please help, 6 week old kittens

[VK86]

I have a cat who we adopted last year, we had her checked over from the vet and was assured that if she hadn't shown signs of going into season then she was most likely already spayed.
Fast forward to December and she gives birth to 3 kittens.
She's been a great mum so far, but I have been unable to wean 2 of the kittens and none of them have been to the litter box, they go in and walk around etc but haven't toileted there, no evidence of toilet elsewhere so mum is still stimulating and cleaning them. They're now 6 weeks old and I'm starting to worry that they're not learning about eating and toileting anytime soon. I am putting my house on the market and would be good if I could get them to their proper homes in the next 3 weeks or so.
Also mum cat he starting getting pretty violent with them, she holds them with her paws and bites them, or kicks them with her back paws, the kittens try to fight back but can't, and end up crying until I intervene.

Any tips on weaning/toileting would be greatly received as well as any advice on mum cat's violence?

TIA

[Micah]

Theyre only 6 weeks. Theyre still young.

Not an expert but i thought 10/12 weeks was the best age to go to new homes? They should have the hang by now. I got my 12w kitten and he left his mum without a backward glance, totally litter trained and weaned..

[VK86]

In 3 weeks time they will be 9 weeks and I was aiming for them to move on then,
At the moment one of them will eat solid food, but the other 2 won't even lick it from my finger never mind approach the food dish
According to online guides (I've read a few and advice tends to vary from leaving mum at 8-10 weeks with some recommending 12-14 weeks, but they all say that they should be trying food and starting to use litter tray at 3-5 weeks and 2 of them aren't even slightly interested.
Also worried about mum being violent with them, which is why I was wondering about spectating them.

[isamonster]

Hi there - I'd consult a vet about their development asap. It is your cat's first litter I am guessing, they're not always nice to their kittens but the kicking them away usually comes when they're a bit older. Like little people, kittens don't always make their milestones perfectly. I am sure they'll be fine but I do think 10-12 weeks with mum is a good idea.

[VK86]

Thanks for the reply, I'll give the vet a call this afternoon

[Girlfriend36]

I would think by 6 weeks they should be eating food and using a litter tray so they do sound a little bit behind bless em! I would see what the vet says also get the mum cat booked into be spayed asap!!

[isamonster]

Let us know how you get on... I bred Birman cats for a short while long ago and was lucky to have a lovely vet who helped me enormously. And yes - get her spayed as soon as you can.

[VK86]

Yes, that's another reason I want them weaned so I can get mum cat spayed ASAP, she's getting cabin fever being locked in the house

[isamonster]

You can let them go gradually. So the more advanced one goes first? I'd consult your vet though. She may not have much milk left - she may be fed up - they just need some help from their people sometimes. Good luck

[VK86]

Had a chat with vet, she said because mum is always with them they won't attempt to feed elsewhere, and she's probably getting violent because at this stage she will be getting a bit annoyed by them. So I've to separate mum and babies for a couple of hours each day and try to feed them while she's in another room. I tried to feed them before calling the vet, and 1 are no problem from bowl, 1 ate only from my hand, and the third wouldn't even sniff from my hand.
Then put them all in the litter tray and they started trying to eat the litter so removed them quickly in case they choked.

I plan on removing them gradually, the first to go in 3-4 weeks once she's more fimiliar with litter, the 2nd shortly after provided she's eating, the third is still homeless at this point

[VK86]

Couldn't resist sharing, here are 2 of them

[isamonster]

That all sounds good. Awwwwww, but they're just so lovely. I fostered small kittens for a while too when I was living in France. They are so much fun but so much work if you have to replace the mum totally... I seem to remember making a game of feeding the slow coaches, it is amazing how some are guzzlers and others take a while to get the idea. Keep us posted on how they go...

[isamonster]

Oh and I doubt they'll choke on litter but I totally understand the concern... Do you have something smaller for them to use or are they sharing a litter tray with mum? Curiosity will have them kicking it all over the place in no time. I remember using a small tray like a seed tray when they were small.

[VK86]

They use a small litter tray, mum uses a large covered litter tray which is upstairs as she can't go with an audience

[isamonster]

Hihihi - gotta love a diva...

[VK86]

One kitten has now gone to the litter box and done a poo, felt like a was potty training DC again, DH and I are praising it and telling mum cat how clever her baby is I'm aware I've clearly gone a bit nuts

Funnily enough the one that used the litter box is the same one that's eating

[isamonster]

Well done you! And well done kitten... It is not so different to parenting really but yeah, you'll end up a bit bonkers maybe.

I've been stuck in the Litter Tray today cos my cat is hospitalised. He's an old boy now and the first of my kittens... He's coming back tomorrow thankfully cos i've really missed him.

[VK86]

Sorry to hear that, hope he's feeling better soon

[Wolfiefan]

OMG that black one is seriously lush! How will you find homes? Please don't stick them on gumtree or similar.

[isamonster]

Thanks VK, he'll get spoilt this weekend for sure.

[SquadGoals]

We found 2 4 week old kittens a few months ago and had to hand rear them and teach them how to use the litter tray.

We found that the most advanced one would teach the other - he was normally a day or two behind.

For weaning, we mushed up some wet food with some kitten milk - it was 80% milk at first, gradually decreasing until they were eating full food. One kitten would only eat out of a spoon for the longest time, he's still a bit of a Prince.

[VK86]

Thanks squad, I think I may have to spoon feed the third kitty, 1st and 2nd are now eating quite well. how are your kittens now?

[SquadGoals]

5 months old and complete and utter little shits

I wouldn't be without them. They are very sociable - that's the main thing everyone says - and love to have cuddles.

Because they were hand reared, they will always be super affectionate.

We think we ended up with the biggest and the runt from the litter of 4 - there has always been a sizeable difference between them. The biggest picked up everything straight away, the little one took a while longer. We just tried to feed them little and often, like newborns.

[VK86]

I'm feeding mine (well 2 of them) twice a day on solids but they're still getting milk from mum a few times a day as well. Just need to get the last to eat something now and we'll be well on our way.