Dearest kitten aficionados:
I am looking for advice relating to my kitty situation. I’m living in Hanoi, Vietnam in an old house with my boyfriend. Apart from us, we also have:
THE KITTIES
* Mr Kitty, our beloved resident kitten, who’s mother (a stray) never came back to her 3 kittens, about 3 weeks after giving birth on our roof.
* Bob, Zoro & Tiny, each 8 weeks old, who we are fostering for a local shelter.
* Mia, a female cat we are fostering from the same local shelter + her 6 kittens who are now 2 weeks old.
MY SETUP
* Mr Kitty, Bob, Zoro and Tiny are free to roam around upstairs (our bedroom and adjoining empty room, no door separating and a wrap around balcony)
* Mia and her kittens live in a large cardboard box (actually 2 joined with an entryway between so Mia can jump in and out) which serves as the ‘nest’. The ‘room’ the kittens sleep in is dark 99% of the day, except for when I lift the heavy fabric to take a look and check in on them. Mia spends maybe 50% or a little less of her day in here for feeding the kittens.
* There are 2 different sets of litter boxes, food and water bowls in a common area for all the cats (except Mia’s kittens, who are restricted to the cardboard ‘nest’) but they all seem very happy to share and use all.
* All the cats get along well, in fact the 8-week old kittens suckle Mr Kitty’s fur (like a mother cat) and we often find Zoro attached to one of Mia’s nipples when she’s out of the nest. Neither Mr Kitty nor Mia seem to mind so I haven’t interfered.
MY QUESTION
What are my next steps with Mia’s kittens? Should I leave the top of their ‘nest’ uncovered so they are exposed to natural daylight? Should I create an opening at the bottom of the box (Mia currently jumps in and out) so that the kittens can follow Mia when they are ready? My main concerns are with the other kittens (Mr Kitty, Bob, Zoro and Tiny) jumping into the kittens ‘nest’ and traumatising Mia and/or her kittens.
I understand that this situation is not a) normal, or b) ideal, for fostering and raising kittens, however I decided to accept them all as the shelter was already over-capacity and struggling with a sickness spreading around the existing cats. They were at the point of needing to turn cats to the street (please note, the cat meat trade in north Vietnam is booming and cats are commonly taken off the streets) in the dead of winter, SO…. I figured I’d take it day by day and ask people with more experience than me (that’d be you guys!) for advice as needed.
A big thank you in advance for all your advice, I really appreciate it!!!