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I think the playpen you have linked will do the job. I, and other foster parents I know like this one . It has solid walls so kitties can not climb it and tall enough that kitties cannot jump over it. Make sure they have PLENTY of toys, but don’t keep any in there that they could get tangled up in or hurt themselves. I don’t like to keep the string toys in there with them. A litter box, access to a water bowl, I like to stick stuffed animals in there as well. Kittens this age, especially in a litter, are pretty good at entertaining themselves. Play time should still happen to burn out some energy. This is my favorite age! Good luck and enjoy the kittens! Also, if you’re on Facebook and are looking for more resources, join the page “Orphan Kitten Bottle Feeders and Fosters.” It’s full of very knowledgeable foster parents. Feel free to message me with any other detailed questions.

Edit: I realized you said you did already buy the playpen, which I think will work perfectly fine at this age. Same setup, pretty much. Just make sure they have some things to do, a place to go potty, and a water bowl.

3 inches depth is a good rule. I scoop the box completely every couple of days, and replace the litter completely every month-ish or if I notice that odors are lingering. I found that getting a good litter scoop took away any reluctance to clean the box I might have had; it just makes the task a lot easier.

Late to the party, but I think you may be buying unnecessarily expensive litter. Pet products are like anything else; the sky's the limit on what you can spend and there will always be a brand ready to sell to high rollers, but unless you're spending that much on a large (25lb+) bags then you can probably look for new litter.

I've been using Swheat Scoop and World's Best Cat Litter for ten years and have consistently found them to be affordable, high quality and low-maintenance. They are plant-based (wheat and corn, respectively), so if opened and then left unattended in a pantry they can attract critters, but they clump well, they don't have any sort of chemical odor that might turn your cat off, and best of all they're flushable—I'm an apartment dweller so being able to scoop the litter whenever I want to without the chore of taking it downstairs to the garbage each time is a great incentive to change it as regularly as my cats need.

Anyway, hope that's helpful! $30/bag if your cat doesn't explicitly need something special that's in that litter is way too much.

My suggestions would be Feliway Diffusers and Nature’s Miracle Calming Spray, which calm your cat down and ease anxiety and their overall mood and behaviors. This might ease him upstairs, or at the very least make him calmer. He might be in your basement simply because he likes it there, not that he’s scared. If you adjust the upstairs into something that he would like better, maybe he will spend more time up there. Or maybe he just likes the cool, quiet atmosphere of the basement. Does he come upstairs to eat or play?

One thing about the diffusers is that they do heat up a lot, so keep them away from things that are very flammable!

If he's slowly warming up to you and improving as time passes, he will hopefully continue this trend. It's only been three weeks. If he starts biting you just say "no" and stop petting him or walk away. Maybe try just sitting next to him for a while without petting him and see if he will come to you. I know you said you play with him, but make sure you are tiring him out during each play session. Wand toys are great for this because your hand is nowhere near the toy part so he will eventually associate the toy with biting and not your hand. This is the absolute best wand toy in my experience.

I've had 2 auto feeders for my cat.

The first one was similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Portion-Automatic-Feeder-brushed/dp/B005O324ACand my cat broke into it on the 2nd day. The bowl detaches from the feeder part for easy cleaning which is nice, but the part where the food comes out is not covered by anything, which is how my cat managed to break in. He stuck his paw up the chute where the food came from and was able to wiggle his paw around to get all the food out.

The second and current one is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Crown-Majestic-Diamond-Automatic-Feeder/dp/B00JIWW3VUand it's been fantastic for the 2 or so years we've used it. The one I have doesn't have the water attachment, so I think they've upgraded models or something. For this one, the bowl doesn't detach, so it's not as easy and convenient to clean but still doable. This one does have a little plastic guard where the food goes into the bowl which prevents my cat from breaking in. The lid that covers the food reservoir latches nicely and can't be broken into unless your cats have opposable thumbs ;) unfortunately I don't remember how the lid on the first one attaches

One concern I have for you and your cats is that they might not be happy to share food from the same bowl, but if your cats are ok with that then you should be fine. Hope this is helpful, let me know if you need more!

Cat tax (including auto feeders): https://imgur.com/a/bGpI4NQ

Some cats are CRAZY food-driven. I've got 4 cats, and 2-3 of them (depending on their mood at the time) are food-mad. And all but one definitely prefer their super expensive prescription dry food over wet food.

To make it less of a food-panic and introduce play, our vet recommended these to stop the scarfing. They work beautifully!!

That, and slo-bowls

And Puzzle Bowls

Keeps them all from scarfing it down so they eat slower, don't "scarf & barf", and it reduces desperation at the next meal time.

Good luck!

My first cat has been a journey and a great learning experience.

My most important piece of advice is to be consistently patient. Young cats are wild af. Stay calm. Don't cuddle or put your hands on your cat too often. Practice this for YEARS. Seriously... Patience.

Giving the cat space, a scratch pad, and some time outside sniffing around in the grass, chasing birds, talking shit to squirrels... This and plenty of patience, time and being gentle with the cat—I used to pet her more like a dog but kitties are fragile!—has turned our Kitty into the sweetest little cat.

Kitties are magical. Treat your cat with respect, listen to what he has to say, and take your time!

Best,

My cat isn't interested in matatabi sticks but loves matatabi powder! Worth a try :) Good luck!

That sounds incredibly frustrating! Maybe try a slow feeder or a treat ball. Cats are hunters so making them work for their food can help them eat slower and keep them entertained. I hate to suggest buying something new when money is tight but my treat ball was under $7. I don’t use a bowl for dry food at all anymore, I have a few different types of slow feeders.

Here is the treat ball I have: treat ball

Good luck!

Definitely ask the cat sitter to hang out for at least half an hour - even if they're just watching TV it's good for the babies ot have them there (but if you're paying them they should be happy to actually play with the cats). In terms of interactive toys, my cats LOVE this. Even my grumpiest cat goes wild for that guy.

The only thing I can think of is a small Cat Stool thing,

It looks like this link from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/PetFusion-Scratcher-Construction-significantly-alternatives/dp/B00JK0BXRA/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=infinity+cat+stool&qid=1571153730&sr=8-1

Similar but not the same thing.

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I have another one of these things still new in the box, but the last one I had was perched and drilled into the wall to give them a high vantage point. I can't really do that in my new house, However, I still have their old Cat Tree, and a couple new spots I feel like they might like.


I'll look into some new toys for them today.

I buy flea meds for my cats from amazon for less than $30. It would be the best way to get rid of the fleas. If you want it, here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LWLTXVS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yC62Bb7ZKA0RZ

try to get a free sample of this from a vet

Hill's Prescription Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health - 4lb

http://www.amazon.com/Hills-Prescription-Feline-Thyroid-Health/dp/B007M5WEYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452266786&sr=8-1&keywords=science+diet+y%2Fd

Hill's Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health Canned Cat Food (24 -5.5oz cans)

http://www.amazon.com/Feline-Thyroid-Health-Canned-5-5oz/dp/B00FAX5YVM/ref=pd_sim_199_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51jGiSScxHL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1MRP27MFCHMCDNV7F75D

Example

http://www.amazon.com/Catgrass-Sweet-Oats-Cats-Seeds/dp/B0035XQ7D8

There are cat bowls that have timers on them so they open at a certain time: https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-2-Meal-Automatic-Feeder-Dispenses/dp/B000241NRI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1511485472&sr=1-3&keywords=cat+bowl+with+timer

Leaving out unlimited dry food is also an option so she can eat whenever she wants.

12 hours is a long time for her to be alone after being used to having someone around all the time-- she might also be bored and lonely.

I wouldn't do it. Declaw can cause pain, behavioral problems, aversion to the litterbox, and the claws can grow back which causes pain.

I would counter condition your cat using positive reinforcement to either touching her paws and clipping them, and/or to the car so you can transport her. You can also buy a restraint bag for grooming (like this) if counter conditioning fails.