New Rescue Mommy Frazzled And Need Help! Please? :-)

Hi! Last week, I found two kittens abandoned in my basement, because my backdoor has a hole in it and I seriously need to get it repaired. Sadly my neighborhood is overrun with strays, mostly because a few irresponsible neighbors decided they didn't want their cats anymore and tossed them into the street. And those abandoned cats mated and had kitten, then those kittens grew up and had kittens, and so on. It's a real problem, but I'll leave that rant for another time...

Anyhoo, I own one female cat who have been fixed for many years, so it was strange and weird to hear kitten cries coming from my basement last Saturday. Of course I took the discovered cats into the house, got a box for them and padded it with old (yet clean) clothing, and went searching the net on how to take care of them. That night, I didn't have any kitten formula or a bottle, so I fed them cow's milk with a dropper... which they didn't like, of course. The next day I immediately got them formula from the pet store and bought two bottles. The pet milk is called, "GMC Ultra Mega Nourishcat Premium Formula Liquid" (whew), and it also says "for senior cats". I did ask the clerk about this, as she was the one to get it for me, explaining that these were very infant kittens who's eyes and ears are still closed, but she assured me this was THE formula for them. Hey, I'm new to this and so I trusted her wisdom. The kittens LOVED the milk and couldn't get enough of it... and then the explosive pooping begins. 

They kept exploding all night long, their little box being filled up, and I had no sleep as I kept changing the box over and over again. I was freaking out and was grossed out, wondering when the pooping will ever stop! It was pretty funny and in the end (no pun attended), all I could do is laugh, as I changed their box for the twentieth time... but then it wasn't so funny anymore when both begin to get seriously sick and poop was replaced with nonstop blood. I stopped using that milk immediately and looked online to find that some people were feeding their kittens Similac formula (for sensitive stomachs) instead, so I switched to that milk the next morning. One of the kittens didn't make it and he died, too small and too week from all the blood-loss... The other lived and got better as soon as I started him on the other formula. 

Now, finally to my PROBLEM (sorry for all the rambling, but I can't help but to explain the full story): My rescue kitten, who I've named Dean, is refusing to drink the Similac now. He cries for food all the time, he started out as a fat infant kitten, but now he's thin and I can feel his rib cage. I'm scared to death, but don't know what to do. I can't feed him that other stuff and I don't trust to visit that pet store again, only to spend more money that I don't really have for something else that may be the wrong thing. I would if I knew what IS the right kind to get. Any hints? He does take the bottle, suckle for a few sips, then gets disgusted with the baby formula and pushes the bottle away with force. I've been scratched dozens of times in his tantrums against the milk. Every hour I try to get him to drink a few sips more, but he pushes it away in pure fury after four or five sips. I've checked the nipple, after looking it up online about how the flow should be: one slow drop when turned upside down. I feed him on his belly, I feed him on his side, I even tried feeding him in a stand-up position in my hand, but all that did is make him choke and squirt milk out of his nose! Yikes! He's slowing starving to death and I don't want him to die! 

I did think about turning him over to a shelter, but after calling them, they told me if I did they would just put him to sleep! Apparently, the shelters in my city don't have the resources to take care of infant kittens and they're overcrowded with strays, so it means instant death for Dean if I did take him in. I can't and I won't!

So, please help, anyone? What am I doing wrong? Is there any other milk I can try? 

Look for Kitten Replacement Formula.  You should be able to find it at Petco/PetSmart or even at Wal Mart.   I am sorry you are having trouble.  Sometimes some will die despite best efforts.  Not your fault.  Bless you for taking them in. 

Thanks, P3 and The King! 

I kept finding terms like "Mother's Milk" on other sites, yet when I tried to look that up I got nothing. I will try to find a can that says, "Kitten Replacement Formula" on it.

I know, it's not my fault when they die or IF (I'm really hoping it's "if" with the second one) they die. A lot of the sites did warn me that they might, yet I couldn't help myself and got attached just that fast... started naming them and all. The one who died was named Sam. Heh, as in the show "Supernatural", Sam and Dean. I cried when Sam died, but I don't for one second regret taking these kittens in. Even if I lose Dean (I HOPE NOT!), I won't regret it, because I tried my best to save them. Though, if Dean lives, he will have a place in my home permanently. I will get him shots and fixed, all the best toys and collars, like I've done for my grown cat when she was a kitten. Though, when I got her, she was a lot older than this, so this is VERY much new to me. I'm so nervous, that I'm babbling! 

No, bless you for replying! Now, I have a direction to try tomorrow! 

yeah the best you can do is keep them very warm and when my 2 week old kitten was fighting for his life we just got the kitten formula from walmart its in a little can. it made some stinky poop but it was a miracle that he pooped (we had a problem with that). check for worms in their poop he could be losing weight if he is infested with worms. because if you are force feeding him then he shouldnt lose too much weight. 

Thanks, CatPrincess! 

Yes, I saw that on every page I visited, about keeping him warm, and how kittens that age can't regulate their own tempreratures. I did panic because I didn't have a heating pad or enough money for one. Sadly, these kittens happened while I'm in my "broke" stage, until next paycheck. However, I did figure out a way to improvise the heating issue... Please don't laugh too hard (it is a little silly), but I place his box on my Playstation3! That gaming console kicks out so much heat, it's like a tiny heater on it's own. I make sure part of the box has a cool spot (off the PS3), so he can move if the heat becomes too much for him, and the rest is directly in the heat's path. He really loves it and rarely moves the to cool spot. And I make sure to move the box away every six hours, just in case. This is a temporary fix, until I can buy the heating pad, but it works. 

Thanks for the tip! I didn't think to check for worms. He does have very stinky poop, but that doesn't bother me. It looks normal in color and all, so I figured that it's fine. But for some reason, I didn't think about worms... I hope that isn't it, but I'll check next time. 

I'm not really force feeding him, as he's only getting four to five sips per every four hours... and that's with constant fighting on my part. So in a day he only has two teaspoons of milk in total. I'm not sure if that's right! The sites say he should be drinking that much or more, every two hours, not for a whole day...

Yeah kittens can come with a lot of problems. Check all over for fleas/ticks/wounds and next time check feces for worms. Sometimes you wont see worms so check every time and i know its gross but hold him and up and check his butt for worms. You have a cat so im sure you know but it will look like a little grain of rice and if u watch it(if its still alive) it will extend outwards then pull the rest of the body. These arent the actual worms but broken off pieces of the larger worms but they do in fact move if they arent dead and dried out. Walmart also sells the bottle to go with it, if you need it. My cat was pretty stubborn about eating because he was injured and so so sick. He had an infected head trauma, we couldnt get him to make a bowel movement, and he was so young he could walk more than a couple of steps yet. We had to bottle feed him and yeah it was hard but we were very persistent. We would squirt it in his mouth like we were giving him medicine, sometimes it did squirt through his nose but only a couple of times that just means your feeding him to fast. He won't like it but it will keep him alive. Just hold him upside down and slowly but persistently make him eat. The walmart brand does work well though well it did for my cat. 
& I think it's great that your doing makeshift things to take care of the little baby! I know what u mean, I just got a ball python and oh man ill be lucky enough to make it to work with the amount of gas in my car lol! She has stripped my wallet clean! I really hope that he makes it through and your doing everything fine! Its just a matter if the little guy can pull through or not. You have done everything in your power ya know.

I have no advice for you, I only wanted to commend you on having a heart to take care of  the kitty, I will keep both of you in my prayers. I do hope the kitty pulls through for you, you are an angel for caring enough

Christine

Mom to 1 domestic & 7 ferals
 

Thanks, CatPrincess! 

Yep, I know about worms, because I had a cat who had them before. I got him worm meds from the vet and he was fine. I haven't seen any yet on Dean or in his stool. I do check his bottom a lot, because of when he was sick and pooping blood. I look for any signs of bleeding every day and often. Thankfully, whatever that was has stopped completely. Whew. 

But I never thought to hold him upside down to feed him. I will try that! And sometimes I do squeeze the bottle, to make it squirt, when he begins to lose focus of it. This makes him very angry though! ROTFL! But, I rather hi be angry with me and alive. 

I will try Walmart, as soon as I get the money, to check out that formula. I had just spent almost all of my money on video games, before I had discovered him and his brother in my basement. Had I know, I would have waited to do that, so I only had a few dollars for the milk and bottles I have now. I was totally unprepared for this, but I'm hanging in there, because this is important! 

I'm so glad I found this site! Because I'm a bit frazzled and worried all the time, since the passing of Sam, and I'm sure my anxiety is affecting Dean as well. Now, I'm much calmer about it and he purrs more. Thanks for all of your help and tips! 

I do hope your ball python makes it as well! I like snakes, though never had one for a pet. 

feralfaith said:

I have no advice for you, I only wanted to commend you on having a heart to take care of  the kitty, I will keep both of you in my prayers. I do hope the kitty pulls through for you, you are an angel for caring enough

Christine

Mom to 1 domestic & 7 ferals
 

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Thanks so much, FeralFaith!!! You're too kind! 

I'm no angel, though! LOL! I just love animals in general and can't turn away from one in need. Thanks for your prayers as well!