NEED HELP FAST! 4 Kittens and a dead mother... What to do?

Hi so one of our barn cats had 4 kittens. She was around for a while, but two days ago she didn't show up for morning feeding. She hasn't since. So we are trying to help the kittens. There eyes are open, but they are not very strong. The will not drink milk out of a pan. We tried syringing milk in there mouthes, it went semi well.... So what should our next course of action be? how should we feed for them until we can get them to drink milk? We need replys ASAP because they are very weak... We think one may die.

Thanks for the help

First off - Welcome to TCS!

The kittens need to be kept warm, I've used a heating pad with a blanket/towel wrapped around it. If they are too cold they won't drink. Do you have any kitten milk replacer? Here is the link to a good website that can offer guidance.

Please be aware that is it not advised that you turn these kittens loose on the farm once they are older. Being bottle fed kittens, they do not stand much of a chance of survival (less than 5% is what I was quoted once).

About 6 years ago we fixed our farm kitties. It's the best thing ever done. They're friendly and healthy. We don't have anymore kittens & death all the time. Best of all, even though it was $$ to fix them, we spend *much* less to feed them each month (about 1/4 the cost of before). Please consider fixing your farm cats, for their sake.

lGet to the pet supply store and get KMR. It is a milk replacement for kittens. Get the bottle that comes with it.

Cut an "x" in the nipple. Put the KMR in according to directions. Gently hold each kitten and very lightly, squeeze the bottle to help the milk flow. Test before you put in kittens mouth so as not to drown them with too much pressure. It might take a little time for them to get the idea of sucking and not biting the nipple. Be patient.

Use a heated rice pack in the microwave, and do not get it too hot. Or use a jar filled with very warm water and wrap in a towel. Lay this with the kittens. Keep them draft free and in an area where no other animals can get at them..in the house.

Feed them as much as they will take. Depending on their ages, will dictate how often to feed. My motto is feed when hungry.

Welcome to TCS.
You can find some really good information at http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

Thanks for the help, but for now all we can do is heat. Our vet office is closed... What can we do in the mean time to tide them over until the morning when the vets office is open?

Do you have any milk replacment? You can get it at local pet stores, and here's a link to a home-made recipe.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46295
Goos luck with your babies!

thanks for the recipe! we made it and they took the syringe right away. they are over 3 weeks old, so we are going to start converting them to dry kitten kibble in 2-3 days. I have 2 other kittens who were around this age who did just fine. A little difference circumstances, but pretty close.

Originally Posted by Farmboy

thanks for the recipe! we made it and they took the syringe right away. they are over 3 weeks old, so we are going to start converting them to dry kitten kibble in 2-3 days. I have 2 other kittens who were around this age who did just fine. A little difference circumstances, but pretty close.

Click to expand...

That's so great to hear! They may not start eating the hard food until a little after 4 weeks, but putting it out there is never any harm . You can also try putting a little milk replacer in the food to soften it a little.

They may not be able to eat dry kibble; you may need to give them some soft food, possibly with water added. Do a search for "kitten glop."

Here's the recipe for Kitten Glop, http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46295

I'd start off with supplementing the bottle with the wet food. Add some KMR to the wet food and mix it up to make it a bit easier for them to lick up.

Great advice everyone, terrific team effort to save these babies!

Farmboy, welcome to TCS, so glad you came here for help. Please do keep us posted on the little orphans.