'Didn’t plan it but I’m a cat mum now': Two sisters spend an hour coaxing tiny kittens out of a hiding dog park before bringing them home for good

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  via Popcorn_Duck

• "Found these two kittens in a dog park"

  Didn’t plan it but I’m a cat mum now.

  On Saturday, my sister and I were leaving the dog park when a couple showed us a ginger kitten they had spotted crying under a large blackberry bush. When we approached it disappeared into the bush where it couldn’t be reached. At least not without tearing up our skin. We spotted a second kitten soon after. The kittens kept calling and coming out of the bush only to disappear if anyone approached. It took me almost an hour to coax them close enough to catch with YouTube videos of mummy cats calling and wet cat food.

  I believe they were strays with a mum, not abandoned kittens, but leaving them in a dog park seemed too dangerous.

   

• Of all the places for kittens to be, a dog park might be one of the worst places pawssible. Not only are dog parks not the cleanest places in the world, with so many dogs coming in and out… it's a recipe for disaster just waiting to happen. Even if they didn't find the mama cat, at the very least, we think she'd be happy knowing her kittens are safe. 

• They are timid, but not panicky, very quiet and starting to play with each other and their environment. My vet estimates they are no more than 4 weeks old.

  I have named them Hattie and Ralph.

  If anyone has experience raising kittens this young, I’d love to hear your experiences and advice.

  The update today is that Hattie purred for the first time while I was petting her. I melted. She melted. We both melted. Then Ralph pounced on her. I’m starting to get their vibes.
  -Popcorn_Duck

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  via Popcorn_Duck

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  Cute. They can’t read yet. They’re just babies. They did t know it was a DOG park / 5usie

  I found a kitten that was about the same age, about 6 years ago now. She's currently lounging on my bed.

  They eat regular cat food by now. Mine was feral, but she immediately knew how the litter box worked. Spend plenty of time socializing them. Other than that, at this age, they have the same needs as older kittens, just way more baby like cuteness.

  I'm not an expert. I did not have any kitten milk at hand or anything. When I took her to the vet, they told me I didn't need to do anything in particular, other than [keep] her from my senior cat, and I didn't want to risk my senior's health. / Special_Lychee_6847

• The good news is that, with the kittens being so young, there's plenty of time to fix any fears that may have come up from having to survive in a dog park. They're technically old enough to be separated from their mother, but they will still need intensive care. They need to be socialized a lot so they don't develop even more fears, and their diet needs to be regulated to make sure they don't get malnourished. And, of course, they need a lot of love. Best given in the form of head scratches, tummy tickles, and kisses.

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  via Popcorn_Duck

• Comments

  You already did the most important part to ensure their health and happiness. You might want to take them to the vet because often time abandoned kittens have upper respiratory infections. A general check up at the vet should be fine. They can also help you with feeding tips.

  If they will drink kitten formula out of a saucer that might help them out for their nutrition. They may not need to be bottle-fed at this point. They’re probably be hungry enough to eat formula out of a small plate/bowl

  I used to mix the thicker kitten formula (they have at the pet store Stage 2 formula) with the first liquid formula to ensure that they could move on to wet kitten food

  Kittens have a funny way of being super smart and showing you what they need and what they like. It looks like they are so happy right now, bless your heart / cjacademy_2016

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