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Abandoned Kittens! Please Help ASAP!

post #1 of 18
8/13/09 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all, Im Kylie, Im new and I hope you can help me!

I just got a call from my boyfriends mom (im at his house) and they just found 2 abandoned kittens, really young! They went to the vet and he gave them some formula and a bottle and sent them on their way. Not very good imo. Now shes bringing them here and wants my help cause im the "animal expert" and I do know a ton about a lot of animals (mostly horses) but have never been in this kind of situation before. I told her to keep them warm, she has formula, a small bottle and an eye dropper. What next? Can they be handled? How do I sex them? How often do they need to be fed? Im totally willing to stay up all night with them! but I need some guidance! Please! Thanks
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post #2 of 18
8/13/09 at 3:20pm
Someone else will certainly point you to a thread that give all the info, so keep checking back. But a few basics.

They need to be kept warm. They can't eat if they're cold.

Feed the right side up, not on their back.

You will have to stimulate them to pee and poo.

If they are so young as to not have opened eyes, they are going to need to be fed every couple of hours at first. Keep in mind that although many have succeeded in hand-raising such kittens, it's very difficult, with many problems along the way.

Bless you for taking them on.
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post #3 of 18
8/13/09 at 4:45pm
Hi Kylie, firstly welcome to the site and thank you for helping with these little guys. I have moved your thread to the kitten care section, where kitten experts can help you.

Have a quick read of this thread, where you will lots of useful links about kitten care, sexing kittens, and kitten development.

Firstly - make sure they are warm.

Next - do you know how old they are? If not, do you have some kitchen scales? Weigh each kitten, and post the weights here and we can make a guess at their ages. Their age will help determine the care, amount of food they need and how often they need feeding.

You will want to weigh them on a regular basis to make sure they are all gaining weight appropriately. This will also help determine if any of the kittens aren't getting enough food.

One of the best resources is http://www.kitten-rescue.com/. That will have a lot of helpful information, so please read through that, and let us know of any other questions you have.
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post #4 of 18
8/13/09 at 5:00pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the responses! Johns mom is out shopping for a scale, a heating pad and such so i will weight them just as soon as she gets home. I have researched the way to sex kittens and I think I got it right, but im not positive, but if I got it right we have 3 boys and 1 girl.


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post #5 of 18
8/13/09 at 5:15pm
They look pretty little, so make sure you look at this link to look at how much to feed and how often - http://www.kitten-rescue.com/kitten_..._schedule.html

And this one about how to stimulate a kitten to pee and poop - http://www.kitten-rescue.com/pooping_and_peeing.html

Is there three kittens there or just two? It's hard to tell
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post #6 of 18
8/13/09 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 
Actually there's 4. I was told 2 on the phone and they she came home with 4
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post #7 of 18
8/13/09 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kylie View Post
Actually there's 4. I was told 2 on the phone and they she came home with 4
I thought there was more than 2 bodies...
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post #8 of 18
8/13/09 at 6:30pm
Awwwwww, they do look young. Are their eyes still closed?
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post #9 of 18
8/13/09 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Their eyes are still closed. I just weighed them. 2 of them are 6 ounces and 2 of them are 5 ounces. So how old do you think they are? About 1 1/2 weeks?
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post #10 of 18
8/13/09 at 8:06pm
Not sure where the kittens were found, but is it possible that their mother is still around? If it is, make sure that your boyfriend's mom is watching out for her. If these kittens can get reunited with their mom, that would be great!

Either way, good for you for taking in these little ones! for a successful first evening (and beyond) with them!
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post #11 of 18
8/13/09 at 10:37pm
I'd say 1 1/2 weeks is a pretty good guess. So they need 6-7 cc of KMR every 4 hours, and need to be stimulated after each meal. Increase to about 9cc per feed over the next few dys, then 12cc when they're 4 weeks old. When you feed them make sure they're lying on their bellies, with all 4 paws on the ground. Don't turn them upside and feed them like you would a baby.

You'll probably find if you can give them a little more at the last feed of the night, and keep them warm (warmed up rice filled socks are good), you can push the next feed out a bit to get some more sleep.

I assume mama is probably still around, but since the kittens have been handled, she won't take them back.

Prepare for the fact that they may not all make it. We can only do our best, but we can not completely substitute mama cat. Good luck!
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post #12 of 18
8/14/09 at 5:16am
You've already gotten lots of good advice, including be prepared that they may not all make it. All I can add is thanks for taking them in and good luck.
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post #13 of 18
8/14/09 at 6:19am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys thanks for the helpful advice! I wasn't there when they found the kittens, I just know they found them in a hole and they were pretty dirty, i read that if you find a kitten thats dirty that their mother has abandoned them, because she'd usually clean them, I dont know how true that is.
But yeah I wasn't there I just offered to take care of them when my boyfriends mom brought them home, though im having lots of nice help from his little brother and cousin

I'll keep you guys updated if you want Im already in love with one of them, a totally black male (I think) I named him black magic so hopefully ill keep him (he'll be my first cat if he makes it) and john (my bf) and his brother are going to keep Ziggy and Hope (if they make it) and their cousin joey is going to keep Oreo
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post #14 of 18
8/14/09 at 7:47am
Good work! So you handled the night feedings ok? Are you able to stimulate them ok?
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post #15 of 18
8/14/09 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
The night feedings went fine, though I am now super tired! I'm a little confused about the stimulating! I tried using a paper towel with a bit of warm water and massaging the anus and tummy, is this right? Do you keep doing it until they go? or just a little to get them stimulated? Thanks!
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post #16 of 18
8/14/09 at 8:13am
just want to wish you luck and suggest that you get a livetrap and put it by the hole where they found the kitten. The mom needs to get trapped and spayed!
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post #17 of 18
8/14/09 at 3:57pm
Just keep gently rubbing until they go - it won't be a lot, but it will happen while you're rubbing.
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post #18 of 18
8/15/09 at 7:02pm
Thread Starter 
They are doing well still! I can't believe the difference in just a day, they are much more active and LOUD, hehe. We have a vet appointment on monday at 10:40 so wish the babies luck!
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