’m having a blast learning how to be a good caregiver for mom and her babies!
Since they have their molars (at least some of them do, I haven’t been able to check all mouths yet lol) I decided it might be a good time to start offering them canned kitten pate, it’s wellness brand. Mom is currently eating that as well as dry kitten food. The thing is, I’ll set some out for mom and some for the kittens, and mom will eat her serving as well as theirs! I’m thinking maybe she feels as though they’re not ready to wean, but she also hasn’t been teaching them how to use the litter box, and I’ve had to set out puppy pads everywhere to protect my carpet. they just started using the bathroom on their own within the last few days, so maybe I’m just being impatient?
Mom does seem pretty young herself, maybe 18 months, so maybe she doesn’t have this mothering thing down 100% yet. Should I just be patient and trust that she’ll teach them, or should I intervene somehow?
pictured is mom-Milo, and a couple of the babies- Samson (White) and Frannie (spotted).
I recently rescued a stray cat and then found out after that she was pregnant (eek!). The kittens -there’s 5- are now 4 1/2 weeks old. I’ve been taking a lot of advice fromThe Kitten Lady on youtube, and they all seem happy and healthy. The birth was one of the most wonderful things I’ve experienced, and I’m having a blast learning how to be a good caregiver for mom and her babies!
Since they have their molars (at least some of them do, I haven’t been able to check all mouths yet lol) I decided it might be a good time to start offering them canned kitten pate, it’s wellness brand. Mom is currently eating that as well as dry kitten food. The thing is, I’ll set some out for mom and some for the kittens, and mom will eat her serving as well as theirs! I’m thinking maybe she feels as though they’re not ready to wean, but she also hasn’t been teaching them how to use the litter box, and I’ve had to set out puppy pads everywhere to protect my carpet. they just started using the bathroom on their own within the last few days, so maybe I’m just being impatient?
Mom does seem pretty young herself, maybe 18 months, so maybe she doesn’t have this mothering thing down 100% yet. Should I just be patient and trust that she’ll teach them, or should I intervene somehow?
pictured is mom-Milo, and a couple of the babies- Samson (White) and Frannie (spotted).
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