What to do with kittens at night? Or just generally!

[imip]

We have two kittens coming up to three weeks now. They are around 13weeks. They we found abandoned at 2weeks on their own, and were fostered til they had their second injections and we got them.

They are a little nervous but we’ve kept them exposed to our dds (4 11and under). One of our dds are a natural with them, three are a little nervous (2 have ASD). They are all very gentle and love them, just reticent to hold encourage patting while they are resting.

At night time, they were in a cage. We live in an open plan hous, but blocked off a section that was uncarpeted. At night, they have gotten out and run riot through the house. We have put them back into the blocked off bit, but should we be putting them into a bathroom at night. Are we encouraging bad behaviours? Also, they don’t miaow yet. A friend’s kittens (that they are fostering) miaow and rub themselves against anyone’s leg. Ours don’t do that. I’ve put it down to the fact that they haven’t had a mother to guide their development, but I’m questioning whether we are actually doing a shit job at this kitten lark! I want them to feel comfortable and happy. They already have so much love in this family! Any advice, am I getting this all wrong?

I would never cage kittens. Our most recent pair were kept in one room at night (with litter tray provided) for the first week or so while they got used to the incumbent cats (and vice versa). Once that phase was over we gave them free run of the house at night.

Yes, i didn’t want to cage them at night either, though I know that’s what fosters do. But they are almost feral at night, keeping everyone awake, jumping up and down on the girls and I’m wondering if we should contain them. I guess we may need to put them in a bathroom overnight.

Huge cardboard box with cut out holes will keep them tired out during the day until they can go outside!
Then a bed +litter tray in the bathroom at night.
No cage imo.

I'm in a similar situ to you - we have just got 2 kittens, had them almost 4 weeks - one is about 20 weeks and the other about 14 weeks. At night we close the bedroom doors so they can't disturb us and the kids, but we let them roam - it's their house too now, so we want them to know it inside out. Just make sure you close your toilet seat lids all the time, and no open windows they could escape through.

But my god, the stinky poos are killing me - they are crapping on average between them, 7 times a day! We are changing their litter far too often i feel (we chuck the poos as soon as they are in the tray)

How are you finding the feeding? Do they eat much?

Pictures!

Please...!

They mostly calm down when they get a bit older.

My kitten is nearly six months and has been with me since she was six weeks old. After the first couple of nights she slept in my bed, usually in th pillow. She now sleeps under my bed every night. She does wake me through ththe night - sometimes two or three times.

After a while they will settle into a routine and will be easier at night. Tire them out before bed time, and get them into a routine. They won’t sleep right through the night but they will get easier!!

Pictures please

Thank-you! We do try to tire them out, but it doesn’t seem to work. They’ve got so much damn energy! They play in boxes and with ribbons and feathers. They are much too afraid to sleep in our bed. I’d be happy for them to bedhop, but they would rather chase each other around in circles under the bed!

Eating wise, they don’t eat a lot. Maybe 2-3 sachets a day and dry food on offer. One seemed to bully the other a little when eating, but I think we’ve resolved that now! Here’s a pic...

2-3 each?? And dry food?

That’s a lot compared to my little monster. She eats about 40G dry and maybe 100g wet a day.

They are so gorgeous! Our kitten ate 400g of wet a day.

Gorgeous cats! I think this is just kittens tbh. Our last pair were nightmares at night, rampaged round the house pretty much all night despite trying to tire them out. We ended up shutting them downstairs as it was the only way to get any sleep.

We put them in our en suite last night and we all got some sleep! I think this is the way forward, at least until they calm down a little.

I think ours eat approx 200-300g a day. They are small. They tend not to be fans of dry food, not too sure how much they have of that.

I’m really not looking forward to putting up a Christmas tree [santa]

Ah kittens and Christmas trees.Perfect photo opportunity.

You bring a tree into the house so they can climb while being nice and warm.

You then cover the tree in shiny things and baubles that move in interesting ways.

You create the perfect toy for them.

Aw they look like my Daphne when she was a baby. What are their names? I mixed abit if dry into the wet to get her to take it as my vet said they should have abit of both

I know, sash I anticipate needing some of this to get through

Their names are Kiki and Coco. I have 4 dds so now I will be getting all their names confused!

Actually a large crate with a comfy bed, litter tray and scratching post and water is where we keep our kittens- that is the environment they'd been used to for nighttime, so we've carried it on. They go straight in when we need them to and stay all night. They done even use their tray overnight so they are definitely sleeping. Eventually when they are old enough, we'll find a quiet and safe spot in the house to move their bed to and hope they associate it with their long / big sleep.

We have 3 cats, we had them as kittens. They just kinda thunder about the house, leaping over the bed. I used to keep ds’s bedroom door shut.
Now the 5 year old gets into my bed when I get and gets onto the couch when I go to bed. The 2 year olds, come into bed at about midnight and relocate when it gets light.
Kittens are great. And a law unto themselves.

imip

Someone really should start making Xmas trees that are also cat toys.