Hey!
I have found two orphaned kittens, their mother is probably dead. I think the mother was a Norwegian Forest Cat.
The kittens are about three weeks old (I have had them for five days) and they can walk quite well.
My big sister and I feed them with a pencil syringe, we have an animal nap bottle but they usually only bite on it so there is no milk (although sometimes it works). They receive infant formula (for the first week).
One has pooped himself once, but they are loose in the stomach all the time.
My dad thinks it’s because they’ve not had food in a while, is that so?
Both weigh about 200 grams, is that a fair weight for them?
We’ll keep one but we’ll have both for now.
When I start school on 21/8, they get lonely sometimes, because I think we should keep both until they get big enough to be alone for about six hours a day.
When are they big enough to be completely alone without each other for six hours?
When can they eat regular cat food, how often and what?
Do I have to vaccinate and deworm the one I have to keep if it is to become an indoor cat?
How do I teach them to go and poop on the litter box?
What kind of bedding is best?
Where to buy cat mint?
What kinds of plants can you have for them to eat?
Hi Andrea!
So nice of you to take good care of the kittens you found.
The mother is probably run over.
This is not an easy task for you. But feeding them with a syringe is good as long as you give them the milk slowly.
Maybe you should talk to a vet if it’s the right food to give them? It may be too strong for their small bellies.
There is a special milk substitute for kittens that breeders usually use. You may be able to ask mom or dad to call a veterinarian where you live or an animal hospital.
They are very small so it is important that they grow and then they must have the right food with the right nutritional content.
Then you wonder if they can be alone when you start school. It will be a long time six hours for such small kittens.
But you might be able to go home on the break or mom or dad might be able to go home and give them some milk.
They soon start eating themselves – maybe at five or six weeks of age – and then you can buy kitten food, it is a special kind of food for kittens that is available in the pet store.
There are several varieties, but I think IAMS is the best. Otherwise there are Whiskas and it is sometimes found in department stores.
You can also give them dry food for kittens and continue with the infant formula until they are six months old or you can replace it with baby gruel, corn gruel is good.
They will probably need it.
Kittens usually breastfeed their mother for quite some time and these are not that big and probably need nutrition for a long time.
You can also give them regular food such as sandwiches, boiled rice and boiled macaroni, boiled eggs, meat, fish and everything you like.
However, you should not give them boiled potatoes or cow’s milk because they can become loose in the stomach.
When you switch to canned cat food, do not give them directly from the refrigerator, but let the food stand in front for a little while approximately five minutes because cold food is not good.
They can become loose in the stomach from it. Do not forget that they should have cold water that should be changed a couple of times a day.
Rinse the bowl thoroughly because there may be food residue in the water and then bacteria will form in the water which can also cause a loose stomach.
When they get bigger, you can leave dry food in front when you are not at home. You wonder how often a kitten should eat.
Yes at least four times a day.
But the cat is a small eater, so if you leave dry food in front, it can eat when it gets hungry. Do not forget water!
Do not leave ordinary food in front for too long.
You wondered when to separate them. If you are going to give one away, it should probably be at least ten weeks.
It becomes difficult to separate them because they are accompanied by each other.
You say one has pooped once. The mother cat usually licks her children in the ass to get the stomach going.
You can dry them with a little damp cotton or a piece of cloth.
Remember that it should be moistened with lukewarm water.
So you wonder if you should vaccinate and deworm.
Yes, I think you should have it examined by a veterinarian and vaccinated.
You wonder when they can go on box.
You can start training them now.
Take a plastic tub that is low in the edge and they can soon climb up by themselves.
When you train them, you can lift them up carefully in the box and preferably when they have slept and eaten.
Cats are clean animals so usually you do not have to do it more than a couple of times so they can do it themselves later.
But some cats may take longer!
There are many different types of cat litter, but the cat likes to scratch in the box, so a litter that can be scratched in is probably best!
Personally, I use Miss Cat, but one downside is that it dusts.
There is also bedding made on recycled paper, which is good because it does not dust but it is not “power-friendly”!
Catnip is usually found in the pet store where you can also buy cat grass seeds and so for your cat they like it!
Common houseplants are usually poisonous to the cat!
You are welcome to contact us again if you have any questions or want to tell us how your cat children are doing. Good luck!