Help: Kittens!

Might be worth trying to get the mother wormed in the near future too (will need to check dates of when its safe after birth) you can administer a tablet (crushed in her food) this medication will then work its way into the kittens via the milk and protect them. Worms are NOT good for cats and need to be sorted.

Something else to concider ....
 
With regards to the above: some cats dont like enclosed litter trays as it can make them feel trapped.

Mine hate them, and I am forever sweeping up little they throw all over the place.
 
One thing with the type of litter tray knip has given is to take off the cat flap type thing so there is only a hole as all of the cats I have had haven't had a problem with my enclosed trays but then I don't have a cat flap thing on the front.

As for wet food, the best stuff to give them is raw food with the necessary additives added. But this can be impratical so as I said earlier have a look at the Natural Instincts stuff as this is raw food but with all the additives added, but it has to be kept frozen until you use it.

Alternatively look at Animonda Carny as that is pretty good at 60% raw meat - http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/rafine

Dry food isn't all bad if you go for stuff like Applaws as it is cereal free - http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/applaws

Also it helps keep their teeth in good order.
 
Stelly said:
I might look into that then, what is a good wet food??
Stelly
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Pretty much any wet food is better than dry food, although the big brands of wet food (Whiskas, Felix etc...) aren't overly great.
Strangely, Germany is the place to buy the best food for cats (Link), however Pets at Home and some supermarkets sell food that is better than the big brands. Pet Supermarket and Zoo Plus probably have the best selection. I appreciate that these aren't yours so cost may be a factor. Whatever wet food you are currently using will probably be fine, but brands like Animonda Carny, Feringa, Grau, Lily's Kitchen, Nature's Menu, Smilla and Bozita are all very good. They use good quality ingredients without adding in cereals and fillers, and have a higher % of flavoured meat. Whiskas chicken pouches (for example) contains only 4% chicken meat, the rest of the meat (which will be a max of about 16% of the actual food) can be anything from any other animal from the slaughterhouse.

I buy HiLife from Ocado (also Pets at Home), and I also buy Natures Menu from Pet Supermarket.

If you do get a better quality food, then it is best to move to the new food gradually by mixing in current food with new food so that the cat gets used to it.
 
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Snoopy kicked her litter all over the kitchen floor - so annoying! But I knew that she wouldnt use a covered tray so I got one of these:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/beige-large-litter-tray-by-pets-at-home-81819

It has a lip/edge to it which clips on so its really hard to kick any littler out. They come in loads of sizes so I got a large for Snoopy, cause even tho she only has a little bottom she seemed to make a hell of a lot of mess :/ They do Jumbo size too. Cheap enough to buy on the off chance that she doesn't take to a covered one too :)

Also, keep the other litter tray as the kittens will need something that they can get in and out of with there little short legs!!! EEEEE!! Just had an mental image of kittens little paws and legs and furry little faces and ears and noses and EVERYTHING!!! EEEEEE!

Sorry...

Didn't know that about dry food tbh...a little skeptical about that imo
 
Yeah, mine get a handful of dried james wellbeloved to see them through the night, otherwise it's wet food and a supply of biscuits which they have free access to.
 
TrixiBuG said:
Didn't know that about dry food tbh...a little skeptical about that imo
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I don't want to derail this thread, so this is the last I'll post about the food. I've fed mine of dry food for the last 5 years thinking it was good for them. However, there is a load of info which shows otherwise. What do cats (big and little) eat in the wild. Ours may be domesticated (although sometimes I wonder ;)), but their digestive system hasn't changed. Ultimately, raw food is the best food for them, but if you can't feed them that, then wet food is 2nd best.

Know your cat

Cat Info

Urinary tract health

Why dry food is bad

Does dry food clean the teeth

More about dry food

What's really in pet food

I'm looking forward to some pics and vids with the kitties walking about :).
 
molinari said:
This is a fantastic thread, keep the updates coming :)!
One thing I would say, and I'm no expert, is about feeding them dry food. It really isn't very good for cats, and I've just converted mine from dry to wet food.
An article about the dangers of dry cat food.
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A wee bit of scaremongering there.

There is nothing wrong at all with feeding your cat quality dry food as part of a balanced diet and with access to plenty of water.
 
HummuH1 said:
A wee bit of scaremongering there.

There is nothing wrong at all with feeding your cat quality dry food as part of a balanced diet and with access to plenty of water.
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Cats don't have a high thirst drive so unless you add water to the dry the will rarely drink enough to compensate. Mine get applaws dry in a treat ball (about 5-10 pieces). Also dry has no benefit for their teeth as they don't chew it much, it just shatters so doesn't help much at all.

Better brands of wet food available from pet shops are hi life, purely (but think they've now changed the recipe) natures menu (I think).

Cat food is pretty much a mine field but general consensus is low/no dry, wet is better, raw is best.

The fact your looking after these cats though and are caring about diet etc is amazing as it is!
 
Hey Guys,

Rather big news....

The mother has again moved the kittens, this time into the dog bed that Judy use to use which I set up for her in the first place... some nice comfy towels in it and well out of any draft... better late then never I guess :)

This also means that I can get some better pics since its open and I can acutally see them, not like the box that she picked second time :\

She is still rather dubious of me, she is cleaning herself a little and also napping when I sit with her for a bit... I have started doing this so that she can get use to me but in stark contrast sometimes she will hide in the box and growl as I go passed to fill the food bowl... I suppose it depends on the mood that she is in.

This morning she stayed feeding the kittens without an issue... I get really close to get the food dish moving slowly... its just weird... anyway... mora pics!!!

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The are also starting to move around the basket as well... saw one of them attempt to walk... which is rather cool and they are starting to open their eyes :)

Stelly
 
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To tame the mother, you could try hand feeding her tit bits of fish, then stroking her as she eats.

BEWARE : some cats hate being touched when they eat and will attack you
 
bledd. said:
To tame the mother, you could try hand feeding her tit bits of fish, then stroking her as she eats.

BEWARE : some cats hate being touched when they eat and will attack you
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She will not eat while I'm there... believe me I have tried. I have waited for an hour or so and she just will not do anything like that :)

Stelly
 
knip said:
Yeah, mine get a handful of dried james wellbeloved to see them through the night, otherwise it's wet food and a supply of biscuits which they have free access to.
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TrixiBuG said:
Sorry...

Didn't know that about dry food tbh...a little skeptical about that imo
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We have had problems with dry foods twice with our cats over the years,we do still let them have some dry food but keep a close eye on what they are eating, just a hand full of biscuits a day. It would seem the cat (we had 3 at the time) was only eating the biscuits and developed a urinary blockage and was near death when the symptoms started to show,needed surgery and a special diet for 3 months after. A stressful and expensive ordeal.

Just make sure you know what they are eating when giving dry food, can be difficult with more than one cat.
Also water is not the answer if you see your cat drinking it already dehydrated.
 
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Wazz-1 said:
Just make sure you know what they are eating when giving dry food, can be difficult with more than one cat.
Also water is not the answer if you see your cat drinking it already dehydrated.
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My two are fussy buggers, so they get fed in different places, one is up on the worktop, and the one who gets fed on the worktop doesn't like her brother who is fed on the floors food at all, so I know they are both eating their own wet food. The biscuits get topped up when they run out (few times a week maybe) and like I said they get a handful of James wellbeloved for overnight.

I also feed them bits of chicken and the odd bit of ham at least once a day as well.
 
knip said:
My two are fussy buggers, so they get fed in different places, one is up on the worktop, and the one who gets fed on the worktop doesn't like her brother who is fed on the floors food at all, so I know they are both eating their own wet food. The biscuits get topped up when they run out (few times a week maybe) and like I said they get a handful of James wellbeloved for overnight.

I also feed them bits of chicken and the odd bit of ham at least once a day as well.
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Sounds good, lucky cats, but thats what their there for to be spoilt, and they expect it.
Well mine do!;)
 
bledd. said:
To tame the mother, you could try hand feeding her tit bits of fish, then stroking her as she eats.

BEWARE : some cats hate being touched when they eat and will attack you
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Never found that a problem myself, unlike dogs which can be very protective of their food. Just let her come to you, tempting with food a good one, positive reinforcement, just keep calm and let her relax around you and don't try and force it or you'll only push her away. Either way it's going to take time and patience.

Stelly said:
She will not eat while I'm there... believe me I have tried. I have waited for an hour or so and she just will not do anything like that :)

Stelly
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She sounds more like a feral than a stray, the fact that shes not neutered suggests that also. You don't happen to have farmland nearby by any chance? The kittens are the ones to concentrate then they'll need socialising when old enough if they're not to become like their mother.
 
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