More abandoned kittens- round 4

zuma-xo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
76
Purraise
1
Location
Cebu
I haven't been on in a long time and I apologize. Between volunteering and taking care of the immense feral population in my area, I don't have time to be online.

It's my last month in the Philippines after being here a year and I was looking forward to it being uneventful. All 19 of the ferals in my area are spayed/neutered, I got the park (the area I live in)'s permission to have the feral colony here so nobody is allowed to yell at me, they are paying for people to come in and care for them after I convinced them that the cats would help the area with it's rat problem and I haven't seen new cats in almost 2 months. I finally rehomed my 4th litter of kittens that I handfed and was excited that their one eyed momma was going this week to the vet for a check up on her infected eye (or lack there of now).

And then more kittens happened.

There are no cats that I am aware of in the area that are unspayed. I walk every morning and every night and I have not seen a single one that I do not recognize and know. But yesterday, when it was sizzling hot at 40 degrees and I was staying inside with my two boys in my house. A gardener in my area knocked on my door and brought me to a ditch (he doesn't speak english and I don't speak filipino so I didn't know what he was telling me). Inside the ditch, that is 5 feet deep, are two kittens. One calico that was already deceased and the tiniest, boney little kitten lying beside her. I jumped in and got the kitten and brought him home in my house to cool off (he was over heated, obviously) before I called the vet.

Then I got another knock on my door. The same gardener brought me back to a different ditch about 20 feet away, and two more kittens were in it. One looked a lot like the first one but the other was a bit bigger and black and white (the other two are white and tabby striped). I scooped them up too and brought them in my house.

After reaching my vet on his day off and getting him to come to my house, he took a look at the kittens and told me there was no hope for them. That they may be crying and walking now, but that they wouldn't make it but he'd give them some fluids, yet he suggested I just euthanize them.

Well, today in the next day and guess what? All 3 are currently chilling in my standup shower in a nice warm bed and doing a lot better. The largest one, the black and white one, is a normal kitten besides a bit too skinny. He plays and eats wet cat food on his own and I'm guessing them all to be around 4 weeks.

The other two are scrawny, have not an ounce of fat on them anywhere. You can see all of their bones and their stomach is not big like most kittens have. Their face looks like little aliens haha. But, the tiniest one (Shrimp, haha) is eating the wet food now too and hissing at the other ones if they try to take it from him. The middle one, a bit bigger than Shrimp, is still only drinking from the eye dropper, but he's walking around and, besides being very sleepy, seems to be okay.

I'm worried that their bodies won't be able to handle the wet food, but they don't really like eating out of the eye dropper so whatever food they do eat is better than nothing, I suppose. I gave them a bath in dishsoap (it's Dawn I think? Or dove... I forget exactly, but it's what I've used every time and was suggested to me by a shelter in my area) and tried to kill all the fleas so they look a lot better now. But I have a few questions for you guys if you can help me since I've never worked with kittens this malnutririoused before.


Do I let them eat as much as they want or should I limit it as to not overwealm their stomachs? I've never had ones this tiny before and my vet says he has no idea what to do with them, he's never seen kittens that are living that are as tiny as the two I have.

The two of them eat wet cat food and seem to really enjoy it and take to it much better than the KMR, do I allow them to eat that or should I try to make them drink more KMR? They will drink a little bit if I give it to them, but they really don't like it haha.



I would post pictures for you guys but they are a mess. It would not be 'cute kitten pictures' it would be very, very gross pics. It breaks my heart to look at them so I doubt you guys would really want to look at them either. I will post pics of them once they get better so at least then it's a 'happy ending' instead of all sad looking
But for now, I don't think it's appropriate to post.
 

marycatherine

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
118
Purraise
1
Location
virginia
I don't have too much advice, but at my shelter we sometimes mixed KMR in with wet food (and some extra water). Many of the kittens wouldn't drink/eat straight KMR, but wouldn't notice if we threw it in the kitten food.
 

farleyv

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
4,796
Purraise
36
Location
New York State
Well first off, you are a quality person to take these poor things in. Secondly, I don't think much of your vet. A lot of help he has been....

I know others know more than I do about raising kittens, although I have done it but mine have been in good shape.

I just want you to know we are here for you. You think they are approx 4 weeks old? Normal kittens whos health has not been compromised would eat at will. I really don't know what to say about letting them eat as much as they want. Although, common sense tells me to say it is ok.

Shortly, someone will come by who will give you a hand. There are many threads here this time of year. You have your pick. Many have been raising orphans.

Again, God bless you for the care you are giving.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

zuma-xo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
76
Purraise
1
Location
Cebu
Originally Posted by farleyv

Well first off, you are a quality person to take these poor things in. Secondly, I don't think much of your vet. A lot of help he has been....:
Haha, he's the only vet in the area that actually went to vet school ( I've been to two other vets, one, when I checked, was a licensed dermetologist and the other was a dentist. For some reason, they can open veterinary clinics with ANY medical licence here in the Philippines). So, even though he has very little knowledge about small kittens, he's been amazing about helping me with my two housecats and spaying and neutering the ferals and vaccinating them. I don't think too much of him either, but it's the best I can get right now, sadly.

I guess 4 weeks because they have their ears erect, eyes are open and changing a bit of colour, and all of their teeth are sharp and coming in strong, they can walk, and the one is playing and chasing me a lot. I could be totally wrong about their age, but it's my best guess at this point.

The worst part is, they are not too fearful of humans. The one is a bit nervous, but the other two allow me to pick them up, hold them, cuddle them, and they don't run when I come in the room and sit with them. So this tells me they had some human contact before. I've met kittens that, even at 2 weeks, who would hiss, snarl, bite, spit, etc. at me for at least a week while I tried to feed them. These ones are friendly. So I'm thinking somebody left them out there on purpose and they weren't just born to a cat that was killed or abandoned them.


I have homes lined up though for two of them and one is open to taking the second if nobody else shows interest by the time I leave. It will be a bit earlier than I'd like to send them to new homes, but I can't afford to bring more back to Canada (I already have two males that are costing me close to grand to bring back and I'm going to college. It'll be hard enough trying to find an apartment with these two haha let alone 5), and I know both of these people, so I have faith they will do well. I wish I was here a bit longer for them, but I'm leaving at the end of the month
-sighs-
 

marycatherine

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
118
Purraise
1
Location
virginia
Originally Posted by Zuma-xo

I wish I was here a bit longer for them, but I'm leaving at the end of the month
-sighs-
You're doing so much good by saving them in the first place. Without you, they would have been euthanized or died in a ditch. Even just these few weeks with you will give them a great start.
 

farleyv

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
4,796
Purraise
36
Location
New York State
Wow, hard to believe we have so much education here in the US and Canada and over there, well what can I say?

Thank goodness you have found homes for these babies. If they are 4 weeks old, I think you are doing the right food things. Let them eat what they want, when they want. If they were with mom, that is what they would be doing.

If they are getting put off by the KMR, offer water. Than would be my plan. Can you get a small scale to monitor their wt?

Would love to see pics, but understand your reluctance. Hope you can post soon.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

zuma-xo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
76
Purraise
1
Location
Cebu
They will hopefully have a good start with me. Even though I'm allergic to cats, I love them and can't see them suffer. I'm used to having my two cats in the house though, so my allergies have lessened a lot.

I will see about posting pictures. I'll take some tonight possibly and will post them tomorrow, but they will be through link only. The black and white one just looks like a skinny kitten but the other two are aweful looking. Shrimp ate a tablespoon worth of food and 2ml of KMR before going back to sleep. I am going to make him go to the washroom at his next feeding though. But Dumbo (he has HUGE ears haha) only wants to eat the KMR and I have to feed him every hour because he doesn't eat a lot. He'll only eat 4ml at a time so it's round the clock care for him, more so than the usual kitten. He sits in my lap and sleeps while I'm in there though and loves to cuddle. He just wants to be held all the time. They get fed every hour though because they don't eat a lot. Shrimp is actually getting better about it as of this afternoon so


Tux (black and white tuxedo cat haha) polished off 3 tablespoons of wet food and 2ml of KMR before running back and forth across my washroom, jumping and biting the other kittens trying to get them to play with him, and bit me a few times in attempt to get me to play with him. I did for a half hour and then forced him to let me hold him. He bawled about it for a good 2 minutes before realizing I wasn't putting him down and he calmed down and stopped screaming and spitting. I put him down, he runs right back to my lap to cuddle again. I have very high hopes for him, he just needs some good nutrition and some better socialization and I think he'd make a fine pet for the girl whose taking him in a few weeks time.

The other two have improved a lot since yesterday when it comes to eating and actually being awake so as long as that stays that way, they should be running around like Tux in no time. That's when the fun begins haha, thankfully, Tux already figured out the litterbox thing (I'm using the cover of a shoebox and a cloth I used to wipe them to make them poop for now as I don't want one of them eating the litter) so the others should follow suit and it's one less thing I have to worry about.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

zuma-xo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
76
Purraise
1
Location
Cebu
Originally Posted by hissy

It's not an easy read, nor is it pleasant, but here is what you are up against. Thanks for caring enough to step out of the "If I don't see them, they don't exist" category and doing something to help these kittens out.


http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/phil...rotection.html
Yes, this country is an extremely different place than I'm used to, there are laws, just none are enforced. In Canada, if one animal looked like how the animals here look like, there would be public outcry and legal authorities looking for who is responsible (or not responsible and should have been). The stories I could tell from things I've seen... but it's not an appropriate text to write here, not everybody wants to read such a thing.



The two kittens that are eating food are looking good but I'm noticing Shrimp walks kind of funny now. He didn't walk at all before but now he kind of hobbles and doesn't move 2 of his legs properly.
He doesn't cry or anything when I touch them and they do move, but he just doesn't seem to understand how or he's not telling me they hurt. Both are possibilities since it wouldn't be the first time a cat's been injured and hid it from me and my own housecat, Bug, is not 'all there' either.


Dumbo does not look good. Since last night he's refused to eat more and more and now I have to force him to eat anything
I tried getting him to go to the washroom, he peed, but he still didn't eat after that or the feeding after that tonight. I think I need to take him to the vet tomorrow if he doesn't improve because it doesn't look good for him. He was such a sweetie yesterday, and still is, but he doesn't want to eat at all and when you put him on the floor, he just crawls back to bed.
He breaks my heart.

On a happier note, Tux is running around, crazy haha. He bites a lot but I think his teeth might hurt from teething because it's not aggressive, he just plays and then chews. He's still unsure of me at times, when I pick him up to move him or if I stand up with him, but he's getting better. And when I leave the room, he cries for a good 10 minutes afterwards even though I play with him to tucker him out. No such luck haha. I guess since the other two are too weak to play with him, he's extremely bored. I'll have to look for some appropriate toys (which is a feat in itself here, they carry every sort of dog clothing and accessories here, even high heels, but toys are another matter. There's not much of a selection, and there's two toys for cats in total) tomorrow.
 
Top