My new kittens: How to tell their age & how much to handle?

Your kittens should open their eyes when they are between 7-14 days old. You should be able to determine the sex of your kittens around 8 weeks of age. See the following link for help on how to do so: https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/procedures/cats/determining-gender-(sex)-of-a-kitten . Also see http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576 for information on how to care for your kittens if their mother is not able to produce adequate milk. Kitten Milk Replacer can be used if you need to supplement their feedings, and there is also a recipe for emergency kitten formula included in the link if needed.

Usually the teeth help us decide how old a kitten is but I'd estimate them to be ~5 weeks old. If they have teeth you can offer wet kitten food (free choice/out all the time) and water for now until you see your veterinarian Thursday At this time keep their eyes clean by wiping away any discharge with a warm moist washcloth until your veterinarian can take a close look at them.

She's cute. She looks to be around 4-5 months of age, but you should weigh her. Her weight in months +1 is usually how we guess kittens ages. You should look at this photo to determine if this kitten is male or female. At this age it should be noticeable testicles and a penis protruding right below it if kitty is a male. https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/procedures/cats/determining-gender-(sex)-of-a-kitten Best wishes with your new kitty! Take care.

You can try to pet her if she will let you. She doesn't need milk, she needs water. The kittens should start to be handled more to socialize them, and I would do it slowly and carefully. Interact with them a little bit every day, and increase the time and contact you have with them. If their eyes are open and they are moving around, you can give them toys to play with, and you can interact with them using the toys. When they are around four weeks of age, they can start getting a kitten mush to help them wean. To help them wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality kitten formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with kitten formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry kitten food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until they are eating the dry kitten food only.

Yes, that is normal. Some kittens are more independent than others and they are old enough to begin exploring the world on their terms. Generally the cats will work this out amongst themselves. I do recommend to have the mother spayed in six weeks. Spaying cats prevents many health and behavioral issues. It also helps to control the problem of pet overpopulation. One female cat can have almost 30 kittens in a year. That is a lot of cats! I hope this helps.

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.

It is fine to handle the kittens, cats do not generally reject their young if they are handled by an outside source. It may also just look like mama is smothering them when in fact she might just be providing them with heat and/or the ability to nurse. Unless you actually see the babies actually struggling to move or crying out, they are probably not being smothered. The kittens are waking up a lot because they have to nurse. When they are this young, the tend to nurse upwards of every 2-3 hours. If you are not seeing the kittens nursing that often, they might need supplemental care in the form of bottle feeding. You can pick up some kitten milk replacer at a pet store or a big-box store as well as the bottle. Hope this helps!