PLEASE HELP

I took in a couple month old kitten. she is about nine months now and just gave birth to kitten last night. one was not fully developed but she did have two that survived. my only thing is that it doesn't seem like her milk fully developed as the kittens are not eating off of her and the first one was born at 2:40 am last night and the other one was about and hour after that one.

i don't have any money until tomorrow to get anything that i may need to help nurse them.

does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do? i don't want these kittens to die because they were not able to eat.

Are you sure? Did you try to get them to latch on? Maybe the young mother doesn't know what to do. It doesn't always seem like they have milk at first, but usually have a watery liquid that is very much needed by the babies. As long as they aren't screaming for food they are probably nursing. Please try to get them to nurse until one of the advisers can better help you. I'll pray that everything turns out OK, all the luck!

You need to get a medicine dropper or a small 1 cc/mL syringe and either some goat's milk or some KMR and start feeding these babies. You can also "google" kitten milk replacer formulas and see if you have the ingredients on hand. Almost all pharmacies will give you a complimentary syringe.

***You will need to feed them every 2 hrs around the clock.***

The kittens also need to be kept warm. Good if mom stays with them.

You can also call around to local vets/shelters and see if anyone is willing to donate 1 can of KMR formula.

When you give dropper or syringe, the kitten shall be tummy down, head up, a little diagonally up is OK.  Alike they are with mom.   NOT like a baby, back down.

In the corner of the mouth, slowly so they manage to swallow.  If they swallow actively, you can do it somewhat quicker, but they are bad at swallowing, take it VERY easy and slow.

Burp them afterwards, alika a baby.

If you manage to get goat milk - fresh is best, but bottled is OK.  Walmart and the like sells bottled goat milk in their dairy compartment, so goat milk isnt that difficult to get.

Use a full fat version if there are several to choose among.

Of the different brands of kitten replacement milk, kmr, the brand KMR is best.  Preferably their pulver version.  That is why many vets carry it.

We DONT recommend cow milk, although I know of a few examples where kittens did survived on cow milk.   If desperate enough...

When the worst crisis is over, weigh them every day in grammes, so you know if they gain or not.  And how much they do gain.  In the beginning you can weigh them every 12 hours.

Lend a kitchen scale from a neigbour if necessary.  The same with dropper, syringe etc, if it is night at your place and the shops closed.

Keep reporting and asking!

Good luck!

thanks for all of the responses. i have gone to the pet store here and got some KMR and a dropper as they didn't have the nursing syringe. i have fed them and one seemed to take right away while the other took some time and still doesn't completely have it but it was the first time. they are now full and cuddling with momma.

Hello Everyone,

i now have a different question and was wondering if any of you have experienced this as well.

the kittens are now 2 days old and i am hand feeding them the KMR that i got at the pet store.

because she is young herself as i stated before she did not produce the milk to be able to feed the kittens herself, but she is doing everything else, laying with them cleaning them, but now i have noticed that she is moving a kitten from the other one. they two kittens are pretty much the same looking color wise so im not sure if it is the same kitten that she is moving. i know the last kitten that she delivered was not in the sac that they are born in. the sac came out after delivery with the placenta. i don't know if that is going to cause any kinda health problems for the kitten and not sure if that one is the one that she is moving.

is this something that is normal for new mothers to do?

my older cat that has had a litter a couple years ago never did this so this is something new to me.

i have the kittens in a big box by my bed. she is moving the kitten under my dresser which is in my closet. both kittens are eating when i feed them but i don't have a scale on hand to weigh them everyday but they are eating and the mom is licking their back sides to make them pee or poo 

im just worried as i don't know if this is normal for mom cats to do or if there may be something wrong with one that i don't know about.

any answers on this would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, it happens, always bothersome...

Does she take care of them both, both this carried away and the one still in the nest?   If not, it may be a bad sign - they often abandon one who they think wont make it.  Still, such a kitten can often be saved by a good human caretaker.  While he would of course perish in nature.

If yes, try to limit her possibilities to carry away.

Make also sure she feels safe and unstressed where she is.  This carrying around is often a sign of stress.  It may be also because the nest isnt fresh... 

And please, get yourself a scale, and weigh them every day.  If you feel they are in crisis, every 12 hours.  So you know exactly if the gain and how much.

Small born kittens shall gain 6+ grammes a day, big born kittens 10+ grammes a day... Write up the results, so you remember and can tell their adopters in furever homes.

This is very important, if you arent very experienced - which you arent.

If they are very much alike and you dont see the difference, you must find some way to distinguish them.  Perhaps set a non poisonous human nail color (there is a name on it, but I dont know the english word) on their rear paws nails...

Good luck!

i have changed the bedding in the box and she still took one out and brought it under my dresser. there is a small one and a bigger one. when i feed them mom is always around watching wondering what i am doing. other then that she takes care of them cleaning them and lays with them while they cuddle her for warmth. i have my heat set so that it is warm in the room but not hot. she seems ok other wise and they kittens seem ok other wise so i guess i will just have to wait and see. i really hope they both make i am doing all that i can to take care of them feeding them every two hours right now. i also put a blanket under the dresser for her incase she happens to move them there again.

************* UPDATE*************

i have moved the blanket from the box into the closet under the dresser and momma has been laying there with the kittens ever since so i am thinking she just didn't like being in the box or like where the box was so i will leave the box there for her but she seems content with them there.

janelle2 said:

 
************* UPDATE*************

i have moved the blanket from the box into the closet under the dresser and momma has been laying there with the kittens ever since so i am thinking she just didn't like being in the box or like where the box was so i will leave the box there for her but she seems content with them there.

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Sounds good!   Glad you found a solution you both are happy with!