2 week old kittens from a feral mom

Hope this is the right spot for this!  

Very long story short, 2 weeks ago, we took in kittens that a feral mom didn't seem to be able to handle all of them.  The mom seemed very young, and this may have possibly been her first litter. She had a total of 5 kittens, and when we saw them, they were newborns  -- eyes closed, ears flat, shriveled up umbilical cords).  She would only take 2 or 3, but leave the others out.  The kittens were dehydrated (dark yellow pee, scruff didn't retract fast when pulled), and it was the week when there were many strong thunderstorms (one was approaching).

So after a few hours of leaving them out for her to take them, we took the 2 that were left out and supplemented w/ KMR.  We kept trying to get her to take them, but after 2 nights, we gave up and took in the 2  that were left out.  Later in the day, 2 more were out alone; we took them too.  We tried to trap her but she kept escaping the trap.  

Sadly, we lost the runt (who also had a big fat tick on its belly, which we successfully removed in tact) a week and 3 days later to pneumonia due to aspiration.  The vet had already given him clavamox for puss coming out of his closed eye, and told us to up the dosage and hope for the best but he didn't make it.  He was already so tiny, so this little bout of illness did him in.

That's a very shortened version of events.  Had I known then what I've now learned, we may not have been as quick to take the kittens from her, and maybe given her the chance to care for them.  But since we've started the whole thing, we're in it for the long haul. We know now to leave kittens be.  Just hard not to step in and help 

Now, we have 3 left and they seem to be thriving.  Eating, peeing, pooping regularly.  The vet gave us probiotics, and we will take them in to be dewormed at 3 to 4 weeks.  They are now 15 days old.  They have nice open eyes, and are actually beginning to wobble around the floor during "play time" after they eatl

Since we lost the little one to pneumonia, I'm scared out of my wits about them aspirating.  Two of them seem to be susceptible to aspirating.  We feed them with their tummies flat, and their heads as perpendicular as possible, but they have taken to chewing on the nipple. I hear them swallowing, but they're also mewing in frustration because it's not coming out  fast enough.  We squeeze it very slightly just enough to get a few drops out, but I'm scared of aspiration.

Now I'm worried cuz the girl did aspirate a little bit earlier  Some milk sputted out of her nose, so I turned her upside down, and she sneezed a few times, and a few more drops came out, then all clear.  I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow and have him listen to her lungs.  She's not rasping right now, but from my experience with the runt, he didn't take a turn for the worse until the next day.  

Should I just let them chew on the nipple even if they get mad that it's not coming out fast enough?

Other than that, all started out at around 3.5oz, and they're all between 11 to 13 oz.  They get a bath every morning, and have started to lick their paws and chests.  They sleep in a small carrier with a heater, and we change the sheets and disinfect the carrier practically at every feeding.  We feed them a 50/50 mix of KMR liquid and KMR powder, and once in a while dab a little Supplecal from the vet. 
 

Wow, well done! Taking care of orphans is never easy. Taking care of weak orphans who had already suffered, is toughter still.

You must have done it like a pro.   

You can try to make the hole a little bigger, so the kmr will flow a little easier.  Using a syringe (without needle) may also be an alternative.  Put it at the cheek, so it doesnt flow straight down into the throat.

I see you are weighting them every day? Daily gain at least 1/4 of OZ, but 1/3 or 1/2 oz daily even better.

I understand your worry for getting fluid into lungs. Such pneumonia is what most often kills otherwise healthy kittens...

Look also at our Preg & kitten care forums, the articles and threads there, for inspiration.

A good site you perhaps will still have use for, is a site about helping orphans:

www.kitten-rescue.com

Good luck!

ps.  Thinking twice, I shall ask a mod to move this here your thread to the  Preg & kitten forum.

Your problem at this moment is not they are born feral, your problem is they are very young orphans.

When you are ready with them, they will be like any other home raised,  handreared kitten.

I agree with Stephan - wow! You can also try wrapping a soft towel around the nipple to give them something to knead against, like they would on their mother. I believe this gives them some idea that they are part of the process. There are products out there for this purpose. I don't know the name but one is a ring of foam, covered in fleece.

I wouldn't let them chew on the nipple, though. Their teeth are so sharp, i'd be afraid they get a piece off and swallow it. I wish they made pacifiers for kittens!

You seem to be doing everything else right. Thank you!

Thanks Stefan and Ondine!  After I posted, I realized I should have put this post elsewhere

So last night, she (Jack) was sneezing stuff out, and hacked out a nice glob of mucous.  Hoping it's from her lungs so it clears up!  She ate well today.  Her activity level hasn't changed, and hasn't been overly fussy except at meal time when she's hungry.  Her lungs sound clear when I press my ears to it, but sometimes, like today, it sounded a little raspy.  Taking her to the vet today for peace of mind so I know what to do/expect.  The runt died in my hands, so I'm naturally analyzing every little breathe that Jack takes.

We did the syringe before when we first took them in.  But because the kittens eat so much now, the bottle was more convenient.  Especially with the biggest one.  He's big for a reason!  

The nipples holes are big enough.  We did the 'X' cut.  The problem is sometimes, the nipple gets jammed up or something.  When they clearly aren't getting milk out, we'll pull it out and squeeze the bottle to see how much comes out, and sometimes, no milk comes out despite us squeezing it very hard.  So we soak the nipple in hot water for a few seconds, and it sometimes works.  

I've been discouraging the little ones from chewing, and they seemed to latch on better.  We've been pulling the nipple out as soon as they bite it and hiss at them.  They seem to get the point. 

Anyway, we're taking Jack (the one that aspirated) to the vet's today to have them take a listen.  At least we already have Clavamox from when the little runt was sick last weekend.  I know they can't do much for the fluid in the lungs, but I'm hoping she's strong enough to get it out on her own.  At least the Clavamox will help with the infection.  I'll update you all on what the vet says.

So part of the problem is to get the milk flow easier.  You mix in KMR powder?  I guess that is the difficulty, some of it doesnt get entirely dissolved...  I presume also you do your best to shake it etc...

Continue with just the fluid version?  Can you get hold on goat milk? Raw is best, bottled is OK.

I mean, this way you would have an ok emergency milk, flowing.  

Thinking aloud.  Im not sure what the book answers is.

Ondines tip about this wrapping in the bottle so they have something to knead on is marvellous.  I do buy it and will advocate from now on.  Tx Ondine!

Good luck!

Update...just got back, her lungs are clear!  But she went ahead and prescribed .25ml of Clavamox twice a day just in case.  It's worth it to know that she's ok.  Now I can stop worrying for a while until the next crisis  LOL

With the powder KMR, what I do is I only do 2 scoops to 6 tablespoons of warm water as suggest, and I stir it by hand w/ a spoon for a long time, making sure to crush all the powder chunks.  I don't mix this with the liquid KMR until right before feeding -- just pour half and half into the bottle.  

I'm not sure if it's necessarily clogged, but more like sticky. Since I use the 'X' cut, it helps to soak it in the hot water to loosen it then I massage it back open I guess.  

I'll try the towel trick, too.  I"m tired of them kneading my fingers  LOL I just clipped their little nails so they're not as sharp, but still hurts.

pawpurrints said:

 
I'll try the towel trick, too.  I"m tired of them kneading my fingers  LOL I just clipped their little nails so they're not as sharp, but still hurts.

Click to expand...

Use fleece or flanel, the risk of nails fastening is lesser.   Experienced forumites tell.

Wonderful news! Stephan is right - fleece or flannel is best. A towel will get pulled.

I am thinking the nipple are softened a bit by the hot water.

You are doing wonders! I have found that KMR blocks the nipple too, It worked better when I didn't mix it by hand but put it in the blender and whizzed it. I made up three batches at once that way.

You say you are bathing the kittens every day? There is a great danger of them catching cold. I would clean them with baby wipes, stroking them to mimic a mother licking. This gives them a lot of comfort as well as cleaning them

Good luck with them, do take some photos soon.