Orphan Kitten Problems :c

Hey! I have a couple questions on my two babies. This is my first time raising kittens. (Will provide pictures)

1.) I'm afraid the female kitten isnt gaining weight like she should. Im feeding her regularly (2-3hours) and equally to her brother.

2.) They both started opening their eyes, (they are 6 - 7 days old!) and Ive noticed the female has a sorta goopy, crusty eye. Its her left eye, and it also seems kinda bulged. I've been cleaning thier eyes daily to prevent them from sticking.

3.) The female is obviously my main concern here. Constipation.. The female strains to go poop and im afraid its hurting her. Poop is firm, and a orange/brown color. Also the male seems extreamly healthy but he barely poops. Infact, the female poops more than he does!

4.) The male lost his umbilical cord already, but hers is still there and seems to be up near her belly. Its very dry.

I really want to know what I could do to promote their bowels (preferably home remedies) and help the little girl gain weight.

The Male


The female


Them together as a size comparison


THANKS!

Hi,

 Congrats on your babies!

 Raising newborn orphans is very difficult. They have gotten little or no immunities from their Mom, yet they can have issues from their Mom, like parasites and viruses. Please do not be discouraged. The mortality rat from these kinds of babies is high.

 I use this recipe for home made formula with good success:

2 packets Knox Unflavored Gelatin

 4 Egg Yolks

 4 Tablespoons Plain NOT NON FAT Yogurt (Dannon makes it, Walmart has it)

 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise (Hellmans, NOT low fat or Miracle Whip)

 2 Teaspoons Karo Light (light colored, not dark) Syrup

 1 Can (12 Ounces) Evaporated Goat Milk ( Walmart, Publix, Winn Dixie)

 1/2 Cup Canned Pumpkin (Not Pumpkin Pie Mix)

 2 500mg TAURINE Capsules( Health Food Stores have it. About $6 for 100)

 *1000mg L-Lysine

 *1 package "Forta Flora" available at vets offices. It's probiotics.

 *These are extras that I add. But the TAURINE is essential! 

 

 Boil 2 cups of water. Add 2 packets Knox Gelatin Packets until dissolved. Let it cool to room temp while mixing the following:

 4 Egg Yolks, 4TBLS yogurt, 2 TBLS Mayo, 2 TeaS Karo, 1 Can Evap Goat Milk, Open 2 Capsules TAURINE ( Lycsin and Forta Flora if you have it) and stir in, add 1/2 Cup Canned Pumpkin. Whisk in between each addition. Mayo is kind of hard to dissolve.

 Once Knox Gelatin has cooled whisk into above mixture. Gelatin must be somewhat cooled or it will cook the egg yolks.

 This will turn into a yellow gelatinize solid when refrigerated. It will keep for 7 days in the refrigerator! Spoon out what you need and microwave it in a measuring cup. Then pour into kitten bottles. It should be warm but not hot.

 As they get older they will lap it from a flat dish or bowl. Then you can start slowly adding canned food.

 The kittens LOVE it. It clears up diarrhea. Their poop will be a perfect consistency and you will be able to see the pumpkin in it.

 This mixture can also be poured into ice cube trays and frozen. Pop the cubes out and store in a freezer bag for future use.

 If you have any questions e-mail me: [email protected]

Ive been raising 2 orphans for 8 days now. Everything is going well, so far.

Except a mystery I cannot seem to solve...

Them mysteriously being wet.

I give them baths in dawn, and blow dry them on low until completely dry. Normally I only do this when I find them wet on their lower halves.

I feed them powder KMR, and I've had them from day 1. I thought they were constipated, they not having pooped for a few days now. So I put a couple drops of olive oil in their formula. Still nothing. So now I am trying Karo syrup.

But im still confused over them being wet on their lower halves. I do stimulate them after they eat. And 90% of the time they pee.

When I put them back in thier warm box, and my timer goes off to feed them again (every 2-3 hours; 3 bring when I try to sleep.) they are wet. Not soaking wet, but wet. And it stinks, so I automatically thought pee. I cant see it either, so clue number 2.

My grandmother mentioned it may be poop, but its liquid and clear and that doesn't make any sense. And it may be because of the olive oil to help them poop. Their is not straining, they just dont go. ((I sorta figured that since they are only ingesting liquid, pee will occur more often))

Someone please tell me this is normal, or how the heck that are mysteriously wet.

Kittens especially ones this young cannot control their bladders. They just go. I would continue to kee fresh towels in their box until they are ready for litter training.

Also you may want to,stimulate them in between feedings as well. At least in the hours you are awake.

Omg I thought that you had to stimulate them for them to go, not that they just go. -facepalm- thanks, im not scared anymore

How old are they. If they are under a month you need to stimulate their bowels. Young kittens will not have developed the muscles yet to express their bowels properly.

There are a TON of threads on here with regards to caring for orphan kittens. Just search "Orphan" or "Foster kittens". You should find all you need to know.