Kitten Growth Chart — Four-Week-Old Kittens

July 8, 2015February 4, 2016spotthekitty123

Four-week-old kittens have fully developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing, but they are still very uncoordinated. Their teeth are starting to come in, so when you play with your four-week-old kittens, make sure you don’t play nibbling-on-the-human games, or they might become a habit (and poke tiny holes in your person!)

By the time our kittens reach four weeks, they are doing everything an adult cat does:

Good morning! Is it time for a kitteny day of doing stuff?

At four weeks old, Ben is learning the art of drinking water out of a bowl

At four weeks old, Ben demonstrates his newly discovered skill of drinking water out of a bowl.

Four-week-old kittens eating kitten kibble out of a saucer while their mom supervises. Don't be fooled: Libby tried her hardest to get at that delicious kitten kibble!

Four-week-old kittens can eat kitten kibble out of a saucer under the supervision of their mom. Don’t be fooled: Libby tried her hardest to get at that delicious kitten kibble!

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Kittens this age are excited to nom kitten kibble, but they still need their mommy’s milk to grow and thrive. If you are hand-rearing kittens, keep bottle feeding them for a couple more weeks to supplement the kitten kibble. Don’t give kittens adult cat food, cow milk or other dairy products, or bread or other carbohydrate-rich foods. Kittens can eat tinned food, but kitten kibble is probably best.

The kittens escaped from kitten play land while we were at work, and we searched everywhere for them. We were convinced they had been stolen until we found them safe and sound hiding behind the bed.

This is how the kittens escaped from kitten play land: clawed their way onto the bed, and then down via the laundry hamper. Johnny stops for a rest.

At three and a half weeks old, Sue is the first kitten to do a poopie in the litter.

If your kittens are starting to explore the house, you need to kitten-proof: make sure cables and cords are wrapped up and out of reach. Put plants on high shelves. Make sure garbage cans have tops that close. Kittens love to climb, so if your decorations might be dangers, you should consider putting them away until you have re-homed the kittens (or they stop scaling your shelving units like little fluffy mountaineers!)

Playing and having a kitteny time in kitty play land

Four weeks old and big enough to watch TV with the humans.

Johnny at four weeks leaves the kitten play room to visit with Lance, whom she is still nervous of, though Lance seems to have taken no notice of the kitten

Though she’s big enough to hang out with the humans, she’s still quite nervous of Lance. Lance, however, seems to have taken no notice of the kitten.

Annnd… pooped out after a long day of kittening!

Although the kittens are exploring all the nuances of catting, they still need their mommy! She teaches them how to cat professionally.

For the next several weeks, you should spend as much time with your kittens as possible, and invite lots of people over to play with them. This is the age to socialize your kittens so they will grow up to be friendly pets. If you have other animals living in your house, they can be introduced to the kittens now. Also, tiny children and the elderly.

Kitten Growth Chart — One-Week-Old Kittens

June 13, 2015June 14, 2015spotthekitty123

Ben was already establishing herself as the most cuddly and protested at being taken away from her mummy for the photo.

Johnny was the first to open her eyes.

Sue was very alert already

Reed’s little mustache is starting to be more pronounced

In the first week, our kittens’ eyes started to open. Johnny was first; her left eye started to open when she was three days old. By one week they all had their eyes at least part way open.

But when kittens’ eyes first open, they are very sensitive to light. At this stage, it is important that you make sure there are no bright lights directed at the kittens’ faces. Also, the kittens still can’t see very well and rely on their sense of smell still to find their mummy and their favourite nipple at lunch time.

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The colour for all newborn eyes is gray or blue, because the melanin that gives them colour pigment hasn’t developed yet. You will find out what colour your kittens’ eyes are when they are six to eight weeks old.

During the first week, the kittens’ umbilical cords will begin to fall off. Remember not to pull them off as a kitten can easily get an umbilical hernia, which will require surgery to repair when she is older.

The mother is probably licking the babies a lot. She does this to keep them clean, of course, and to stimulate their digestive systems. The dedicated mother cat actually stimulates urination and defecation and eats what comes out. And your mom complained about changing your diaper! If you are hand-raising a kitten, you need to wipe him with a soft, absorbent towel every few hours to help him pee and poo.

The mother cat also cuddles the kittens and keeps them warm all day and all night. She probably only leaves the box to get food and water and to visit the litter. She will appreciate a lot of attention from you. If you are hand-rearing a kitten, you should keep her with you at all times, preferably holding her in your hands. There is no substitute for a mother’s love!

Be careful when handling your baby kittens, because their little claws are very sharp and they are not able to retract them yet. Also, make sure they are not getting their claws caught in their bedding. Some kinds of fabric are like velcro to kitten claws!

One-week-old kittens are double their birth weight. It’s incredible how fast they grow! By now they probably have fat little tummies, too.

Join us next week for an update on two-week-old kittens!

Libby is so happy when we come into her room, she rolls onto her back so we can scritch her tummy. Poor kittens get rolled all over the place!

Kitten Growth Chart – Newborn Kittens

May 31, 2015February 4, 2016spotthekitty123

So now you have a tiny litter of perfect little miniature cats. Well, maybe not perfect yet.

At birth, the kittens’ eyes are sealed closed because they have not finished developing yet, and the ears are also sealed on the inside. The kitten relies on its sense of smell to find one of its mother’s teats and get suckling.

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This is Reed on her first day out.

Each kitten will recognize its own smell on the first teat it uses, and so each of the kittens in a litter will end up with its own teat. Mother cats have eight teats. Sometimes if the litter is not very big, the unused teats will “dry up” or stop producing milk. If the litter is too big (more than eight babies), the runt might not get to feed very frequently as it will not have a teat of its own.

Cats don’t seem to be able to count, which if you’re a newborn kitten can be a pro or a con.

Pro: Quite often, a new mother cat will adopt kittens from another litter. If two cats give birth at roughly the same time and one mum has too many while the other does not have enough (in terms of kitten to teat ratio), you can transfer the ‘extras’ from the overloaded mum to the other mum. She probably won’t even notice an extra kitten or two. Baker and Lance’s friend Scribbles tells us of a case where a new mother cat rejected her entire litter (Baker supports her in this decision, saying kittens are noisy, smelly, and little attention stealers, and he doesn’t believe in them). According to Scribbles, another mother cat in the house had enough love to go around and ended up raising both litters herself.

Con: Usually within a week of giving birth, a mother cat’s instincts tell her it’s time to move the babies. The birthing area can be quite smelly and in the wild the smell will give away the litter’s location to predators. So a move seems like a good idea to most cats. However, since she can’t count, a mama cat is quite likely to leave one of her little ones behind in the move. If you happen to come home one day and find one poor solitary kitten crying by himself in the birthing box, quite likely this is what happened. If the mother cat hears him crying, she’ll go back for him, but if she’s moved to an entirely different location, as in the case of a feral stray cat who birthed three kittens in an abandoned car in our neighgbour’s yard and then subsequently moved two of them to under our porch, you can help out by relocating the forgotten kitten yourself. If you’re dealing with a stray, there is a possibility she will reject a kitten who smells like human, so wear clean gloves to do the move, and try to placate the mum with a nice offering of tuna or tinned cat food.

Here’s a close-up of the four babies suckling. It’s their first meal!

When your kittens are newborns, they are unable to regulate their own body heat and need to huddle together for warmth. After the mum has settled down from the delivery and is comfortable leaving the box for food or water, you can change the bedding so the babies don’t have to lie in their own… shall we say… well, you get the picture. If you have a very small litter, you might want to provide them with a heat lamp, too.

Here are Libby’s newborn babies, cuddling together for warmth in the birthing box as Libby gets something to eat.

If your mother cat knows you, you can start handling the newborn kittens immediately, but only for a few moments at a time. They are very weak at this stage so be sure to support them fully when you pick them up, and keep them warm in your hands.

The mother will take care of all the newborn kittens’ needs: feeding, toileting, cleaning, and loving, so as the human in the family, you do not need to do anything yet. Just keep an eye on things and if your mother cat or any of the kittens seem uncomfortable in any way, or if one or more kittens do not suckle, take the whole family to the vet. Especially check your mother cat’s vaginal area for chronic bleeding, discharge, or bad smell. If any of these symptoms are present, take her to the vet.

Kitten Growth Chart — Labour and Delivery Day

May 20, 2015February 4, 2016spotthekitty123

Kitty Delivery

As your kitty is getting close to her delivery day, she is sharing her excitement with you by being extra affectionate. Lots of lap-sitting, purring, and following you around. She might also get more vocal. Just go with it. She will need your love and reassurance, and she is not going to shout obscenities at you like your mother probably did at your dad, so this delivery is something to look forward to.

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Here Libby proudly shows off her newborn kittens. There are four of them. The fourth one is playing Spot the Kitty. Can you find her?

Make sure she has a comfortable place to deliver her kittens. If you build a kittening box for her, you should cut a doorway that is low enough for her to get in and out easily but not low enough for kittens to climb out. About three inches from the floor is a good kittening-box door height. The delivery process is messy, so make sure you line the bed with old t-shirts or towels that you don’t mind throwing away. Wash them with natural detergent first to get any scents out of them, and don’t use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. Your cat won’t want to deliver her babies in a nest that smells of perfume or other animals, and a strong scent can also confuse the new kittens and prevent them from finding their mother’s nommy nipples.

As you get close to delivery day, take your pregnant cat to the vet. The vet will make sure that the pregnancy is progressing nicely and give you some advice for the delivery. If your cat has any health problems, tell your vet so she can advise you how best to proceed.

Most vet-grade pet food companies will produce a “mother and kitten” cat food. This is the best for your mommy cat’s health and the health of the growing kittens, and you should start to feed it to her about half-way through her pregnancy.

If you work full time or go to school, you might not be present for delivery day. I checked Libby every day when I got home from work and sat with her all day Saturday when she was supposed to be getting close to her delivery day, but nothing. Then on Sunday morning I checked on her to find her in her kittening box with a litter of four clean, fluffy kittens having their breakfast.

Libby was lucky, but not all cats have the natural instincts for giving birth or caring for their new kittens, especially if it is their first time. Also, some cats might develop medical problems or complications. Keep a close eye on your kitty as you get close to her delivery day, and if you notice any vaginal discharge or signs of illness, take her back to the vet.

Here’s a close-up of the four babies suckling. It’s their first meal!

Labour

You will notice your cat is going into labour when she:

Starts pacing around the house
Pants, meows or purrs more loudly than usual
Licks herself a lot more than usual, especially in the vaginal area
Stops eating
Hides
Vomits

Labour can last for up to 24 hours. If it seems to be going on for too long, or if your kitty starts to bleed before giving birth, take her to the vet.

Preparing for Delivery

If you are present for your kitty’s big day, there are a few things you should be ready to help with.

First, as well as a box, get a few things prepared:
- a very soft washcloth, in case you need to help her clean off her kittens
- your vet’s number in case you need advice or have a problem during the birth
- your cat carrier, in case you need to rush your cat to the vet
- a kitten bottle and kitten formula, in case you need to help her feed the kittens
Wash your hands thoroughly and remove any sharp jewelry, just in case you need to help.
Stay nearby so you can keep an eye on proceedings and reassure your cat, but don’t hover.

Cats have contractions just as humans do. You will know a kitten is coming when the contractions are about two or three minutes apart.

You should see the amniotic sac come out; it looks like a thin, clear sac filled with fluid. The kitten will be inside. Kittens usually come out head first or rear paws first. Kittens are born one at a time with twenty to thirty minutes between each kitten. Each kitten is followed by a placenta.

Once a kitten emerges, your cat should lick the amniotic sac and fluid off the kitten’s face, which stimulates breathing. You might hear the kitten make tiny mews. Your cat will likely eat the placenta and lick the rest of the amniotic sac off the kitten as she waits for the next birth.

Problems

The mother might not lick off her kitten’s face immediately, especially the first kitten. If she doesn’t lick the sac off the kitten’s nose and mouth within a few seconds of birth, the kitten will asphyxiate and die. In this case, you should gently pick up the kitten, being sure to support its head, and use the soft washcloth to gently wipe the amniotic sac off the nose and mouth. Then give the kitten back to the mother and she will likely take over.
The mother might not pay attention to the first kitten after it is born, even if you clean the kitten’s nose and mouth. In this case, gently pick up the kitten again and use the soft washcloth to clean the amniotic sac and fluid off the entire kitten. This should cause the kitten to start crying, which will probably get the mother’s interest.
Although your cat will probably eat the placenta, keep a placenta count. Each kitten should be followed by one placenta. If you suspect that a placenta has not come out, take your cat to the vet. It is important that she eliminate all the placentas, or she will get an infection and die. DO NOT try to pull a placenta out, and do not cut an umbilical cord with scissors.
Keep an eye on your cat as she eats the placentas; if a placenta is still wrapped around a kitten, your cat might chew on the kitten by mistake. In this case, gently remove the placenta from the kitten’s body. Be very careful not to pull on the umbilical cord as any tension could cause an umbilical hernia, which will have to be surgically repaired when the kitten is older.
A kitten might get “stuck” partway out, especially if the mother is getting tired (maybe five or six kittens into the delivery.) If a kitten is partially out and your cat can’t push it out for about five minutes, you can very gently pull the kitten the rest of the way out. Make sure you only pull during contractions. If the kitten doesn’t slide out with your help, take your cat to the vet immediately.
If a kitten does not seem to be moving or breathing after birth, it is possibly stillborn. This is not unusual and doesn’t indicate any problems for your mother cat or the other kittens. Try reviving the kitten by briskly rubbing it with a soft, warm, damp washcloth. If you do have a stillborn, you will have to remove it and dispose of the body. Most cats will instinctually eat a stillborn kitten.
If your mother cat is in hard labour – pushing and having close contractions – for an hour and no kitten has come out, take her to the vet.

This is Reed on her first day out.

Taking Care of Kittens and Mom

After a normal birth, your new kittens should start to suckle. Your cat might wait until she has delivered all the babies before she allows them to suckle. If she ignores them and doesn’t let them nurse, or if they are trying to nurse but can’t get any milk, you can feed them the kitten formula with the kitten bottle. Then take the whole family to the vet to see if the vet can solve whatever your cat’s problem is.

If your cat eats up all the placentas, she will not be hungry, but if she doesn’t eat them, you might need to feed her some nutrient-rich food, such as egg yolk or liver, to help her keep her energy up during the delivery. Offer her water between deliveries, too. During the first day keep offering her food and water in her box, because she might not want to leave the kittens.

Some people say that if you touch a kitten, the mother cat will reject it. If your mother cat is comfortable with you, this is not true. She will have no problem with you helping and encouraging her during the birth. If you are fostering a feral cat or a lioness, though, you probably shouldn’t touch the kittens.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a kitty-grandma.

Kitten Growth Chart — Cat Pregnancy

May 9, 2015February 4, 2016spotthekitty123

For the next nine weeks, follow along with Spot the Kitty as Libby’s kittens grow. Today we’re going to take a look at cat pregnancy. Join us again next week to learn about newborn kittens.

This is Libby a few days before she gave birth. It is difficult to tell from this angle, but her belly was all over the place!

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Cat Pregnancy at Spot-the-Kitty HQ

Libby was a stray cat we picked up in Beijing, China. She was living in a boarding school grounds, and eating handouts from the children. There is a big holiday in the middle of winter in China, so we took her home for the holiday, hoping to find a new home for her when school came back into session.

A couple of weeks after her arrival, Libby started to show signs of pregnancy — her belly was getting wide, a symptom that cat breeders refer to as “burro belly”, and her nipples were a little pink and slightly swollen because her mammary glands were starting to get ready to produce milk. That’s when we knew our house’s cat population was going to grow. From the point that Libby was starting to show her burro belly, we had five weeks to prepare for the arrival.

Symptoms

Along with burro-belly, other symptoms of kitty pregnancy can include changes in cat behavior — most cats eat more when they are pregnant, of course. They are eating for four or five! Also, some cats become more affectionate in the days before giving birth.

During the last few weeks of pregnancy, you should see your cat exhibiting nesting behavior: looking for a nice secluded, soft place to give birth. Libby walked into every cupboard and closet we opened, checking it out for possibilities.

Preparing for Delivery Day

You should provide a couple of different locations for her to consider. Offer her a large box with a doorway cut into it and an old towel or sweatshirt inside, and put it in an out-of-the-way place in your house. Of course, there is no guarantee that she’ll give birth inside. You might also want to pregnant-cat-proof your house. Make sure there are no little cozy hidey-holes she could get into, like the bit that hangs down under the sofa or a crawl-space under the kitchen cupboards, and keep closets closed. It is also a good idea to keep the doors closed to any rooms you don’t want her giving birth in, like your bedroom or the furnace room.

: We provided a couple of different boxes for Libby, and she chose this one, though she preferred it with the door-flap open so she could show off her kittens.

: Here’s a sneak-peek at the newborn kittens in their kitten box, with Baker peeking in… plotting…

Some people think it’s a good idea to give a pregnant cat milk, but that’s actually really bad for her. Cats can’t digest cow’s milk and it will give her diarrhea, which could lead to dehydration. If you want to enhance your pregnant cat’s nutrition, you can buy special mommy and baby cat food, or pregnant cat supplements. Some pregnant cats will appreciate some egg or some fish added to their diet, too. Some cats experience a bit of morning sickness right about the time they are starting to show. If you find that your cat is not eating or drinking, or has any other troubling symptoms, you should take her to the vet.

Cat Gestation and Pregnancy

Cats have a Y-shaped uterus, with fetuses growing on either side, which is what creates the burro shape. When female cats go into heat, they show obvious signs: your cat will become very vocal as she calls all the male cats in the neighbourhood to come visit, and you might see her crouching down with her butt-end up in the air, waving her tail. She might also leave her scent all around the house, so male cats will be able to sniff her out more easily, by rubbing her face, head, and sides up against everything, and scratching her claws more frequently. Since cats can go into heat and ovulate for about a week, it is quite possible for the kittens in one litter to have different fathers. Cat gestation is nine weeks, so if you know when your cat was mating, you will be able to work out when she will give birth. For more information on cat gestation and pregnancy, look at WebMD.

Join us next time to read about what to expect on delivery day and how you can help your pregnant cat have a comfortable and successful birth.

Kitty Meow-vie Reviews: Interstellar

April 4, 2015August 16, 2015spotthekitty123

Baker and Lance review Interstellar

“Apparently, Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, wrote most of the script, and then at the part where [spoiler spoiler spoiler], Christopher Nolan took over and wrote the rest, and that’s why it’s good right up to that point and then gets silly.” – Spot-the-Kitty artist Keeana Borrowman

If you want to know more, here is the link to the movie’s IMDB page.

Lance: This movie had a lot of stuff moving around on the screen that kept me amused for several minutes. After that I fell asleep for the rest of the film. Two paws up!

Baker: This movie provided a lot of opportunity for snuggling with my humans. Two paws up!

Libby: My kittens kept me occupied for most of the film, but it was long enough to allow me a moment to wander out to the living room and get a cuddle.

Spot the Kitty is on the Move: Today’s Kitty Cats Spotted in Siem Reap, Cambodia!

March 6, 2015June 11, 2015spotthekitty123

We didn’t spot many kitties in Siem Reap. We were too busy exploring Angkor Wat, the Eighth Wonder of the World, which was strangely devoid of kitties. But we were lucky to spot this kitty at our hostel, the Amigo Villa Hostel.

This little kitty was very friendly and not hard to spot at all!

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Then this kitty introduced us to her family:

These adorable kittens couldn’t have been more than a couple of weeks old! The hostel proudly kept them where the little mama cat put them, in the cupboard under the reception desk.

She didn’t seem big enough to be a mother, but she took good care of her babies.

We are sad to be finishing our exciting trip, but what a great way to end it — meeting these sweet little kittens! Next time you travel to Cambodia, these little guys will be all grown up and ready to play Spot the Kitty with you!

by KI Borrowman

Spot the Kitty is on the Move: Today’s Kitty Cats Spotted in a Vietnamese Fishing Village

February 23, 2015June 11, 2015spotthekitty123

On our way to Can Gio Ecological Reserve, aka Monkey Island near Saigon, Vietnam, we stopped at a seafood market. We were supposed to buy and eat seafood, but instead we spotted kitties.

Can you spot the lucky little kitty who gets to live in cat paradise: a seafood market in Vietnam?

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She was a nervous little girl but she popped her head out from behind the sugar canes long enough for me to get a snap of her.

If you read the trip-advisor link attached, it seems that Monkey Island is not everyone’s idea of a good time. I don’t know if it is because it is currently low season, or if they also read the reviews on Trip Advisor, but we felt the place had cleaned up a bit. There was no crocodile fishing and someone had cleaned up the garbage, but the monkeys were still very naughty and cheeky! One tried to make off with my hat! Our tour guide told us to hold on to our hats, and he meant it!

Post by KI Borrowman

Spot the Kitty is on the Move: Today’s Kitty Cats Spotted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia!

February 19, 2015June 11, 2015spotthekitty123

Phnom Penh seems to be a city of kitties. Some of the cats we met were skittish, but most came right up to us for cuddles and scritches. Can you spot the cat in each of the following Phnom Penh locations?

The first and second Phnom Penh kitties we spotted were a bit nervous. Can you spot them?

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She hid under the car, but not so far under that I couldn’t get a picture of this cute tabby mother-to-be!

Perhaps this is Papa? He is under the same car.

Can you spot the third Phnom Penh kitty?

This sweetheart wouldn’t come out, but I managed to get close enough to snap a photo of Phnom Penh kitty number three!

Can you spot the fourth Phnom Penh kitty?

The fourth Phnom Penh kitty came mewing right over for some scritches!

Can you spot the affectionate fifth Phnom Penh kitty?

Phnom Penh kitty number five sat under our table all through lunch, despite the restaurant owner shooing her out at first, and then accepted a cuddle before we left.

By K.I. Borrowman

Spot the Kitty is on the Move: Today’s Kitties Spotted in Saigon, Vietnam!

February 16, 2015June 11, 2015spotthekitty123

We have gone several days without seeing a single kitty, but at last upon reaching Saigon, we met a couple of very affectionate small cats.

Can you spot this Saigon kitty?

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This little Saigon kitty did not particularly want to be picked up, but how could I resist?

Can you spot this Saigon kitty?

We heard this Saigon kitty meowing from around the corner long before we spotted her.

This Saigon kitty was so excited to be spotted! She wanted love, love, and more love! She actually looks a lot like Baker, the inventor of Spot the Kitty, right down to the slightly bobbed, crooked tail!

Post by KI Borrowman