4 entangled kittens

it seems that 4 of the 6 kittens the stray queen gave birth to in my garden yesterday morning are entangled in a gordian knot of umbilical cord, faecal matter and hair. I have done all i can to clean up the mess, but without drastic action there seems absolutely no way to seperate the poor little fella's. I am absolutely distraught and feel completely useless. I do not know what to do next. Isn't severing of the umbilical cord something the mother should do? i only ask because the mum herself, is probably still a kitten, of no more than 6 months of age.

any advice greatly appreciated

I just pm'ed you

thanks, just pm'd you back

Oh dear! This isn't good at all! OK, first, remember to breathe, be as calm as you can and let's see if we can work this out ...

Can you put your hands on and around these kittens without Momma flippin' out? If not, then I am completely out of ideas on what to do here other than to contact a local rescue or shelter with someone who has more experience in matters pertaining to ferals than I am ... if you do, then maybe we can get them untangled.

You mentioned that cords are stretched and bellies are being pulled ... this can result in an umbilical hernia. Is there enough stretched cord for you to follow it with your hand and see who is twisting it? Try as best as you can to put some slack on it so you can get enough to cut it about an inch to an inch and a half away from the body. Then remove that kitten. Working slowly and trying to get as much slack as you can on each kitten, repeat that process until you have gotten everyone untangled.

Can you do this?

They are too tight Gaye,theres only a cm

OK, let's think about Plan B then ... gently try to turn or move the kittens to get your fingers onto as much of that cm as you can and see if you can get any slack that way.

I think they may be getting stressed as theyre squeeling a lot too

I would start with one kitten at a time.

Remove the sack from their faces if it is not done already.

Pinch the cord about 3-5 mil (1/2 inch) from the surface and then cut. Remove the baby and give to mum.

I am keeping this short as you need to start rapidly.

Amy

Mum is going to get nervous as they squeel so give her a baby to clean up when you detach them from the cord.

Dont worry about any blood coming out.....and try to use alcohol to disinfect the sissors.

Use whatever room you can, cut the cord, remove the baby, give to mum, repeat on the next kitten and so forth.

If the mum is not there, put the baby on a towel and dont worry about it at this minute.

You will want to worry later, because they will need to be warmed.

Amy I am glad you are here ... *sigh of relief* ...

Remember to breath!!!

If any of the babies survive, you will need to make sure they are warm. The cold is what normally kills most new born kittens.

The second thing you will need to do is to feed them. I am not sure where you are located, but in America there are Emergency Vet services. You can call them and ask for a feeding tubes (I can give you directions later) and kitten formula.

thank you guys for all your feedback and comments. I was in great distress and starting to panic as the kittens could only feed one at a time and were obviously in great distress themselves.

All kittens are now seperated and back with mum, feeding happily. I did the best job i could, i was able to seperate one with enough slack that he/she has a bit of cord left, with the others i had no choice but to just cut straight through the horrendous knot, luckily it did the trick and they all came free without any distress to the lil 'uns!

Yay!!!! *clapping hands* That is great news! You ROCK, sweetie!

YEA!!!!!!! Excellent Job, especially under so much pressure. Bells and Whistles for the accomplishment.

Well done and you did brilliant all round for a first time kitten Daddy

Thank you for caring for these sweet little ones you're an Angel

Have a good nights sleep I think you need it

Phew! well done you!

Hope mum cat and babies are doing fine.

Oh what a wonderful thing you did, That was so kind of you to care enough to be of help. I hope all goes well for all of them.. And Congratulations for doing a great job and for caring most of all

Congratulations! What a wonderful job you did under tremendous pressure!