Houston, we have pooping

Today, I managed to get all three kittens to poop… multiple times, even.  I feel so accomplished—now if I can just get them to poop out golden eggs we’ll be all set.  I did another weigh-in this afternoon and everyone had gained weight—everything from three-fifths of an ounce to four-fifths of an ounce.  Combined with the fact they’re all peeing, pooping, and are active, I think that’s a good sign.  The little white one is a screecher, and seems to always be bitching about something—I think he’s going to grow up to be an uptight gay male cat who owns a lot of expensive antiques and designer furniture.  The black male cat is more laid back but pushy, and he’s so strong that I can see how he ended up being the largest so far.  I’m sure he just kicked his siblings out of the way when he wanted milk from his Mom.  The third cat, the one with beautiful black stripes, is a female and seems to be a lovebug.  She enjoys eating, and will fall asleep with the bottle in her mouth.  She also seems to be purring, and likes having a little head scratch.  I’m trying to handle them as much as I can when they’re awake and being fed (softly rubbing their feet and their tummies, for example), so hopefully they’ll eventually think people are a good thing.  Flippy came in to help babysit as I did the feeding this afternoon and was amazed at how active and fast they are… turn your back for a second and they’re getting tangled up and into trouble.  Three is a handful… I can’t imagine having to care for a regular-sized litter.

Luckily, I had a copy of the book The Guide to Handraising Kittens on my bookshelf, so I’ve been able to read it as an overview of what to expect.  It made me a little less paranoid about adhering to feeding every two hours, and I try to be a bit flexible about feeding times depending on whether or not the kittens are sleeping.  The author, Susan Easterly, recommends dividing the feedings into 6 per day for a four ounce kitten, and at the vet’s office they were saying about 12 feedings per day, so I think I’m about halfway in-between the two.  The kittens are definitely eating the amount they’re supposed to, so I think we’re on the right track.  Can anyone tell me how I get them to use a litterbox when the time arrives?  I’ve read they’ll be ready for the litterbox at about 4 weeks of age, but they don’t have a parent to set a good example.  If I just give them access to a very shallow litter tray (like a rectangular plastic Rubbermaid lid or similar), will they instinctively know what to do?

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 12/16 at 07:30 PM

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  1. I’m not an expert or whatever, I’m just sharing my one and only experience -

    Toby probably knew how to use the litterbox when we got him, but Satchel didn’t.  I tried teaching Satchel myself by putting him in the litterbox and stimulating his poopoo area with an old cloth after a big meal, and by using his hands to scratch the sand.  Well, it sounds really silly so it’s no surprise that it didn’t work.  The only thing that worked was when he watched Toby do it a couple of times.  Even then, he didn’t know how to cover his poop, and Toby always had to cover it for him.  Also, he would still go back to pooing in unconventional places (like my closet) although it was more of a “well I’m already sitting here and it will take a lot of effort to go to the garage, so I might as well do it here” thing.

    Posted by celine  on  12/17  at  03:24 AM

  2. Sorry don’t have any ideas on how to teach a kitten to use the litter box.. but bless you for taking care of these wee babies.

    I tried doing a Google search with “teach kitten to use litter box”.  There were quite a few responses. I think the ones from rescue organizations might be your best bet.

    Posted by Simply Coll  on  12/17  at  12:30 PM

  3. If you just keep a shallow pan of clay litter out for them they’ll use it. Watch out for them eating litter. If they do, replace it with paper litter. They often cry when they want to urinate or defecate when running around playing so if you hear them squall, grab them quick and put them in the box. I’ve never had any problem with kittens learning to use litter, unless they’ve gotten too far from the box.

    Posted by Susan  on  12/17  at  04:15 PM

  4. Thanks for all the helpful hints (except for you, Celine, as you seem to just want me to raise cats who poop in the closet :-P ).  I’m still a few weeks away from the litterbox issue, but I like to plan ahead.  I’ll keep Susan’s suggestions in mind, and do some extra reading as well.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  12/17  at  11:08 PM
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