Raising Kittens!

[lostbutnotforgot]

Hi, new here on the forum! I'm the (sort of) new owner of two wonderful little orange boy kittens. To make a long story short, we rescued the mother cat (already very pregnant), she had her babies a few days later (3, one stillborn), and my dad is letting me keep the babies (and the mom). The kittens are already about 8-9 weeks (getting that oh-so-important surgery tomorrow with the mom so we don't end up with more cats, goodness knows there's already enough out there).

This is my first time in many years raising a kitten (and the last time I was much younger, so I wouldn't say I did much. I'm 17 now). I have bottle-fed one, but unfortunately he died at about 3 months of a heart murmur (stage 3-4).

My sister has successfully rescued and bottle fed two others, but she raises cats differently than I do, and I prefer my cats to be a little less into roughhousing. I know they're still babies with lots of energy, so it has to be directed someplace, I just rather it not be my hand or sofa. Yes, we have many cat trees and toys for them to play with, so there's really no reason for them to attack (and they don't). My dad doesn't really like cats, so I'd like these two to grow up to be as well mannered as possible. Any tips for raising the little vermin would be greatly appreciated!
(for anyone concerned with the fate of my cats when I go off to college, they will come with me if they can, but if they cannot my parents (mom, actually) will gladly take care of them, so I’m not worried about that)

Here's some pictures of my two (and their mom):

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P5280015.jpg Mother cat, Bon-bon. I cannot remember what her coloring is called, but she's beautiful! She's a young mother also, this was her first (and last!) litter.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P7040053.jpg Pippin, Or Pip for short.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P7070002.jpg Merry.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P7070082.jpg Pippin again.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P7040055.jpg Merry sleeping on a cat tree with toys.

[Don Juan's mom]

I believe Bon-Bon's red spots make her a patched tabby with white trimmings. What sweet red babies! Probably lots of play with "chase" toys (little bobbles and feathers etc. on a string) should help them direct all that energy.

Liz

[kb2yjx]

What a wonderful thing you did to rescue BonBon and her babies!! They are beautiful!!!! I am rather partial to ORANGE!! All the toys that the previous post mentioned are good!!! I have found that kittens also like balls, the ones with small bells in them!!! I am sure that all three cats will give you great pleasure for years to come!!!
PS: Like your Dad, I did NOT like cats!!! Now, I cannot imagine living without them. We have " only " nine!!!

[AbbyMom]

Your kittens / cat are adorable!

Buy some feather teasers at PETsSMART or Petco. Drives kittens wild.

To help keep my energetic ktitens entertained, I bought my kittens a toy at that had a base with something like a dangling feather on a curved wand.

It was battery powdered and it randomly swatted the feather around.

DROVE THOSE KITTIES NUTS! It absolutely kept them busy with little additional effort from me.

[Medusa]

OMG! They're all beautiful, Mom, too. And I love Merry's paws! How adorable! You might want to try a toy called the Cat Dancer. My cats love it, it wears them out and they're less likely to rough house after that. Good luck and bless you for rescuing them all. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT!!!:D The kittens and their mother sure are adorable and I'm glad to hear that they're all getting spayed and neutered.:) We love seeing pictures here so please continue to post as many as you can. I look forward to being able to watch the kittens grow up and their mother become more mature.:)

[KittyGurl]

They are so cute! It was great of you to rescue the mother cat so she will have a home along with her kitten. Great pics by the way and I'm sorry about your one kitten. Have fun with the new kittens!

[Jessika]

The only suggestion I have about raising the kittens... is let mom do the work! She seems to be a wonderful mother so far, so all you need is feed her a rich diet and give her nutrients and she'll pass them on to the babies :)

[WagarCat]

I am with Madusa "Cat Dancers" are the best. We would have to take the "Cat Dancer" away from our little Joxcer, we were afraid he would have a little kitty hart attack. He would come running when we would take it out of hiding, and play for hours. Orange cats are the best; extra affectionate, extra intuitive, and generally extra big. Keep the rough play down and they should not learn to use there claws too much.

[lostbutnotforgot]

Thank you for all the info and the warm welcomes! They're all fixed now, and Bon-bon is separated from her babies for a few days while she recovers (everyone is weened and on solid food, but Merry doesn't like to think that all the time and still wants to suckle). They're pretty good about not using their claws, though I have trimmed them as I don't want them scratching furniture if my dad is in the room. Pip seems to be more of a Siamese, longer, more pointed face, ect. Plus he acts like my cousin's Siamese mix, who kisses for days. Pip also has a slicker coat than Merry, who's a little fluff ball (and also tons more hyper). Merry also has a rounder face. They're becoming so different from each other! Pip is the little rule follower and Merry is my little rebel. I'll be looking to get one of those toys, as it might let me sleep in again. They both come when I call them, something I didn't think cats did! :eek: :D I'm really lucky because they're rather calm little cats and not nearly as destructive as the other kittens we've had.

One mire question though, how do you stop biting? Merry will lick my hand for a while and then bite it (not hard)! Normally I just tap him on the nose and he goes back to licking, but I'm open to more suggestions!

Anyways, here's some more pictures. Not as many as I'd like to post as I'm having some problems with the computer I keep my photos on.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/kittenmerry.jpg
Merry, just a few hours old.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P5280004.jpg
Pippin, just a few hours old.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/NaturalFilly/Cats/P7250021.jpg
Pippin yawning.

[jamarkits]

I have found that just a very soft tap tap tap on the end of their nose to get their attention and tell them, "no bite" works very well. Repetition is the key when training any animal. I have 5 kitties that I've raised from very little kittens, and they are all very well behaved, with the exception of one. (He's VERY spoiled and sprays to get attention.) All you really have to do is be sure you shower them with all the love you have to give them and they will be happy, healthy, well rounded kids! You have done a wonderful thing taking in these three wonderful babies!!! Thank you for giving them such a wonderful home!
Mary

[nancys]

Love all the photos posted below - especially the one of the little orange kitten laying on it's back. How cute is that? :)

[Medusa]

Yes, a light tap on the nose works here. I usually say "be nice" in a soft voice and next thing I know, s/he's licking my hand. That was a long time ago, though. No kittens here any more; they be all grown up now! :p