raising 4 abanoned kittens

Found 4 kittens in my shed - probably around 4-5 weeks old. I have fostered kittens in the past around the same age, and they took to canned food right away. These little guys won't seem to take it. I wipe a little on their mouth, but they just stare at me. Eventually they'll lick off my finger, but they won't eat from a shallow bowl. I have a KMR Bottle/Kit, but I've never had to bottle feed before. Any suggestions?

Will they drink the KMR if you put it in a shallow dish for them? At 4-5 weeks, they should be able to eat wet food on their own and shouldn't need bottle feeding.

But if they won't eat, or they won't slurp up KMR, I'd give the bottle a go. The bottles they provide at our vet don't have a hole in them, so make sure you make one if it doesn't have one. Room temp should be fine. It can be kind of messy, so clean them up with warm water on a paper towel. Here's an informative site: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/feeding_techniques.html Of course, the bottle feeding info is for just born kittens - 2/3 weeks old, because they get weaned after that.

...but I wouldn't think it'd take too long for them to start eating the wet on their own at this stage. Just keep at it.

Just make sure you've got a warm place for them to snuggle in - warmth is important.

They should also be taught to use a litter box - make sure you get clay litter for them, clumping litter is dangerous if they get it in their mouths (it clumps if they swallow it!)

Again, I'd check out the kitten rescue site.

What a wonderful thing you're doing.

Laurie

Thanks for the tips and the link! I'll surely check it out. I mixed the canned food with some KMR and let them be for a while. I came back and the food was gone! That makes me feel better, now that I know they will eat. They are still very skittish, but getting better the more I interact with them.

I have them in a very large storage container with a screen on top; warm blankets inside, and one of my t-shirts. On the other side of the container, is the litter box with clay litter. I've placed them in there one at a time, and scratched their paw on the litter, but they haven't gone yet. How long should I wait for them to go on their own? What should I do if they don't?
Thanks again!

Well, our Lazlo held out for over 24 hours before going, but he was 10 or 12 weeks old. At this age, they shouldn't need to be stimulated to go, but if they haven't pooped or peed or something by tonight, I'd gently massage their abdomens one at a time. I don't know they'll use the box, so make sure you've got clean blankets ready.

So how's everything going?



Laurie

Originally Posted by kittysback

I have them in a very large storage container with a screen on top; warm blankets inside, and one of my t-shirts. On the other side of the container, is the litter box with clay litter. I've placed them in there one at a time, and scratched their paw on the litter, but they haven't gone yet. How long should I wait for them to go on their own? What should I do if they don't?
Thanks again!

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Don't be suprized if they choose another location to 'go' at first than the nice box your prepped with litter. Aya was about that age when I found her and held onto it for about 48 hours then let loose a giant pile 'o poo (for a 300gram kitten) in a corner of my living room. Of course she had a bad URI and didn't want to eat at first.

Well the kitties did go on their own; and for the most part, they did use the litterbox. I'm concerned because one of them has a bit of greenish diarrhea. Although it's impossible to tell which one because they are still pretty scared of me. I've moved them to a small cubby space that I have, so I can sit in there with them and they can move around. One of them will sit on my lap, and I'm pretty sure he's close to purring. The others are doing okay but still hiss and spit if I move too fast.

They are eating wet food, and sometimes I mix in some KMR. They have water and when they aren't sleeping in a pile on the blankets, they are running and playing tag.

Tomorrow if the diarrhea persists, I'll call the vet. But I'm probably going to have to try and get some help from one of the shelters, because I just can't afford 4 vet bills. I am totally comfortable fostering them until they can be adopted, but if they are sick, I'm just not sure how I can take care of them.

How are they doing?