[jjohnston]

Our 8 month old cat just had two kittens this morning, unfortunately one was stillborn, but the other survived. Of course, I am now paranoid about this one. Never been through this before, is there something I should be doing for this kitten?
Wondering if I should move him/her from the corner of my closet (not the most convenient location) so we can watch it and the mother?

Will the mother cat smother the kitten?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.. I know nothing about this (other than this kitten is very cute! :) )

Julie

[run foxy run]

Our 8 month old cat just had two kittens this morning, unfortunately one was stillborn, but the other survived. Of course, I am now paranoid about this one. Never been through this before, is there something I should be doing for this kitten?
Wondering if I should move him/her from the corner of my closet (not the most convenient location) so we can watch it and the mother?

Will the mother cat smother the kitten?

Any advice is greatly appreciated..I know nothing about this (other than this kitten is very cute!! :) )

Julie

My cat was 8mounths to I also need help

[minni]

Hi,

I got my kitty when he was 4 weeks old, and I was paranoid about caring properly for him too. He's probably going to need a bottle for a couple of weeks, then you can start moving him to soft foods. I gave mine a combination of the two for about two weeks, and then he started eating more soft foods, which he does to this day. I tried hard food with him, but he stuck up his nose at it. If you want to train yours to eat it, however, soften it up a little with water to begin with.

Now here's what you may need to do if he doesn't poop right away. Too. If his mother is neglecting him, you may need to get a soft cloth dampened with warm water, and gently rub his rectum with it a few times. Mother cats usually lick their kittens to get them started, and if his mom isn't doing it, you might need to step in. Also, occasionally, take another piece of cloth, wet it again with warm water (not too warm) and stroke his body gently with it. This also simulates the grooming that mother cats normally provide for their kittens.

It's best to get your kitten toilet trained right away. I bought a small litter box, filled it with soft clumping litter, and put him on it every time I even thought he was going to pee. I was lucky... my kitty picked it up within the first day, and has never had an accident. It's instinctive for them to dig in sand anyway, so you are just reinforcing the habit. Make sure you clean their box regularly. The cleaner you keep that box, the cleaner your cat will stay as well.

Lastly, (and this was a very important lesson for me) make sure that you brush him every day. He's little right now, so get a very soft grooming brush, and get him used to it from the get-go. Hairballs can form very quickly, so brush him regularly to get out all the excess hair. Any hair that you are removing is hair that your cat is not eating when he grooms himself. Be very gently when you are brushing, otherwise your cat could develop an aversion to it.

I hope some of this helps you. My cat is the love of my life, as yours may soon be with you. Good luck with him.