Cat Forum banner
Cancel

Is it all right to remove three week old kittens from mom?

1806 Views 21 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Ioana, 
I
I am referring to the few kitty litters ( I have found 4 originally but after a while the mommas moved them and I can find only two) accross this property. I guess they are all around 3 weeks old since they walk around without wobbling too much. There is a litter very close to the house and I can see they are even following their mom to the food bowl (which is half a meter more or less away) trying to lap.
The ones that are futher away cannot do that because they are either in a trunk of a tree or a very tight enclosure but I saw them moving some as well.
When I found Frosty he was probably the same age weighing less than 11 oz. I gave him KMR formula according to the doctor's suggestions and he did great. The difference would be that Frosty was dewormed while with all these kitties I cannot afford the process.
My intentions are to keep them in a large cage and feed them with the medicine dropper the KMR and then gradually switch to dry food until they will be old enough to be adopted.
I don't want to risk and not be able to find them any more because they will copy their mom's behaviour and run away from me or won't make it on their own.
So - is it too early to go ahead and remove them? Or they still get vital nutrition from their mom's milk I can't provide and I should delay?
Reply
Save
Like
21 - 22 of 22 Posts
Jeanie
Quote:
I am a little disappointed that instead of advice I get mainly critics after having explained that I am only trying to help these kitties to survive
___________________________________________________________
I'm so sorry you feel that way, Ioana. I hold you in great esteem. I don't see any unkind criticism. You asked for advice, and I gave you my opinion, which was not in agreement with you, and Lilly gave you encouragement. I try to be polite with everyone, and to be honest, my heart was breaking. I cannot say one thing and think another. That's hypocrisy. Perhaps I should not have answered your post.

It takes a very long time to gain a feral's trust, but it is not as difficult as caring for that many kittens. I am not unsympathetic to your cause. I know your heart is in the right place. The only other person who might have given you advice was probably Gracie's mom, who has taken care of ferals, I believe.
Reply
Save
Like
I
I didn't say that anybody has been unkind to me - But when I asked specific questions once I have already decided to remove them and explain that it would be impossible to catch them if I waited longer than this I didn't get any answers - but the answer that I already said I knew.
You are right, Jeanie - it is an extremely diffcult task - but if I had let them with their moms they would have had so much less chances of survival. I am heart broken each time I have to burry kitties and it happened a few times before. And I know you understand me.
I don't mean to be unkind either ..I had a little bit of time and came to the forum and see if something helpful had come up in my thread . Maybe I should have specified in the title of my post it has to do with feral cats and it might have made a difference.
Feral cats can be tamed but they all have different personalities and some are more aggressive or shier than the others. In both cases it makes it so much more diffcicult. I have worked at the same level with a group of 4 cats. Two have warmed up to me to the point where I can pick them up for a short while - the other two -one is very shy and the other aggressive.

I hope you will speak your mind each time , Jeanie ..it is your point of view and I value it . As well as I know you undersand the circomstances here made me act this way - as in removing the kitties.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
21 - 22 of 22 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Cat Forum
A forum community dedicated to breeds of cat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeds, training, kittens, food reviews, rescues, and more.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Health and Nutrition Cat Chat Behavior Meet My Kitty Introduce Yourself
Top