Help Estimate Age Of These Kittens Pls

catcart

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Last year I was feeding a cat and didn't realise another cat was also waltzing in to eat. When I realized I was slow to close up but I eventually did so, months ago. But it was too late, the cat was a female and considered the place a refuge and eventually months after I banished her, 3 weeks ago snuck in 5 kittens which I back then calculated to be 3 weeks old by looking at their teeth and eyes. But hey I could be wrong. I now consider them to be 6 weeks old but am I wrong? This could be very important because I don't want to miscalculate and end up with 3+ month old unplaceable kittens. Thanks for your help

6 weeks
 

golondrina

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I am not an expert but it seems to me that the information you provide isn't sufficiently clear to determine the age of your kittens. I suggest you post their pics.

More experienced members will probably ask you some punctual questions. Good luck and best wishes.
 
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catcart

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I am not an expert but it seems to me that the information you provide isn't sufficiently clear to determine the age of your kittens. I suggest you post their pics.

More experienced members will probably ask you some punctual questions. Good luck and best wishes.

The pics are already in the link below the text it's labelled ''6 weeks''
 

lutece

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I looked at the pictures and that seems like a good enough estimate to me. Are the mom and kittens confined now, so that mom can't get pregnant again right away, and kittens can't disappear?
 
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catcart

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I looked at the pictures and that seems like a good enough estimate to me. Are the mom and kittens confined now, so that mom can't get pregnant again right away, and kittens can't disappear?

I try to confine them as much as possible, I can't have them pooing in my sitting room. The mother cat is an abandoned domestic and whether she gets pregnant or not isn't a problem I can attend to as no one wants adult cats over here.

We'll see if there's a demand for the kittens, there was 2 weeks ago a lot of demand. If not there might be a shelter 50 kilometers away that might take them in, we'll see, this cliffhanger will hopefully see a brighter outcome in a few days.
 

StefanZ

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You want to know if they are old enough to be taken from momma and fostered and or adopted out?
If in doubt, better a week too early than a week too late, as fostering is much easier... For a wanna be rescue-adopter but without fostering experience, its probably easier to do some supplement feeding - as everyone understands a baby needs extra care, than to foster some wild tatars. Running, yelling and shy for you...

That said, as long as the kitten isnt way too young. For an inexperienced and halfhearted wannabe adopter taking care of a not weaned orphan may be too difficult.
So yes, its a fine balance.

If YOU can take them in and foster, and adopt out full fostered as say 10-12 weeks, it would of course be optimal.
 

She's a witch

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It looks like they may have problems with their eyes (I’m guessing herpes?), it should be checked out by the vet and most probably get some eye ointment. At the very least can you wipe the blackish/brownish stuff out with some wet warm cotton pad and keep them warm? Is there any cat rescue organization close by that could help you with them?
 
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catcart

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This week someone found a cat organization willing to take them in and I'm seriously considering it as they're better prepared and I had previously assumed, rightly, from trying to contact orgs, that cats have very poor adoption rates. It took a few days to realize how great it was as I sort of had contacted with people over the internet willing to take them in, but I've concluded that a shelter is a better way for all of us involved for a number of reasons. I was giving them antibiotics and eye ointment this week and their eyes were much worse a few days ago.

Thanks for your suggestions.
 

Willowy

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If the mother sticks around, you're going to want to have her spayed. Otherwise she'll be delivering 2 or 3 litters a year to you, and will you be able to ignore the little guys?

Kittens usually do well at a shelter. Adult cats not so much.

From the pictures, they look older than 6 weeks. Mama cats usually bring their babies to their feeding spot at 5 or 6 weeks (they aren't eating solids at 3 weeks), so if that was 3 weeks ago they're 8 or 9 weeks now.
 
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catcart

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I remember I made the measurement by looking at the teeth, which in accordance to a youtube video instruction manual weren't really developed at all, they didn't have teeth or the necessary teeth that were supposed to pop out at 4 weeks. But I may have made an error there too.


A cat organization has said it'll find the small ones responsible adoption as I certainly can't deal with any of them. And the adult one I think they said they can take her away too, to a cat colony of FeLV if she has that and if she doesn't to a slow process of adoption I assume.
 
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