Help with Kittens

Purza

Let me start by saying that I am a huge animal lover. I have a dog, a cat and I recently lost a cat who was very old. Yesterday, my fiancee was working on his house and as he was doing "demo work", he found a nest of kittens. Five of them to be exact. The mother is a ferral cat and she was no where to be found. He didn't want to add to the ferral cat population so he brought the kittens home.

We have determined that they are about 2.5 weeks old. One even had a dried umbilical cord attached. So we fed them last night and he took them to the Humane Society this morning. They couldn't take the kittens. We do not want to take them to the animal shelter as they would surely die. So we are stuck with them -- getting up every two to three hourse to feed and care for them. Did you know you have to run their tummies and their private parts in order to make them poop?

There is so much to know in so little time -- I was just wondering if anyone has had an experience like this. I am trying to get as much knowledge as possible and hope the babies do not die on me. I have looked up info on the web about caring for these little guys. Any words of wisdom out there?

Thanks.

Purza

PS -- Anyone in California want a kitten in about 4 weeks? (Two are orange -- and the other three are a mixture of black and gray with some white and a tad bit of orange)

Shania

That is so sweet of you, it is a lot work taking care of kittens...........I wish I could help you............the good thing about it, is that they grow fast so I'm sure you will be able to find a home for them.

Satanus

Did you know you have to run their tummies and their private parts in order to make them poop?

Yah, i heard that the mama cats lick the babies' butts to make them go. That must be tough for you.

S

Purza

You will have to bathe them too since mom isn't there to do it. Wash them with a warm washcloth and make sure they dry in a warm place. Bathing is also a good time to give them a good rubdown, they would normally get a good rubdown and bath form moms tongue. And of course stroke there abdomens after each feeding.

Thanks. I have already done three things wrong. I gave them cow's milk (which is a big no no -- but how was I to know). I had an infant dropper (for Tylenol) and as I pressed down I was actually giving them the milk too fast (that can give them pneumonia). And I didn't keep them at 80 degrees. Yikes! I better run home at lunch and help them evacuate their bowels. A kitten will fit in the palm of my hand -- how much poop can they actually have in them?

Thanks for the support guys.

Purza

bikerchic

We have determined that they are about 2.5 weeks old. One even had a dried umbilical cord attached. So we fed them last night and he took them to the Humane Society this morning. They couldn't take the kittens. We do not want to take them to the animal shelter as they would surely die. So we are stuck with them -- getting up every two to three hourse to feed and care for them. Did you know you have to run their tummies and their private parts in order to make them poop?

When my kids were still young and in school (early spring) we found a dead cat on the street in front of our house and buried her, later that day we found a nest of kittens.....5 of them! They were only 3 or 4 days old and starving! We went to the Vets and got all the equipment to feed the little kittens, separate nurser bottles and formula. Since I had 5 kids each one got to adopt a kitten and be in charge of their kitten and from the get go I made it clear as we already had two male spade cats they absolutely could not keep the kittens so they had the responsibility of finding homes for their own kitten.

We took turns during the week with each kid being allowed (by me) to stay home from school during the days I didn't have off to care for the kittens and yes this involved through the night feedings. I was very proud and impressed at how they rallied around to take care of these helpless creatures and yes they had to wipe the kittens privates with a moistened cotton ball so they would eliminate mimicking the mother cat's licking technique as well as bathing them all over with a warm wash cloth. We kept a heating pad in their box and a ticking clock under a small blanket to make them think mama was there at all times.

They all found good homes and did the whole interview with the potential adoptive parents, it was very cute and thorough as they had so much invested with the kittens, but 6 weeks later they were all in good homes. Two of which lived a few houses away and they got to interact for years even cat sitting for these two grown cats through the years.

It was an awesome experience that they have remembered to this day and emphasized the responsibility of being a caring pet owner. It turned out well for us, but then there were plenty of care givers to go around. You got your job cut out for you, had it been me I would have left the kittens for their feral mother to care for I'm sure she is wondering what happened to her babies.

Good luck!

Kate

PS Did you get the special formula for the kittens, it's very important!

Honesty

Put a hot water bottle in their sleeping area to help keep them warm. Do not use a heating pad as it can get too hot for them.

Purza

PS Did you get the special formula for the kittens, it's very important!

Yes the Humane Society did give us the formula. They only had a tiny bit of cow's milk last night.

Here is a question. I will be leaving in about an hour to go home for lunch -- if I rub their tummies with the cotton ball -- about how long does it take for them to have a bowel movement? Will I be there awhile, or does it happen pretty quickly?

Also, every time I feed them -- do I need to help them to go potty?

Thanks.

Purza

bikerchic

Also, every time I feed them -- do I need to help them to go potty?

If I remember right the routine is you feed them then wipe them shortly after and no you don't have to watch to see if they poop as nature has it sometimes they need to poop and other times they will just pee. We didn't make a big fuss about this we just did the routine and let nature take it's course.

They only had a tiny bit of cow's milk last night.

Cow's milk is very bad for them it messes up their digestion and will give them the runs. Being so small they can quickly dehydrate and die so please don't give them cows milk, have plenty of kitty formula on hand at all times!

It seems that about 4 or 5 weeks (usually when they have all their teeth) you can start giving them dry kitten food slightly moistened at first with formula and as they learn to crunch food you can quit moistening it. Crunching is also great for their baby teeth. By this stage they are usually ready to be given to their new families.

As far as potty training them we had our grown male cats show them how to dig in the great outdoors and go to the bathroom, it's pretty instinctive for them to do that so it shouldn't be a problem. You can also teach them with a litter box they figure it out in no time.

If only children were so easy to potty train.......LOL!

Elsewhere

Please look into getting them all spade and neutered. Maybe a vet would be willing to donate the procedures or give you a bulk discount. Call around... different vets charge a VERY wide range of prices for this... some charge very little and others charge hundreds of dollars per procedure.

Maybe call the local news and see if they will do a little piece for you about how they were save from a demolition site and ask for people to donate to have them all spade and neutered. If you can get them into the news I'm certain you will be able to find good homes for all of them very quickly.

bikerchic

sphere:

Bikerchic, expierences like that are absolutely priceless. I bet every one of your children remember that event very clearly and fondly.

Yes it was a really good experience for them. The two kittens that lived down the street from us were given to an older couple who had adopted our family as their own! LOL We helped them out a lot with heavy work and stuff through the years and they were a nice couple. Anyway they named the cats Tom and Jerry and treated them like kids, in fact called them "the kids". We got to watch them being in a loving family for years it was great and gave our kids a proud feeling that had they not taken such good care of Tom and Jerry they would not have made it. And yes, my kids are all in their 30's and late 20's and still remember that experience! Great stuff!

My baby girl is ten months old now and she will get a kitten when I think she is ready.

Wow she is sure growing fast! I can't believe it's been that long! Give her a hug for me!

Help with Kittens

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