HELP! I'm new to fosterin babies!

lisasha3

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Ok guys - desperately need some advice.
Most of you know me and I've posted here for a while. I've had cats my entire life, but only from 8 weeks of age and up. I did have a pregnant foster once, but she did not stay with me through birth.
Well - I've got an emegency foster mommy coming tonite with her babies. She's very tame and a nice cat and she has 2 babies. They are about 2 weeks old and she's nursing them fine. I guess I'm just tryin to get advice on what I might need to prepare for her coming. Things like:
1) bed setup for her and the babies?
2) Food for mommy
3) special safety precautions for the babies
4) Things I might want to keep my eyes open for with the kids and mom


Thanks so much guys! Any help appreciated! They'll be here in 3 hours!!!
 

kittylover4ever

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Oh my goodness, how exciting!!! Make sure you get your camera out for us!!

Do you have a big box or a big cage that can help keep the kittens confined??
 

xxtashaxx

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i have and heard to feed mums on kittens food , this way when the kittens start to ween mum will already have the kitten food there , and it also gives more nurishment for when mum is nursing.
a large dog crate or box with towls/blankets will do fine. i would keep the children away just for a few days to let mum settle in . then after i dont see a problem with them seeing the mum and kittens as long as there not to rowdy lol.
good luck hope you have a wonderfull experince and well done for helping her.
 

xxtashaxx

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sorry just relised you didnt mean your kids , you ment the kittens , i didnt read it right.
the only thing to keep an eye out for is making sure the kittens are nursing fine ,
i was weighing my kittens untill they was 4 weeks old , so maybe this could be an option so that you can keep an eye on there weight.
if any signs of runny eyes or nose , or crust around the eyes , this should be looked at by a vet.
just make sure mum is comfy and feels safe.
also make sure there is no way she can get outside , so maybe set her up in a bedroom of her own ? or in your room , laundry room? anywhere that makes there 2 doors between her and the outside.
 

neetanddave

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Well, I've never fostered before, but....

Moms like their space alone with their babies. And the babies are getting old enough to move around, so a box with sides is a must. A seperate room from your kits would be nice, and if you had a big carrier to put them in might give her some security.

GOOD LUCK!
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by lisasha3

Ok guys - desperately need some advice.
Most of you know me and I've posted here for a while. I've had cats my entire life, but only from 8 weeks of age and up. I did have a pregnant foster once, but she did not stay with me through birth.
Well - I've got an emegency foster mommy coming tonite with her babies. She's very tame and a nice cat and she has 2 babies. They are about 2 weeks old and she's nursing them fine. I guess I'm just tryin to get advice on what I might need to prepare for her coming. Things like:
1) bed setup for her and the babies?
2) Food for mommy
3) special safety precautions for the babies
4) Things I might want to keep my eyes open for with the kids and mom


Thanks so much guys! Any help appreciated! They'll be here in 3 hours!!!
How exciting!!! Gosh...it's been a while since I had a mom and babies...but this is what I did. My mom and kittens were about the same age as yours.


I set up mom and kittens in my bathroom...easy to clean and nothing that mom or kittens could get into that was dangerous.

I fed mom eukanuba kitten food...but any premium brand will work. I also bought multi packs of sophisticats brand moist kitten food (comes in a box...3 flavors...12 cans...pretty good price). I free fed mom dry food and canned food twice a day. I used an old xerox box, cut a deep hold in the front and stuck an old pillow inside for mom to use for nursing her kittens. I also used xerox boxes for her litter box....it was great...I just tossed the box every day. For litter, I used the Petsmart brand of feline pine. As the kittens got older, I used the box top as a seperate litterbox for them (however those monkeys were always climbing into mom's litterbox).

One definate piece of advice....have a tall cat tree that the kittens can play on....as they get older they have nothing but boundless energy and a need to climb EVERYTHING.

Also...don't be afraid to start trimming their nails while they are young...those little ones have dangerous nails.

Oh...and THANK YOU for saving this mom and her kittens.


Katie
 
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lisasha3

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Thanks for all your replies guys! And the advice too.
Mom and kits have arrived and I think I'm on track from what you guys have said. This is what I've got set up (let me know if you think I"m missing anything - PLEASE! I need all the help I can get
).
* I've got a nice soft bed I bought with a nice low cutout in the front and bought some nice "lambswool like" material to lay in it
* I've got a litter box for mom (none for the Kits yet)
* Mom's eating kitten hard food (I forget what brand it is) and I just gave her a half a can of wet food (Science Diet).
* They are in the upstairs bathroom. It's about 9x6 so it should be plenty big enough for her and the babies yet safely confined
* I was given advantage by the shelter lady I picked them up from for mom, but can't give any to the kittens for another couple of weeks. She told me around 3-4 wks.
* She said to watch for fleas on the babies and bath them if they've got them right away
* She told me to keep an eye out for URI (which I"m a freakin pro at unfortunately! Most of my cats had it when they were kittens and were nursed back to health so I know the symptoms of that and know it can be extremely dangerous in the little ones)
* Mom seems to be nursing ok from what the shelter lady said, but I will keep an eye on things. They look pretty healthy overall. I'm sure they didn't grow up outside.

Now here are my questions:
1) First off - is what I've said above make sense? The advantage? The bathing? etc?
2) At what age do the kits start using the litter box? Anything I should be doing in the meantime? Newspaper? specifically near moms box? or what?
3) Can I give mom a full can of wet food per day? Half in the morning and half at night?
4) are there any other symptoms for the babies or mom that I should watch out for?

I'm sure they'll be more questions as time goes on and as you guys respond, but I really really appreciate the help.
All we know about this little mom is that someone threw her outside when they found out she was pregnant and she gave birth outside in this cold.
A nice lady took her in but could not keep her in the house and the shelter lady is FULL.
The poor mommy looks so tiny. She herself can't be older than 6-8 months. Classic example of why you should have your pets spayed and neutered!
She's way too young to be a momma.

Look forward to your responses and advice and wish me luck!
 
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lisasha3

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Oh! and pictures will be posted!!!

(but let's give momma and kits some time to settle in first)
 

tnr1

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Now here are my questions:
1) First off - is what I've said above make sense? The advantage? The bathing? etc?
2) At what age do the kits start using the litter box? Anything I should be doing in the meantime? Newspaper? specifically near moms box? or what?
3) Can I give mom a full can of wet food per day? Half in the morning and half at night?
4) are there any other symptoms for the babies or mom that I should watch out for?
1. Oh..bathing kittens is a sore spot for Gaye. Instead get a flea comb....and put a drop of dawn dishwashing detergent in a bowl of water. Take the comb...comb through the fur of the kitten...put the comb in the bowl (this should kill the fleas) take it out, wipe the comb down and start again.

2. I believe mine started around 5 weeks of age....it's amazing...you don't find any messes in the first few weeks because mom is umm..taking care of that for you.
Having the litterbox in the same room will help..the kittens will want to do what mom does and will learn...which is why it is so important to not use clumping litter. At that young age..it can be ingested and is very bad to a kitten's system. Do expect a few accidents as they are learning.

3. Yes.....but I would make sure it's "kitten" variety because, just like with the litterbox...the kittens are going to want to try it which is how they learn to eat on their own.

4. Rule of thumb....wash your hands before and after greeting your own cats or the mom and kittens. Make sure you have a scale to weigh the kittens and make sure they are gaining weight.

Katie
 
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lisasha3

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Thanks so much Katie!
1. Oh..bathing kittens is a sore spot for Gaye. Instead get a flea comb....and put a drop of dawn dishwashing detergent in a bowl of water. Take the comb...comb through the fur of the kitten...put the comb in the bowl (this should kill the fleas) take it out, wipe the comb down and start again.
Great idea! I'll go out and get a flea comb first thing in the morning and give that a try. What are the chances of them having fleas in the middle of winter though? is it still common? I'm just figuring it's so cold and where would they pick them up from. Just my ignorance though.
I will get the comb tomorrow

2. I believe mine started around 5 weeks of age....it's amazing...you don't find any messes in the first few weeks because mom is umm..taking care of that for you.
Having the litterbox in the same room will help..the kittens will want to do what mom does and will learn...which is why it is so important to not use clumping litter. At that young age..it can be ingested and is very bad to a kitten's system. Do expect a few accidents as they are learning.
I have clumping litter!!!
I have to get something else. Can that wait till tomorrow? they won't get into that tonite will they? They're only 2 weeks old and so far are just cuddlin with mom. Should I go out tonite and get some? I can if I have to. What kind do you recommend?

3. Yes.....but I would make sure it's "kitten" variety because, just like with the litterbox...the kittens are going to want to try it which is how they learn to eat on their own.
The hard food she gave me is the kitten variety and the soft food is as well, so I should be set there.
4. Rule of thumb....wash your hands before and after greeting your own cats or the mom and kittens. Make sure you have a scale to weigh the kittens and make sure they are gaining weight.
Washing our hands has become a given because of all the URI infections we've gone through. Usually we have "sick" robes too.
We use to wear them in to see our kittens when they were sick, then leave them there and wash our hands thoroughly. That way our clothes weren't a risk either. As far as weighing them though. I do have a scale and it is a tiny food scale so it should be perfect! I obviously won't do that tonite, but I have to admit I'm a little scared to take one of these babes from mommy to weigh. They just look so fragile and I keep thinking of the whole bird thing my parents use to tell me - that if you touch a baby bird the mom will smell the human on it and stop feeding it.
I know it's not the same with kittens, but I'm still nervous.
 

callista

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LOL!! No, the kits won't be in the litter box eating litter at two weeks old... they can't get over the sides, can they? go ahead & wait till tomorrow morning.

Clay, newspaper, whatever mom will use. Just non-clumping.
 
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lisasha3

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OH MY GOD!!! THERE'S 4 BABIES!!
The shelter lady I got them from told me there was only 2 babies and I spent some time with mommy tonite and found 2 more babies! There's 4!! One was buried under the blankets they came in and one was pushed way in the back. All look to be in great shape and healthy and all 4 are nursing fine. She must have just took a quick look and guessed.
They are all doing very well from what I've seen so far. Nursing great and mom is a doll. She obviously was owned by someone at some point because she was loving the scritches I was giving her and purring up a storm!
She sounds like a little motor. She looks to be healthy, although a bit boney and could use some weight, but she's so friendly. Not threatened by me putting my hand in the carrier, petting her, taking the babies out and loving them. She's so sweet!!!

One of the babies does have a tiny bit of gunk in his eye, so I'm going to try a warm compress tomorrow and see if I can get it unstuck, but none of them are sneezing or have runny eyes or noses, so I don't think it's URI.
I can't believe there's 4!!!!
 

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Oh, this is wonderful! What could be better than having someone show up on your doorstep with four precious little furbabies and a good mama to help you take care of them?


You've been given wonderful guidance here -- the only thing I wanted to mention is probably obvious: at this age, they really, really need to be kept nice and warm. I only mention it because bathrooms can be chilly, with all the tile... just be sure the heating vent in there is wide open.

Have fun!
 

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Yay for 4 kittens! I was trying to reply to your post yesterday when work pulled me away and I wasn't able to check it until this morning. Glad to see you got so much advice! The only things I would add would be:
- already mentioned that bathrooms can get quite chilly, so make sure the heating vent is open (and if it's on the floor or near the floor, you may want to put a thin towel on it to prevent any kitten paws from getting stuck. If you're really worried, you can put a small space heater in there.
- when the kittens get a bit older and start climbing everything, you will want to tie up your shower curtain (if they're in a full bathroom) b/c they WILL climb it, and often fall when they reach the top.
- since they're in a bathroom already that's a bonus, since Mom can escape the kittens by jumping up on the toilet, so make sure the toilet seat and cover are always down
- double and triple check your bathroom to make sure there aren't any small spaces the kittens will crawl into and get stuck (not so important right now, but in a couple weeks they will be monkeys), if they can fit their head in it, they will try to get in it. You can supply them with inexpensive toys by putting lots of empty boxes of various sizes in there.
- also, you know to keep checking to make sure they're nursing well, but it might not be a bad idea to get some KMR and a bottle on hand just in case Mom rejects one
- since Mom is looking pretty slim, I would definitely keep up with the wet kitten food and free feeding the dry kitten food. Kitten food has more nutrients and calories in it, so it should help keep her body strong enough to keep feeding the babies, and when they stop nursing, it will help fatten her up again.
 
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lisasha3

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Well, we had our "weigh in" this morning
and I think all are at a pretty healthy weight. They came in at 10 1/4 oz, 11 1/4 oz, 10 5/8 oz, and 9 3/8 oz. I'm keeping an eye on that last one just to make sure if he/she is the runt, they don't get pushed away from mom's milk.
Based on their weights and the fact that they are crawling with the very start of a wobbly walk I'm guessing their ages to be about 2 1/2 wks. (That's just based on all the research I've been doing online).
The babies seem pretty healthy, but it's mom I'm a tiny bit worried about. She looks very well kept, clean, no signs of URI, seems healthy, but when she comes out to eat, she is nothing but bones. She obviously hasn't eaten in a while or she's got worms. I need to work on fattening her up a bit.
Now - I have a really stupid question (cause I don't use this brand). The shelter mom gave me a little packet of Advantage to use on mom but nothing else with it. I'm assuming this is flea, tick AND worms? Yes?? If not and it's just fleas and ticks, I'll definitely need to get some dewormer for this momma.
Anyways - pics should come sometime in the next 24 hours because mom is awesome about me handling her babies. She's got such an excellent demeanor.
Also I will post pics of mom too cause she has the most unusual shaped face. I can't place it, but it does have the appearance of some kind of pure bred. I know she's not purebred, but the face shape is so familiar to me, I just can't place it. Maybe you guys can.

Now I have to go to work and I want to just stay home and watch these little guys all day!
 

momof3rugratz

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Everyone has helped you already so I hope you feeling more at ease. I am sure they are with you now. Please tell us you will post pictures for us. I know a few of us are dying to get a kitten fix
 

kittylover4ever

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4 kittens Lisa!!!
Your killing me though! Can't you post some pics for me.........
 

momof3rugratz

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Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

4 kittens Lisa!!!
Your killing me though! Can't you post some pics for me.........
I was here first waiting very patiently I want to see first
J/K I am dying to see them
 

jkrodger

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I'm not sure about treating with Advantage (which, I'm pretty sure, is for Fleas only), and i know some people on this board are very cautious about treating mom for anything while she's still nursing. I would call your foster director and ask her when would be best to give the treatment to Mom, especially if you haven't seen any evidence of fleas yet (plus, the fleas are much more likely to go for the kittens). I would also mention how thin the Mom is and ask if/when you could worm her.

Yay for those weights, those are GREAT! And good job for tracking, that'll really give you an advantage if something goes wrong with the kittens (though it sounds like they should be fine).

Oh, and watch that runt, they tend to be the trouble-makers, the litters I've helped out with, it's always the runt that will run and attack a bigger kitten, then immediately start crying for help the second it gets attacked! haha
 
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