 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2004cat's grooming
My 9 week old kittens(2) don't seem to groom themselves very well. They clean there paws some and there tummy, but don't get the food off from underneath there neck and don't clean there self after they use the litter box. I always need to use a damp cloth after they poop. Any ideas? Thanks, Julie > My 9 week old kittens(2) don't seem to groom themselves very well. Where is their mama? > > My 9 week old kittens(2) don't seem to groom themselves very well. > > Where is their mama? The kittens were given to us 3 weeks ago. > My 9 week old kittens(2) don't seem to groom themselves very well. They > clean there paws some and there tummy, but don't get the food off from > underneath there neck and don't clean there self after they use the litter > box. I always need to use a damp cloth after they poop. Any ideas? Thanks, > Julie How long have you had them? Kittens should stay with Mama until 10-12 weeks of age, 16 if at all possible. Kittens are taught to groom themselves by Mom[1]. So, if they were taken away too early, they may not have fully formed their grooming behavior. This may change on its own, or you may be able to encourage them to clean themselves, but it may also never change. Note that ill/sickly kittens may not clean themselves properly. Have they seen a vet lately? [1] source: http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm  Signature-- ~kaeli~ I do whatever my Rice Krispies tell me to. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace They were from a farm. Something had happened to there mother. They had justt been weaned and were 6 weeks when I got them. They learned to use the litter box right away and I took them to the vet too. I agree that they probably were separated from there mom to soon, but what can I do to help them learn? Also, I do have 2 3 year old cats. At the moment they don't want to much to do with them but they are getting better. > They were from a farm. Something had happened to there mother. They had > justt been weaned and were 6 weeks when I got them. They learned to use the > litter box right away and I took them to the vet too. I agree that they > probably were separated from there mom to soon, but what can I do to help > them learn? Also, I do have 2 3 year old cats. At the moment they don't want > to much to do with them but they are getting better. I'd say to just give it time, then. And keep them clean, as you seem to be doing. Use short strokes with a damp cloth to clean them to help them get the idea. As they interact with your adult cats and further mature, they'll probably pick up the habit of grooming themselves better. They are still just babies, really. Signature-- ~kaeli~ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > > They were from a farm. Something had happened to there mother. They had > > justt been weaned and were 6 weeks when I got them. They learned to use the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > they'll probably pick up the habit of grooming themselves better. > They are still just babies, really. As Kaeli said use the damp wash cloth with short strokes to clean them up. I've had to do this with the litters I've bottle fed. I sometimes think they start cleaning themselves well just to get me to stop bugging them with the washcloth lol. W Keep wiping them down, especially after eating and bathroom duty. I think instinct will kick in if you do it consistantly. > They were from a farm. Something had happened to there mother. They had > justt been weaned and were 6 weeks when I got them. They learned to use the > litter box right away and I took them to the vet too. I agree that they > probably were separated from there mom to soon, but what can I do to help > them learn? Also, I do have 2 3 year old cats. At the moment they don't want > to much to do with them but they are getting better. > Keep wiping them down, especially after eating and bathroom duty. I think instinct will kick in if you do it consistantly. I agree, and maybe even your older cats, when they get used to the babies, will groom them. Bless you for rescuing these babies. Might we see some photos? :) We love kitten photos. > > Keep wiping them down, especially after eating and bathroom duty. I think > instinct will kick in if you do it consistantly. . > I agree, and maybe even your older cats, when they get used to the babies, > will groom them. Bless you for rescuing these babies. Might we see some > photos? :) We love kitten photos. Thanks everyone for your advice. We've taken 2 rolls of film already of the kittens. Not sure how to post them though > > > Keep wiping them down, especially after eating and bathroom duty. I > think [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Thanks everyone for your advice. We've taken 2 rolls of film already of the > kittens. Not sure how to post them though Do you have access to alt.binaries.pictures.animals? Otherwise, get a free yahoo account and use the photo album that comes with that. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.