How to Raise Baby Kittens 2 Weeks Of Age Through 5 Weeks Of Age
By Vicki Stanley Brown
At two weeks of age I became the parent to two baby kittens, if you can call them kittens. I prefer to think of them as simply babies. They were so tiny both because of their age.
Both babies are female. I named them Joli and Molli. Joli is calico with dark blue/gray eyes. Molli is orange/blonde with light crystal blue eyes. I always use names that end with the letter I. This is probably due to my name which ends with the letter I as well, Vicki. Joli and Molli were strays found in my mother's neighborhood. The birth mother is calico and had a litter of 7 babies, as far as we know. She gave birth in a tree and only brought her litter down after their eyes had opened. According to research, kittens eyes open around 2 weeks of age.
I stopped at the Pet store for formula and bottles. Every few hours I fed them. At this age, two weeks old, they really didn't understand the bottle and I squeezed the bottle gently until formula dropped into their mouths encouraging them to drink. They did not like the store-bought formula at all and would not eat. I started to worry about them and decided to just let motherhood take over. They are very similar to a human baby so I would treat them like one. I knew how to take care of a child then I surly could take care of a kitten.
I gave them half/half creamer that I buy for my coffee. It is organic and has no added ingredients. I warmed it up and poured it into the bottles. The kittens loved it and drank right away. I continued to do this for several days until I felt I could introduce the formula again. I added a little formula at first to the creamer and increased it as they were accepting of it.
Each week changes occurred showing me they were growing and becoming actual kittens. When I first brought them home they would stay wherever I placed them with very little movement. They also slept a lot. They even fell asleep while drinking from the bottle.
We turned my bathtub into the nursery. I filled it with baby blankets that they could snuggle with. At this age they are unable to regulate their body temperature and need to be kept warm. At two weeks of age the kittens are trying to focus and pretty much just stare. They don't really react to sounds yet and do not move around very fast. They are just like a human baby.
Our next hurdle was using the bathroom. I had no idea they needed help with this. After feeding them and feeding them without seeing results come out I started getting concerned. I used a cue tip and gently massaged them until I started to see pee. This was a highlight during my day, I was so excited because this signified they were OK. One more step to kittenhood achieved.
We went from ½ of a bottle to them downing an entire baby bottle (4 tbsp) at a time by just over 3 weeks of age. Just like babies, the kittens were having side effects of the formula. One had loose stool and the other constipated. I adjusted the mixture again until I had it agreeable to each.
Now 3 weeks old the kittens are more aware of their surrounding. They notice toys even though they still don't know how to play with them. They are walking around better and only losing their balance a few times compared to taking a few steps and falling over at just under 3 weeks of age. Molli is trying to nurse off my dog Jacki but she is spayed. They have become friends and Jacki has started mothering them. She makes sure they stay in the correct room I put them in and cleans them. She also patrols their bed when Alli, our cat, comes around. This is interesting to watch since my dog has never had a litter.
At just over 4 weeks of age the kittens are now eating solid foods. They eat pieces of cheese and a little lunch meat, turkey. They still drink bottles though.
They have started tearing the nipples apart on the bottles indicating to me they are almost ready to drink from a bowl. I did attempt to give them formula from the bowl but they still snort it and cough. I brought out the spoon and simply poured a drop at a time into their mouths which they did drink. While feeding them bottles, if they attempt to chew on the nipple, I simple remove the bottle from their mouth and re-insert it until they decide to drink.
Several changes have taken place during their fourth week. The kittens are now running around, aware of sounds, learning to climb, and actually playing with toys. Another change that occurred at the just over 4 weeks is learning to scratch the paper after using the bathroom. In the past the kittens would just relieve themselves without really knowing what to do. We used newspaper since they would eat the litter mix too. Last night was the first time that I saw them scratch the paper in trying to hide their waste.
My new babies are almost real kittens now. I miss them needing me but am glad they are perfectly healthy and developing normally.
Thanks for joining me on this out of the ordinary motherhood experience. I currently mother two human children, two tortoises, 2 baby kittens, and a dog. It is very rewarding seeing babies transform into adults. For more about me visit http://www.vickistoughlove.com and check out my other articles on ezine articles.
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