What a day! Lost kittens, saved kittens.....

catwoman707

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Monday....got a call from a lady who has a 9 month old cat who, 2 days prior gave birth and the kids were dying...

Half dressed I gathered my supplies, KMR, syringes, feeding tubes, Karo syrup, etc etc and flew over there.

3 were dead, 2 were laying there by mom, who was ignoring them, cold as hell and barely alive.

I snatched them up and began working on them, even though I knew in my heart it was likely too late to save them. I've been here before, once they get this cold....too fragile to stop this downhill slide.

I rubbed and smothered them in a towel I heated in the microwave, I talked to them telling them to just hang in there, get warm so I can feed you, type of thing.

Tube fed....

I left with a heavy heart, there was just no reason for them to all die...why didn't this lady see the momma cat is NOT caring for them, and ask for help sooner instead of going to work and casually calling to say it's been 2 days now and her cat is not taking care of them??? Err!

No sooner did I leave that I recieved a text message saying there is a feral momma and her 3 newborns at the shelter who were about to be euthanized, do you want to save them..

So my new "cat room" residents are settling in for the most part, momma is a pretty young thing but feral as all get-out, obviously has had zero human contact before, so I may as well be a huge green scarey giant monster for all she knows.

I use my :talking to a very feral kitty" voice, moving slowly and calmly as I can, I need her to relax enough to feed her kids, which she likely had NOT done much, probably since being trapped and brought to the shelter that am.

I had to take the feral condo apart last night to slip in a huge litter box lined with softies, etc. so she would get out of the litterbox and be with her kids. (she felt safer in it with it's high sides, which kept her from her kids) Once that was in the cage I coaxed her out of the original litterbox and replaced it with a low sided one so she will want to be in the bigger one with high sides, and nurse those kids.

Thinking like a cat! 


I'm about to go check on the new family, hope for the best, I NEED them to survive!
 

kailie

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Goodness, sounds exactly like a day in MY life! We have a foster coming from the vet this evening who was found with a collar stuck and embedded under her armpit who will need some TLC/recovery and I'll be getting a feral pregnant mom as well within the next day or so.

Keep in mind hun, we can't save them all, but we can do our best to save as many as we can! Vibes to mom and babies!
 

StefanZ

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*vibes* and wishing Good Luck to both of you and your protegées, Catwoman and Kaillie!

ps.  Catwoman.  How are the two remaining first kittens doing? Did you manage to save them, or did they went they too?

ps 2 You ask why the lady let two days go and larm you firstly when it is too late...

One could think, If she let them be dying she could let it be and dont bother you.  You have other to try to save.  And you arent payed either.

But I not sure calling you when it was too late was pure negligence.  This is in fact very common with humans.  The hospital, the ambulance in many societies is called firstly when they are dying.  although an earlier help would save them... Old classical history... 

Hospital becoming de facto the place you go till to die...

It is firstly nowadays it is the other way around in contemporary Sweden - ambulance tends to not be send to unsafe [uncertain] cases, and thus every year there are at least ten persons who died just because ambulance didnt come and fetched them, although larmed several times...
 
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feralvr

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How wonderful of you to help all of these kitties :hugs::hugs: You are a very kind-hearted person and I hope the babies are doing well today. It is hard to lose little ones like that - and in the same breath being able to save some. Such is the life of a kitty rescuer.. Sending mega vibes for momma cat and kittens. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: Please keep us posted. :hugs:
 
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catwoman707

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Well shoot, I had added to my thread yesterday but it didn't show up, gosh I wanted to hear some opinions!

Oh well, here's the latest.

Got a call yesterday about a 2 day old orphan baby at the shelter and was going to be euthanized. What?!

Off I went, picked him up, and quietly, gently slipped him in with my feral momma.....hoping, hoping.

So far so good, it seems as far as I can tell, the problem is I can't get my head all up in the cage to see, etc since she is so feral and flips out if I do, so her large cage is covered and pretty dark.

I do believe she is allowing the new baby to nurse, but I have this fear that she may not only outcast this new addition, but there is a chance she may kill him.

Really no way to know what will happen, maybe nothing bad, I sure am hoping.

At 2 days old this baby has SUCH a better chance being with a momma then hand raised by me. In my experience anyway. I've done it many times so I know, of course it is also sooo much easier on me! Newborns are alot of constant commitment and time.

(they sure do come out wonderful though!)
 

kailie

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I agree, I have always had much better success with kittens if I can find them a mama than I can bottle/syringe feeding, especially at that age. Here's hoping! I've also never had a mama reject any kitten I've put with them! The kittens don't always make it, depending on how strong they are to begin with, but it's always worth trying. Continuing to send vibes!
 
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catwoman707

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The vibes sent must be working, so far so good!

Kaillie it sounds like we have some things in common!
 

StefanZ

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 I've also never had a mama reject any kitten I've put with them! The kittens don't always make it, depending on how strong they are to begin with, but it's always worth trying.
I presume it must mean, if you find them in the morning cold and dead, the conclusion shall be NOT they were rejected, but  simply died by themselves?

Do you use the trick of smearing the kitten with the foster moms milk, or is it not necessary?
 

resie

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Wow catwoman707, it's so wonderful what you're doing for these cats and kittens. Too bad you couldn't save the first ones. They were too far gone.

I hope things work out well with your feral momma and newborns. And their two day old foster child/sibling of course! All you can do is keep an eye on things and hope for the best. If this turns out, the little one is going to have a much better chance of survival, since he is still getting the colostrum, albeit from a surrogate momma.

Good luck!
 

feralvr

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Oh hun.....:hugs: I am sending tons more vibes your way for this new little orphaned kitten. I am sure the baby will do well under the surrogate mother cat's care :cross: Just warms my heart :heart3: Continuing vibes for the babies to remain healthy :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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catwoman707

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Still doing good, all I can do is peek under the tented off cage and look with my mini flashlight, as I don't dare upset momma. Last I peeked the 4 were in a pile snoozing away, mom laying next to them cleaning herself.

Normally I would have wiped the new baby down with a baby wipe, pull out one or two of moms kids and put them together for a few, to get their scent on the newbie.

This time, because momma is so feral, so afraid of any contact with me at all, I just slipped baby into the large box inside the cage and hoped for the best...mom was so preoccupied with staring wide-eyed at me, it's like she didn't even notice!

Day # 2 now and new baby is blended in beautifully.

Amazing.

I will continue to watch her though. I had one once who took care of 2 newbies for 3 days fine, then all of the sudden they had bites on their tiny heads from her. So that was that. (they survived and are all grown now) Just goes to show us we can't fully understand a cat's thinking..no telling why she did that.

So I'm watching...

In my original post I described how I was thinking like a cat, and took the high sided litter box out (that mom stayed in much too much, as it was a safe spot) and replaced it with a low sided one, and then put another box, a very large litter box with high sides lined with softies in the cage with babies in it.

I must say, this was a great move! Each time now that I peek in and check, she is in that large box so her babies are eating well.

Something good to remember if anyone ever has a feral mom with babies, it sort of ensures her nursing them, and still feels protection :) Sometimes a feral mom is just way too stressed to care for them.Next post will include a picture of them :)
 

resie

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I'm glad things seem to be working out well for the little orphan and his new family!
 

feralvr

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:clap::clap::clap::clap: :bigthumb: EXCELLENT move on your part about the high sided box :nod: Oh yes.... we don't want mama in that litter box attending to her kittens. Great idea and great tip :nod: :D

:woohoo: :jump: I am just thrilled to hear that mama was so preoccupied with watching you that she didn't notice you place a new kitten with her :lol3: I really think this mother cat will readily accept another kitten. After all, outside the feral female mother cat's often care for each other's young all the time. I think she considers that kitten one of her own. But good idea to keep watch. At this point, though, I am sure she has accepted the baby. I think the rejection would have been immediate. SO.... Wonderful news!!!!!!!! Keep us posted :wavey::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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catwoman707

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Still going good...

Here's a pic I snuck in, mom was eating her canned I gave her so I got a sec to snap a shot. Very hard to see but in the back there is a tortie on the left, then the black mass is one of mommas babies and her new surrogate! As you can see they are happy as peas in a pod.

Now let me add this-Waiting on a callback......yet another feral momma and her 3 newborns are coming...let the kitten season begin!!

 

feralvr

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AWWW Cuteness overload.... look at the little orphan - Just precious :heart3: AND WOW - another feral mom and kits. You will have your hands full :nod: but such a wonderful thing you are doing for these babies AND the momma's. :heart3: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 

kailie

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I presume it must mean, if you find them in the morning cold and dead, the conclusion shall be NOT they were rejected, but  simply died by themselves?

Do you use the trick of smearing the kitten with the foster moms milk, or is it not necessary?
Oh yes, there were times when I've seen the mamas clean them, nuzzle up to them, etc. but by the time I get them they were too weak to begin with or there was something more wrong. I've never smeared foster mamas milk though, but have never had to. Good idea if necessary though!

My GOODNESS those babes are precious! I'm so glad all continues to go well!
 
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