Kittens are now 5 weeks.. can we get rid of them now?

[jeam97]

Our kittens our 5 weeks old (there are 3) and we have homes already assigned where each will be going. They're going potty on their own now, in the litter box, and do okay with their own food and water. The Mom still likes to feed them, though.

Anyway, we'd like to give the kitties away now. Would that be okay to do? I can't IMAGINE holding on to them for another 12 weeks. Are they going to be okay at 5 weeks? Thanks.

As you can tell, we know NOTHING about cats. - Jeff

[gsc4]

The babies are too young to be separated from their mom. They should stay with her for 12 weeks. In that time they will learn proper feline manners and gain socialization skills. Kittiens that are separated from their mom and littermates too early can develop behavior problems that last for the rest of their life.

Have you even taken to the vet yet for a checkup? They probably have not even had their first set of vaccinations yet. If you have found homes for them, you could probably work out something with the new owners to assist with vet costs.

All the medical and socialization issues aside, you are just now getting to the fun part of raising kittens. On a couple weeks they will be getting strong enough to really start playing. It is so much fun to play with the little guys!

[jeam97]

Thanks for the help. My family and I are just having a very difficult time with the SMELL. We walk into our home and it smells like poop. We're starting construction in our basement in a week or so, in the exact area the kittens are confined to. We have no where else to put them during this time, and I fear that if they roam the house, they'll poop and urinate everywhere. We're already up to $150 in carpet clearning costs.

What to do about this problem?

[Marty]

Didn't you just say they were using the litterbox? It needs to be cleaned daily, and it may help to have some additional boxes placed around the house. They really should stay with Mom for a while longer.....if they learn proper behavior, the new owners will be much happier having them around!

[jeam97]

Yes, they're using a litter box, but the smell is slipping out into the main room of the basement, then up the stairs to the upper part of the house. We do clean it out daily, so I don't know what the problem is.

And Patches, the mom, REAKS lately. Her poop is so rotten smelling that it makes you sick. She never used to be that way.

Thanks for the tip on the extra litter boxes.

[Marty]

Patches may need a Vet visit to see that things are OK with her. Traci may be along to help with that one.

I used to have a calico cat named Patches, too... She was a sweetheart!

[jeam97]

Small world! Thanks for the tip. This is certainly getting overwhelming. Does the smell make any difference with the type of litter we use? The more expensive the less the smell - sort of a thing?

[Tambrey]

You may have to be cleaning the litter boxes alot more often...you do have more than one box, right? And for the little ones, a standard box is probably too big for them to get into...I used the flats from soda or beer cans that you can usually get at grocery stores for free...and use CLAY litter only as the babies can inhale or eat the scoopable and damage their intestines...

I have ten full grown cats and NO litter box smells...but then, I scoop every time I am near one, so they are always clean...you just need to make it a family habit...if a box is in the bathroom, scoop it every time you use the bathroom...if in the laundry area or near a garbage can...every time you throw something away, scoop...Litter Lockers are great investments as well...you can get one at Target for about $20.00...scoop the poop and put it in there, then give the wheel on the sides a turn and the poop is "locked" into a long plastic bag you cut and tie knots in at either end...I have two of them and love them...

But the kittens need to stay with mom until they are 12 weeks of age...and Mom might have some sort of secondary infection going on after having given birth...I would recommend a vet checkup for everyone...

[Traci]

What are you feeding Patches and the kittens? Is it dry food or canned food? If their stools are soft or diarrhea-like, canned food might be the culprit, but it could also be worms (common in young kittens), so you really should get both Patches and the kittens to your vet for an exam.

They can't be vaccinated until at least 10-12 weeks of age, depending on the vaccine type. Your vet will form a schedule for them as he deems appropriate (by age, weight, general health status). Patches can be spayed anytime now, providing she is in good health.

Please use caution with the remodelling in the area Patches and the kittens are confined in. You really need to move them to another room far away from dust, paint, fumes, loud noise. Remodelling projects are stressful events for cats, and the work products you use are harmful, keep all the cats in a completely seperate area for the duration of your project...and keep the project area ventilated properly with open windows, etc (as long as the cats are away from that area so they can't escape through open doors, etc)

[gsc4]

I bet there is a spot that you have not found that is causing the poop smell. My kittens found a old blanket under a couch they were using to poop in sometimes. I had been looking for the source of the faint smell for a couple weeks before I found it. It took crawling around on the floor with a flashlight to find it. And even when I found it, it was not an overpowering smell that did not escape the room. Most of the poop had started to dry up and smell less. Once I threw away the blanket and cleaned whole area with an enzyme-type pet odor remover I never had a problem after that.

And something else just occurred to me. You said the smell was poop. When my kittens were that age, their poop was very small, maybe 2-3 lima beans or less a day. Are you sure the smell problem is from the babies? Maybe Patches is the problem. A vet visit sounds like a very good idea. Good luck!