Abandoned kittens please help!!

I have two kittens that have been that I was told was abandonded by their mother. Apparently I am the third person to get them. The lady that gave them to me said she had them a few days and thinks they are three weeks old. She just bought Kmr yesterday and prior to that she fed the whole milk. She was giving them one ounce a piece at each feeding.

Here is what I know they weigh 7 ounces and wont latch on good to the bottle. She fed them with a syringe. I stimulate them and they pee fine. They cry when i do it though. The girl hasn't pooped yet. The boy has but its hard little pebbles. I know that is not right.

When I got them they were dirty. I cleaned them up I got them in a basket with a heating pad on one side and a heater in front of it so they can stay warm.

How much Kmr should they have per feeding? Should I mix it with water till they poop right? I am calling vet tomorrow to see what I can do I need help tonight please.

To figure out how much they need, multiply their weight in ounces by 8 (ml/cc) and divide by the number of feeding in 24 hour period

So they need 56ml per 24 hours which is 7ml if you are feeding every 3 hours, or 5 ml if you are feeding every 2 hours at each feeding.

If she gave you liquid KMR you should consider switching to powder.  If it is liquid, you can add some water or pedialyte, and you can add a couple drops of olive or veggie oil to help things move along.

If they won't take the bottle use the syringe.  It could be the hole in the nipple is too small or large.  you can offer the bottle again.

Thank you so much. I will add the oil and water at the next feeding.

Remember, as they grow you need to give them more food.  If you are weighing them every day, which is a really good idea, they need to gain a minimum of .2-.4 ounces daily.

Please ask questions as they arise.  You can keep using this thread and you will get better advice because people can see the whole 'story'.

Thank you for taking care of these kittens.

And don't panic! If you can get them drinking the proper amount at each feeding consistently, their systems should calm down and they should be fully hydrated and begin going potty.

It's the change from milk to formula that upsets them, and it doesn't sound as though they were getting enough to stay hydrated. At 3 weeks old they should take a bottle once you get them stabilized.

Handsome Kitty gave you great advice about adding oil, and feeding proper amounts!

Goid luck and let us know how they are tomorrow.

PS: You don't need the vet right away if you can get their feedings going well. Many vets are not good with tiny kittens.

God bless you for taking in those kittens. A lot of people wouldn't do it   I just wanted to mention that in addition to all of the wonderful advice you have received, make sure to take them to the vet and have them tested for coccidia (SP?). If the kittens were wild, they could have contracted it from nursing from their mother. The mother's get it from catching and eating mice and rats, I believe. I rescued a litter many years ago after the mother got ran over (probably about 20 years ago) and I lost two before I realized that I had a problem. I did get them to the vet and got the antibiotics but before they could actually help, I lost two more. Once coccidia takes effect it goes like wild fire so it's best to get a diagnosis before the symptoms begin. I wound up saving two of them. One went to a neighbor and the other is sitting in my lap as we speak, lol, a grand old man now.  I named him Headstrong (because he is) and he has been the love of my life. As he's gotten into his elder years, I believe we are dealing with dementia but he's healthy and mostly happy (just confused from time to time, heck so am I, so we're good, lol). Good luck!!

Re extra water.  You can dilute the KMR some - a common trick. But an alternative is to give a few drops of water of pedialyte inbetween the feedings.  This way, they get the fluids, but  you arent diminishing the amount of food.

Pedialyte is double interesting if they would ever get diarrhea - if they do, swich to pedialyte as their water source.

With KMR, you mean the brand made by PetAg, yes?   That is powder is best, that premade liquid is less reliable.

If you can get raw goat milk is useful esp for orphans - but it may be pricey.   Bottled goat milk is OK to use, but its not better than this KMR in powder.

BeneBac is a probiotic made by the same PetAg.   May be useful as extra here,esp if you cant get raw goat milk.   There are many useful probiotics, but BeneBac was made especielly for orphans.

Thank you all this morning they are feeding from syringe. They took 5 ccs each.

Angel, the girl, was dwn a little this am. She weighed in at 7.2 down .4. It was so cute when I was stimulating her she was hissing at me. Peanut the boy was up from 6.7 to 7.2.

Now how do I know they have burped? I try but I am not for sure.

I know enough to keep them seperate from my other three. Two is great and is acting like nothing is wrong. One though is acting out. When I picked her up to pet she hissed at me. But this morning she laid on me and let me pet her. I am scared she is flipping out on me.

She is just learning to be a kitten.  Mom usually teaches them manners.

You are saying that you have three other cats? Two of whom do not mind the kittens, and one who is upset, right?

The upset cat will probably continue acting out for quite some time. There are overly sensitive cats who become very unsettled with newcomers in the home. Then there are the totally laid back ones. This does not mean that the kittens are a bad idea though! Just continue to reassure your cat that you still love him/her for now.

Make sure that both kittens begin eating 8 mL at each feeding every 3 hours today, even if it means giving 4 to one, giving 4 to the next, then going back and immediately giving 4 and 4 again.

They must continue to gain weight. It is very important because they are very underweight for three-week old kittens!

To burp you put the kitten in an upright position on your shoulder and pat their backs.

Do you have a kitten bottle? I'd like you to try it today. They really should be able to suckle and it would be good for them.

Have they pooped yet today?

Are you seeing any teeth coming in their mouths yet?

Let me know some of these things today please?

It's so kind of you to take these kittens in!

They dont have teeth yet but you can tell where they are about to break through.

They try to suck on the bottle but its like the nipple is to big. My bf gets paid tomorrow and I will go get the different types to see what works.

They havent pooped yet but I am going to look up videos on youtube to see different ways to do it. I get them to pee good and the boy pooped the one time.

Lil bit will be ok in a few days she acted the same way when I brought bell home. It wasnt this bad. I dont think there will be any more kittens brought here for her peace of mind. But on the good side I think I have a home for angel when she is 12weeks.

How do I keep them from scratching me so bad?

You cat trim just the tip off the claw or wear long sleeves.

Yes, a tiny nail trim is in order. You can also wrap them in a towel like a burrito to keep their paws down. Once you get the correct bottle and cut the right size hole in the nipple they will want to knead your hand like they would mama, so wear a glove or put a cloth in your hand.

Are you using the oil? A tummy rub helps. You can put the kitten's bum under warm running water in the sink and tap the bum gently with your fore finger. This is a successful method for many people.

Yes I am using oil. Still no bms this last feeding I will do the water thing next time.

The exciting thing is they were playing for the first time since I got them.

Those are some vicious looking claws! LOL

Oh my word! They do need trimming - probably a 2-person job though.

Are they taking more formula now? They really need to gain weight.

It's a good sign they are starting to play!