2 new born kittens...

[Persian_White]

Okay this is my story.....

Hi, I don't know anything about raising cats; kittens ((HELP)). You see, my daughters watched the ARISTOCATS Disney movie and now they want cats in our house ((I'm scared of them)), and they are inlove with them. So I went to a Vet, who sold me one of his 3 new born, only 3 weeks old kittens, who hardly walk. So I bought them a male persian_white ((they say this breed is good with kids)).

Anyway, after only 2 days ((TODAY)), he was breaking my heart with his meowing, so I thought maybe he was calling out for his mom or siblings, so that made me feel bad taking him away from his family, so I went back to the Vet and brought his grey sister home with me.

I thought he would be happy and they would play, but NO, he started to scratch and bite her and there they were scratching and biting in the face area!!! I don't understand!!! Why are they doing this??? I thought they would be good together!!!

Now the female ((New Kitten)) who I brought home today, is acting like her brother?!?!?! SHE BIT MY FINGER and her nails are so sharp like her brother's who likes to scratch me all the time !!! WHY is this happening? Why can't they hug, kiss and sleep tight next to eachother??? Why can't they be sweet kittens, like the kittens I read about here in PET_TALK! :(

He follows me everywhere, but she's scared of me!! I'm the only one who feeds her ((1/2 water + 1/2 condensed milk..... I feed them both each 2ml by the injection tube without the needle ofcourse)) and pets them.... my daughters are still young, like -3 years old, so I can't trust them with the kittens.


What should I do now? I don't want them to kill eachother and I don't know if she would get pregnant by her brother in the future, since I ordered another female on the way, which the Vet also says that there both going to be pregnant by him. Is this safe or should they not live all 3 of them together in one ((BIG))cage.

Please help me with any ideas you have for me.... what do kittens like to do, can I feed them kitten food? Everything please.

Seeking Help,
Persian_White
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Piglet]

Hi Persian White, welcome to Pettalk! :)
I was really surprised about your story, a vet who sells 3 week old kittens!!????:confused:
Of all people he/she should know that kittens need their mother much longer! Maybe you should double check with your vet if this is really the right thing to do?

[catland]

Your vet sold you a three week old kitten? I'm sorry, but that sounds like an incredibly irresponsible thing to do unless something happened to the kitten's mother. :confused:

You should be able to get plenty of good advice both here and on other web sited devoted to cats.

Also, (sorry if I'm sounding really harsh here) - but a pet is a huge responsiblilty. They aren't toys and shouldn't be purchased to please a child's whim.

Finally (gosh, I'm on a soap-box now) - if this small kitten is too much to handle, perhaps you could return the little thing, and take your children to an animal shelter where they can adopt an older cat that will be much easier to cope with.

Good luck, sorry if I came across too grouchy, but both your well-being, as well as the kitten's is at stake here.

good luck.

[NoahsMommy]

Welcome to PetTalk!

Here is a good site for teaching you and your kids about kittens and how to take care of them:Kittens (http://www.purina.com/cats/kittens.asp) There are lots of really great sites out there, doing a search on yahoo will bring you up a lot of information.

About the biting and scratching, it is what kittens do. (To each other and to you.) To make them stop, you need to redirect their attention to a toy to "attack".

How are your kids doing with the new kittens?

About the pregnancy thing, kittens cant get pregnant for a while. (especially not at three weeks old) I don't think you'll need to worry about that. If you notice any strange behavior, separate them. You can get them fixed as soon as they are old enough. Once they are older, even at 6 weeks, I would let them have a room in your house (bathroom's work well). A cage may be good for their safety, but they like to explore and need quiet as well. A room will provide both.

We have a kitten at home too who likes to attack hands, but learned really quickly not to when we pulled our hands away and stopped playing. It is amazing how fast they can learn.

If you've been following the Gigi, Scout and Bixby story, you'll see that the kittens will start sleeping and cuddling together. It just takes A LOT of time. Be patient, they'll calm down once they are used to their surroundings.

If you have any questions, post them here. There are a lot of knowledgeable and kind people here that can help.

Take care!

By the way, what are the kittens names?

[Persian_White]

I called the Doctor, ((HE)) said that they are 1 month.

D.O.B = 20-JULY-2002

Their Mom went back to her owners and they didn't want the kittens ((SO SAD)). That's why the Vet has them now... well he has 1 now, cuz I have the other 2.

My kids are fine with the kittens, cuz I used to take them to my friends house, she has 4 kittens ((all 9 months)), but now she left for good. So that's why I bought my own kittens.

By the way, I think I'm falling inlove with them!!!
:eek: They are sooooooo cute!

I seperated them ..... but you know what, I saw them sleep tight together today...... but the boy is so mean, when he wakes up .. he attacked her :mad:

I'm liking the female better.

I also noticed that the boy pees ALOT! How can I train them .. I trained him how to lick his milk of the dish. But the girl is still working on it! So what do you think works?

Thanks for all the advise and the Vet told me how to take care of them etc...... don't worry, he wouldn't clip of their claws yet. he said they're too young for that and they need another month to get a shot and also not to bath them ... is he telling everything right.... or is something missing?


Thanks again ........ your great....... LOVE THE SITE you posted thaaaaank ... that's what I'm starting to feed the kittens!

Thanks!

[moosmom]

I was quite taken aback by the age of the kittens as well. To be honest with you, it sounds like this vet needs his gene pool filtered. What vet would SELL kittens at 3 weeks of age?? Kittens are usually weaned from their mother by the time they are 8-10 weeks old. That precious baby is crying because he's hungry. Go to the pet store and buy a can of milk supplement (KMR is very good) and a nursing bottle (it should be near the milk supplement). You can either buy it alread mixed or in powder form (you mix it with water). Offer the kitten a bottle and see what happens. I'll guarantee you that he'll wolf it down. You need to feed him in an upright position. Once he's finished eating, you need to take a soft cloth and "stimulate" him to poop and pee. Gently rub his bottom with the cloth till you get him to pee (you'll DEFINITELY know when he's done so :eek: That needs to be done everytime you feed him (that's why the mama licks them after they nurse).

He needs to be fed every 2-3 hours.

Make up a box with a towel or old blanket to put the kitty in.

I would definitely report this "vet" to the American Veterinary Association. He sounds like a vet school flunkee to me.

Also...you should not give a cat cow's milk as most cats and kittens are lactose intolerant. A milk supplement like I mentioned above is the best.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[Persian_White]

I did what you told me ... I made 2 seperate sleeping beds for them out of fluffy towels, I wish they would sleep together, cuz they would look cute! Until they stop fighting ((Playing)) :) I learned that just a few minutes ago :)

I'm so sad to say that I can't find that cat milk here .. what do you think I can substitute it with?

Carnation Milk 1/2 + Water 1/2 ?

2ml for now and then gradually increase?

Thanks guys ....... your the best~!

:)

Anyone found names for then .. Let me do my attachment here ... I have 2 seprate pics :)

White a MALE ... The Grey one is the FEMALE :)

[Persian_White]

blue eyes ... I mean CUTE blue eyes :)

[moosmom]

Yes, you can use condensed milk. I'm not sure what the ratio of water to milk is. Kittens always play rough. As long as there is no blood being shed, I wouldn't worry about the male attacking the female. Just make sure you have them fixed before they are 6 months old.

When you say the vet says they're too young to have their nails clipped, did he mean DECLAWED??? If he meant the "D" word, please, I beg you to read this and reconsider having that barbaric procedure done to these precious babies. It's not just clipping the nail, the procedure is actually cutting off the nail at the first knuckle (knuckle, tendon, nerves and all). It is very painful, and they can develop problems later on down the road such as arthritis, litterbox and behavioral problems.

http://www.oaklandspca.org/cats/declawing.html

http://www.catscratching.com/

Also, did the vet say anything about the white kitten being deaf?? It is fairly common for white cats with blue eyes to be deaf. If he IS deaf, this kitten, for his own safety, MUST be kept indoors! I cannot emphasize it enough, because he will have no way to protecting himself should some other creature sneak up on him (coyote, fox, dog, etc.)

The milk formula you came up with should work. A month old is only 4 weeks, which means they should still be on formula. You can give them canned kitten food mixed with the milk formula. Put a newspaper underneath a saucer of it and let them go to town. It's messy but that's how they learn. Make sure they always have fresh water and dry kitten food at all times. Cats are snackers. Unlike dogs, where they eat till they puke, cats will snack all day on dry food.

As far as peeing and litterbox habits, they're a little young but get a small litterbox with CLAY litter to start with. Confine the little ones to a small room with their food, water and litterbox in it. They should get the idea. You can still scoop clay litter, but you'll have to change it alot more often than scoopable because of the urine odor.

The reason for the clay litter is because cats are very clean animals and when grooming themselves after a visit to the litterbox, will lick the litter off their paws and ingest it. If it's clay litter, it won't hurt them. But the clumping stuff, if swallowed, will become a hard mass and can cause alot of problems. Here's another link to explain it.

http://www.catmom.com/marina/articles/clump.html

Good luck Mommy!! You have two beautiful Persians there! One more thing....Please have your babies spayed and neutered the minute they are old enough.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Your kittens are adorable! Unfortunately I don't have much advice on kittens since it's been a long time since I had any, and mine weren't anywhere near that young when I got them either. However, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here on Pet Talk, so just keep asking questions and I'm sure you'll get plenty of answers.

Welcome to Pet Talk, and we hope to see more pictures as your new babies grow!

[NoahsMommy]

They sure are cute!! :D

Where do you live? If you aren't in the US, you can buy the milk online. Try www.petsmart.com or www.petco.com or there is a really great vet site that has the milk: Dr. Foster & Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/sc_view.cfm?siteid=1&pCatId=1945)

You talked about clipping off their claws, kitten don't need to have that done. They need a scratching post to file their claws and to satisfy their need to scratch. They have reasonably priced scratching posts at all pet stores.

Hope this helps. :)

[Persian_White]

That's sooooooooooo harsh!!!

I can't imagine that done on any cat!!!


Just a Trim! they are soooooooo sharp and pointed :(

Thanks for the post on the declaw and the pet stores online :)

YOU GUYS ARE THE GREAT!!!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVISE REALLY :)

[Persian_White]

:)

BAD KITTY ...........

[catland]

They're adorable:D :D

[NoahsMommy]

Gosh, he's so fluffy!!! Cute!!!

I do remember something that may be good for you to know about kitten taken away from their mommies so soon...they don't learn manners! (Unless of course, YOU teach them) My best friend adopted a 4 week old tuxy kitty from the pound who had a severe attitude problem until she got him a friend. He'd attack anything that walked by....and it would really hurt. My friend (who is a HUGE animals rights person) had to declaw him...he was causing her and everyone else a lot of pain. So, make sure you socialize these kittens. I don't think it'll be such a problem for you because you have two of them, but just keep that in mind.

[Miss Meow]

Hi and welcome!

I agree with previous advice to get another vet. Separating kittens so young can lead to social adjustment problems (your babies may be fighting as they're settling into a new hierarchy???)

I think you noted that you're preferring your female kitty at the moment. Just be careful not to show her a lot more attention than him, as your male may get jealous and take it out on her. Go to a pet store or book shop and check out some cat books with a good psychology section - it helps a lot when sorting out normal play and aggression from violence. And will be a great help if you have problems with them using the litter tray, vomiting, eye problems and every other thing that goes wrong with almost everybody's cats!

Get your new vet to provide advice on desexing your kittens at an appropriate age and the signs to watch for when your girl is approaching sexual maturity.

Do you have any cat friends or acquaintances in your area who can drop by and keep an eye on things as well? You've taken on a big responsibility and sometimes just having someone to share things with is a great help. Apart from that, they really are beautiful babies :) Once you're over this hump, you are going to have a loving, playful family that you're going to enjoy for along time to come. Good luck.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to Pet Talk Persian_White. Your kittens are beautiful. I don't have any advice to give you but it looks like you've received a lot already. Good luck and I look forward to seeing more pictures and hearing more stories about your babies. :) Have you named them yet?

Names : how about Sniffy and Snoopy ??

I hope everything goes well with your kittens !!! they are so tiny !!! Follow the advice everybody gave you here , it sounds perfect ii
Success !!http://users.telenet.be/eforum/emoticons4u/animal/1228.gif
http://users.telenet.be/eforum/emoticons4u/animal/002.gif

[lynnestankard]

welcome to pet talk persian_white - your furbabies are ADORABLE. you've had such good advice i won't put my two cents worth in - apart from - perhaps a little soft toy for them to curl up with at bed time would give each of them some comfort. don't forget they will still be missing their mummy.
do you know if the vet wormed them?
best of luck with the gorgeous furbabies.

lynne

[Persian_White]

I named them ........

Male = CATsinova

Female = CleoCATra

:)

[NoahsMommy]

CUTE names!!!!

[Vermontcat]

I just wanted to say I like the names you chose for your tiny kittens, I think someone else here at pettalk even has a cat named Cleocatra too! I hope everything is going well with the little fuzzballs and if you have any questions ask them here, someone will surely answer! It looks like you've already gotten a lot of help.:)

[koxka]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Persian_White


Their Mom went back to her owners and they didn't want the kittens ((SO SAD)). That's why the Vet has them now...

==================================================

Wellcome Persian_White! I hope you enjoy Pettalk as much I do.

Well, I think that is not the vet fault if the kitties has been separeted from their mom too soon,if not the irresponsible people that not fix their cats! And then get ride of it! :mad:

The Vet was kind enough to keep them a found a forever home for them.

It seems that you has got a lot of good advices already. :) Just to share my experience with you I raised our youngest kitty; we got him at 5 weeks old; by formula and is the best thing I could do.Apart from he's double the size of his siblings(a semi-ferals cats in a country) he has grown as a healthy,festy cat.
And just give them both the same share of love.

The best luck to you with the new furbabies.

Koxka

[lovemymaltese]

I've died and gone to kitty heaven, they are precious.