What milestones and socialization for my 2-week-old foster kittens?

Since the kittens are still under a pound, they are probably only about a month old, so you still have time to socialize them. The most important socialization time frame is up to about 8 weeks of age, and it is important for them to learn social skills from their siblings, so I would recommend keeping them together for another month if possible. Hopefully, the 2 that are more fearful will learn from the affectionate one. Do not force any of them to interact with you (unless medically necessary). Try to make them associate you with good things like food and play. Sometimes you can get feral kittens to be willing to play with you before they would ever be willing to allow you to touch them. Don't give up on the shy baby or the more feral one yet. Continue to try to find a way to interact with them that they like, then build their trust from there. Good luck! Please let me know if that helped. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and being a good foster parent.

Hello. Mostly it is a socialization issue. Kittens learn many lessons about how to act, play & fight with their littermates. And just like our mother's will teach us how to behave, so does a mother cat. There is nothing terribly wrong with removing a kitten from its littermates sooner, such as around 6 weeks, but there is some benefit to leaving the kittens together longer. It was shown that most kittens, when left with their moms & siblings until at least 8 weeks & even 10 weeks, had better temperments & fewer behavioral problems as they matured. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Thank you so much for fostering Blue Bell. At this age, she does not need kitten formula, but may like a wet food along with her kitten kibble. Most will just leave the kibble out for the kitten to nibble on & you can offer her a teaspoon or so of wet food 2-3 times a day. You need to introduce the kitten to your older cat slowly by keeping them in separate rooms & every few days switching them around so they can become accustomed to each others scent. A calming collar is an excellent idea as is using a Feliway room diffuser in both rooms so they are bathed in the calming pheromones. At this age, Blue Bell can effectively regulate her temperature, so no heat lamps or heating pads are necessary. With time, hopefully everyone will adjust. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

These are about three weeks old, and they look cute and healthy. If they are eating kitten canned or moistened dry food that age is about right. Younger kittens still only drink milk. If you are feeding them milk please use kitten milk replacer as it is made for kittens and they will not have diarrhea or an upset stomach with it. They should be fed four to six times a day. I'd offer them solid foods as soon as possible so feeding them is easier. I start with the milk replacer and mix it with some kitten canned and see if they will lick it off your finger. Once they get eating it you can teach them to lick it off a flat plate. Use a damp cloth to wipe around under their tails to stimulate them to pee and poop. I start having a litter pan around 3-4 weeks old. Please bring them to the veterinarian at six weeks to start deworming and vaccinations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

At this age a kitten should be starting to be more active (wiggling a round a bit on their bellies) but largely is still just a small ball of fluff. The ears have likely opened a bit and unfolded and the eyes may be starting to open. The weight you list sounds appropriate for the age as they typically should be around a pound at 4 weeks old. At this age she would still be highly dependent on her mother, or you if she was orphaned, for warmth, nutrition, and cleaning as she will still need help urinating/defecating. The mother cat would stimulate the kitten by grooming. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Make sure she has her own safe space so she doesn’t become overly stressed (a large dog crate with food, water and litter box is perfect). Make sure all meal times are interactive and distract with food or treats when you’re trying to make physical contact. Take it slow and eventually she will become used to you being around. This website has some good tips: http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingFerals

It is a pity you got them that young, They should really be with their mommy and siblings until they are 12 weeks old. You should still offer kitten milk and give them canned kitten food 4 times a day. They will still have accidents, ie might not use the litter box all the time, but eventually will use the box reliably. They will need to play a lot to get coordination and learn how to run properly, make muscles and learn how to hunt. They will try to hunt each other and when they do, please let them. They will not hurt each other. Give them lots of TLC