stray kittens and mom

Question
Oh, sorry... we think they are about 3-4 weeks old.  They are still trying to develop their proprioception; they are walking around but still a little wobbly.  They have now used the litter box, but only to pee.  We have only seen one baby poop on the floor! haha.  We are uncertain that they are pooping in the litter box.  But mom is a little less shy and babies are playful...  I'm not as concerned, but I have been gone for a few days and my sister has been doing all the caring..
Is there anything we need to look out for or more we need to do?



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Followup To

Question -
We found some kittens with their mom.  Mom is actually very tame and allows us to handle her and the babies- she even sat on my lap for an hour to be pet, but she is a little shy.  But she is a good mom and is alert everytime a babies cry.  Our concern is that the babies have not gone potty yet-- in the 24 hours or so that we have had them. We set up a litter box for mom, which she has used, but we have not seen any signs that the kitties have pottied.  I have heard of using a warm cloth to massage their anus to encourage it, which we tried briefly... But nothing. They are feeding off mom regularly... Should we be concerned?

Answer -
Colleen,

You never told me how old you think the kittens are?

While mama is nursing the kittens she will potty them.  Usually, nursing queens are extremely efficient about pottying the kittens.  The fact that you could not get the kittens to potty attests to that.  As the kittens get weaned (usually 5-8 weeks of age) and they are more and more on solid food, mama will stop pottying them and encourage them to use the litter box.

So, no, I would not be concerned.

Best regards... Norm.  

Answer
Colleen,

O.K. the kittens are at the age where you can begin the weaning process.  We like to use meat babyfood (strained meat and broth only, no added salt, no added garlic, no added onion).  It is easy to digest and most kittens do develop a taste for it. You may have to put some in their mouths to get them started, but, within a week, most take to it.  It is then easy to mix whatever you normally use with baby food and get them onto their adult food in a few weeks.

Best regards... Norm.