Hand rearing babies

I'm not a vet but can almost guarantee that your little ones have Coccidia. Very common in hand raised kittens. Most cats carry this parasite but it can be quite deadly in young kittens. They will need Baycox or similiar or they all could die. Some immune systems might be better but ..

I'm sorry to hear about the two that have passed. I did read you cannot afford a vet but perhaps a local shelter or rescue might help out?

Here's some info I got from a very good site.

Sick kittens can go downhill very quickly. If you see any of the following symptoms, call a CC4C member or your vet IMMEDIATELY:

• Diarrhea (very dangerous in tiny kittens)
• Constipation (no stool for 2 or 3 days)
• Breathing difficulty
• Refusal to eat; missed more than one feeding
• Eye discharge or runny nose
• Lethargic

Somewhere between 2 and 5 weeks, the kitten might develop bloody diarrhea. This is usually coccidian, very common in kittens. This is a treatable parasite (not a worm) and it must be treated quickly to avoid dehydration.

• Take both a stool sample and each kitten in the litter to the vet for a medication called Albon (dosage by weight, once a day for 7-10 days).
• It is imperative during this time to keep the kittens extremely clean, because the diarrhea can cause their rear ends to become sore and raw.
• You will probably need to bathe them at each feeding. Then treat their rears with Bag Balm or Desitin (for diaper rash).
• Helping them to urinate and defecate under running water using a mild soap will alleviate the pain for them.
• KEEP THEM CLEAN DURING THIS TIME.

Constipation can be helped by adding a few drops of Karo syrup to the KMR, or by thinning the KMR a bit.

Never hesitate to call a CC4C member if you have any concerns about the kittens in your care. No question is too stupid or inconsequential. Please ask for help!

When a kitten dies: Sadly, however hard we all try, some kittens inevitably die, or become so ill the veterinarian will recommend euthanasia. Sometimes no specific reason can be known – what is called “fading kitten syndrome.” (NOTE: One experienced cat breeder has had success in overcoming this syndrome. When a kitten stops eating and shows no upper respiratory symptoms, give an antibiotic such as amoxicillin. It’s worth a try.) Whatever the reason, it is extremely difficult emotionally to lose a kitten you have nursed with loving care. We understand this and sympathize with you.

Thank you for the info. The two stronger ones are still doing well, and so is the third one I thought would go down hill. I'm sure he's not out of the woods yet, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

One thing I know they are missing is the connection and attention their mother would be able to give them. I'm pretty busy lately, and even something like them having soiled fur can stop me from taking the time to hold them b/c I don't have a lot of time to wash them and then sit down and hold them. Thankfully they're able to take canned food now, and honestly, sometimes all I can give them is the canned food and come back to them later. With three dogs, my classes and study time, my daughter, and the house to keep up with, I'm barely treading water. -Of course, I realize that the attention from their mother wouldn't cure coccidia, but it would certainly keep them more content/less stressed.

Rescues around my area aren't very helpful. They'd rather the kittens stay where they are, b/c at least they're with someone, than help place them with an appropriate foster. They're really bad about guilting people into keeping animals rather than turn them over to their fosters. That, and we have SO many cats in the area already needing homes....

As far as the losses, I'm okay with it. I do feel sad, about it, but I know that there's not much I can do. I'm doing the best I can and giving them all I can and they're still better off than they were alone in a field in the rain. I know not everyone will agree with this, but I'm of the mind that not all are meant to make it and I don't think it's always wise to overinvest in ones that don't have much of a chance.

I totally agree with everything you said. There are SO  many..especially at this time of year and I"m not sure where you live but here in Ontario it's already turning very cold, more so during the night time. It's amazing how some of these little ones seem to be fighters. I hope the all continue to do well.

Thanks Levi! I'm in South Louisiana, so it'll be hot here for, well, forever, lol! There are so many PTS here, and we don't have a good TNR program so there aren't many options for these guys except to find homes for them. Unfortunately, craigslist is the easiest way to rehome them. I've heard the horror stories, and I know it's not ideal. When rescues won't help, what else is there to do? The local no-kill shelter won't take them b/c they don't do owner surrenders. There is one organization that I think may help me find homes. I'll be in touch with them soon. Looks like we'll end up with at least one of them for good.

lovekats said:

craigslist is the easiest way to rehome them. I've heard the horror stories, and I know it's not ideal.

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The way to sort out the most apparent crooks and villains is to make them pay.  At least 20 dollars as a minimum.  If it feels awkward ask for money - hinting YOU  are doing it for money - you can ask for an anonymous donation in the cats name. Ie the cat is put in the field of the donator.   What organisation you can agree on together.

Also, payment for spaying is a good way.    This is no big business for a honest adopter, as they must pay for it anyways.  But no crook will invest  40 dollars in a kitten they want to use for snake food, when they can get a tame rat for 10.

If they dont have money they may perhaps work off.  Fixing your car. Cleaning your car and the garage, almost anything as long as it demands  some honest work of  at least a half day.

Give away for free "to a good home"  you do only if you KNOW the kitten will be seen as a precious gift.

Stefan, Those are good ideas! I was definitely planning to charge something, if even only $20. At first I thought it was selfish, but I realize that I need to recoup some of my costs too. And you are right, people aren't going to pay that much for a kitten than they're just going to dispose of or use for something sinister.

Sadly, a third kitten passed away this morning. I didn't expect that he would make it, but it is still sad. I'm not sure if there's a name for this, but the sheath covering his penis was growing more and more enlarged and come to a flat stop of pink skin at the end a few mm wide. Anyhow, I don't think it is something I could have done anything about.

The remaining two are doing very well. They're on to wet food (canned) and drinking water on their own now. I set up a litter pan near where they would go to relieve themselves and they are using it. They are much more content now. They're even beginning to play! They fall over a lot, but they're adorable when they play. I do not look for these two to have any problems; they should do well.

HELP!!! One of the remaining kittens has swollen genitalia. Her belly is distended and hard, she's in obvious discomfort too. This is the same that the other went through before he passed. I don't know what's causing it! I don't know what to do about it, or how to help them. The other's genitalia looks good, but his belly is distended as well. I HOPE it is just full from eating But I can't help but think it is a bad sign. Could it be worms? Could they be constipated?

I've not encountered this before in kittens! Where do I start? What do I need to do first to help them?

Here's the next problem- I cannot afford the vet right now. Not for another couple of weeks anyway, and they need help NOW.

lovekats said:

 
HELP!!! One of the remaining kittens has swollen genitalia. Her belly is distended and hard, she's in obvious discomfort too. This is the same that the other went through before he passed. I don't know what's causing it! I don't know what to do about it, or how to help them. The other's genitalia looks good, but his belly is distended as well. I HOPE it is just full from eating But I can't help but think it is a bad sign. Could it be worms? Could they be constipated?

I've not encountered this before in kittens! Where do I start? What do I need to do first to help them?

Here's the next problem- I cannot afford the vet right now. Not for another couple of weeks anyway, and they need help NOW.

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have the kittens been eliminating daily -- peeing and pooping?

i've read that it's very common for young kittens to have worms, and be dewormed. however, for young kittens who are delicate anyway it's very important to use the correct dosage. i'm of the belief that wormers should only be bought from veterinarians, but i don't have much experience with young kittens.

as i said -- i don't have much experience with young kittens, but i'll see if i can attract the attention of some members who have a lot of experience with kittens. @catwoman707, @Red Top Rescue, @StefanZ -- may i ask for your experience for the OP (original poster)?

Thank you for rallying the troops!

Yes, they are both eliminating daily. I just witnessed the little girl (the one I'm the most worried about) urinate. The litter was wet when she finished. Big relief b/c I wasn't sure that she was. I am almost certain that she is defecating as well.  

I have some wormer from the vet for one of my dogs, they're so tiny that the little amount they would use wouldn't compromise it for my dog. They do have a lot of contact with my dogs whom just had worms and were dewormed, so it is entirely possible that they have worms. If it weren't for the little girl's swollen vulva, I'd go straight to worming.

Okay so first off, what is the dewormer for the dogs?

I can't feel okay about dosing if there's no name behind it but rather just dewormer.

Next is, there are 2 things that come to mind when you say she is swollen.

Did you know that it is EXTREMELY common for bottle fed kittens with a busy mom as you are to get comfort from sucking on each other, which is almost always their genitals?

Are you sure this isn't going on while you are away?

If so, it must be stopped asap, as it does cause swelling, which can cause blockages, as well as infection.

The other thing would be bacterial and in need of antibiotics. Are they getting enough fluids so their pee is not concentrated?

Can you tell me, when you bottle fed the babies, were they held and fed like a human baby?

The nose bubbles from the one mentioned before who passed, I highly suspect pneumonia. It only takes a tiny drop of milk inhaled to grow bacteria and overcome the baby.

It's not a guilt thing either, people do what they feel is best, and at least they were given a chance. It's all we can do!

Thank you, Catwoman, for your compassion I appreciate it as I DO feel guilty over the lost ones. Knowing I did what I could makes it a little easier; and that any chance is better than being left in a wet field. ....

The medicine is Panacur and I have it in syringes.

Okay, the genital suckling... YES! That makes perfect sense. I have seen them do that. Should I separate them? I have a divider in the kennel I'm using for them (wire crate-type), but I'm using it as a second platform. The kennel only has one door, so I don't know how I'd separate them. I have an extra small kennel, should I use that for when I cannot be with them? Or, should I just hold them more often? (they're very cuddly and excellent purr-ers) Would the separation be too stressful?

This is a common problem in bottle fed kids, and the worst part is that you really wouldn't want to separate them, not at this age.

The only real thing to do about it is to apply bitter apple spray many times a day to her, well both if she is sucking on him too.

It has to do with the lack of "nurture/comfort" sucking they get with having a momma. They look like theyre always nursing on her but alot of the time it is a comfort thing, and without mom they are lacking in that, so they find an alternative. There's nothing at all sexual about it, just the genitals resemble a nipple basically.

It's more of an issue for males, but females can certainly get into trouble with too much swelling/irritation caused by this.

I remember years ago with my first bottle fed litter of 7, yep 7! They were doing that and I tried every possible thing my creative imagination thought of, even putting doll pants on them!

Bitter apple works, but it must be reapplied often.

As far as the panacur, I am unfamiliar with the dog dose size syringe, or if it is the same for dogs and cats, I believe so but not sure.

Kitten dose I use for their age/size is 0.2mls.

I can find out the dosage, I think. The .02 sounds about right, but I'll find a way to be sure.

It does appear the suckling has stopped. I found that (as I thought) they were playing more, and the male does play more, that she would scream when he was doing what looked to me like he was biting her lower belly. After conversing with you, I think he was trying to suckle and it was painful enough that she cried out and probably fought him off. Anyhow, it seems to have stopped and for that, I'm glad. She's doing well, sleeping on her back as I type.

Both of their bellies are huge. They're trying to go through two cans of cat food per day! So I think they're mainly just fat, but that they still likely have worms. That's a pretty normal occurrence. From what I understand about dogs/puppies getting them from the mother, I'd suppose the same is true for cats and kittens. Am I correct in thinking that even if they weren't contracted here from my dogs, that they would have had them from the mother from the two weeks they were nursing from her? In other words, they probably already had the larvae when I got them?

Kittens do have big rounded tummies, so I wouldn't concern myself too much about it, although be sure they are dewormed soon because yes, just about all kittens will have worms.

I would bet the sucking isn't over, it takes them getting into the 7-8 week age before the victim will make it stop.

They're still pretty young yet.

Once kittens discover how great canned food is, they want to really chow down on it, like alot! 

catwoman707 said:

 
Kittens do have big rounded tummies, so I wouldn't concern myself too much about it, although be sure they are dewormed soon because yes, just about all kittens will have worms.

I would bet the sucking isn't over, it takes them getting into the 7-8 week age before the victim will make it stop.

They're still pretty young yet.

Once kittens discover how great canned food is, they want to really chow down on it, like alot! 

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Yep, nice fat tummies that make them wobble and almost touch the floor. Good to know it's actually b/c they're fairly healthy.

I see what you mean about the suckling. I've been checking her vulva and it seems to be getting better. She screams at him and fights him when he tries.

And omg, the chowing that occurs when they're fed! They're already going through a can a day between the two of them. They would eat more if I gave it to them. I've been offering them some dry food too and they like it, but not as much as the canned stuff. They attack the canned stuff like it's the last supper.

Hi, well done it sounds like you are doing a good job so far! I had to hand rear 5 kittens last year whose mum died when they were 4 weeks old but by then they were trying out wet kitten food and were litter trained thank goodness! However they still also need the milk formula til they are 8 weeks old even when they start eating solids. My other cats also helped out a lot with grooming and teaching them things etc. When I took them to the vet at that age he said they should not go more than 2/3 hours without feeding so I would say 6 hours is far too long. I had to wake several times a night just to make sure I fed the kittens - it was exhausting! They should also be gaining approx 10g a day but as long as it is no less than about 5/6g don't worry too much. Do you rub their bellies to encourage bm's? Is it possible the vocal female kitten is cold? One thing that I found helped a lot was to put a cuddly teddy in with them and at one end of their box/bed I put a hot water bottle under fleece blankets but make sure it is only at one end so that they have somewhere to cool off if they get too warm. Water in the hot water bottle should not be too hot though - somewhere in between warm and hot (if that makes sense). Another reason for the crying could be that she is hungry but if you are sure she is warm enough and has only just eaten then she could just be a more vocal kitty. How many ml's are they having per feeding? If I remember correctly my vet said they should be having 10-15 mls per feeding. A low cost bedding idea besides towel and fleece would be to have some puppy training pads on top of some fleecy blanket. They are still nice and soft but can be thrown away each day when they are soiled. I think it would be safe to put a small litter box with low sides in with them now with some soft litter(nothing too abrassive on their paws) and put them in it for a few minutes each day so they can learn. Lastly, the kittens will need worming soon which is important and that will need to be done by a vet if possible. If you cannot afford that then be sure to use something like Panacur Liquid (which is safe for young kittens) but in order to get the correct dosage you will need to weigh the kittens. Use an electric kitchen scale as you really need to weigh them every day anyway to make sure they are gaining. Good Luck!!

Try some Kitten Milk Formula in with the dried food

It's been a while since I updated. I've been busy as heck! We've decided to keep the two kittens.

We have Pete, named after 'Pete the Cat' children's book series, and Rose whom my daughter named the day they came home. So, that's it, we now have three cats! I'd post pics if I had the patience to. Pete is a very dark charcoal with black stripes, appears solid black and might be in the future. Rose is a fashionable tuxedo. Both have fairly short legs for their length, and Rose has an extra claw on her hind foot.

I still think something was off with the rest that didn't make it, that in combination with Pete latching onto the genitalia of two of them, maybe it was just meant to be this way.