Orphaned kittens one troubled breathing

The back story:  A week ago Thursday, my kids brought home a kitten that was looking haggard.  My first thought was "let's go find mom".  We went to the dumpster where they got her from. She was laying on the ground next to it.  As i was talking to my kids a neighbor came over and mentioned she wanted the kitten for her mother.  I asked where the rest of the litter was and she said under her shed, that the mom cat seemed to be caring for them.   Upon talking to another neighbor he mentioned they took some kittens from another area as they witnessed the mother biting one and they saw blood.  They moved those kittens to the area under the shed.  I looked in and saw mom cat and placed the baby under the shed.  Mom cat was not happy to see me (she is very feral).   Left for some time and would listen to see if it was crying still. She was.  I walked over to see mom cat looking at and hissing/growing at the kitten. This was when i started to expect the rest of the litter(s?) to be abandoned.  I picked her up and started her on goats milk.  The next day the second neighbor said he heard all of the kittens crying loudly.  We went and checked, he said there were 7-8 (I don't know for sure how many) and only 4 more were still there (5 inlculding the one at my house) we searched around trying to find mom cat but at this point i knew she no longer wanted anything to do with them as they had been handled quite a bit.  So i took the other four home.  The first (a calico) was very thin (all were to one degree or another), very dehydrated and i knew nothing of what to do.  I was told she had been crying all day, she came to me in the late afternoon. After a few days she seized for some time, about an hour :'( (no vets were open and i couldn't find an emergency one in my area) I made her as comfy as i could, she  then passed.  Was devastating to say the least.   The second calico was looking nearly as bad.  She hissed at me for a few times after getting her home.  Her eyes were sunk in a little from dehydration and despite my efforts only lived a few days in my care.  She would barely eat, i figured she missed mom and failed to thrive :'(.  She did like the cuddles and towards the end she wanted to be alone. 

Current:   There are 3 surviving kittens. 

Of the three an orange (ginger?) male, is the most robust and has been from the beginning. He is a little over 300 grams.  He is cutting his lower incisors.  (I have no idea how old they are initially i was thinking a few days, upon hydration their eyes are fully opened one calico hadn't yet and the tortoise shell and black one opened here) He is always eager at meal time, however, he hasn't defecated much today and he seems to have much discomfort in his stomach.  I have gotten him to go small amounts.  He puked recently, that is what has me worried. I did try a little oil in their milk, i'm wondering if this wasn't the problem.    He does go sometimes, not at every feeding,  nor do they go every time i stimulate (warm water, they hate, and patting their bum).  I do find poops in their bed and the orange is the only one to go today.  They are paste like in texture.  Not mucusy any more. 

The black one (female) has decided today she is no longer eating also. She is about 250 grams. I did try Hartz kmr, (about 4 days now)  I should have stayed with the goats milk.  The kmr made them very gassy. and bloated.  Her prognosis seems ok, though a bit touchy.  I just need to get her to eat.  She is very eager but is unsatisfied by what i offer.  Both kmr and goats milk.  I have mixed the goats milk and kmr and as of this next feeding  will be only goats milk. 

The tortoise shell (with a couple white spots) is where i am really worried. About 180 grams.  She was doing very well yesterday morning, robust, energetic.  She has been a bit of a roller coaster.  She hasn't eaten very much in almost a day.  She has defecated three times.  I have been giving her water with a bit of karo syrup but she is having much difficulty breathing.  Some times she seems better than others.  Her tongue is pale and her gut seems to be bothering her. She expends a lot of energy crying out (this is the loudest she gets)  when i try to get her to potty.   She barely makes a sound like her calico sisters (?) and is now opening her mouth to breathe in.  She lets any fluid i put in her mouth spill out.  Her eyes are still bright, however, the nictitating (Sp?)  membrane is a little over her eye, barely in the corner.  Is she in her final hours are there some other options i could try?  I have a ziplock with hot water under the towel itis currently 86 degrees inside.  They are in a tote with a towel over for drafts.  One corner is pulled back.

Today is the first time i weighed them (upon seeing you all recommend doing so),  i know the orange has grown significantly, The black not as noticeable but still larger, the tortoise shell, really hard to say for sure. 

I cry at the thought of losing another. 

I apologize for the lengthiness of this post, I'm trying to be as informative as possible. 

Very informative! Throw the Hartz milk away and do not use it anymore! We have heard of very bad outcomes with it! We recommend KMR by Petag only, preferably powder, stage one in a can that you mix. But goat's milk is wonderful - stick with it!

And thank you for caring enough to try to save these kittens. If their eyes are open they are somewhere between one and two weeks old. Can you post a picture?

It sounds as though one of the kitties may have pneumonia. If that is the case, she will die soon. If she will not even swallow milk or water, all you can do is make her comfortable and love her. It is sad.

Their poop should be of toothpaste consistency. They will not always poop after every meal but should be stimulated regardless. They will usually pee though.

If the kittens are gassy, try rubbing their tummies. And I mean for several minutes. This can sometimes lead to pooping but can also help dissipate the gas and give comfort. It is also possible to put a drop of simethicone for infants in the milk to help relieve gas.

Are you bottle feeding or syringe feeding? Either way, the kittens must be fed very slowly at this age so they do not inhale fluid in their lungs and get pneumonia and die. On their tummies, head up as if feeding from mom. If a syringe or dropper it goes in the side of the mouth, couple of drops only, let them swallow, breathe, and go again. They need to eat every two hours, a couple of ml's per ounce of body weight.

You surely have your hands full with three of them. God bless and good luck! It sounds like you are doing as much as you can for them. Please continue to post!

The three for size comparison, It's dinner time


The little tortie. :'(

The orange and black are with a modified bottle system (the nipple and top portion of the bottle on a ziplock) the tortie is being fed by syringe.  She was on the bottle thing too.  She has been 'getting' better' then worse for the time she has been here.  The other two have been improving daily.  The orange one wants to eat too much.  I have to stop him so his belly doesn't get too big. 

The two bigger ones look good. The little one looks very sad. And maybe the orange one is seeking comfort from sucking. You say the little one is a bit better? Is she taking some milk now? If not, try sugar water or honey water. I hope they all make it.

The orange one almost looks big enough for wet food. Can you put a little stuffed toy in with them to cuddle? Maybe a sock filled with rice and microwaved for five minutes, then wrapped in a towel for warmth? Kittens need to stay warm, plus it's comforting.

I have a question about my little baby.... My sweet little kitten Nickey will purchase and he will attack the doors when I'm outside. He will meow when I'm gone, but he doesn't like me to cuddle with him and he won't sleep on my bed. He's only 1 year old. Will it go away as he gets older or will it stay? Oh and those kittens are adorable!!! I would put maybe a small but not to small that they can choke but I would put a small very soft toy and see how that goes. Mine loved it when he was born, but who knows all cats are different

I ment pur not purchase.... stupid auto correct

M mickey mouse

Sounds like he wants attention and to be with you! Why not start your very own thread under the forum cat behavior and you will get many opinions!

Thank you! Sorry I'm new on here

The tortie has passed :'(.  The other two seem to be doing fine their bloatedness is subsiding. 

I am so sorry about the little one! You did all you could. They just do not all make it. She died in your loving arms knowing she was cared for. May she frolic happily over the Rainbow Bridge! Let's hope your other two continue to do well. Keep us posted and keep up the good work!

She was doing better, i thought, she looked sad the whole time she's been here.  The three that have died were very hard to get interested in eating. The orange one has always accepted whatever food he could get.  Our daughter named him Tiger, i think is very appropriate.  I hope the black one decides she will eat.  She does, not as much as i would like her to. 

I usually have a stuffie in there, i took it out for the photo.  We use a Stitch one because it's about the same size as their mom. 

Sorry about your kitten....

Just keep working with the two you have. The ones who died may have had a virus or other illness or genetic defect. It's hard to know. I know it's sad. I'm rooting for your other two!

Phoena said:

 
The tortie has passed :'(.  The other two seem to be doing fine their bloatedness is subsiding. 

Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear it poor girl

I honestly wasn't expecting any to survive, Tiger really caught on and has a strong will for survival.  I didn't worry about him much at all.  The others i could tell missed mom. They would often prefer to try nursing from me than from the bottle or syringe. They were so dehydrated from the beginning i am surprised 2 have made it this far.  I wish i had known more back then but i doubt it would have made a difference.  All of their bowel movements were very mucusy until 2 days ago.  They didn't defecate for the first couple of I feel horrible knowing it was potentially some aspirated formula and i know the bloating and stomach problems from the kmr didn't help at all days. They were all to weak to suck from an eyedropper or the syringe or my makeshift bottle, the black one and Tiger have done really well and started being able to nurse without any pressure behind.    I believe the majority of the litter was alone for awhile.  The first calico was alone for a large amount of hours.  My profile pic is of all of them together. . 

I believe Tiger may be from another, older, litter.  he was in the best condition upon arrival.  As they have to take turns Tiger is becoming quite the hog, he will push her away and is quite ferocious about it (not a bad thing) so i will have to separate them to feed. I do bring them out most parts of the day, let them cuddle with me and try to mimic mom licking them and all that. And to make sure they aren't alone too much.  While still ensuring they get a good amount of rest.  I have been letting them walk around on the floor while tending to baths for the rest.  It will definitely be a little easier now there's only two left.  There were some messy mornings, and getting baths etc.  Our kids love it and help with cuddling while i prepare their bottle. 

I do bring them out most parts of the day, let them cuddle with me and try to mimic mom licking them and all that. 

Do you have any recommendations for coaxing the black one to want to feed more?  It's like she doesn't like the 'teat' available and will spend more time looking for a different one. She doesn't like the syringe at all.    I have shown Tiger some baby food level one and he turned his nose to it and promptly started looking for a teat on me lol. Tomorrow i will try introducing him to kitten food.  Would it be better to use the milk to wet it? Would water be ok? 

I would mix the wet food or baby food with milk, but he sure looks ready to eat. Of course still give him his bottle too. The sucking is comfort! But that may be why he is so hungry - he needs solids. You can also try adding Gerber rice cereal to his milk in the bottle.

When you say baths, do you mean a little warm damp cotton ball rub down like mom would do with her tongue? Because they do not need real baths everyday!

As for getting Blackie to eat, you might want to add the cereal to his bottle as well. He just sounds like he is missing mom. You'll just have to keep pushing him to eat as often as possible. He looks big enough to suck well now too. Might he lick some Gerber turkey baby food from your finger? He may be ready soon.

Don't beat yourself up about the ones you lost. They were just too small, too dehydrated, and too far gone when you got them. You did your best!

Thank you for your kind words. 

Sometimes they poop on themselves and so I bathe them. 

The two remaining are doing great. I haven't named the black kitten yet.  I did think of naming her Blackie!  I've had mixed feelings because I had a cat (tuxedo) named Blackie before. She was also a stray, she chose me as her person .  Since you called her Blackie (also same spelling ) That will be her name.  I haven't been able to come up with any that fit better. 

After some research on the internet, I believe the kittens were only a few days old.  They still had their umbilical cord stubs! The incisors come at about 2-3 weeks, theirs came in a few days ago.  As for the open eyes, may be because they are feral? I have no idea.  That is what has me most perplexed as to their age.  All other age signs point to them being a few days old when i brought them in.

They are doing quite well.  They are walking around and while still a bit wobbly getting on well.  I am going to introduce moistened kitten food in a few days to see if they'll accept it.  They are sleeping a lot between feedings.  So much that i wake them around 5 hours, usually 4.  They are not nearly as boney as when they first arrived and are very active and interested in interaction with me.  They sure love the cuddle time. 

Thank you so much for your advice!  I'll be sure NOT to recommend Hartz kmr ( i was recommended that by a vet tech).