Kitten's Do Do

crazy cat lady

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Hi,
My son's cat had kitten's approx 3 weeks ago and he was wondering how long the mother cats eats their "do do"? When do the kittens start using the litter box and does the mother teach them where to go.
I sound like an idiot when it comes to kittens, but I have never had a cat give birth before.
Thanks,
Kathy
 

hell603

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Don't worry we are learning every day:

The Second and Third Week:
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At this point the kittens should be able to see and will start to be able to hear. They will start to wander and walk around but will be very
off-balance. Don't worry though, they will get better very quickly. Follow the mother's wishes, but you will probably be able to start handling the kittens. Don't try to overhandle them and if the mother ever gets angry with you for handling her babies too much stop immediately. The kittens
should still be nursing from mom and pretty much getting everything they need from her.

Medically you should talk to your vet about deworming and vaccinations. Many kittens are born with worms and need to be dewormed or else
they will become very sick and can die. Many kittens need several dewormings subsequent to this one so make sure you discuss deworming and a deworming schedule with your vet. The kittens will also need the FVRCP and rabies vaccinations so also be sure to ask your vet for a vaccination schedule as well.

The Fourth and Fifth Week
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Your kittens will be learning to walk fairly well during this time period and can probably start to use a litterbox. Make sure that you have a special
and distinct box for the kittens (smaller and shorter than the mother's); you can keep this box somewhere close to the maternity box. The
mother should teach the kittens how to use the box. Let her do the teaching and just make sure to keep the box very clean.

Let the teething begin! Kittens will start to get their teeth around this time period as well. The mother will not like this new growth while she is
nursing and will thus start to reduce the kittens nursing time. Put some food and water bowls near the maternity box for the kittens. Just make
sure that they aren't directly near the litterbox. You will want to feed the kittens a high quality kitten food (you can feed a combination of wet and
dry at this point). If unsure of exactly what to feed ask your vet what food he recommends for the kittens.

The Sixth and Seventh Week
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By the end of this time period all kittens should be completely weaned and eating food from their bowls. Each kitten should be about a pound in
weight now. Over the course of the next 5 weeks or so you can start adding in less and less moist food to the kittens' food. By the 12th week
they should be eating all dry kitten food.

Kittens and mother will also begin the all important act of playing. Play is very important for proper socialization of the kittens so let them play and explore! Just like a child the more the kittens play and explore the more they will grow mentally and intellectually! Also keep handling the kittens as much as the mother allows. This will help them get used to their human counterpart and become better pets.

The Eight and Ninth Week
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The kittens will continue learning and exploring at this point and will be typical 'kittens' - curious about everything and getting into everything. Allow them to explore, play and make sure to keep handling them as much as the mother allows. You will start to see what the kittens are
going to look like a little better. Their eye color and coats will become very evident at this point, and this will probably be their final eye color and coat color!

The kittens are still learning a lot from their mother and should not be sold or separated from the mother or litter quite yet.

The Tenth to Twelfth Week
=========================
The kittens will now start becoming a little more independent from each other and from mom. They may still need some final vaccinations but once that is taken care of they should be fully vaccinated, healthy and completely socialized. It is at the end of this time period, and only at theend of this time period, that you can consider having the kittens adopted into new homes.
 

sandie

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hell603 gave a really good idea of what to expect. The only thing I can really add to this is that mom needs to be confined in one room with the babies. It is much easier for the babies to learn to use the box by watching mom. If mom goes into another room or the kittens are off playing, it takes them MUCH longer to figure it out. Also, please mention to your son that mom should be spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned. Mom can become pregnant just a few weeks after giving birth.
 
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