kitten Care

by STEPHANIE BEARD
(ALABAMA)

MY KITTENS ARE ALMOST 5 WEEKS OLD AND THEY ARE STILL SOMEWHAT NURSING..BUT THE MOMMA DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO FEED THEM ANYMORE, I HAVE TO MAKE HER NURSE..IF SHE DOES SHE WON'T DO IT FOR LONG..BUT THEY ARE ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT FOOD AND EATING A LITTLE BIT OF IT..BUT NOT MUCH. WHATS THE YOUNGEST AGE THAT I CAN GIVE THEM AWAY? AND WHEN WILL THEY START USING THE RESTROOM? I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM DO ANYTHING YET AS FOR AS THE BATHROOM WITH OUT MOMS HELP.AND THEY ALSO HAVE ALOT OF FLEAS. WHY CAN'T USE ANY FLEA TREATMENT ON THEM?AND WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF THEM? SORRY I CANT MAKE A DONATION. AND I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN ALL THAT YOU DO HERE!YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED

Answer by Kate
Lets tackle the flea problem first. It is very very important that the fleas are treated on the kittens. kittens can become very ill indeed with fleas because they can become anaemic very quickly and this can be fatal. you will need to find a flea treatment suitable for use on kittens there are some around please see my page about flea treatments here
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/flea-collars.html

As for the nursing and litter training. well at four weeks they will just start to become interested in solid food but will still require mothers milk for a while. the mum cat is probably trying to teach them that they need to eat other food and that is why she is not so cooperative. try offering the kittens some kitten food on your finger until they are able to eat for themselves. the mum cat will let them suckle from time to time.

the mum cat will also teach them about litter training but this can take a while longer. Make sure that there is always a clean litter tray which the kittens are able to easily get into nearby. this will help the mother cat teach her youngsters by demonstration.

i have some pages about kitten care which you may find of interest here
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/kitten-care.html

best wishes Kate

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