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[wierd]

Catto will know what to do, and for the most part, you are just along for support of Catto. (and to play with the adorable babies once they are old enough to have their eyeballs open. Avoid handling them until then.)

[voliol]

After a few weeks, when they’re stumbling around and peeing everywhere, you should pick them up after/when they’re about to pee and put them in the cat toilet. That way they learn where they’re supposed to go. Otherwise Catto will do most of the rearing.

[martinuzz]

I've always been told that the kittens have to stay with the mom at least six weeks before they can safely be separated.

Make that 8 weeks.  Kittens separated from the mother sooner usually develop abnormal behaviour, which might seem cute, like licking earlobes and your nose and being extra super affectionate, but is in fact rather sad, it's looking for it's mom's nipples and grooming.

[methylatedspirit]

Okay, I've calmed down enough that I believe that I can think about this rationally. I won't have to do much. Right. I have a few questions:

After a few weeks, when they’re stumbling around and peeing everywhere, you should pick them up after/when they’re about to pee and put them in the cat toilet. That way they learn where they’re supposed to go.

Catto's an outdoor cat, she pees in the grass as far as I'm concerned. Do I just move the kitties to some random patch of grass when they're about to pee?


I'm only gonna be here for the next 4 weeks. I know that if Catto continues to be in my room rearing her kittens, it's gonna be a bit of a surprise for the cleaners, and they're gonna have one hell of a time shooing her out. How would I convince her to move outside?

Also, I feel real weird about stripping down naked to bathe when someone's (even a cat, evidently) looking. I would prefer that Catto is outside my room for that.


I saw one of Catto's kittens fall out of the shelf she's using as her kitty-raising space when she went out of the shelf for a bit. I used 2 thin books to lift them up and put them back in. Is this a good idea?

[dragdeler]

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[martinuzz]

I'm only gonna be here for the next 4 weeks. I know that if Catto continues to be in my room rearing her kittens, it's gonna be a bit of a surprise for the cleaners, and they're gonna have one hell of a time shooing her out. How would I convince her to move outside?

You don't. informing the cleaners is probably a better idea.  While you're at it, make use of the cuteness factor, and ask if any of them wants a kitten 8 weeks from now, unless you intend to keep them all.
It is possible that Catto will move the kittens herself if she feels disturbed by the cleaners.


Also, yeah, if you want your cats to learn to go outside to do their thing, you pick them up by the scruff of their neck (just like mom does) when you catch them in the act (or better still, just before, when they start making digging motions), and put them outside.

Be prepared however to deal with angry neighbors for the next 20 years, when they use their gardens for toilet.  Teaching them to use a litter box is better in my opinion.

[methylatedspirit]

Be prepared however to deal with angry neighbors for the next 20 years, when they use their gardens for toilet.  Teaching them to use a litter box is better in my opinion.

I'm living in a college dorm for now. No-one has their own garden or anything; you're just given a room (should have roommates, but COVID happened), and that's it. Cats urinating or defecating on the grass is perfectly normal, since they're all strays anyway; what other choice do they have? Like, grass isn't exactly seen as a pleasant thing to lay down on here. It's more something you avoid, since it's just annoying to be stepping on, considering the moisture and bugs and stuff.

[Frumple]

Though, uh, if you haven't already you might want to check your residence's pet policy? It'd suck to have that four weeks cut short due to an irate landlord equivalent finding out you had adorable fuzzballs pooping all over one of their rooms, or for you to get hit with a mandatory cleaning fine when you leave or somethin'.

[wierd]

Indeed.

I would check with local animal shelters (NOT THE GOODAMN HUMANE SOCIETY), or pet rescue operations.  See if there are any vacancies, then inquire if they would take a stray new mama cat.

[heydude6]

Wait, is Catto your own cat or just a stray you temporarily adopted? If she’s yours, then you should take her and the kittens to wherever you plan to go to after 4 weeks. Dunno what to say if they’re a stray though.

[martinuzz]

Cats urinating or defecating on the grass is perfectly normal, since they're all strays anyway; what other choice do they have? Like, grass isn't exactly seen as a pleasant thing to lay down on here. It's more something you avoid, since it's just annoying to be stepping on, considering the moisture and bugs and stuff.

Cats only urinate on the grass if there's no nice tilled earth to be found in which they can dig, like someone's tulip garden or carrot patch.

Dogs do their thing by just dropping it on the ground or lifting their leg against a tree. Cats prefer to dig a hole, do their thing, then cover it.  Many predators do that, to prevent potential prey from avoiding the area when they smell predator crap.

[Vector]

Also, I feel real weird about stripping down naked to bathe when someone's (even a cat, evidently) looking. I would prefer that Catto is outside my room for that.

Maybe you can put up a curtain.

I would definitely tell the dorm manager or whoever that one of the local stray cats did kittens inside your room. You can pretend you don't know Catto or something >_>


I don't like to say this, but someone has to. Often animals come out in large batches because a few of them are going to be nonviable. If Catto eats one of her kittens or one otherwise dies, don't freak out. That's normal for cats.

[Frumple]

If it makes yeh feel any better, the "some to all of them will probably die and the mother may eat them" spiel has already been given at least once

In unrelated wtfery, you know that thing you can do to dogs/cats where you lightly touch their ear and it'll twitch and if you do it long enough they'll probably start actively scratching?

If you want to know how to do the equivalent of that to a cataloging librarian, donate their library a dvd that is only supposed to have the one dvd, but still has DISC 1 on the disc.

[methylatedspirit]

Wait, is Catto your own cat or just a stray you temporarily adopted? If he’s yours, then you should take her and the kittens to wherever you plan to go to after 4 weeks. Dunno what to say if they’re a stray though.

She's a stray cat. I just adopted her because I thought it would be nice to have a pet. (Really, I'd complain about misgendering, but I don't think that cats have the capacity to understand what gender is or its cultural significance. I just call Catto a she because she has female genitals, and also she gave birth.
It's a massive pitfall to do this to humans, but for other animals, it's about the only choice anyone has. I put the gender of pets under "unverifiable". I default to sex = gender in this case.)

[martinuzz]

If you adopted it, you now belong to it for eternity. Where do you need to go in 4 weeks? Are you moving out of that place, or just going away for a few days?
If the latter, I'm sure the cleaners won't mind a cat, if you just tell them it's there? They might even feed it for a few days while you're gone if you give them the cat food.

If you're moving out, well.. Time to buy a cat travel box large enough to fit a mom and kittens.