Michelle Jones
Dr. Vaughn
Composition 1
22 February2016
Raising Kittens
Once far, far, far away just outside of Richwoods, Missouri, on our farm, I found and raised two tiny gray kittens. These two kittens were literally on our doorstep, as if the mother knew that we would take them in. They were lost and alone with no mother cat to care for them. No matter how loud they called, their mother just didn't come to their very loud calls. With their eyes still closed and not able to care for themselves we took them in. My family and I named these kittens Jewel and Princess. Taking care of kittens isn't really that different from raising children, it takes a lot of hard work to keep newborn kittens alive by feeding them often, cleaning them frequently, and giving them a warm place to sleep.
These kittens were so hungry and I knew Jewel and Princess needed more than just plain cow’s milk to fill their empty stomachs, so I went online and found out how to make kitten formula. Then I did some research about how much they needed to eat, which I needed to know their approximate age in order to know how much and how often to feed them. The information told me a way to tell their approximate age by how big they are and if their eyes are open or closed. Jewel and Princess had fluffy gray fur that was really soft, their eyes were still closed and were the size of a female human palm. With this description, I figured they were about 1-2 weeks old. Jewel and Princess would need to be fed on average of every two hours and eat about 5mL per feeding and that amount increases as they get older. I lost a lot of sleep during this time, but it was worth the effort to me. As these tiny gray fluff-balls grew, they began to eat more and stayed full longer, and eventually, they didn't need fed every two hours.
At 1-2 weeks old, Jewel and Princess were unable to make their own body heat just like newborn human babies. The mothers usually provide this heat for them, but Jewel and Princess's mother was nowhere to be seen, and so it was up to me to come up with a way for them to stay toasty warm. My next step was to make them a little nest that provides heat. I had a heating with an adjustable thermostat. I researched this as well but as always information of this sort is constantly under debate. I found out my heating pad was not a bad idea and added a fluffy towel to simulate a mother’s underbelly fur. This I placed inside a clean plastic recycle bin, and I covered the top with a towel as well to help keep the warm air in. Of course I also checked on them often to regulate their temperature. This is very similar to when I check on my three children during the night to make sure they are sleeping good.
As with children kittens also need to be frequently cleaned. Unlike human babies Jewel and Princess do not wear diapers, and they cannot take themselves to the litter box. This leaves them with only one option, which is to relieve themselves right where they are. This means I need lots of towels and laundry soup. To keep them clean is not hard one needs a few things to get the job done a hand towel to dry them, a wash warm wet washcloth to clean them, and baby shampoo because it is extremely gentle and will not hurt their sense of smell. Cleaning time is really important for these tiny gray kittens because it gives them time to interact with someone and it stimulates their need to relieve themselves. Eventually, they learn not to relieve themselves where they sleep because they know they will be relieving themselves at a certain time. At approximately six weeks, they can see and start to lean where the litter box is.
The effort it takes to raise a kitten is well worth the love one will get in return as well as having a mouse-free house. They will also be an excellent companion for children especially if the children are allowed to help with feedings and cleaning. Another benefit to allowing children to help raise the kitten is they learn how helpless they once were and learn how to raise them, too. Raising a kitten is like raising a child because their needs are so similar of feeding, cleaning, and giving them warmth on so many different levels.