Return to Adoptable Animals in Foster
March 22
Three weeks old and still growing. When we walk into the room, Velvet is nursing her kittens, but she quickly jumps up and comes to us. When Velvet walks away, the kittens start to play. They are walking now and even running a little bit, but they are not steady on their feet yet, so they tumble frequently. They now venture out of their nest area and much further into the room, but they return to the nest when it is time to sleep. They roll around and wrestle a lot now, and when they nip each other too hard, we hear a few cries. When Velvet hears a loud cry from one of her kittens, she decides it's time to intervene and lays down in the middle of the group of kittens in front of their bed. The kittens decide it is time to take a break from playing to eat. After eating, a few of the kittens decide it is nap time, and mom settles down and starts cleaning them. At this age, she is still stimulating them to eliminate waste, but the kittens struggle more, and mom has to hold them down to clean them. In another week or so, the kittens will probably be starting to eliminate waste on their own, and litterbox training will begin. Over the next week or two, the foster mom will gradually start to offer the kittens canned kitten food, even placing a tiny amount in each kitten's mouth to give them a taste. Once some of the kittens start to show an interest in the canned food, canned kitten food will be available every day so the kittens can gradually get adapted to solid foods.
We also give the kittens their their first vaccinations today. Because this particular foster mom has many cats of her own and takes in a very high number of fosters throughout the year, the kittens are vaccinated at the youngest possible age because the risk of exposure to viruses is higher in this environment. The kittens are also wormed for the first time today.
The six kittens:
First worming:
The next few weeks will be critical for the kittens' development, as they will learn through mom and their littermates what behaviors are appropriate. Mom's response to their behavior will teach them what is appropriate for play and for social interaction, and they will follow mom's example when learning to use a litter box.