3-4wk kittens mom dead

i'll start from the begining. 2 weeks ago my family was at my moms doing yard work and found in the basement widow well a momma cat and 4 kittens.they touched and moved the babiees out of the nest but did put them back they did this cause the momma cat was friendly and rubbing on my sister momma was a stray but we only saw her for a few weeks before that. i think the owner found out she was pregnant and dropped her.anyway momma cat must have gotten upset cause that night after we discovered her she moved her nest to unkown location. fast forward to friday morning, mom called me and told me mooma cat was hit and killed by car, finaly on saturday afternoon my husband crawled through the woods and found the 4 babies. as of today they re all in my bathroom and are on KMR and wet food made into a soup with KMR and were tested this morning and found negative for FELV ans FIV. my vet tech says they are about 3-4 weeks and look in good condition, i couldnt afford to see the vet only the tech cause i already have 3 fur babies and we just only wanted to know if they were ok. well my vet said still to keep the kiitens away from my cats til the kittens got vaccinated. i saw a local rescue lady in petsmart were i went for a litter pan and she told me that to get a true negative to get them babies retested in 6 weeks, even though today was negative. any of you that do rescue is this common? and should i really keep them away fron my cats for 6 weeks til the get retaested and by then they will get their vaccines too. i need a little guidance on the seperate from my cats and on 4 week old kitten care as i have never rescued such a young kitten before. i want the kittens to be sociable as i have a cat that thinks she's momma of our other two cats and would like for her to teach them like she done to my other cats but i dont want to put my cats in harms way. 2 of my cats are due for their vacc's this month and also have gtten the FELV vacc but the other was due for her vacc's in jan and never was vaxed for FELV. sorry this is so long but i would apprieciate personal experience from any one that has it. thank you.

Yes, you still need to keep the kittens separated from your cats until they can be retested. It's unusual to be tested as early as 3 or 4 weeks.

thanks, i was wondering if you both thought it would hurt if the babies could come out of the bathroom and sit on our laps in the living room for snuggles and feeds or would it compromise my big cats health. the babies are so taken to me and my husband that they nurse on any part of us and snuggle into us and i would like to be able to spend more out side the bathroom time but not jepordize my own cats.

Originally Posted by BBDOLL22

i was wondering if you both thought it would hurt if the babies could come out of the bathroom and sit on our laps in the living room for snuggles and feeds or would it compromise my big cats health.

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I really would wait until your resident cats get their vaccinations later this month. I know that getting kittens is exciting and you really want to integrate the newbies with the existing ones, but you would be taking a real risk with the health of all of them, and I'm sure that you don't want to do that. These kittens are so young and their immune systems are not yet fully formed. Plus you have no idea how healthy the parents are, or what the kittens may have picked up while outside.

Thank you for rescuing these babies!

Did the vet tech explain all the various things that you need to do with orphans that young? Kittens will usually learn about a litter box about 3-4 weeks old and not sure if your are trying one yet. If they are 3 weeks old, you should be helping them eliminate by wiping their behinds with a damp rag (mom licks their behinds at this age). Also, do not use clumping litter as kittens tend to eat whatever they find. A good clay will work fine. After feeding, are you bathing them and stimulating them to burp?

3-4 weeks old is way too young for a FeLV test. Even kittens tested at 6-8 weeks old do not always show a positive result if they were born with it. As hard as it will be, separate your gang from the kittens for a while. I would be more concerned about other diseases (URI's, etc) spread to the kittens from the cats rather than the kittens potentially spreading FeLV to your cats. The last orphaned litter I cared for were locked in a separate room until they were about 10 weeks old. We'd go into that room and sleep with them (we don't toss and turn at night) to give them more time.

the vet tech didnt explain anything, some i already knew and the rest i learned from this site and the rescue lady. i am having a problem wth diarhea (spelling?) i think it might be the kmr so i gave them a little natural baby food inge=redients being chicken and chicken broth and the same for the turkey and beef flavors, do you guys think this is ok? orry if this is misspelled but 4 kitten and my 3 girls and my job have made me a tired girl, but thankfully i work close so i come home for lunch and can give the babies a feed.

i have been using KMR. also like i said they are in the bathroom, when i am home is ok to open the door and put up a baby gate? there are no interactions between my cats and the babies or do you thin it would be a risk of transmittind some disease?

I would still keep them separated with the door closed, your kitties might get stressed out seeing the kittens. The odds of your kitties getting any sort of disease from the kittens is very low, but why risk it? If you can, can you take your cats in early for their vaccination just to be on the safe side?

I know you want to let the kitties socialise, and you want the kittens to have more room, but if they were still with their mum, they wouldn't be able to roam any further than the space you have provided, and they would only see their mum and no other kitties.

I am fostering a 12 week old kitty, and I know how hard it is to keep a young cat confined to one room, but it really is in their best interest!

Originally Posted by BBDOLL22

i gave them a little natural baby food inge=redients being chicken and chicken broth and the same for the turkey and beef flavors, do you guys think this is ok?

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Just make sure that there are no onions or garlic in the baby food. Onions are toxic to cats. Garlic less so, but why take chances?

And don't be afraid to ask the vet tech (or anyone who is caring for your little ones) questions if you don't fully understand what is being said. You're paying good money for their services and you're responsible for the kittens' care --- the least they could do is explain things clearly to you.

I don't know what part of New York you live in, but are there any farms around that keep goats? Goat milk is actually very good for cats and doesn't usually give them dirrahrea. 5 of my 6 were raised on goats milk for various reasons and they are doing great. Depending on where you are, call farms, or check a feed store and see if there is anyone that would be willing to sell some.

I agree with keeping the kittens separated for now. It protects both them, and your resident cats. Make sure you wash your hands before and after handling the kittens. They aren't getting the natural immunity from their mom now, so you have to be careful that you don't spread anything. Your resident cats have shots....these babies don't yet.

As long as they are with each other and get fed, they will be fine for another week or so. After that....you're going to have your hands full!

I live in the hudson valley and you can buy goats milk in the super market, i believe its pasturized, would that be ok? i can also get it from a farm but cant til the weekend.