stray pregnant kitten

I do not have the kittens  in the  house.  They are in a crate outside with blankets and a tarp to keep out the cold and wet.  They are eating and gaining weight, their eyes are open.  It is just the one that seems to have a little cough.  I can't bring them inside to use a humidifier, because I have very territorial cats inside.  I called the vet and of course they want $50 ea. to see the kittens.  Any other suggestions.

There's no need to take them all in to the vet, take the one who coughs and he will give you an antibiotic, likely clavamox, the bottle will treat all of them.

thank  you.

hi, the babies are two weeks old now and up until tonight the momma has been taking care of them.  I have been letting her out of the crate each morning and early evening to eat and go potty.  Tonight she took off with another stray cat that has been here for a year.  The stray came back but the momma did not.  I have been watching for her to come back so I can put her back in the crate with the babies for the night.  What do I do if she doesn't come back tonight?  How long can the babies go without nursing?  I can get to the vet to get any KMR until morning.  I am distraught over this right now.

If mom has been caring for them up until now, she is not going to abandon them. She will be back.

As long as she has access to them.

I would NOT allow her outside at all, and if she is, is likely getting prego again.

Keep her inside until she is spayed.

I have set up a crate protected from the weather outside. I can not bring them inside as I have 4 cats and 2 of them are very territorial. Im afraid they may fight the momma. I also have 4 dogs. Not worried about the dogs, just my other cats. The crate is an extra large plastic dog crate with rugs and blankets inside and a sleeping blanket and a tarp over top. I keep the door closed because we have stray cats, a possum and a ground hog that frequent our yard. I dont want anything to be able to get to the babies. If she doesnt come back before I go to bed, I will have to cover the door until morning, but will the babies be okay overnight without nursing?

No, they need to eat every 2 hours. You will need to get a can of evaporated milk, an egg, some karo syrup and make a glop. I will post a link for feeding the kittens in a minute. Or if you have a 24-hour Walmart they have KMR. You will need to bring the kittens inside because they cannot stay warm by themselves without their mama right now. You will have to hand feed them on their tummy with head slightly up similar to their position with mom. With a 1-ml syringe or a small dropper, you must put a drop or two at a time in the side of their mouth and wait for them to swallow. They need to eat 2 to 3 ml of formula apiece. You must take a cloth or cotton ball and rub or tap their bottom until they potty. You must rub their tummy to aid digestion. This is time-consuming but they must eat! I will send this and then a link. You must consider a way to keep mama from leaving.

kat thompson

https://www.google.com/search?q=kitten+glop&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Recipe for kitten glop. You can get by without the yogurt and gelatin for tonight. Also, the Karo syrup is for quick energy. You just add a teaspoon to the mixture.

Please let us know how it goes.

well, after sending my husband to WM at midnight I was in the process of bundling the babies up to bring them inside to my bath tub ( I had to set up a place where my cats would not get to them), they were meowing loudly and lo and behild here come momma with 2 strays in tow. I put them back in the crate and momma proceeded to nurse. I guess I am going to have to make her stay in the crate for a few more days till babies are at least 3 wks old.
Seeing that she brought strays back with her, ( these are strays that have been coming around for a year to eat) I assume she is in heat. How long will this heat cycle last? and can I have her spayed when the babies are 6 wks old even if she has gotten pregnant again? I will introduce the babies to solid food at about 3-4 wks of age?
I founf orphaned kittens 5 yrs ago that were so young they didnt have their ears up and I fed them a mush with kitten milk and can cat food. These are my 2 cats that are VERY terriorial, and the reason I can not bring this new family inside.

I just had a stray momma go into heat...it only lasted 2-3 days.  If she doesn't get pregnant she could go back into heat in a couple of weeks.  It is okay to spay her when they are 6 weeks.  She can continue to nurse.

Yes. She needs to be spayed in about a week since she lives outside. If she is already pregnant they can remove the tiny embryos during surgery. She should be able to nurse still with no problem. It's not ideal, but you will have bigger problems otherwise. The question is: Will she continue to nurse? Be prepared to take over if she doesn't! Sounds like you know the drill. Let us know how it goes! The kittens are really young yet.

PS: The heat cycle averages about a week, and she can go into heat again very quickly. She won't if she conceives, but that is what you are trying to avoid. Ask your vet how far into a pregnancy they will spay, then act accordingly.

isnt having 3 wks old kittens a little early for her to get spayed? I want to do the best thing for momma AND babies.

It is, that's why I suggested that you ask your vet how far into pregnancy they will spay/abort, because she is surely on her way to being pregnant again the way she's leaving her kittens and cavorting with male strays.

As I said, early spaying is not ideal, but by the time the kittens are 6 weeks old, the mama could be 4 weeks along already. And you mentioned you wanted to transition them to soft foods as soon as you can.

It's up to you & your vet. It's a dilemma because she lives outside. No way to keep her from getting pregnant.

thank you for all your help and advice. I will call the place that does spay/neuters and consult the vet. I will start the babies on a mush inabout a week. They will be 3 1/2 wks ok then. Born on April 15 , I can probably try solids May 10. right?

I would think so. They should certainly be able to drink/eat slush by 4 weeks at the latest. Here's what I use: KMR formula about one quarter cup; Gerber Baby Rice Cereal - add enough to make a paste; then add one jar of Gerber turkey or chicken baby food. Mix it up & put little globs around the edges of a paper plate. Put the kittens up to it. They may paw it, step in it, or otherwise be wary of it, but when they get hungry, they will eat it and love it. You may have to smear it on their lips to introduce it, and clean them up after, but once they get it they will look forward to eating! Mom will like this too. If she eats it they will eat it. But you may have to bring them into your bathroom at mealtimes. They will then need a kitten-sized litter box nearby to go potty. Mine almost always potty themselves after eating. I also leave kitten chow down along with a dish of water, because they use that in between. They catch on really quickly, especially when mom is not around. Praise them. They will do well. They will soon need a larger space to play than their crate. Even your bathroom might be better, but keep them in the crate as long as you can so mom can interact with them. Do not let them roam free; trouble will ensue. They will need to be inside sooner or later so begin to decide what your plans are for them so they do not meet a bad fate. Eventually, start mixing real kitten food, like fancy feast, into this baby mix, and they will transition, but not right away. The longer they can be with mom for nursing and socialization the better, regardless of her spaying, but you don't want them being wild!

I an so pleased that you understand the issues, and that you are committed to doing what is best for mama AND the kittens. You have some busy days ahead! Keep me informed, and try to keep mama home for another week or so if you can. They cannot go two hours without warmth or food or they go downhill quickly! Thank you for paying attention to our advice.

PS: In the beginning, this paste is offered every six hours, with the long phase overnight, but adjust to your own schedule. They need lots of nutrition when young! Stay in touch fellow cat lover!

I had to take the babies to the vet yesterday. Their eyes had puss in them and when I wiped their eyes out, it oozed out. The vet discovered that 3 of the 4 have eyelid agenisis. Right now they have to have an ointment in them twice a day' plus they are on amoxicillan. Is this eye abnormity something they may grow out of or will they need surgery? This vet trip was $200 and I can not afford surgery on 4 kittens. I am at a loss for knowing what to do. Any suggestions? I've worked so hard for these babies and don't want to give up.

I just googled this as I know nothing about it. I learned that it is a birth defect, possibly genetic and possibly caused by lack of an amino acid during pregnancy. It is not fatal, but can result in various eye problems throughout life, including loss of sight. The surgery is so expensive as to be unaffordable (think thousands), and the alternative is regular use of artificial tears to keep out dust, etc., as the condition means no functioning eyelid as a protective covering.

Don't panic. Do this course of treatment & see how they are doing. You should be able to ask the vet you just spent $200 with for artificial tears without bringing the kittens in and incurring another bill if you think they need them.

Google the condition and read about it so you are informed. Anyone adopting one of these kittens will need to know and ideally they will remain indoor cats to prevent dirt getting in their eyes.

And this is assuming the diagnosis is correct. They may just have eye infections. You'll kmow more as time goes on and you compete this treatment.

Thank you for all your care and concern for these precious kittens! You are a Godsend!

Keep us posted as to their eyes, and do not give up. You are amazing!

Well, could you consider opening a go-fund me page for these kittens? And also see if there are any local specialists who would do this type of surgery? Time is of the essence.Please keep us posted on how they do.

Kat Thompson said:

I had to take the babies to the vet yesterday. Their eyes had puss in them and when I wiped their eyes out, it oozed out. The vet discovered that 3 of the 4 have eyelid agenisis. Right now they have to have an ointment in them twice a day' plus they are on amoxicillan. Is this eye abnormity something they may grow out of or will they need surgery? This vet trip was $200 and I can not afford surgery on 4 kittens. I am at a loss for knowing what to do. Any suggestions? I've worked so hard for these babies and don't want to give up.

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unfortunately surgery is the only cure and it could be several thousand per kitten. i'm sorry, i know you really care about these babies and their mama..

What did the vet say about a long-term answer to the condition?