4-day old kittens

[troub95]

We recently rescued 3 4-day old kittens and have been feeding them via a nippled syringe. We have finally gotten the feeding down pat as both my boyfriend and I were completely new to this, and have been able to get them on a schedule.  We have done everything that the internet has told us to do and I also spoke with my vet, who commended us and told us to keep on keeping on.

I have two issues that I need help/advice with; I have read through a couple of threads and have found them useful but I am unsure if I can do the same things with these itty bitty babies.

1. Poop: We have not found or seen any poop since we got the kittens two days ago. I was told the momma rejected them and the owner wasn't even sure they had eaten since they were born. Since we got them, they have received a steady stream of kitten formula and have peed very often (usually on us!) but we have not experienced any #2. Are they too young to give them drops of olive oil? Are they too young to try glycerin suppositories? Is it too early to try either one?

2. Fleas: They have them. Everytime they eat, we pick off what we find and can get ahold of but we are not getting all of them. My rescue experience does not include kittens this young so I am afraid to bathe them. Are they too young to bathe? So far the infestation is not "serious" but with if these babies never received momma milk then they do not have a good immune system, if they have one at all. I don't want to risk anemia or anything like that since they already have the odds stacked against them.

I have contacted my rescue director and we are trying to find a new momma cat that might accept these babies but until then I need to see what I can do.

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• troub95
• Aug 7, 2015

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• troub95
• Aug 7, 2015

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• troub95
• Aug 7, 2015

 

[handsome kitty]

The fleas are bad.  Especially in kittens so young.  One suggestion I've seen on this site are to use a flea comb and dip the comb in a blue dawn and water solution to kill them.  I haven't read this article but it may help.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-treat-fleas-in-young-kittens

As far as pooping, are you stimulation them?  The kittens will not pee and poop on their won until they start solid foods.  Try rubbing their tummys in a downward motion to get things moving, then gently tap above the anus with your index finger.  If they haven't eaten in  a while it could take time for them to have some poop.

 

[troub95]

Handsome Kitty, we do stimulate both before and after feedings. I'm thinking that we might need to do it in-between feedings. However I didn't know about the tapping of the finger.

 

[handsome kitty]

Okay. I wasn't sure from your post.  You can try a drop or two of oil in the KMR.

 

[Sarthur2]

Fleas can quickly cause anemia in days old kittens. I would suggest that you DO bathe the kittens very gently in blue Dawn but do NOT submerge their heads. Try to soap around their necks BEFORE submerging their bodies so more fleas do not crawl up to their heads. Bathe one at a time and dry very thoroughly and place near a heat source such as heating pad under a blanket. They must not get cold as they cannot regulate their body temperature the first three weeks.

I only suggest bathing them at this young age because you say the fleas are very bad. Otherwise it's not recommended.

As far as pooping, they must be stimulated by either rubbing the bum with a warm damp cottonball or by tapping the bum gently with a fore finger. I would not recommend a suppository at this young age. It may help to mix the KMR with pedialyte rather than water. A drop of olive or vegetable oil may help. However, kittens do not produce poo after every feeding.

Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job .

 

[troub95]

sarthur2 - We have had success in the form of nuclear orange poop! We were so excited that I got it all over my hands! lol

I had read about you method of ring around the neck, very clever, and wanted to try it but was unsure about the age of these babies. Definitely going to do the bath and hope for the best.

Thank you all!

 

[Sarthur2]

Well, let us know how it goes! I hope well.

 

[troub95]

Feeding has been going along well, with a few minor disputes between the boyfriend and I due to lack of sleep. All are gaining weight and one of our adult cats has taken to grooming them. I figured it can't do any harm and we will take whatever help we can get!
Baths will commence tonight. Fingers crossed.

 

[handsome kitty]

Rub a dub dub! 

 

[Sarthur2]

Let us know how the baths go!

 

[meazell]

I know how exciting poop can be, we have been taking care of two kittens since they were a day old, mother left them.  They are now two weeks old.

This is what I've learned.  Put a few drops of olive oil in formula, it works.  We stop half way during feedings to massage bellies and stimulate those little butts.

Also, massage right above where gentials start, for some reason this seems to help too.  They do not always poop every day.  We have skipped a day, but never two

days.  They eat every 3 to 4 hours, we even have to wake them sometimes to eat.  Keep heating pad on low to keep them warm. When we first got them they ate between 2 and 4 ml

of formula.  They are now up to 9-11ml.  There eyes are finally open too!! took a good ten days.  Dont force eye opening, it can damage eyes.

If you need help with anything or have any questions I'll be gald to tell you what we've learned, since we are about 10 days ahead of you.  This has been a wonderful experience for my daughters and I.

you can also read all the responses we've gotten to our questions under "found tiny kittens"

 

[troub95]

Well I'm happy and I'm sad. The Hobbitses, as we have been calling them, will be going to another foster home that has a nursing mother. If all goes well, I won't be seeing these baby again until they are ready for adoption. We have gotten attached to these little guys, my dad really fell for the one we named Samwise, but we know mother's milk is much better than what we have been providing. I can honestly say that I am going to miss the late night and very early morning feedings and I hate that I'm not going to watch these little guys/gals grow up. I am happy to have stepped in and help them while trying to find a good, safe and secure home. So very shortly, we will be saying farewell to Samwise, Meridoc and Pippin and we hope to see them again.

Thanks to you for the advice and encouragement!

 

[handsome kitty]

The Hobitses!  Good name, they do eat often. LOL

It's always nice to hear that others are willing to help the tiny ones survive. 

 

[Sarthur2]

It's nice you were able to help the kittens on their journey in life, and always sad to say goodbye, but they will actually have a fur mom now .

 

[troub95]

Quick update:

The Hobbitses are very happy with their new mother. When we placed them with her, she immediately took to bathing them and pushing them towards her teats. It was awesome! Samwise and Pippin quickly latched on and started suckling but, as usual, little Meridoc had some trouble. When he finally got the hang of it and we saw his little tongue wrapped around her teat and his little jaw just a-goin' all of us cheered! I am so grateful for Julie (other foster mom) who contacted animal services when they put out my distress call. Julie just started fostering for animal services and she and I quickly realized we would be a great help to each other while volunteering for the shelter. We swapped stories, asked each other questions and encouraged each other to not lose hope or let frustration win when dealing with animal services who are so overloaded that at times it feels as though the foster parents are neglected. So, the Hobbitses have a new home, a new mom, a new foster mom and my boyfriend and I have a new sister in arms. Plus, Julie said she would make sure to send me pictures as they grew. This is especially important because my father fell in love with little Samwise and I know he is working on my mom to get Sam his forever home!

Thanks again for all of the help and advice. This is such a great site for bringing fellow animal lovers together to help the forgotten.

Brandi

PS - I also told Julie about this site and I'm sure she is going to be creating an account soon!

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• troub95
• Aug 12, 2015

 The Hobbitses with their new mom!

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• troub95
• Aug 12, 2015

 My dad feeding Samwise while Kaylee (another foster) makes sure he is doing it right. 

With the Hobbitses at their new home, we are left with Grace and her babies (affectionately named after the crew of Firefly - can you tell we are sci-fi/fantasy fans?) as fosters and our four cats. Moving day should be a breeze!

 

[meazell]

So glad it all worked out!!

Love all the pics!

 

[Sarthur2]

This story warms the cockles of my heart! From the babies and their foster mama taking to each other immediately to your dad falling in love with Samwise, to you sharing about TCS and your own stories with the new human foster mom - I love everything about it .

I'm not sure this ending could be any happier - unless your dad gets to keep Samwise forever!

Please update us as you can!

 

[handsome kitty]

I love the pictures!

Glad you and Julie have connected.

 

[troub95]

Hello Folks!

 

Guess who is back? The Hobbitses!!

Julie got in touch with me earlier this week and asked if we could take the Hobbitses back along with their adoptive mother and sisters. Her family dynamics changed by the addition of a two year old type 1 diabetic foster daughter and a 3 month old foster daughter being weaned off of drugs. Needless to say, poor Julie was at her wits end with her human fosters just when Merry decided to stop growing.

Merry was/is not doing so well. She (yep, it's a girl!) had been "leaking" a yellowish fluid from her bum, kinda like diarrhea but it is only liquid. We thought she might be constipated, so last night I gave her a couple of drops of olive oil. I am hoping that it helped but because momma is still nursing and cleaning them, I haven't been able to tell. Brian is home with all of them today, so he will be keeping an eye on all of them, which includes another foster momma, Grace, and her two daughters, Kaylee and Zoe.

As for momma, Willow, she seems to be doing well. She tore into Brian's home food and demanded more! We are working to get Willow up to a fighting weight, along with Miss Grace, so she can continue to nurse the Hobbitses. As for her daughters, Felicity and Casey, she has already started weaning them, they are about 1 week older than the Hobbitses. Last night Felicity and Casey discovered home food and tripped all over each other to lick the dish clean!

So for anyone who is counting, here is the current number of occupants in our home. Humans: Brian and Brandi. Personal Felines: Madalynn, Galaxy, Bruce and Ruby. Foster Felines: Grace, Zoe, Kaylee, Willow, Felicity, Casey, Merry, Sam and Pippin. Please pray that the felines do not decided to read "How to tell if your cat is trying to kill you"! 

 

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my goodness, you have your house full. You are so kind to take them back.

Keep an eye on Merry's diarrhea, and hopefully you can get Willow and Grace eating lots of wet food. Sounds like the daughters are rather hungry too .