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5. Groom your kittens with a warm, wet washcloth and help them to empty their bladders and their bowels.
Young kittens are unable to empty their bladders or move their bowels, so you'll have to help them. Use a warm, wet washcloth and wipe under their tails until they have emptied their bladders and/or moved their bowels. Be prepared to use as many as four washcloths for each kitten. If they only have to empty their bladders, you won't need that many. If they have to empty their bowels, look out -- it could get messy! Smaller washcloths that you can wring out with one hand while you hold onto a squirming kitten with
other work best. I put washcloths in a pail of warm water and put pail where I can reach it easily.
Young kittens also do not know how to groom themselves, and after a day or two of eating kitten formula, they become sticky from formula that inevitably dribbles down their chins. From time to time, use a warm, wet washcloth to wipe off formula, but be careful not to get kittens TOO wet or it will be hard for them to stay warm.
6. Provide a litter pan when they're four weeks old.
Cats have a strong instinct to use material that they can scratch around in when they have to empty their bladders and move their bowels. By time kittens are four weeks old, they will already be thinking in this direction and providing them with a litter pan will help them get idea. You might still have to assist them with a washcloth for a while, but it won't be long before they are using litter pan.
Kitty litter in an aluminum pie plate works well to start out. As kittens grow bigger, use a bigger container for a litter box.
7. Start feeding solid food when kittens are about six weeks old.
When your kittens have gotten their teeth, you can start thinking about feeding them solid food. If you want to feed dry food, a good quality kitten chow will work fine. Kitten chow has all of nutrients and protein that they need to keep growing. Kitten chow also is made in tiny kitten-bite-sized pieces. To tempt their appetites and to give them a "treat," you can also try a little canned kitty food. Be sure to provide fresh water for your kittens to drink, as well. And until kittens are eating solid food regularly, supplement their caloric intake with kitten formula. By this time, you won't have to feed them with a syringe. You can put formula into a small saucer, and once they discover where it is and what it is, they will drink by themselves.
8. Be prepared to be surprised and amazed.
Kittens grow very quickly, and on some days, you will think they are growing right before your very eyes.
Kittens get their eyes open when they're about 10 days old.
They will start purring when they are as young as 6 days old.
Kittens will start other "kitty behaviors" such as shaking their heads, attempting to groom and lifting a hind food to scratch behind their ears when they are between two to three weeks old.
Young kittens will sometimes get hiccups (!) while you are feeding them.
Young kittens are like baby humans, in a way. Their days consist of eating, sleeping and emptying their bowels and bladders. After kittens have gotten enough to eat and have had their bodily functions taken care of, when you put them back in "nest," they will sleep or rest quietly until you are ready to feed them again. If they are restless and crying and meowing, they might need a little more to eat, or they might have to empty their bladders or move their bowels, or they might feel cold.
As kittens grow older, they will have longer periods of being awake and will eventually start playing with each other.
By time kittens are four weeks old, you will most likely have to move them into a bigger box, if not sooner, because first one will be too small and they will know how to get out on their own!
If you have any questions concerning raising of orphaned kittens, you can e-mail me at bigpines@ruralroute2.com
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* and *Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories).* She is working on her next book *Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam.* You are invited to order a book from Rural Route 2. You are also invited to sign up for LeAnn's FREE! monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News. Visit — http://ruralroute2.com
