Rain and Sleet are needing the bottle....advice needed!

So mum has toiletted them and got a good result?

Yes, only with the butter but that's ok! Better then getting him wet all the time.

Ok so Rain is doing great and gained 17g!! Yeay for little man. But I have a new problem with Frost. She was gaining fine, but has gained nothing in the last 24 hours. Her face is wet, maybe spit? She hasn't lost anything though. Should I help her out? Or wait to see if she has gained anything this evening?

Well after another emergency vet visit $$ we are saying goodbye to Frost. For no apparent reason she has suddenly declined. Very sad!

Sorry to hear about Frost.  How devastating...
 

Thank you, she/he passed around 7:30pm. Now Maiden, one of Duchess's, has lost weight today...she is still active but I am worried. The last 3 kittens Snow is taking care of are becoming lethargic and pink? I turned down the temp in the room and hope for the best tomorrow. My sweet babies :'-(

Maybe it's something with mama's milk? Or maybe she's not producing any? Have you thought about trying them on your other mama and see how they do with her? Maybe switch kittens out? Not too sure honestly.. I hope they all turn out ok <3

Both mums are making milk that I'm sure ofMost of the kits have been gaining with ease. Duchess has been acting like she really doesn't want to be a mum and is doing bear minimum. I have had to butter bums just to get her to clean them. So I don't want to stress her out anymore by giving her more responsibility. Snow is doing a great job but is overly protective. She will lay on top of her babies if anyone besides me comes near her. Which makes things hard because she is in my daughters room. It is a hard case to figure. I just wish I had the nack of bottle /eye drop feeding. I just can't seem to get them to take it They just wiggle and cry so much and don't seem to swallow a drop I could use some hints!

Patience is key with bottle feeding/syringe feeding- especially when they don't know how to take it. I usually use a syringe initially, and just literally put a drop on their tongue, let them swallow it, another drop, and so on and so forth. It's a very tedious thing to do, but eventually they get the hang of it even if they fight for a while. Keep them on all fours, keep them in a warm area and make sure you have them on a towel or blanket- or even right near/next to mama. Keeping them warm while feeding is most important- if they get cool they can't digest it properly. If they get lethargic you can give them a bit of Karo syrup. Make sure you stimulate them to go potty beforehand (not sure if mommy is taking care of this), they may get constipated from formula or the change in diet. Make sure the formula is the warm enough, if it's too cool that can also make their temp drop. You can try possibly putting an ad out on Craigslist or calling around to rescues in the area to ask if they will show you how to tube feed if the vets will not- if they continue to refuse you that may be the only choice. Good luck! Sending you all the positive vibes in the world!

Thank you hun! I managed to get a little down maiden, not a lot but ill keep trying. Rain has been feeding from Duchess again, but I got some down him to. Is it ok to add the dextrose to the formula sometimes? I hope so because I already did :-/ An the only Dextrose I could find was flavored? I asked at the Walmart pharmacy and that was all they sold. Is that ok??! Thank you for the response. I need the help

That should be fine (I think? Maybe someone else can chime in here.) But the important thing is getting something into their tiny bellies!

Ok ill keep it up when they get sluggish! Is there anything I can add to the formula to help them poop!? Fiber or some kind of oil, anything. I just can't afford anymore vet visit! Its already cost me over $8000.00 this week! I mean I will if I have to of course, but if there is something that helps constipation I need it!

Oh I just got Rain to take a full feeding and he sucked on the eye dropper! Yeay! I'm so proud of my little man. From 81g to now being 136g.

Yes you can try mixing mineral oil into the formula, just a tiny bit- like a tsp/tbsp depending on how much formula you're making. I run my rescue babies butts under the water, place your index and middle finger around their genitals and your thumb under their rear, making a triangle like shape, and just keep rubbing and kind of working the poop down by massaging their lower bellies. I've sat there for ten minutes doing that and finally worked out a hard ball of poop so it can take some time. Could your vet maybe show you how to do an enema? Or call around to rescues? Do  you have any rescuer friends who may have experiences with enemas? I've never had to give one but I know they help a ton. Take a look at Levi's post titled 'Ben Imperforate Anus?' She was having some trouble with constipation with her rescue baby so that may give you some more insight.

And yaaaay Rain!! They get a hang of it eventually.

Ok great ill try adding the oil, so far no real problems but I'd rather just add a drop or two of oil to prevent it. Slush has lost two grams today and is sleeping away from the group :-/ so that is kitten 3 I'm feeding by dropper. I have had to put off school for a while because I'm always dealing with one kitten or another lol The kids don't mind for sure!! Now if Maiden and Slush will figure it out I want have to be up every 30 minutes giving little drops lol! Thank God these to queens will never have kits again!

Well we can add slush and Jem to the hand rearing list. Not totally I guess. I feed after they are done with mum. Even Rain is taking milk from Duchess again! But rain, slush, Maiden and Jem are all getting the eye dropper ever hour and a half. So sleepy but afraid if I go to sleep I won't wake up!

So in a last bit of effort before letting nature do its thing, I am weighing kits 3 times a day. Feeding only when I see grams lost. Trying to keep the queens milk supply up. So far to day Duke, Maiden, slush and Thunder are on the list. First time for Duke and Thunder, who we are now calling "by thunder" because she is so naughty and leaves her nest!

Ok well I'm guessing that the last 9 kittens are going to make it. (Knock on wood) sad part is I'm now hand rearing all 9 kits!! You could never guess how tired I am lol ok most of you can! Snowbell's milk dried up and I think she is sick. There is nothing I can do about it so I'm looking for a funded rescue to take her. I fell like I failed her, but I hope ill find someone more able then I to take care of her. Duchess is so preoccupied by her heat she will have NOTHING to do with the kittens. So I have an appointment to have her spayed on Tuesday. Kittens are nursing well from the eye dropper so I'm happy! And we have eyes opening! Only one, little Jem's are open all the way, ill post a picture if it will load.

Eyes wide open!! My sweet little Jem!