Hi! I've taken in five kittens whose mother was run over. They are between two and three weeks as best I can tell; eyes open, ears just opened over the last two days, crawl/walk very wobbly.
So far it's going well and all seem healthy. I made the mistake of not turning on the heating pad last night and found one on his way out this morning. I gave him some sugar water and a drop or two of milk, turned the heating pad on and he was doing much better after a few hours.
I have three males and two females, the females are definitely the most vocal and nervous. True to form! The males are not nearly as loud and are a lot more laid back. One female screams at the top of her lungs the entire time she is awake. Even if she's just been fed.
They're all eating well. All eager to eat, and suckling well. Although I have read and seen that feeding them on their bellies is best, I just cannot get them to feed that way, they wriggle and fall off the nipple too much. I have been swaddling them in a cloth with their paws bound and holding them up at a 90 degree angle and so far there's been no problems.
They do go quite a while between feedings though. Sometimes 6 hours, but then other times they want to feed in frequent, tiny amounts. In that case, I just make a couple of rounds or so until they're calmed back down.
They have a bit of diarrhea and that concerns me some, but they are getting stronger and thriving so I suppose it isn't too big a deal. I've added a bit of pumpkin to a feeding and a bit of yogurt to the next. Nothing else added until someone has a bm so I can see what it's like.
They also have teeth just beginning to poke through the gums. They love to chew on the nipple where their molars will be coming in. Teething, I guess. I've tried some soft food, but they really aren't ready and just crawl around in it not really eating it. They love the smell of it and want it, but just don't know how to eat it yet.
I'm not having any trouble relieving their bladders or getting them to produce a bm; it's just a little watery.
I have some questions!
When should I introduce a litterbox?
At what age should I allow them to go to new homes?
Should I worry about the screamer? She's moving around fine and is alert, just very unsettled.
Thanks! I picked this forum bc of the good advice I've read from you all, so I'm sure I'm in good hands
So far it's going well and all seem healthy. I made the mistake of not turning on the heating pad last night and found one on his way out this morning. I gave him some sugar water and a drop or two of milk, turned the heating pad on and he was doing much better after a few hours.
I have three males and two females, the females are definitely the most vocal and nervous. True to form! The males are not nearly as loud and are a lot more laid back. One female screams at the top of her lungs the entire time she is awake. Even if she's just been fed.
They're all eating well. All eager to eat, and suckling well. Although I have read and seen that feeding them on their bellies is best, I just cannot get them to feed that way, they wriggle and fall off the nipple too much. I have been swaddling them in a cloth with their paws bound and holding them up at a 90 degree angle and so far there's been no problems.
They do go quite a while between feedings though. Sometimes 6 hours, but then other times they want to feed in frequent, tiny amounts. In that case, I just make a couple of rounds or so until they're calmed back down.
They have a bit of diarrhea and that concerns me some, but they are getting stronger and thriving so I suppose it isn't too big a deal. I've added a bit of pumpkin to a feeding and a bit of yogurt to the next. Nothing else added until someone has a bm so I can see what it's like.
They also have teeth just beginning to poke through the gums. They love to chew on the nipple where their molars will be coming in. Teething, I guess. I've tried some soft food, but they really aren't ready and just crawl around in it not really eating it. They love the smell of it and want it, but just don't know how to eat it yet.
I'm not having any trouble relieving their bladders or getting them to produce a bm; it's just a little watery.
I have some questions!
When should I introduce a litterbox?
At what age should I allow them to go to new homes?
Should I worry about the screamer? She's moving around fine and is alert, just very unsettled.
Thanks! I picked this forum bc of the good advice I've read from you all, so I'm sure I'm in good hands