- Joined
- May 9, 2014
- Messages
- 115
- Purraise
- 19
I'm new to the site, but not new to fostering. I guess I just want to brain storm... maybe I've forgotten something or could learn something new, or maybe ya'll could just hold my hand and tell me it's all going to be ok? LOL
Anyway, I have 4 newborn foster babies. They are 2 days old (born early Wednesday morning). Mama cat was a young feral, not more than a kitten herself, trapped at an apartment condo with another pregnant female. The other female is friendly, this mama, however, is not able to be handled and actually bit her foster mom pretty bad requiring medical care. She was only in foster for 3 days when she started having kittens and wasn't vetted yet. It's my understanding that the foster didn't think she was close to having babies and wanted her to settle down before another trip to the vet. As it was she barely ate or drank in foster care. She also had an interrupted labor by having 2 kittens first, then 4 more later in the day. Personally, seeing the kittens, I think they were early, probably brought on by stress and dehydration. Who knows if the outcome would have been different had mom gone to the vet and at least received some fluids. Mom was also thin.
Anyway, we pulled the kittens because mom was showing no interest, babies still had placentas attached, she wouldn't lay with them. The poor thing was just traumatized, and because they were small and weren't being offered a teet we needed to supplement, and mom wasn't going to be safe enough for us to be sticking our hands in and out of her crate 10 times a day. So I brought them home Wednesday night and got weights on everyone. The smallest was 77 grams, the largest was 110 (the rest were 82-90. I like a newborn to be in the neighborhood of 90-100, but with mom being young and tiny with an unknown background and a lot of stress, I can't say I'm surprised.
Two kittens have already died. One had a very small cleft palate. The other didn't appear to have a cleft palate, but the chin/muzzle was deformed so who knows. I took both in to be looked at by the vet while I was there to dispose of them. Vet also sad they looked early. We agreed for now to keep the other babes at home and not move them to and from the clinic.
They all had decent poops when they got here, but after starting the formula, which I cut by 50% with plain pedialite, they got very mucusy poops. I've since diluted the formula to 1:3 formula to pedialite (KMR canned liquid) and it seems to help, but when I up the formula they get mucusy again.
They are eating well. They average about 4.5mls a feeding, and they are being fed every 2 hours during the day and 3 at night (between midnight and 6 am, so midnight, 3 am, and 6 am). Because of the pedialite they aren't gaining well. They had a quick spurt over the first night (not surprised since they had nothing before), but have since stayed the same, and one lost 2 grams. Their turgor is good. They all cry and try to climb out of the bin I put them in while I'm feeding, so they appear strong, and when done eating they all pile up and go to sleep. A few seem fussy, but I can only attribute that to the diarrhea. The vet had me start them on albon for the loose poops. I actually have a microscope but am out of slides, and didn't think to bring any stool with me to look at while at the clinic, so I'll ether track down some slides over the weekend or take a sample in on Monday, but in the mean time they're started on albon.
The vet said to just keep cutting the formula with pedalite until poops are normal, then slowly up it over a day and see how they do at each feeding. I'm worried about the weight gain and their already low birth weights. I'm worried that their digestive systems are immature, but then if that were the case wouldn't they have faded by now? I've kept them alive for almost 3 days with no colostrum, and all but one of the remaining four seem strong.
Anyone have anything else to add? Am I forgetting something? Oh, I also have ringers for sub-q fluids, but so far no one seems to need it. If the one little tabby boy fusses again next time, I might give him some. I also have a variety of tubes and catheters for tube feeding, but hate to do it unless absolutely necessary.
I'm so tired. LOL
If I can get an 8 day old panleuk kitten to survive, I can get a few early diarrhea kittens through, right?
Anyway, I have 4 newborn foster babies. They are 2 days old (born early Wednesday morning). Mama cat was a young feral, not more than a kitten herself, trapped at an apartment condo with another pregnant female. The other female is friendly, this mama, however, is not able to be handled and actually bit her foster mom pretty bad requiring medical care. She was only in foster for 3 days when she started having kittens and wasn't vetted yet. It's my understanding that the foster didn't think she was close to having babies and wanted her to settle down before another trip to the vet. As it was she barely ate or drank in foster care. She also had an interrupted labor by having 2 kittens first, then 4 more later in the day. Personally, seeing the kittens, I think they were early, probably brought on by stress and dehydration. Who knows if the outcome would have been different had mom gone to the vet and at least received some fluids. Mom was also thin.
Anyway, we pulled the kittens because mom was showing no interest, babies still had placentas attached, she wouldn't lay with them. The poor thing was just traumatized, and because they were small and weren't being offered a teet we needed to supplement, and mom wasn't going to be safe enough for us to be sticking our hands in and out of her crate 10 times a day. So I brought them home Wednesday night and got weights on everyone. The smallest was 77 grams, the largest was 110 (the rest were 82-90. I like a newborn to be in the neighborhood of 90-100, but with mom being young and tiny with an unknown background and a lot of stress, I can't say I'm surprised.
Two kittens have already died. One had a very small cleft palate. The other didn't appear to have a cleft palate, but the chin/muzzle was deformed so who knows. I took both in to be looked at by the vet while I was there to dispose of them. Vet also sad they looked early. We agreed for now to keep the other babes at home and not move them to and from the clinic.
They all had decent poops when they got here, but after starting the formula, which I cut by 50% with plain pedialite, they got very mucusy poops. I've since diluted the formula to 1:3 formula to pedialite (KMR canned liquid) and it seems to help, but when I up the formula they get mucusy again.
They are eating well. They average about 4.5mls a feeding, and they are being fed every 2 hours during the day and 3 at night (between midnight and 6 am, so midnight, 3 am, and 6 am). Because of the pedialite they aren't gaining well. They had a quick spurt over the first night (not surprised since they had nothing before), but have since stayed the same, and one lost 2 grams. Their turgor is good. They all cry and try to climb out of the bin I put them in while I'm feeding, so they appear strong, and when done eating they all pile up and go to sleep. A few seem fussy, but I can only attribute that to the diarrhea. The vet had me start them on albon for the loose poops. I actually have a microscope but am out of slides, and didn't think to bring any stool with me to look at while at the clinic, so I'll ether track down some slides over the weekend or take a sample in on Monday, but in the mean time they're started on albon.
The vet said to just keep cutting the formula with pedalite until poops are normal, then slowly up it over a day and see how they do at each feeding. I'm worried about the weight gain and their already low birth weights. I'm worried that their digestive systems are immature, but then if that were the case wouldn't they have faded by now? I've kept them alive for almost 3 days with no colostrum, and all but one of the remaining four seem strong.
Anyone have anything else to add? Am I forgetting something? Oh, I also have ringers for sub-q fluids, but so far no one seems to need it. If the one little tabby boy fusses again next time, I might give him some. I also have a variety of tubes and catheters for tube feeding, but hate to do it unless absolutely necessary.
I'm so tired. LOL
If I can get an 8 day old panleuk kitten to survive, I can get a few early diarrhea kittens through, right?
you must be emotionally and physically so tired. Keep up the good work. You are doing an amazing job. 
