Hi all,
I agreed to 'temporarily' look after my friend's newly adopted 8 week old kittens a few days ago. Friend received some life shattering news the night she brought the kittens home and just didn't feel fit to look after them as well as they deserved. Owner of the mum cat refused to take them back.
There's a chance these guys will be here for anything up to a few weeks to a few months. My friend will decide if she can have them back or if she will be finding a new owner for them.
She's going to be paying for their upkeep and has supplied all the necessities for them.
I've had cats before so sort of know what I'm doing, but never kittens this young.
They don't have fleas and apparently received flea treatment from their old owner (likely rubbish). No worms in their litter tray contents as far as I can see.
Fully weaned and litter tray trained.
Very playful and hyperactive. Lots and lots of play fighting! Then quickly exhausted and mewing to come up onto our laps to be cuddled to sleep.
Okay - so questions:
- little boy cat was reluctant to eat on his first and wasn't using the litter tray (though did explore it and sniff it). We were a bit concerned but now know why! The little girl cat growls at her brother if he comes near the plate. And will scratch me and hiss if i go near it when she's eating. The little boy will only go eat when the girl is finished but looks pretty on edge when he's near the plate (probably expecting his sis to come and swipe him!)
How do i deal with this food aggression in a kitten so little? I've tried putting the food plates in different rooms but the little girl then takes ownership of both plates.
- I'm arranging a vet appointment for them next week and friend wants an idea of cost so i can do a bank transfer. Vets4Pets do a £49 kitten package which includes first round of jabs and flea/worm advice. Is this worth it? What are the absolute necessities they need? Can i get vet/worm preventative stuff myself instead of through the vets (which will be pricey). I'm not sure if the usual stuff is appropriate for kittens.
- When they're in the hyper mode, they treat our toes and fingers like toys! They pounce at them and gently swipe (not anything painful or crazed like they do to each other during play fighting). How can we discourage this? When they are sleepy, they allow us to stroke them just fine and will often purr.
- They seem unable to navigate our downstairs! When we first brought them home, we kept them in the bathroom (which is upstairs) for the day so it wasn't too overwhelming for them. Then we brought them downstairs. We have a living room downstairs and a short narrow hallway that leads to the small kitchen. They keep wandering in to the kitchen and remaining there, plonking themselves down on the washing pile ready to be loaded in to the machine! We keep having to lift them them into the living room where there is a lot more room for them to play and run around. If we don't lift them in, they just mew for us from the kitchen. It's like they don't know how to find us.
Should we continue carrying them in or just let them live happily in the kitchen?
- We live in a fourth floor maisonette. No option for them to be outside. So while they are here with me, they will be indoor kittens. My friend has a lovely big house with a garden in a quiet street - perfect for outdoor cats. Will their initial indoor confinement with me affect their ability to be outdoorsy when they eventually return to my friend?
Thanks so much for any advice. I realise i've asked quite a lot.