Dehydrated Kittens

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kat1432

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Just checking to make sure I'm doing this right. I'm feeding the 4 dehydrated kittens 1ml each of a warm sugar salt water mixture. Every 4 hours. Mom is still nursing, but leaves them for 3-5 hours at a time unless they cry. Should I be doing KMR instead?


Mod Note: The previous thread was locked out of respect for the little kitten who passed away. You will find it here.
 
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red top rescue

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If you can get goat's milk, that's even better.  Most supermarkets actually carry it in the dairy section.  Of course if there's a goat farm near you, getting it fresh is best.  If mama cat likes the goat's milk, it will be good to help her produce more milk.  KMR is a second choice, and don't use the premixed formula, use the canned and mix it yourself.  Keep it in the fridge or freezer.
 
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Will they take goats milk better than kmr?
 
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They are 2 weeks old, but mom is still nursing them on a regular basis
 
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When I pinch their backs it takes roughly 3-5 seconds to go back to place. I'm concerned that they are dehydrated, one died while I was at work, and I don't know whether it was dehydration or not. Mom had access to water wherever she is. We have 4 bowls of water throughout the trailer
 
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Yes, it's impossible for us to keep her in, with all the other pets we have
 
jen

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You might have to get a large crate to keep her and the kittens in, or a room. She can get pregnant again immediately and will which of course is not a good idea to let happen at all. Plus she needs to be with the babies. 
 
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The kittens turned 3 weeks old yesterday. I was gone for 4 days and was terrified of coming home to dead kittens, but they are all doing so well, and were so much bigger then when I left. I'm concerned about one being blind, but will see how it develops as it gets older. 3 of them are polydactyl :)

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catwoman707

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Oh my gosh I adore polys!!!! They look so great! All fluffy and cute little blue eyes, ahh!

What makes you think one might be blind?

I would definitely switch to kmr. Powdered.

They will not take a bottle, so no sense wasting your time, energy and patience. Kittens never do when they still have a mom to nurse from.

Besides, next week you will be able to start offering them canned kitten food with kmr mushed in.

Use a syringe and give them each 5 mls, about 4 times a day.

That should do it.
 
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His eyesight seems to be much worse than his siblings, I gave them a shallow dish of water that they have figured out how to drink from, thanks to momma cat showing them :)
 
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We are keeping one, and if one is blind we will keep it also. We are keeping the white one on the bottom, his name is Snowball and he has double paws :)
 
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He doesn't seem to have an infection. He's always been a little behind his siblings. Double paws are when they have an extra digit on their paws
 
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Update on the little balls of fluff, we are down to 3 thriving kittens, momma cat took one outside and never came back with it. The littlest one, we thought something was wrong with him anyway as she had started refusing to feed him and he wasn't taking kmr, even after honey.:(. They are adventuring outside of their box and I offered them some soft kitten food and kmr mixed together, only the biggest one was interested. They will be 5 weeks on Monday.

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catwoman707

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She disappeared with the one baby and didn't bring it back :(

When/how long ago was this??

If he made it this far he is probably fine just a bit of tlc is all that was needed. Can you go find him??

Please dont let him be out there all alone and starve to death!!

What a horrible way to go!
 
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