i have brought home 5 kittens today that appear to be 10-15 days old. the house next door was being worked on and they put the box with the kittens by the road because where i live animal control only comes if its a danger to a persons being "whatever that is". when i called shelter closest to me they said i can bring them but made me clear that they are a kill shelter even though a friend of mine told me that that doesnt happen to kittens and would have to bring during their drop off hours which are very few!!!! i just cant take the chance!!! so i went to buy bottles, formula, a bed etc.. all the stuff i could find for kittens. i have put them on my back patio and left the door open for the mom i was shocked because she has come few times so far and fed them then left without trying to move them...but the problem is their eyes are almost completely open but have a lot infection in them so asking if anyone can give me advice on what i can do to help them is there anything i can get or clean them with?
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NEED ADVICE ASAP 5 Kittens found during next door construction
- Thread starter hailey83
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you need to contact @catwoman707 and @StefanZ
Thank you for helping this mama and her babies. I'm not an expert on very young kittens but there are some here
@StefanZ @catwoman707 - any advice??
@StefanZ @catwoman707 - any advice??
great minds page the same experts
- Joined
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i'm no expert, but if the mom is coming around, that's good. put some kitten food out for the mom so she won't have to leave to feed herself.
you want to create a warm environment for the kittens
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2138&aid=912
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2138&aid=906
you want to create a warm environment for the kittens
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2138&aid=912
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2138&aid=906
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Thanks to you both 
Unlike other animals, mom cats will not disown the babies if they are handled.
So right now without any eye meds you can use a warm washcloth, very soft/moist, and hold on the eye for a minute to soak it, then on to the next, after all have had this, go back to the first one and very, very gently wipe the crud off, it will have softened.
Are you sure you don't want to trap the mom cat and isolate her with her kids to care for them?
They must be warmed by her, or a heat source, as they will drop in temp fast without this. They can't hold body temp until 3 weeks old.
Ideally, there is terramycin eye ointment, that gets rid of the eye infections easily, but sure you don't have any hanging around in your pocket!
It worries me when I hear of babies with infections, although extremely common, I have seen some get so bad the eye had to be removed.
Any chance you can take this family in?
Agree with @detmut if you can put some food out for mom she will stick around much easier.
Unlike other animals, mom cats will not disown the babies if they are handled.
So right now without any eye meds you can use a warm washcloth, very soft/moist, and hold on the eye for a minute to soak it, then on to the next, after all have had this, go back to the first one and very, very gently wipe the crud off, it will have softened.
Are you sure you don't want to trap the mom cat and isolate her with her kids to care for them?
They must be warmed by her, or a heat source, as they will drop in temp fast without this. They can't hold body temp until 3 weeks old.
Ideally, there is terramycin eye ointment, that gets rid of the eye infections easily, but sure you don't have any hanging around in your pocket!
It worries me when I hear of babies with infections, although extremely common, I have seen some get so bad the eye had to be removed.
Any chance you can take this family in?
Agree with @detmut if you can put some food out for mom she will stick around much easier.
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I concur with CatWoman's suggestions. I have 3 blind kitties whose eye infections did not respond to the antibiotics but I wasn't able to get them inside in time - your crew is definitely much younger and I have had excellent success with treating the "tinies" (except for FIP, I am sad to say)
My vet recommends using human eyewash and/or artificial tears since tap water may contain many irritants (if you are on a well, then that shouldn't be a problem, provided your water is tested). I warm it slightly.
Also, you might consider a "cave" for the kitten nest, using a covered box or, if it is chilly in your area, a large Styrofoam icechest with 2 holes cut out, IF MamaKitty seems amenable- they seem to like the "cave" set up. (Last kitten season, I had an extremely feral queen take over the Styrofoam cat shelter on the front porch! She showed up VERY PREGNANT and simply bullied the "regular" cats out of the icechest and had her babies in it that night. I had to quickly make alternative cat shelter for the other cats because it freezes here until May or so.)
Eventually, you might consider trapping her and having her spayed - kitties will continue to nurse the babies as soon as they come home from the vet. I have been told that some others in my community will trap the queen regardless of the age of the kittens, but I prefer to wait until they are at least 3 weeks (I have used the babies as "bait" - I use a large, double-trapdoor raccon cage and seal off one end with a re-purposed small carrier door and put the babies on a cozy nest in that).
Meanwhile, I am sending mega TCS prayers and vibes out to you & your new little cat family! And blessings to the construction workers for putting them in a box for you!( Here in our rural area, there are too few fosters so kittens less than 6 weeks are considered unadoptable and therefore are put down and I am so THANKFUL that you have saved them)
You had already got some excellent advices.
Here are a couple of different questions.
As the mom is still in contact with them, it would be easier for everyone if you took her in her too. Giving mom milk, washing, etc.
Ie essentially, closed the door behind her, as it seems you dont really need to trap her.
Make the room welcoming to her of course. Litter, food, water, scratching post, perhaps a cat igloo if (you can use a sideturned cardboard box, with a towel inside).
She wants to be with her kittens and she hasnt no reason to hide, but it will make it more welcoming to her.
Moms, even semiferal moms, when they recognize nobody is mean to them, and this sitaution inside is really the best practical chance for her children, they accept the situation and do copy with it. Allowing the kitten to be handled etc. So the welfare of her children is more important than "freedom" as such.
If adopting her too isnt no alternative to you, please give her food her too anyway. Helping her with milk, and not forcing her to go outside to find her own food.
Them kittens shall have it warm, with a heating source if it isnt naturally warm at your place.. They can NOT keep their own warm as yet.
What kmr did you got, exactly?? Do they take the bottle? It is often so, when kitten have mom to nurse from, they are relucetant to take bottle, its not as comfortable and nice.
In such cases, a needless syringe is usually easier.
If they get enough? The best way to know it easily is to weigh them every day at the same time. So a electronic scale measuring in grammes is useful. They dont need to be fancy nor costly. You can probably borrow it form some neigbour if so is.
Re the eys, Catwoman had already told the essential.
I may just add, the warm water you soak with/moist with, let it be some salt in the water, saline solution as they say. Just a little salt. Of course be careful not to happen and get this pus from a bad eye into a healthy one...
Good luck! @hailey83
ps. You did right with not giving them to this kill shelter. 1. The mom wouldnt follow them in THERE. 2. Yes, as you suspect, they would prob be pts. The kittens they DO care for, is the bigger kittens, 5-10 weeks, who are self going, who dont need special care. And who are easy to find homes for.
Such high kill shelters never bother with kittens they must take care about, they are pts to be merciful to them. If nobody takes care this IS a mercy, no?
Unless they do have foster homes lined up - but high kill shelters seldom have it.
Here are a couple of different questions.
As the mom is still in contact with them, it would be easier for everyone if you took her in her too. Giving mom milk, washing, etc.
Ie essentially, closed the door behind her, as it seems you dont really need to trap her.
Make the room welcoming to her of course. Litter, food, water, scratching post, perhaps a cat igloo if (you can use a sideturned cardboard box, with a towel inside).
She wants to be with her kittens and she hasnt no reason to hide, but it will make it more welcoming to her.
Moms, even semiferal moms, when they recognize nobody is mean to them, and this sitaution inside is really the best practical chance for her children, they accept the situation and do copy with it. Allowing the kitten to be handled etc. So the welfare of her children is more important than "freedom" as such.
If adopting her too isnt no alternative to you, please give her food her too anyway. Helping her with milk, and not forcing her to go outside to find her own food.
Them kittens shall have it warm, with a heating source if it isnt naturally warm at your place.. They can NOT keep their own warm as yet.
What kmr did you got, exactly?? Do they take the bottle? It is often so, when kitten have mom to nurse from, they are relucetant to take bottle, its not as comfortable and nice.
In such cases, a needless syringe is usually easier.
If they get enough? The best way to know it easily is to weigh them every day at the same time. So a electronic scale measuring in grammes is useful. They dont need to be fancy nor costly. You can probably borrow it form some neigbour if so is.
Re the eys, Catwoman had already told the essential.
I may just add, the warm water you soak with/moist with, let it be some salt in the water, saline solution as they say. Just a little salt. Of course be careful not to happen and get this pus from a bad eye into a healthy one...
Good luck! @hailey83
ps. You did right with not giving them to this kill shelter. 1. The mom wouldnt follow them in THERE. 2. Yes, as you suspect, they would prob be pts. The kittens they DO care for, is the bigger kittens, 5-10 weeks, who are self going, who dont need special care. And who are easy to find homes for.
Such high kill shelters never bother with kittens they must take care about, they are pts to be merciful to them. If nobody takes care this IS a mercy, no?
Unless they do have foster homes lined up - but high kill shelters seldom have it.
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Cheat-Sheet Hand Rearing Kittens:
http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm''
Thanks StefanZ, I hate to see the kill/no kill shelter characterizations - language is powerful and that drove a wedge between people who are trying to care for animals. We've all met the enemy and it's not the open shelters.
http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm''
Thanks StefanZ, I hate to see the kill/no kill shelter characterizations - language is powerful and that drove a wedge between people who are trying to care for animals. We've all met the enemy and it's not the open shelters.
It sounds like it's possible they're getting fed enough if mom has come multiple times to feed them…although supplementing is never a bad idea (as already noted - kittens don't get rejected by moms if we handle them). Best would definitely be trying to keep mom in your porch area too as there's absolutely no substitute for mom, period. We as humans do our best, but even KMR (commercial kitten milk replacer) just isn't as good as mom's milk! Her milk provides antibodies that aren't in KMR…not to mention that she provides "how to be a cat 101" that we just can't give the little guys. If she can be trapped in your porch, she may function just fine in there as long as she has letterbox, food, water, and a "nest" - preferably that's partially enclosed so that she feels safe when you're out there. Is she feral (truly "wild") or an owned cat/stray? In other words - can you get close at all? If so - she'll probably be absolutely fine on your porch anyway! ANd obviously then you can also take her in soon to get her spayed - so you (and no one else in your neighborhood) has to be faced with this difficult problem from her again - plus it'll save her from having to give birth to litter after litter after litter, which is so hard on them (obviously that just scratches the surface on reasons to get her fixed!).
Definitely best to treat the eyes - as mentioned up in other answers, Teramyacin (available over the counter in all states but California) is best. If you can get them to a vet, obviously that's best so they can be completely looked over, AND there's very likely (at the least) an upper respiratory infection running through them. But if you can't, call around pet stores for Teramyacin. It's a relatively cheap eye ointment. And above are suggestions on how to gently clean the eyes are perfect - teramyacin and warm water soaked cotton balls. Be very very gentle. And as StefanZ said - definitely toss the cotton ball after you've cleaned a dirty eye so you don't transfer infection from eye to eye.
Keep us posted!
Definitely best to treat the eyes - as mentioned up in other answers, Teramyacin (available over the counter in all states but California) is best. If you can get them to a vet, obviously that's best so they can be completely looked over, AND there's very likely (at the least) an upper respiratory infection running through them. But if you can't, call around pet stores for Teramyacin. It's a relatively cheap eye ointment. And above are suggestions on how to gently clean the eyes are perfect - teramyacin and warm water soaked cotton balls. Be very very gentle. And as StefanZ said - definitely toss the cotton ball after you've cleaned a dirty eye so you don't transfer infection from eye to eye.
Keep us posted!
