New kittens are born with their eyes closed and very delicate, soft skin. Right after the kittens came out of the womb, it is OK to leave them to the cat mama. The mother is capable of taking care of the entire litter. What you can do is monitor the feeding process and make sure every little fuzzy ball has its fair share of the mother's milk.
Though touching new born kittens is not recommended until they reach 2 weeks of age or older, if the mother cat is absent, touching the kittens becomes necessary. Kittens need physical contact to help them develop, but if we have to handle a kitten, we should gently place it in our hands and hold it only for short intervals. However, if the mother cat is nursing the kittens, it is better to step away and leave the job to the mother entirely. There are 2 reasons why we should not interrupt nursing from the mother cat until 2 weeks later:
- The mother cat may feel offended by our intrusion. This is a maternal instinct displayed by cats that recently gave birth. By nature, in order to keep the litter safe, away from predators, nursing cat mothers are very protective and more alert of the surroundings.
- New born kittens are extremely delicate and feeble. Their body is still in the process of growing and developing as they will gain their vision later. Their eyes usually open in about 8 days after birth. During the first 2 weeks, they are prone to injury if left alone or handled improperly.
Even though the cat mother is comfortable for you to touch the kittens, it is better to limit physical contact to avoid any unnecessary bruising or injury, but after the first 2 weeks, you can begin to socialize with the kittens through light interaction.
During nursing the mother cat needs massive amount of nutrition and good food, so she can have enough supply for the kittens.
By the time the kittens are around 4 weeks old, you can gradually introduce solid food into their diet and start the process of waning.
You do not need to toilet train the kittens unless the mother cat is not present because the mother cat will take on the role of toilet training, grooming and many other little tasks. Be amazed by what the mother cat can do.
How to Touch Kittens After Birth -- powered by eHow.com
There are a lot more to know about kittens. You can find more information by following the link below:
http://www.pawsonline.info/lookingafterkittens.htm
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