Advice needed regarding foster cat who is nursing.

[gumby74]

I decided to take the plunge and foster a mother cat and her four adorable kittens.  I'm really excited, but also nervous because I am someone who is a bit of an overachiever when it comes to taking care of my pets.  I want to make her time here the next six weeks as comfortable as possible as well as I want to be able to provide the her and the kittens with the best possible chance of being adopted. A couple of questions I have are.....

1)  What kind of bedding should I use?  Newspaper....because it is easy to clean up and replace? 

2) Is there something I should be feeding the mom in order to give her additional nutrition for her and the babies? 

3) When do kittens start using the litterbox on their own?  Does the mother show them? I'm assuming I should get a low entry litter box?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[womenswisdom]

1. You could probably just use old towels. Mother cats lick the babies' rears to stimulate them to poop and pee and so that keeps the bedding area relatively clean.

2. Typically you want to feed a nursing mother a high-quality kitten food for the extra calories.

3. The mother should show the kittens how to use a litter box and much of it is instinctual as well, since cats want to cover their waste. A low-entry box would be good for when the babies are up and moving around or you could just use a shoebox or other cardboard box cut down to the appropriate height.