foster kitten questions?
I am gonna pick up 2 foster kittens tomorrow.
One can eat canned food (5 weeks old)
And I have to bottle feed every 4 hours (about 13 days old)
I was originally gonna use the garage...but the younger one needs to be warm. Even with a heating pad, my garage would be too cold.
So he will be crated in my bathroom.
I was wondering if I kept them BOTH crated in the bathroom...if there would be any problem with that.
The crates would be separate.
But would one crying wake up the other?
How often should I feed canned food?
Is there a big chance they could get sick from eachother?
Im thinking of cleaning out the tub and putting the older ones crate in there. Im going to put a shelving (spelling?) unit in the tub if its OK (the tub doesn't work, we thankfully have a shower downstairs) and I will keep the curtain close.
But the younger one has to be by an outlet...so he would be outside the tub.
And what age should I give them a litter box in their crate (the crate would be bigger then)
Any other advice/tips you can give me would be great!!
Thanks guys!
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They’ll eventually need more room than a crate in the bathtub. Clean out a small room and place a basket in it for their nest. Be sure the young one has a place to get to if he gets too hot. Hot water bottles are very good for keeping kittens warm and they can crawl away from them if they get too warm.
Young kittens actually need to be free fed. Feed the wet food about 3 times a day but keep some dry kitten food out too. Their tummies are tiny and they can’t hold alot of food at one feeding so the meals need to be frequent.
when i got my kitten we feed it one pouch a day because kitten have very small tummys. They have to eat often. Give them a litter box about when there 6 – 7 weeks old.
A create in the tub will be fine but the 5 week old one will want to explore soon so be ready for that. You can give the older one a litter box now as they learn quickly how to use it. They will be fine together, kittens love to play so have fun
imho the crate idea is a bad idea. These are cats; not dogs. If you’re planning on keeping them locked in crates, why not just leave the older one at the shelter and return the younger one to the shelter once he’s weaned? The point of fostering a cat is to socialize him and teach him how to be a pet. Keeping them locked in crates will just teach them to be cattle; animals that live a lonesome life locked in confined quarters.
The younger cat will be happy with a crate as a bed but that’s about it. Cats like to roam and like to explore. The younger one won’t be much of an explorer but he will crave attention, either from people or the other kitten. You should give them a very large room where they’ll get the most attention from your family and guests. If you don’t have anywhere to put them other than a bathroom or a garage, maybe you should reconsider your decision to foster them.
Handling and socialization are sooo important for kittens! I think even more than dogs, cats are affected/shaped by early human contact that impact them for the rest of their lives. I would definitely keep them together, not even crated separately unless you saw a problem, and give the older kitty more freedom for exploration and handling. Good luck!!!