5 Little Rescue Kittens
Three weeks ago, five tiny rescue kittens came to stay at our house. They were barely able to walk yet. They could squeal, but they couldn’t meow, or hiss, or purr.
They were just tiny puffballs, only 3 weeks old. They had just lost their mother. Without good kitten care they would not survive.
But they weren’t alone in the world. They were very lucky because our local branch of the SPCA rescued them.
Then the people at the SPCA asked our family to care for the kittens for a month. By then, they will be big enough to be adopted by their forever families.
At first, the kittens ate a lot, played a little and then slept a lot.
With tiny stomachs but very big appetites, they needed to eat seven times a day. That’s what they still do. They have seven meals a day, at 8 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m. and then in the middle of the night at 3 a.m.
The little kittens couldn’t make any of the sounds cats make except squealing. This was usually when they were playing, and one kitten got a little too rough.
When they’re tired, they go to their nest. They feel comforted and safe there. Their nest is a cushion covered by old, soft towels inside a big dog crate.
When they get hungry again, they wake up and come rushing out in a tumble of gray fur, racing to their food bowl. Soon there is a circle of little kittens all around the dish, all face down, gobbling up the food.
Kitten Care – what do they eat?
They eat a mixture of kitten formula and kitten soft food. The kitten formula is powdered kitten milk. It’s full of vitamins, just like their mother’s milk would be if they could have it. The kitten soft food is mostly meat, a lot like soft food for adult cats. These two foods get mixed up together in a little bowl.
All cats like their food to be warm, not cold, so we mix their food with a little bit of just-boiled water and then touch it to be sure it is just warm, not too hot.
Little kittens grow fast!
At first the kittens could barely walk. They staggered around. But very quickly their leg muscles got stronger and they could run. They started learning how to climb and jump.
They didn’t really know how to play yet, but they did know how to play fight with each other. Play fighting doesn’t hurt them. It’s how they learn about how to use their claws and defend themselves.
And right away, without even being shown what to do, they understood what the litter box is for (usually their mother, the queen, would teach them this).
At four weeks old, all the kittens could climb up my legs and settle in my lap when I was working. When you have kittens, you need to wear long pants all the time. Thick jeans work the best. If you don’t, their claws will scratch your bare legs. With tiny claws that are as sharp as needles, the scratches they make can hurt!
Kittens are curious. They’re natural explorers and climbers. They want to be petted when they’re tired from playing. That’s when they’re ready to fall asleep again for one of the many naps they take every day.
Kittens need a lot of sleep for the same reason that children do. Sleep time is when the body does all the work to fight off illness, get stronger and grow.
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When they were five weeks old, all the kittens could run. Crazy chasing games were always happening.
One kitten was very interested in a soft toy, and took it everywhere with her.
Another liked to get to the top of their scratching tower and play king-of-the-castle with everyone else.
And a couple of them thought it was lots of fun to bat their ball and chase it.
They’ve also had their first taste of dry cat food, but they don’t like it very much. Their favourite is still the soft mush of kitten formula and soft food.
A new game they like is exploring all the shoes and boots in the closet.
Now the kittens have their own play house. It is just a cardboard box, turned upside down, with two little doors for them cut on one side. They like to run in and out.
At almost six weeks old their underfur has grown in, making them fluffy and even cuter than they were before. They’ve become much neater eaters, no longer getting food all over their heads when they eat. They are growing so fast that they are nearly twice as big as they were just three weeks ago.
Kitten Care – Daily Tasks
Every day we look closely at each kitten to be sure he or she is still healthy, checking their eyes, ears, nose and bodies. We wash them, much like their mother would wash each one with her rough tongue every day. Of course, we don’t have a queen’s tongue, so we use a facecloth dipped in warm water, but no soap. That would not be good for their skin.
After a wash and rub-down with a towel, they curl up in their nest with two heating rolls. These are just cloth bags filled with beans. These bean-bags are heated for a minute in the microwave and then wrapped in soft old towels. The bean heaters keep the kittens cozy warm and they drift off to sleep.
Soon they’ll be awake again, hungry, wanting their litter box and ready to play. They’re all very bouncy and active for about an hour after they eat, then they all get sleepy and fall asleep in a heap of kitten back in their nest once again.
Kitten Care – learning how to be a pet
These five little kittens don’t have their mother to teach them how to do all the skills cats need, like how to hunt for food. So how do they know they need to pounce? How do they learn hunting skills? How do they know how to use the litter box? Or how to lap up water from their water dish?
It must be that cats have been able to do these things for such a very long time that knowing about these things has become part of what they know when they are born. Just like human babies know how to suck milk and cry, without anyone teaching them how to do it.
If these five little kittens had their mother, she would teach them how to be wild cats. Wild cats must know how to find food, water and warm safe places to live.
Instead, these kittens have people who can’t teach them how to be wild, but can teach them how to be pets. Pets need to know where to find their food dish, water bowl, warm laps to be petted and their own warm nest for sleeping.
People can show young animals most of the things they need to know to be good pets, and that’s what these five little kittens are learning every day in their happy, lively, bouncy and sleepy lives in my writing office.
Soon, they will have learned these lessons about being good pets, and it will be time for them to go back to the SPCA to get ready to go to their new families.
I know these five little kittens will miss their brothers and sisters. And we will miss all of them.
Rescue kittens can be wonderful pets
If you or your family are thinking of getting a rescue kitten or a cat, I urge you to consider adopting from your local SPCA or Humane Society. There are so many wonderful little animals, like these five little kittens, who are hoping you will be their new loving family.
If you do adopt one of these kittens, you will know you are getting a healthy animal who has had loving care. They’ve already learned how to be a wonderful pet.
To help you be a good pet parent, on this page there are some books with information to help you welcome your new FFF – Furry Friend Forever.
There’s always more to learning about being a good pet parent. Don’t stop after you read just one book! Read more, because one book can’t possibly tell you everything there is to know about being a pet parent.
But if you read the books on this page, you’ll know the important points about how to choose your kitten or cat, bring them home, introduce them to other family members including other pets you already have, and help them get used to their new home.
You’ll also learn what to feed them and how much, what foods they need and what foods they should never have and how to protect them from illnesses.
Cats don’t learn the same tricks dogs learn, but cats can learn good pet manners. These books show you how to teach this to your new rescue kitten or cat.
The more you know, the more you and your FFF will enjoy your happy new life together!
