Orphaned Kittens --> Genital Sucking --> Separation Anxiety....please help!!!!

kat85

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Hello,

One week ago I took in 3 orphaned kittens. They were about 4 weeks old at the time of rescue and had been without food/water for over 24 hours. I have had them vet checked and other than a very bad case of round worm (think worms being vomited out of one of the kitty's noses :( ) they are apparently otherwise healthy. The vet also estimated them at 4 weeks and thinks that they are all boys (although she is not the best at determining kitten gender).

Two of them are thriving - took to bottles straight away, then to wet food mixed with formula/water without any trouble at all......my 3rd is difficult. He will eat but gets distracted VERY easily and has hardly put on any weight. He also proved impossible for us to bottle feed, so we started solids with all sooner than expected. However, he is full of energy and toilets regularly (pee with each feeding, at least one small poo a day) and the vet gave us a concentrated nutritional/vitamin gel that we've been putting on his paws at the end of feeding time for him to lick off (this is the only way we have been able to get it into him). About 2 days ago, after putting them back in their pen, we heard a suckling noise - turns out he was suckling on his brother's genitals. On closer inspection, they were beginning to look quite swollen, so after trying to feed him further, offering a bottle and then the same thing happening as soon as we put him back in the pen, we decided to separate him for his brother's sake :(

We live in Indonesia (but are Australian) so we have no access to Bitter Apple or anything similar here as far as I know, so rather than separating him, I'm not sure what else to do. As soon as he is separated, he begins to cry and it's heartbreaking. He does stop after about 5 minutes and drops off to sleep (I assume), but he starts again every time that he wakes. I have put a heated rice sock bag in with him and the box he is in is right next to his brothers so he can hear and smell them. Does anyone else have any other suggestions? Do I try him back with his brothers in a couple of days?

Thanks in advance - the level of vet care here is not great, nor is the English, so I don't know who else to ask :)
 

catladyvettech

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You could try putting an Elizabethan collar (plastic post-surgery cone) on him when he's with his brothers so he can't lick them. It would have to be big enough to keep his mouth away from them and he may not tolerate it well, but it may be worth a shot. At least then he could have some cuddle time with his siblings. Or perhaps you could fashion some sort of diaper for the others so he couldn't lick them. That's a tough problem. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
 

Sarthur2

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K kat85

Please put him back with his siblings right away. He needs the comfort and socialization. Kittens who are separated from their moms too early will frequently suckle on something else - a blanket, a toy, another kitten. Some do it for the rest of their lives.

Try putting a soft stuffed teddy in with him and encourage him to suckle on it. Put him to it frequently. Make sure he is not hungry as well.

But he does not need to suck genitals. It can damage the other kitten, or he can become ill if he digests feces. Try dabbing a bit of vinegar on the testicles of the kitten being suckled.

Or, better yet, soak the end of a piece of cloth in formula or honey and offer this to the little fellow to suckle.

I raised sister and brother kittens and the boy sucked on his sister's tummy for months until she no longer let him.

I had another kitten who sucked on my neck until I gave her a teddy bear and put her to it. She sucked that bear her entire life for comfort. She had been an orphan kitten. The bear was worn out! He was bald in areas where she had kneaded his "fur" away, and there were little "fur" nipples all over his body.

Your kitten is already seeking comfort from losing his mom. Please don't deprive him of the comfort of his siblings. He also does not need an Elizabethan collar.

If nothing works over time and you absolutely must separate, please allow them all as much supervised time together as possible.

Happy meows! :)
 
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