weaning orphaned kittens

Question
I have two orphaned kittens, which I have raised since one day old. Their umbilical cords were still attached and fell off after about 4 days.They will be five weeks old tomorrow. I am bottle feeding them on formula, but for the last two weeks have been trying to introduce them to wet foods. I have been mixing a small amount of kitten food (chicken flavor) with the formulae and have put this into a saucer. I have been wetting my finger and trying to get them to lick it, also putting some on their tongues, but have not had any interest from them at all. They walk through it etc but make no attempts at trying it.When I give them their bottle, they guzzle this.

After feeding, I have also started putting them into a litter box, but at this stage they are not "going potty" by themselves and I still have to stimulate them to urinate and deficate.

Are they ready for the food and "potty training"? Am I being too premature, or am I perhaps not going about it properly?

Otherwise they are growing really well, seem very healthy and happy, have started playing with each other and love it when I cuddle them - full of lots of purring! Their teeth have started coming out and their claws are really sharp. At what stage do they retract their claws?

Another question if I may, I have an older cat (8 years), female, (the two kittens are both males according to my vet), she is not at all happy with these two babies being in the home and avoids them altogether, except for occasionally coming a little nearer to smell them and then she hisses at them and runs off again. Is this usual behavior? Would she try to harm them if left alone with them?

I do not have much experience with kittens and really want to give them everything I should as their substitute Mom, your advise would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Tracey.  You're all so lucky!  They to have found you, and you to have these little ones to cuddle.  Raising orphans is an insane amount of work, but there's no reward like the appreciation you get from them in return.  It sounds like you're taking all the right steps.  Orphans are just very slow to get the idea many times, because they don't have a feline mom to show them the ropes.  They are, indeed, old enough to be introduced to solid foods and the litter box, and as long as you are not frustrated by it, I would keep showing them food in the saucer, putting them in the litter box, etc.  Eventually, instinct will kick in, and these late bloomers will catch on.  If you're pulling out you're hair, wait another week.  It won't kill them.

If the two really aren't getting the idea of solid foods in the next week or two, I would recommend to get some stage one chicken baby food (for humans).  This will contain chicken and broth only.  Then feed this to the kittens, as is but warmed up a little, with a syringe.  I'd start with at least 6 mls prior to their bottle.  It will at least get them familiar with the taste of meat, but the texture is a little more similar to what they're used to with formula, and it's easier to feed with a syringe than canned kitten food would be.

Kittens gain the physical ability to retract their claws at about a month old.  Figuring out just when they SHOULD do it takes practice!  You can probably expect there to be pulls in your clothes for another month or two.  Usually around 10-12 weeks is when I find they are able to fully retract their claws on demand.  But they're not too young for you to trim their claws.  Actually, it would be good for you to get them used to trimming early on.  You can use any nail trimmer to cut the clear tip off each of their nails.  Avoid the white part underneath the nail, of course, as this contains nerves.

Your 8-year-old cat's behavior sounds normal.  A hiss isn't always as bad as it sounds, but it is a complaint.  More than likely, she's gathering some information, expressing her dissatisfaction with the situation right now, and running off to mull it over.  But I think it's good that she's showing interest.  I don't know that she'd try to harm the kittens if left alone.  It sounds like she's curious about them and would rather just avoid them until she's entirely comfortable with them, but with animals, you never can tell.  So definitely don't take that chance until they have been well introduced and are interacting healthily.  

If you intend to keep the babies, then you'll need to start thinking about introducing them to your other kitty in the coming weeks.  Usually I'll let my guys come over and sniff at the babies while they bottle feed but wait to do full introductions until the kittens' reflexes develop a little more, around 8 weeks old (or until fully vaccinated if your older kitty goes outdoors at all).  This way if the older cats do decide to swat for some reason before I can reach in, at least the little one has a chance to blink.  A knick on the forehead will heal quickly, but a scratch on the eye could do serious damage.  Cats can take some time to introduce, and your kitty may continue with her hissing and running away routine for a while.  It's perfectly normal and doesn't mean she won't get along with the little ones at all.  When you work on introducing them on a daily basis, it takes most cats about 2 weeks to get used to each other, some more, some less.  While the introduction process can seem tricky, most cats do end up living harmoniously.  Once they have spent a couple of days together and there's no behavior you feel could be threatening (hissing, growling, howling, swatting), it's okay to leave them alone together.  

Good luck, and enjoy your babies!