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My First Bottle Baby Foster!
- Thread starter Dinosnores
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- #82
Thanks guys, your support and encouragement really means a lot!
She's started to react more to sounds, she hissed at the sound of me opening the Accel wipes and I just about died laughing. A tiny little toothless hiss, so cute!
The reason I'm so interested in her age is so I can make sure she's developing on track and also prepare for when I'll need to upgrade her enclosure to something more suited to curious kitten exploration. Right now she's in a large plastic cat carrier which has been perfect, but when she starts roaming around I have a large cardboard box that would allow her some space to explore. Then, when she's really gotten the hang of walking and is getting interested in toys and such, I have a large playpen that I'll set up in my living room for her.
Here she is after her most recent feed saying "draw me like one of your French cats".
She's started to react more to sounds, she hissed at the sound of me opening the Accel wipes and I just about died laughing. A tiny little toothless hiss, so cute!
The reason I'm so interested in her age is so I can make sure she's developing on track and also prepare for when I'll need to upgrade her enclosure to something more suited to curious kitten exploration. Right now she's in a large plastic cat carrier which has been perfect, but when she starts roaming around I have a large cardboard box that would allow her some space to explore. Then, when she's really gotten the hang of walking and is getting interested in toys and such, I have a large playpen that I'll set up in my living room for her.
Here she is after her most recent feed saying "draw me like one of your French cats".
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I kept mine in a large dog carrier until they were a little over 3 weeks, then moved them to the playpen. But, they were sick and I needed to keep it contained.
Your idea sounds just fine, except she may climb out of the box. Why not just omit the box and move her directly to the playpen when she starts exploring?
Your idea sounds just fine, except she may climb out of the box. Why not just omit the box and move her directly to the playpen when she starts exploring?
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- #84
kashmir64
True, but the walls of the box are just over a foot high so unless she could dig her claws into the cardboard she'd have a tough time.
I would just move her directly into the playpen but it's pretty big (almost 4 feet in diameter) and I'm afraid she would stray too far from the heating pad and get lost in it. Also, she needs to be totally past the quarantine period since my resident cat would be able to come right up to her and sniff her through the mesh if he wanted. The cardboard box would be a good in-between step while she's learning to walk around.
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- #86
ileen
I actually have pretty small hands! She's just very tiny, I'm wondering if she might have been a runt since she's so small compared to pictures and videos of other 2-week old kittens. We did just hit a milestone, though, 250 grams!
I also found two little poo nuggets in her enclosure which is odd. Sometimes when she poops, there's a little left over that she can't squeeze out and it comes out when I stimulate her during the next feeding or so. This time, she seems to have pooped it out on her own before then. I thought she was way too young to start doing that, maybe it was a fluke. Part of me is glad her stools are on the firm side or that could have been a very messy cleanup.
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- #87
Update time! Astrid is still growing every day, she now clocks in at over 277 grams! She now actively holds her head up and can recognize my voice. If I talk to her, she wakes up and comes crawling over to me for attention. Her little claws keep getting sharper, I don't know how kittens don't shred each other with them. I can't wait until she's old enough for me to trim them, my poor hands are taking a beating during her frantic mealtime paddling. Her fur is also coming in a lot more, she's got some decent fluff now and she's starting to fill out and not look so... runty, haha.
She still sleeps most of the time but sometimes when I peek in at her, she's sitting up next to her stuffie just silently looking around.
She still sleeps most of the time but sometimes when I peek in at her, she's sitting up next to her stuffie just silently looking around.
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Because their skin is very thick. Try poking one with a needle some day, you'll see what I mean.
You can trim the very tips of her nails now.
Try wearing oven mitts when you feed her. She can knead you without causing pain!
Try wearing oven mitts when you feed her. She can knead you without causing pain!
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- #90
Sarthur2
Thanks for the tip, I trimmed her claws and now she doesn't get caught on everything (or me)!
Astrid has officially passed the 300 gram mark! Also, I can see tiny white bumps in her gums, I think her first baby teeth might be starting to try and poke through. She can really walk around now even if she's super wobbly when she does it, and she sticks her little tail straight up in the air like a grown-up cat. So cute!
When do kittens start trying to play with their littermates? She used to only suck on my fingers when I tickled her belly, but now it seems like she might be trying to play-bite (with no teeth, haha). Also, when do they start trying to groom? I brush her with a toothbrush after every meal so she gets the idea, but when will she start trying to lick herself?
I'm so curious what color her eyes are going to be when she gets older. For now, I'm really enjoying these baby blues.
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They start to tussle with litter mates around 3-4 weeks, but interact with them from birth through sharing mom and the nest.
She won't learn to groom herself for awhile yet. You'll see her begin to lick her paws around the time she's weaning.
It sounds like you are really enjoying her!
She won't learn to groom herself for awhile yet. You'll see her begin to lick her paws around the time she's weaning.
It sounds like you are really enjoying her!
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- #92
Astrid is still doing amazing! She's just over 338 grams now and gets cuter every day. I caught her trying to scratch her ear with her back foot, she's never had the motor control to do that before. She now knows my voice very well, if I talk to her she'll wake up from a dead sleep and come tottering over to me. She keeps getting fluffier and fluffier!
Here's her falling asleep while I clean out her carrier.
Here's her falling asleep while I clean out her carrier.
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- #93
It's been a while, but here's an update! Astrid is growing like a weed, she's over 400 grams now and has started trying to clean herself. She actually plays with my hand, trying to pounce on it and bite it (although she still falls over a lot).
I'm concerned about the fact that she's alone with no siblings to learn bite inhibition from and I'm considering calling some of the others fosters in my rescue to see if they have any healthy kittens her age they would be willing to give me so she could have siblings to play with. Is this something that fosters do or is mixing kittens from different litters a bad idea? I'm estimating that she's just under 3 weeks (no teeth yet), is this a good age to try and introduce siblings or should I wait until she's a little older?
I'm concerned about the fact that she's alone with no siblings to learn bite inhibition from and I'm considering calling some of the others fosters in my rescue to see if they have any healthy kittens her age they would be willing to give me so she could have siblings to play with. Is this something that fosters do or is mixing kittens from different litters a bad idea? I'm estimating that she's just under 3 weeks (no teeth yet), is this a good age to try and introduce siblings or should I wait until she's a little older?
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I would wait until she is 8 weeks old to add another kitten. The new kitten should also be 8 weeks old.
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- #95
Sarthur2
But isn't 8 weeks around the time she can start being ready to be adopted? Isn't that too late?
Yes, she can be adopted at 8 weeks. I mistakenly thought you were keeping her and adopting another kitten for her to grow up with.
It's not necessary for her to interact with other kittens right now.
The kittens would need to match her age and size, and you should not take another kitten this age away from its litter and/or mother.
If you feel strongly about this, it would be best to integrate her into another litter.
It's not necessary for her to interact with other kittens right now.
The kittens would need to match her age and size, and you should not take another kitten this age away from its litter and/or mother.
If you feel strongly about this, it would be best to integrate her into another litter.
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- #97
Sarthur2
Oh yes, I'm just fostering her, not keeping. What I was thinking would be to see if any other fosters have single orphans like her or possibly an orphaned pair. I wouldn't dream of taking kittens from a mother or only taking one or two and leaving their siblings.
If it's not possible, it's not possible, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to see if the option is available. Otherwise I'll need to train her myself.
Just FYI, my kittens had each other AND their mom, but still spent months learning all they needed to know.
So if she does not get to interact with other kittens between now and 8 weeks, she'll still have time to learn.
So if she does not get to interact with other kittens between now and 8 weeks, she'll still have time to learn.
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- #99
Sarthur2
Oh, that's a relief. I don't want her to get adopted and then be returned because she has bad behaviors from being an only kitten. I could introduce her to my resident cat eventually, but I definitely want to wait until she's much older (if I even do it at all).
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- #100
Hi everyone! Astrid is still thriving, she's almost a full pound now! She's starting to actually try and play with my hands by standing up tall and trying to lunge and play-bite them. She's also getting better at grooming, now she licks her legs a few times instead of just licking the air near them. I have a question about development - when can I expect her to start wanting to interact with toys? Should I leave a small, kitten-safe toy in her carrier for her to explore?
After I feed her she sometimes gets in a silly play mood, but she also sometimes just gets tired and wants to sleep like usual. I usually snuggle her in a fleece blanket until she falls asleep and then put her back in her carrier on her heating pad. I haven't really been letting her explore me on her own because I'm afraid of her getting cold, when will I be able to let her crawl around on me after feedings without needing to worry? The room temp in my apartment is set at 73, for reference. Essentially, I'm still treating her like a newborn where I only take her out of her carrier to feed and potty her - when should I adjust to taking her out purely for socialization?
Look at those giant paws!
After I feed her she sometimes gets in a silly play mood, but she also sometimes just gets tired and wants to sleep like usual. I usually snuggle her in a fleece blanket until she falls asleep and then put her back in her carrier on her heating pad. I haven't really been letting her explore me on her own because I'm afraid of her getting cold, when will I be able to let her crawl around on me after feedings without needing to worry? The room temp in my apartment is set at 73, for reference. Essentially, I'm still treating her like a newborn where I only take her out of her carrier to feed and potty her - when should I adjust to taking her out purely for socialization?
Look at those giant paws!
