caring for orphaned kittens [first timer]

A 1-yr-old stray cat we somewhat adopted [it's been living outside, would let you pet but not hold] had kittens in our shed 2 weeks ago. She moved them and we couldn't find them and she kept coming around so we figured things were okay.

Unfortunately the momma got hit today [one of the most tragic things I've experienced] and did not make it. We gave her a nice burial and we searched until we found her kittens.

We have them inside in a big box, a warm rice bag in with them & small stuffed animal. We went to the vet and got kitten replacement milk and a bottle + small syringes. We have given them some twice now but they're not really sucking on the nipple just getting a couple drops here and there. I stimulated them to try to get them to go to the bathroom and they both peed a little but neither pooped.

I have never raised kittens before and am so afraid. I don't know what to do and I've read so much stuff online but it just seems like there's something missing.

They will be exactly 2 weeks old on Saturday. It looks like they're trying to open their eyes but they aren't actually open yet. One of them is very vocal while the other is not. The vocal one is also moving around and "crawling" around the box a lot where the other isn't. It is breathing okay and drank a little as well but we want to make sure we're doing everything we can for them.

Any other advice, help etc?

RIP Little Mommy Casey

Kitten Rescue is a good resource. It sometimes takes them some time to figure out the bottle, but it is important that you get the milk replacer into them somehow.

I can't get the birth-2 weeks page to load. I already checked that site believe me :] I am just a worrier and unexperienced. I want to make sure they eat and go to the bathroom but so far they've not done much.

They don't really poop at this age so I wouldn't worry about that. If you are getting urine out of them when you are stimulating them, you are OK for now. The poop comes closer to week 3 if I remember correctly, and its usually soft at first. I didn't notice a firm poop until they were closer to 4 weeks old. (sorry, it's been 7 years since I've had an orphaned litter)

My last orphaned litter didn't take to bottles at all and I ended up using a syringe with them. If you try a syringe, find one that is fairly loose (by that I mean the plunger is not tight in the tube and slides fairly freely) and let them suck the formula out. If you plunge it in them and they do not swallow correctly, it can get into their lungs and drown them. Most people here don't like to use syringes for that reason, but some kittens can be stubborn about the bottle. If neither method works, bring them up to your vet and ask them to show you how to force feed them with the syringe. There is a right and wrong way to do it that I can't begin to describe here.

I got into a routine where I bathed them right after they ate. Since there were 4 of them and only 2 of us, they battled over the formula and got very messy. I kept a bowl of warm water in the room with a wash cloth. Squeeze as much water as you can from the wash cloth as you don't want them to get really wet. If they get too wet, wrap them in a towel to stay warm until they dry. Kittens need to be burped after they eat and usually the act of washing them will get them to burp. They didn't burp 100% of the time but they did do it more often than not. Putting them over your shoulder and patting their backs (like a human baby) just doesn't work. Rubbing all over their bodies seems to work better.

Keep us posted on what's happening and we can jump in and offer some advice as time progresses.

I just attempted to feed them again. They didn't suck the bottle so much but they did drink up the drops that came out of it. It was a bit more than the last feeding. They both peed again as well and one of them burped. I put them back in the box with the warm rice bag and they seem to be okay.

The one kitten is a bit smaller [not substantially smaller though] and is very quiet. It is also not moving around a lot like the other one. I am hoping that it is okay and is just the "runt". It did drink as much if not more than the other one so I am hoping that's a good sign.

The one little one is eating a bit but not a lot. It's been peeing when stimulated but no poop. It doesn't hardly make any noise while the other one is really vocal. It also just lays there most of the time where the other one crawls around and stuff. I am really worried about it cause it seems weaker.

Has the vet actually seen these babies yet? It probably would be a good idea for them to be seen, especially the little weaker one.

My daughter has learned a lot in the last 4 weeks of the orphans she has. She will be posting some info as soon as she gets home that might help.

Update: Those nipples on the kitten bottles need a bit of help. Cut a small "x" with a pair of scissors. Put slight pressure to help the flow.

Test the pressure first so they don't choak and be mindful not to squeeze too hard. That is what she has been doing and it works fine.

The little one passed away in my arms a few minutes ago. It started crying loudly [after being the quiet one]. So I picked it up and it was colder compared the bigger one so i wrapped it in a smal towel and held it against me to keep warm, and it's breathing started slowing and I rubbed it a bit to keep it warm and then it stopped breathing and went limp. I tried to get it breathing again but it would only gasp one or two times. I called the vet and they said there was nothing I could do at this point and it would pass after a couple more breaths - to just keep it warm and make it as comfortable as I could. I am so sad. I lost mommy and one baby in 2 days :[ Please pray for the other baby.

Oh I am so sorry that happened. I am FarleyV's daughter and have been raising orphans since they were one day old. I am sure that there must have been a problem before you got to the kittens, so please don't think it was your fault. As awful as this seems, you now have to put all your attention on the living one. My mother said to put an "x" with scissors (sterilized) in the nipple. A pin prick just does't work. You have to help them learn how to suckle the bottle and once it realizes this is where it gets its milk from, it will be much easier on both of you. As far as pooping goes, they do poop this early, but don't worry if it's not every day. I read to use cotton balls in warm water...that never worked for me. I had to use just my plain finger dipped in warm water...and every time it worked, and I have three babies myself here. Good luck to you and I am sorry for the loss of the momma and baby. Please let me know how things are going with the little miracle you have left.

Thank you :]

The one that's left, was sucking the bottle a bit this time. It actually was doing it itself once more came out of it. It peed again but still no poop. I tried the cotton ball and a cloth and it makes it pee but not poop so next time I will try just using my finger.

Thank you so much for your kind words and help <3

I am so sorry as well. Like Finsterhead said, there was probably something going on with the little baby. Even with a mother cats attention, things go wrong all the time.

This little baby will need you so much more now that its sibling is gone. Human companionship is so important, but sibling companship is vital. So you will have to do some double duty from here on.

The ideal situation would be when this kitten gets to be 5 or 6 weeks old to bring in another youngster approximately the same age. Then they would both benefit from the sibling relationship. I don't know your situation, maybe this would not be possible. But without mama and her sibling, this baby will need a bit extra help to grow up to be a sociable, and good pet.

We had experience with this very thing. We found our Farleyv at about 2 days old. We did everything for him. He was a spoiled little guy. But he missed the socialization of a mother and sib. He just had an attitude about him. But, frankly, this made us love him more. This is not to say that this is cut in stone. Every situation is different and every little kitten is unique. Your little one could grow up just fine.

I sure will send up some prayers for the baby that passed and the one you have left. We will check here often. Feel free to PM either of us any time.

You are a great person for taking pity on these sweet little ones. Many people would not bother.

God speed.

Now that the baby knows how to suck from the bottle it drank a lot more. I burped it and it was making a little almost purring noise and wanted to go to sleep. It peed but still no poop but it seemed like it was content. I put it back in the box and reheated the rice bag and it is sleeping.

Should I be worried that it hasnt pooped? I tried using a cloth and my finger in warm water.

Also about how much milk replacer would be appropriate for it's age. It'll be exactly 2 wks old tomorrow. I don't have a kitchen scale to weigh it.

I took my babies into the vet when they were 2 weeks old and they each weighed in at .6 lbs. So maybe someone you know has just a simple food scale, you could use that. When I took my babies into the vet he gave them each a dewormer, saying that they for sure had some worms in their bellies. They had been having very loose stools, and after that the problems cleared up. I wouldn't worry too much about the baby not pooping though...sometimes my guys wouldn't go for 3 or 4 days at a time. I would just keep encouraging her to go by stimulating her after feeding. As long as she is peeing, I wouldn't stress about it. Give it a few more days. You are doing the right thing with everything else too. Just give lots of love and attention. The rice pads are wonderful aren't they. Just remember to keep reheating...and maybe have two of them so you can just throw one in next to her and then take the other one out. With onlly one kitten, she doesn't have another to help with the body heat.
We got ours at 1 or 2 days old. They still had their umbilical cords on. They were cold and two were almost lifeless. We worked hard to bring them back, but we did it, and i'm sure that you will do no less. It may be harder for you because this little guy had her momma longer than mine did, so she may have a little trouble adjusting to all the changes in her little life.
You are doing a wonderful thing and it will be a very rewarding experience for you. Mine will be five weeks old this Sunday and they are playing and running and jumping and using the liter box with no assistance. They are just learning to drink from a bowl. It's quite a mess! lol
As far as how much they drink...I think from what I remember that at two weeks they were each sharing a full bottle at each feeding and that was four tablespoons total. So each drank about 1-1/2 tablespoons about 5 times a day at that age. Hope that helps a little. Good luck and let FarleyV and I know how it's going.

Actually it was maybe a little less than that...so don't stress...it could have been as little as 1 tblspoon per feeding. Good luck

she has been drinking about 1 tablespoon each of the past few feedings. so i feel better about that. we don't know if she pooped yesterday because we didnt find them til after Little Mommy Casey was killed so she may have went when she was with her mother. If she doesn't go by Monday should I take her to the vet?

Well I am not an expert but in my opinion, I would take to the vet anyway on Monday just for a general check. But yes, if she doesn't go by Monday, that would be three days at least that she hasn't gone, so I would do a vet visit. I know that the vet can sometimes be expensive, but I think well worth the peace of mind. Like I said, even just to get a dewormer, because as a stray she is sure to have worms. That's why its recommended that all cats get dewormers at every trip to the vet because even house cats get worms. Anyway, how great that she is eating that much at each sitting. You must be doing something right. Also at the vet you can get a good weight on her and make sure that she is on target. Good luck to you tonight...let me know how things are going, but seems like you are doing a great job helping this little baby kitten survive without momma.

One more for the nite -

I should be getting up every 3-4 hrs to feed her during the night too right? I just want to make sure. I am trying to make sure its warm enough for her. My house was like a sauna so my dad finally put the ac on but where she is we made sure there were no open vents or any air blowing around the box + she has her blanket, stuffed kitty, and 2 warm rice bags. I also draped a towel over the top and made sure air could still circulate.

She feels warm to me but I just want to make sure. Sorry I am such a worrier. This is my first time doing this and I want to do everything I can to make sure she is okay.

I worry a lot and don't want to lose her if there is anything I can do to prevent it. I am hoping she will poop soon and continue eating healthy and peeing. She is very active, moves around a lot, is vocal, makes a purring noise after eating. She doesn't burp everytime but she does sometimes.

Thank you for your encouragement and support. It means a lot to me.

Finsterhead by .6 lbs at 2 weeks old are you meaning 6 oz? I'm just wondering because my cat just had her kittens Monday and they were 3.1 oz,3.4 oz, and 3.6 oz at birth. Today they weighed in at 5.2 oz, 6.1 oz, and 5.7 oz and they are only 4 days old.

Yes, Finsterhead fed in the night too. Be prepared to be tired!

You are doing a great job. Be proud.