It's almost time....

[klsylvester]

For the kittens to start eating solid food and litter training!

I was curious as to when should I start and how to. 

They are coming up on 4 weeks on Tuesday and want to make sure I have the things I need and an idea of how to do it.

I plan on feeding them dry kitten food soaked in KMR, but I know that for bottle feeding you mix 1 tablespoon with 2 tablespoons of water per so many ounces they weight, but if I am using it to soften hard food, does it really matter the ratio of mixing?

Litter training- I have read most to use one of those metal disposable pans filled with kitty litter. So that's what I plan on doing. The only problem is the spot Sophia has them in doesn't really allow for a pan to go in there as well, as well as whenever the kittens are outside of that area, because we take them out and put them on the floor for them to roam for a few minutes at a time, and she freaks out! I don't exactly want to upset her by doing it, but she really wants them to stay where she has them, so what would be that best way to go about this? 

Any tips or advice would be awesome! 

Thanks in advance!!

Here are some updated pictures of the boys! (Sorry about quality they were taken with my phone)

kittens1.jpg

• klsylvester
• Nov 23, 2012

Milo in the front and Melvin in the back

milo.jpg

• klsylvester
• Nov 23, 2012

Milo (Our vet calls him Delta, because he has the delta triangle on his face and calls Melvin Obama, for whatever reason! 

)

Melvin doesn't like close ups! He turns his head every time! 

 

[orientalslave]

Mum should be getting wet food, and if you put it out in shallow dishes the kittens will explore it and start tasting it that way.  There is no need to bottle feed them, and no need to put kibble soaked in milk - it simply goes off.

Same with litter training - they learn by watching mum, but you need to keep them in a fairly small area and make sure there is a litter tray (or two) they can easily get in and out of.  Don't use clumping litter - kittens go through a phase of exploring by eating (like babies) and it's very bad for them.

I would amend where Sophie has them so they can start wandering a bit - by 4 weeks they need to start exploring and have a bit more room to play.  It looks like you have them in a drawer, I would try removing the drawer and substituting a cardboard box where the nest is with a side cut low.

Mum might continue feeding them as long as 12 weeks,

 

[alicemama]

Such handsome boys!!! Getting so big!

 

[klsylvester]

They are in a closet. Not a drawer and we have tried moving them to a different spot and she moves them right back there. The issue with them eating the same wet food she does is that she eats adult canned food not kitten because she won't eat the wet kitten food, so can they have fault wet cat food.

 

[orientalslave]

I really wouldn't worry that much, and you might find that while she won't eat kitten food they will.

Have you tried closing the closet door, having moved them out?  The kittens really should be exploring by now.

 

[klsylvester]

We've tried everything with moving them. They explore quite a bit now but she tends to take them back to that same spot.

 

[orientalslave]

Maybe a closet is different in the US to the UK.  Here it has doors and you can (usually) shut them.

 

[klsylvester]

You can shut these closet doors, but they aren't the type of doors that latch (doesn't have a door knob). I don't know the correct name for the type of doors, but she can open them play playing with them.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Are they bi-fold doors?  I use these to keep my kids out of closets I don't want them in: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=7771&cmSource=Search.  They are very simple to use and fairly inexpensive.  I'm not sure if Walmart carries them or not.

 

[missymotus]

Can you just leave the door open and allow the kittens to wander a bit? If you can contain the area so they're not open to a huge room, but have more space than present she will adjust to them wandering.

Agree with feeding wet over soaked dry, it doesn't have to be kitten wet. Or raw, most kittens find mince meat irresistible. 

 

[klsylvester]

   [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Are they bi-fold doors?[/color]

There we go! Sorry, I worked last night and over tired so I couldn't think of the name of them! 

 I will look into those and see if I can find something, unfortunately Wal-Mart is a 30 to 45 min drive from where I live. So I may look for an alternative.

Can you just leave the door open and allow the kittens to wander a bit? If you can contain the area so they're not open to a huge room, but have more space than present she will adjust to them wandering.

I was thinking about this too. I think what I might do is get those pet pens and make their area bigger, I just think they are way to little to have roam of the whole room. The door is always open so Sophia can go in and out, but we have a board in front of it so the kittens couldn't get out, but I will be taking that board out once I can figure out a way to block of an area off of where they are to roam around and play. 

I was going more to the soaked dry food because I had already talked to the vet about it and that was what he suggested doing first, because I already have dry kitten food because that is what Sophia has access to all day (she also gets fed wet food a few times a day) and I have the KMR because the kittens need to be feed alittle bit because Sophia has mastitis so the vet wanted me to feed them alittle but to make sure we knew they were eating, so I have a huge can of it that is going to be wasted if I don't use it. Plus every few days we give Sophia some. But I wasn't going to keep them on a soaked dry forever, I was just going to start out with it and then go to wet food. 

 

[missymotus]

I was thinking about this too. I think what I might do is get those pet pens and make their area bigger, I just think they are way to little to have roam of the whole room. The door is always open so Sophia can go in and out, but we have a board in front of it so the kittens couldn't get out, but I will be taking that board out once I can figure out a way to block of an area off of where they are to roam around and play. 

I was going more to the soaked dry food because I had already talked to the vet about it and that was what he suggested doing first, because I already have dry kitten food because that is what Sophia has access to all day (she also gets fed wet food a few times a day) and I have the KMR because the kittens need to be feed alittle bit because Sophia has mastitis so the vet wanted me to feed them alittle but to make sure we knew they were eating, so I have a huge can of it that is going to be wasted if I don't use it. Plus every few days we give Sophia some. But I wasn't going to keep them on a soaked dry forever, I was just going to start out with it and then go to wet food. 

I pen all my litters until they are litter trained, they've got plenty of space to play, roam and wrestle but not enough so they're peeing all over the house. Being contained makes litter training a breeze. By about 6 weeks they can have a larger space as they're big enough to get back to their litter when needed.

Wet or raw is easier to start on than dry, sorry to hear she's had mastitis, raising kittens isn't all fun and games like many think. A local shelter may accept the formula, but perhaps not as it's open, you could ask though. 

 

[klsylvester]

I was going to see if the vet would take it. They rescue animals as well there and they use it too.

That will probably be the plan is to pen them till they are litter train. Thanks for the tips!

 

[catapault]

A simple hook and eye latch, available at any hardware store, will work to keep doors securely closed from investigating cats.

 

[eb24]

Sorry I'm sort of confused on the closet situation. Is there not enough room in there for them to get out of their kittening box and walk around a bit? 

I'm also confused about what kind of kittening pen you are talking about. I have only seen two kinds- ones with a zipper top that are way too shallow for Sophia to be in there too, and ones that look like a human baby playpen. With the latter, my concern is that Sophia is still going to be frantic to move them, but now she will have to try and jump over the sides with a kitten in her mouth and that can lead to some serious injuries pretty quickly. But, perhaps I have the wrong visual.....

Like MM I pen until they are litter trained, but that's in a fully covered crate. If that isn't an option and the closet isn't big enough for them to roam around in then it's time for more creative solutions. Maybe get a couple of pieces of wood and screw them together around the outside of the closet door- this would be like a makeshift pen that they can't climb out of (yet) but Sophia can and it still gives her access to her precious closet. I'm thinking about 6-8 inches high. That's sort of what I ended up doing so I am attaching some pictures- maybe it will get the creative juices flowing. 

If nothing else works, I think their need to explore and grow outweighs the need to make sure they have zero accidents. If you block off all the hiding places in the room and put down multiple boxes I feel like they would be fine- Just watch them closely at first. 

I would also advise against the KMR soaked dry food. I know it sucks to let it go to waste but it spoils really quickly and can grow bacteria really quickly. They will start mimicking Sophia with eating and once they do put down their own plate of wet kitten food for them. Keep the dry out too- they will start picking at it (or at least just sticking their heads in the bowl) when they are ready. 

Alright: here are some pics of what is lovingly referred to as "cat-atraz." You by no means have to go this elaborate (I needed a more permanent solution and my talented yet bored brother got a little carried away at home depot). But, it might give you some ideas! It cost about $30 bucks and only took about 3 hours to build. Oh, and this was just before a new foster came to stay so it looks all nice and pristine. I assure you that's not the norm- Usually it's a toy minefield! 

IMG_0816.jpg

• eb24
• Nov 24, 2012

So we built a piece of wood between the bed and the dresser and cut a door into it. The Mom can either jump on the bed and down the other side or, with the door open just hop on out. The piece underneath the door is about 6 inches high- even with the door open it will contain kittens until about 6 weeks, unless they are really, really determined! 

IMG_0818.jpg

• eb24
• Nov 24, 2012

The cage is used as a "nest" but the door is open during the day so Mom can go wherever she wants. 

IMG_0821.jpg

• eb24
• Nov 24, 2012

It's not a huge space but is just perfect for kittens up till 6-7 weeks. It's enough room for them to run and romp but small enough that it's easy to litter train them! 

I'm sure with one afternoon and a little creativity you can think of something! 

 

[gibbly]

they're getting so big!

 

I agree that at this age they should start out eating canned food, even a bit of raw would be better for them, a kitten knows what it's body needs, and most take to canned food or raw straight away.

as far as waddling around goes, they'll get there, at 4 weeks old, they aren't ready to leave the den yet, and momma knows it, Emry did the same thing when hers were four weeks old (how long ago, that seems!) until eventually day by day they started exploring farther and farther, even by 6 weeks, Emry wasn't exactly ok with them running around, but there was nothing she could do about it, they were like a tiny kitten stampede, charging this way and that (and still are

)

 

[klsylvester]

kittybox.jpg

• klsylvester
• Nov 25, 2012

This is what we ended up doing, the sides are 7 1/2 inches, and has a small lip to help keep them down till they start jumping, its big enough that we can put her litter box and their little litter box and we are going to start feeding her in there. 

I think once I see them nibbling off her wet food, I will start putting down kitten wet food, I know she won't eat it, but maybe they will. 

You can't see the closet the door because we took it down to give them more room. 

 

[eb24]

Go girl this is perfect!!!!! Well done! 

 

[klsylvester]

That's what I meant by "pen" sorry for the confusion!!! 

 

[alicemama]

That looks great!!