New to Cats, trying to save a life

Originally Posted by dan10101

Thanks for the suggestions, though I'm not sure she will like it. I do keep her on a towel to keep the mess to a minimum. I'll try containing the flailing arms and see what happens.

The bottle feeding is going well. Almost too well. She ate/drank almost 2 times as much as yesterday. She weighs 4 oz now. My Son's been away for 3 days, and he said she's noticeably bigger.

Click to expand...

Glad the feeding is going better. Actually - kittens LIKE being swaddled, just like human babies. It gives them a sense of comfort. We had a screaming, crying, climbing, distressed kitten come in and the minute we wrapped her in a baby blanket - boom - the noise and clawing stopped.

ETA: Yes - she/he looks like a tabby -- with white.. .I would venture to guess that those pink toes in the front will come in white! Looked again - in the back, too. And white "spectacles" and whisker pads.

No she doesn't appear to be tabby & white, just tabby - looks like just the agouti showing up.

She's gorgeous - still tiny but glad she's growing!

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

No she doesn't appear to be tabby & white, just tabby - looks like just the agouti showing up.

She's gorgeous - still tiny but glad she's growing!

Click to expand...

Really? I thought those "blank" pink toes when they are like that, come in white. Or do all kittens have "blank" toes (essentially hairless)? Wow, her whisker pads sure look white in that pic. Maybe I'm just old and I need new glasses!!

The pink you are seeing appears to be where the claw sheaths eventually form, thus not as much hair there, showing cute pink skin instead

The white on her face is one of many variations on facial markings that tabbies get.
Some have ivory/cream whisker pads, some tan to brown.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

The pink you are seeing appears to be where the claw sheaths eventually form, thus not as much hair there, showing cute pink skin instead

The white on her face is one of many variations on facial markings that tabbies get.
Some have ivory/cream whisker pads, some tan to brown.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Arlyn! Wow, I learn something new everyday on this site! I TCS!!!

As an example, this is one of my past fosters, Mittens, at 5 weeks.
Her whisker pads are ivory in the pic, her eyeliner is white though.

I wish I had adult pics, her whisker pads are now cream and her eye liner is still white.

Yup, in simple terms, a tabby I'm soo glad she's eating alot, that's an awesome sign And just getting cuter and cuter

Mittens is so cute. I have a feeling Sassy is going to be tough to give up...
Oh, BTW, She is a she...

No more allergy issues too. Yay!

I wish I could get a decent picture of her. She just won't stay still.
I took video of her bottle feeding. I'll have to see if it will edit down, it's too big to post. I'm off to the pet store. I'm happy to say we're running low on formula.

That's all good news.

Originally Posted by dan10101

I have a feeling Sassy is going to be tough to give up....

Click to expand...

I think if you choose to keep her, given the history with her and what you have done, you'll have a friend for life.

Everyone has to make their own choice but knowing me, I wouyld not be giving her up.

I think I'm becoming a big worry wart. But if I keep coming up with things that appear OK , I sleep better, well as much as I sleep.

Here' the latest round:
Her eyes are open now. They look black. we don't think she can see yet.
She doesn't seem to hear anything. when I pick her up she is frequently very startled.
she'll eat more than her size dictates if we let her. Should we let her eat more?
She doesn't seem to have large measurable BMs. They aren't solid. More water in the formula formula ?
She is now 11 days old.
Weights about 4 oz
She eats about 40-50 cc of KMR a day.
I think that's enough for now.
TIA
Dan

She should be satisfied when you finish a feeding. If she still acts hungry, then give her a little more. I would expect her to be gaining weight faster. My kittens all started out bigger, between 3 and 4 ounces at birth. By 11 days they weighed between 9 and 10 ounces, so an average gain of about 1/2 ounce per day.

Normally, she's sucking all the time. So I'll let her feed a bit longer and see how that goes. She does need to gain some weight, hopefully that will do it.
Thanks,
Dan

Just watched the video you posted - WOW! She is a fighter! My three week old premie didn´t start moving like that until about a week ago - and he is with him mommy! I would say that at this point, giving her up would be more like impossible than difficult...

God bless and good luck!

Don't worry about the eyes and ears yet, you still have time.

Yes, they are blind and deaf for a couple of weeks, even after their eyes open.
Tip: Don't put her eyes up to the sun/camera flash- it can harm them
Yup, let her eat as much as she wants right now! Adding water could help her- look at the KMR pakage- it may give you suggestions

Thanks all,
She ate more today approx 20 more ccs than yesterday.
57 yesterday vs an estimated 77 today.
Less on the last feeding, (still must have been full)
Anyway, After that feeding she weighed 4.5 oz.
I can't weigh her before she eats. She won't stay still..

Originally Posted by dan10101

Thanks all,
She ate more today approx 20 more ccs than yesterday.
57 yesterday vs an estimated 77 today.
Less on the last feeding, (still must have been full)
Anyway, After that feeding she weighed 4.5 oz.
I can't weigh her before she eats. She won't stay still..

Click to expand...

That's so great!
She's going to be one strong kitten!!

Just checking in - hoping all is well.

Here's a status update.
She's now 2 weeks old. 5.5 oz big. Eats about 75cc of KMR per day. She sleeps a lot, and will go 5+ hours between feedings if we let her. We usually wake her up to make sure she doesn't go too long between feedings or to fit our schedule. We try to keep her active after feeding for a while before she gets tired crawling around. Then she hits the hay for another 4 hours or so.

She still does not seem to see or hear although, she may begin to sense our presence more than before.

She gave my wife a mothers day card. It was good timing, because she just got through successfully feeding Sassy for the first time by herself.

I'll get some more pictures in the next couple days.
Thanks all
Dan

I'm glad she's doing well and getting bigger all the time. I can't wait to see the pics