The Miracle of Birth
The gestation period for kittens
is give or take 65 days. When the mother cat is
expecting she wants extra attention and petting. As her tummy grows you can begin to feel the kittens moving and kicking inside, she will love to have her tummy rubbed! About 10 days before expected
delivery she is ready to 'make her nest', and will go to sleep in the nursery.
I make the nursery as comfortable for her as I can. I give her a large comfy birthing box,
lined with baby blankets. Her own scratching post, food & water bowls, and litter pan.
During the day she will come out to spend time with our family, but closer
to the time of delivery she will want to spend more time in her birthing
box, getting ready for the big day.
I have been very lucky to have been present at the birth of every kitten born here so far.
My job is to watch for any problems and to pet and comfort the mother.
I make sure the kittens get out of the sack right away and that the cords are all severed.
It amazes me
that in such a short time, just over two months, that a kitten has become so
well developed. Although they are tiny and their eyes are not open,
they have an acute sense of smell and will immediately crawl and suckle the mother.
Once they have nursed and settled in, I check each kitten over and record their weight.
Birth to 4 weeks
During the first week I check on the kittens often, making sure they are all
kept warm and nursing. I clean the nursery and give them a fresh baby blanket every day.
I make sure they are
gaining weight every day. It is normal for them to have doubled in weight
by the end of the first week.
At around two weeks, they will open their beautiful blue eyes to see the
world for the first time. This is also when they will begin to purr.
Mama cat will finally want to wander out to get some time away from the kittens,
and we get to spend some time grooming and cuddling.
Now they start learning to play.
4 Weeks
So many new things happen at this age.
This is when we begin litter training. We start with the smallest size litter
box, with regular litter, not scoopable at first. One by one, set them in and sometimes
they scratch and go the very first time.
I just keep putting each one in a few times a day until they've all got it down.
Mama helps alot here, as they watch closely at everything she does and imitate her.
Around four weeks the kittens are ready to try some 'real food' for the first time. I set out
a shallow bowl of baby food and dab a little on their mouths. Like litter training, some take to it right
away and lap it up readily.
Others want nothing to do with 'real food' just yet. But soon they'll learn to love it.
Yet another new experience for four week old kittens is their first real bath. Up till
now the mother has cleaned them well enough, but with their learning to use the litterbox by themselves,
learning to lap food from a dish, and being so active in their playtime, mom can't keep up -
so I help out with bath time.
I give a bath every two weeks and also start brushing out their coat every day. They
still have their kitten fluff and don't get tangles, but I do it for practice. By the time
they're grown, they will need to be brushed often and they'll be used to it.
Here is an excellent example of how to bathe a Persian Kitty, Link Here
5 Weeks
Well here we are at five weeks old, already!
And I thought my two kids grew up fast!
Now the kittens are free to roam the 'kitty room'.
The big nursery litter box is moved out
and they easily jump into there and do their business.
They still love to nurse mom and gang up on her whenever she comes by. But are eating more
on their own.
At night everyone still sleeps in the nursery until 6 weeks of age.
6-7 Weeks
At this age they're getting used to eating more and nursing less.
Six weeks is also time for their second bath. No big deal, they've all done this before.
It gets easier every time. After the bath
they each get a thorough grooming. It is very important to start this routine when they're
young and keep it up. As they get older they will tolerate, even enjoy, being bathed and groomed.
This is a great time for a photo shoot, so fluffy and extremely cute at this age. By now
they have thoroughly explored the kitty room and ready to move on to new territory.
7-8 Weeks
By now they should be eating Iams dry kitten food well and using their litter boxes every time.
Ah, but they grow up too fast. Mother cat slowly starts to distance herself, hiding from those little gobblers I guess.
By the end of the eighth week she usually starts to get after them for trying to nurse.
8-12 Weeks
Kittens first checkup and immunization.
If all kittens have been in perfect health up to now, this is the first
time they will have to go to the vet. It is my pleasure to take our new
kittens in for their first checkup. It is always fun to show off our beautiful
new babies.
During these last weeks here at home the kittens grow incredibly fast, gaining a pound or more, their coat thickens
and they start to show their true colors. They are very active at this age, busy exploring every nook of
our house. Very playful too, sometimes even getting the older cats to join in a game of tag.
They become very interested in people and will follow our children around wanting them to play.
Twice a day I give a treat of canned food. They get so excited about it- and race to me
at top speed when I call them.
Going to their new homes . . .
At twelve weeks they will have their second immunization and soon be ready to go to their new homes.
We want to be sure they are using their litterboxes well and of good size and weight before they go, so
usually they are ready just after their second immunization.
Shipping a Kitten on Airlines
Bringing your new kitten home . . .
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