I nursed four shelter kittens through pretty serious calicivirus and the shelter vet prescribes sucralfate. The tablets are dissolved in water and given by syrings to coat the tongue just before feeding. It really soothes the pain and helps them eat. It's nearly miraculous in getting nutrition...
Hey guys! Yes, all 8 are doing pretty well! Life has just been busy around here in so many ways. There is one little guy who is needing quite a bit of supplement due to the competition - not one of the original two runts interestingly, but one of the little grey fellows. As of tonight one grey...
I keep checking for news of Oscar!
I have a shelter foster mama who had 8 kittens last week. Three are red/orange and all three appear to be girls so I had to look up the genetics. It appears oranges are 75/25 male to female so girls are unusual but not that rare. There's also a little orange...
She tends to spread her front paws wide and knead at the bedding when all the kittens are very active and just starting to nurse. I wonder if it's just her reaction to the frantic activity around her? She settles when they settle. It's unusual in my experience, but she's never disturbed the...
Officially 1 week and everyone is doing great! Only the little black one hasn't doubled his birth weight, but he has gained a lot the last two days. These guys are going to be fun in a couple of weeks when they start going everywhere. They are in a barely used bathroom right now but I like to...
From working at a shelter, being around shelter cats and cats that have been lost and wandering I can offer a couple ideas. It could be some kind of internal parasite picked up from his time wandering, getting used to richer food again, or just stress. Small meals are a good idea and it's great...
I personally have had very good luck using food grade diatomaceous earth with my own cats and foster cats. I rub it into their fur well, down to the skin. I also flea comb, use the DE in the carpets and vacuum pretty frequently - 3-4 times per week. The places where they sleep and bedding for...
Five days old and here's the crew with Mem. The black one and the smallest red are having a little trouble so they are getting KMR supplement every few hours, 2 ml for the black and 1 ml for the red since he's not doing quite so bad on his own. The black one got some nutrical yesterday also and...
Day 3 and still going strong. Everyone is up in weight this morning, some more than others. Two of the reds and the black one started out smaller and are a little slower to gain so I try to put them on Mom ahead of the others and in a good position. I'm giving her as much to eat as she will take...
Still 8 for 8 at the 48 hour mark. Mama cat (we call her Mem) is terrific, quite devoted. She eats her food as quickly as possible to rush back to them, and hovers when I go in and weigh them. I wish they were gaining a bit faster, but the general trend is upwards. Quite the little family.
I didn't even think of probiotic with the antibiotic - thank you. I have some on hand. I've used probiotics with cats with great success so many times, but vets I've worked with seem to rarely recommend it.
And you are right - mama is a gorgeous tortie!
This morning all 8 are wiggly and warm...
I use food grade diatomaceous earth on even the young kittens for flea control. You must, must, must be sure it's the food grade - nothing you would buy for pool care, nothing with pesticide added. Try health food stores. I rub it into their fur and the fleas it comes into contact with die in a...