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Feral mom w/4 kittens won't eat or drink! Help!

post #1 of 6
5/1/11 at 6:12am
Thread Starter 
I have a feral mom with 4 aprox. 9 day old kittens, who were rescued yesterday, and put in my guest room. She is hiding in the closet for 24 hours now, and hasn't touched food or water. How long can she do this for without compromising her health/kittens health? What should I do? It's the weekend and the vets are closed. Please help with advice, as I am very worried about her and the babies. Thanks!
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post #2 of 6
5/1/11 at 4:35pm
Is there an E vet clinic you could call for suggestions? Even one out of your area can certainly give some help over the phone. Can you handle her? I would offer her some kitten food as that is good for nursing moms. Try either wet or dry. If she will take wet, all the better for she will get hydrated. Mix a bit of liquid with it to make it even more palatable for her. Or some boiled chicken, with no salt or seasonings. Homemade is best. Some baby food, without onions or garlic.

She is probably stressed with new babies and a new environment. Is she taking care of the babies, letting them nurse and washing them? If she is, that is a good sign....doing what has to be done.

Keep her in an area with low household traffic. Make sure it is quiet for her. Being feral, this is all too much for her to handle.

How long has it been now since she has taken food or water? I would repost in the Pregnant cats and kittens forum. I hope this has helped.
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post #3 of 6
5/1/11 at 5:00pm
I would be bottle feeding these kittens and let her dry up(if needed by the vet) and spay and release her. Unless there was plans for soemthing else.
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post #4 of 6
5/1/11 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
She ate some today, but we moved her and kittens to a large covered cage with shelves (cat rescue lady recommended). Now she is back to being scared to death. I hope she will come down from the shelf to nutse the kittens, but I am supplementing them with kitten formula just in case. I plan to get her spayed after the kittens are weaned. (if she will still nurse them) I work full time so it will be hard to arrange bottle feedings for them. How often do they need to be fed- I think the are 9-10 days old I feel so sorry for the poor baby because she is so scared. I hope she will relax and become more comfortable. Thanks for your help!
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post #5 of 6
5/1/11 at 7:26pm
I would take the shelf away and leave just a box with kitten inside-tho be careful at this point she may hurt them.

If they are not eating anyway something is better then nothing-anyway you could find someone to do one feed halfway and feed every 4-6 hours? ideally it would be more and when I raised mine I did on demand. I was also in a job that I could bring them with me.

Could you set it up in a way you can tell if she goes down-litter on level of the box they are in? is there kitten poop in box(a sign shes not doing much imo) they smell ok/look groomed?
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post #6 of 6
5/1/11 at 7:31pm
First off, thank you for rescuing them. I do not know the circumstances behind you getting this family and how the mother was found or caught. I would completely cover that cage totally in the front. The cage needs to be in a very quiet, private location without any disturbances at all. No humans other than you coming to check on the babies, feed mom and clean litter pan. Then you must leave the private room. If she is not nursing these kits, then I would take them from her and start the bottle feeding every two to three hours.

The problem lies in the fact that she has been captured, has a litter of kits to care for, is feral, and now dealing with humans. I doubt she will care properly for these kittens at all due to the shock of what has happened to her and her babies. If she can learn quickly that you and only you will come to help her, she might start caring for the kits and eating. Feed her canned kitten food and leave dry kitten food out all the time for her as well. Do not look at her and do not speak. Now is not the time for trying to socialize her. Let her know you are only there to help her survive at the moment and care for her babies. Much luck and bless you
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