2 babies abandoned...just some questions

sarthur2 said:

No worries! That's what we are here for, and everyone learns from each other's threads

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I think your little mustache kitten was wobbly because he just woke up.

That's great that he went poop in the litter, but if you're still needing to stimulate it could be that they're not quite ready to go on their own yet. Sometimes waiting a few more days or even a week can help.

How did they like their mush, and how much of it did they eat?

And I would continue with the bottles for awhile. They still need to suckle and are probably not ready to wean from the bottle yet. Kittens this age who have a mom begin eating solids but continue nursing for several weeks.

How much formula do they eat at each feeding?

Will you be getting up in the night with them? They will need it.

Do they seem full and go to sleep easily or are they still screaming?

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They LOVED the mush...they didn't eat that much, maybe a silver dollar sized portion each. As for the milk, I have just been letting them take as much as they want. I stopped measuring this morning.

I did plan on getting up with them in the night, but they finished their formula at this last feeding. I read online last night that if you don't have formula you can use sugar water with a little salt - I have a feeling they won't take it though since they've been on formula.

No screaming, at all! I fed them about 30 minutes ago and they are both comatose now.  They were both very playful before I got them out of their box to feed them too, they definitely have completely different personalities. 

Walmart sells kitten formula. Can you get to the store?

That's kind of tricky...unfortunately these precious babies have put a bit of stress on the environment in my house. My husband isn't happy at all that I am taking care of them instead of taking them to the shelter. He will be especially not happy if I leave home at 9 pm to go get kitten formula.

You will need to get up with the kittens and give them wet food regardless, and also potty them. They will probably scream for their milk .

If you cannot get formula tonight, do you have a can of evaporated milk? You can make a glop with this milk, an egg, a teaspoon of sugar, and a sprinkle of salt. Do not use regular cow's milk though.

Or do you have any plain yogurt by any chance? It can be substituted for the evaporated milk.

I plan on giving them wet food for sure. I'll cross my fingers on the milk...they only drank about 5 ml each at the last feeding. I'll be going first thing in the morning to get formula. Guess I'll bite the bullet and get a can of powder...hopefully they won't be too upset switching from canned to powder.

It's kitten season and shelters are more than full. Unless it's a dedicated no-kill shelter, kittens get euthanized by the dozens. I'm glad you are caring for these kittens. They've already lost their mama.

Add water to their canned food for tonight, they will be alright to wait for milk until morning if need be.

Just a little something to think about.....

Your husband is not connected to them, and men, believe it or not, are like jealous teenagers if something causes you to not always focus on him

But this is your personal journey with them, you are making them have a life, and a future, and not only their lives are affected but the person/family who ends up adopting them will also have their life changed too. Pets do this to all of us.

The shelter? Nah, you're doing a wonderful job!

You will always remember them.

Oh I wouldn't take them anywhere but a no-kill, anything else would be out of the question

He takes the cake on jealous teenager! I will do what I can, but I can't put undue pressure on my marriage...ya know?

Yes of course.

Not that caring for a couple of tiny kittens should anyway, but I get what you mean  

Powder will stretch further and last longer than pre-mixed. It causes less tummy upset too. We always recommend powder. Do not get Hartz. PetAg is preferred. And while you're at the store, pick up a can of evaporated milk to have on hand, just in case .

Let us know how they are tomorrow .

And you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to use all my 'powers' to keep them! My 4 year old is already attached. Bless her heart though, she did tell me today that we would probably have to give them away because daddy said so.

Get some unflavored pedialyte too.  In case the formula change causes temporary diarrhea.

How's it going with the babies today? Did you get more KMR?

My girls are doing great today. They both gained .5 ounces. I was terrified last night about not having milk, however, I gave them mush before I went to bed and they didn't wake up until 6 this morning. That may not have been the best choice, but it's what I did and they are happy campers today. I did go get a can of powdered formula. They seem to like it fine.

I had originally named them Thelma and Louise, but my daughter appropriately re-named them Princess Sophia and Princess Amber - if you have young girls you know the show! Princess Amber, my little mustache girl, is a D.I.V.A. just like Amber on the show. Princess Sophia is more active and social - she does however give me fits when it comes to latching onto the bottle. A majority of the time she just chews on the nipple, on the rare occasion she does latch she goes for broke so to speak. I have tried anything I can think of and everything I've read online to try regarding nipple placement, the opening, etc. Any other suggestions would be awesome!!

sarthur2 said:

How's it going with the babies today? Did you get more KMR?

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Great minds? I JUST hit enter on an update!

Haha! On the mindline .

I think it's great they ate mush and slept through the night!

If Sophia wants to chew the bottle so much, she may be ready to try lapping her milk from a dish. I don't know any tricks, because they either suck or chew.

It does tell me she's teething though. And I think if she wants her bottle badly enough she'll drink it. I'd keep offering it, but if she keeps chewing I would pour hers in a little dish. Otherwise she'll ruin the nipple.

I love the new names your daughter gave them!

sarthur2 said:

Haha! On the mindline

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I think it's great they ate mush and slept through the night!

If Sophia wants to chew the bottle so much, she may be ready to try lapping her milk from a dish. I don't know any tricks, because they either suck or chew.

It does tell me she's teething though. And I think if she wants her bottle badly enough she'll drink it. I'd keep offering it, but if she keeps chewing I would pour hers in a little dish. Otherwise she'll ruin the nipple.

I love the new names your daughter gave them!

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I'm glad you said something about teething...I need to freeze a rag...I do have some baby teething toys too that are still in my freezer!

Sophia goes crazy when she sees the bottle as if she's never eaten before so I know she wants it, I think she just gets so excited she's only allowing a millisecond for the milk to come out lol. Hopefully now that I have the powder and I'm a little more settled in the kitten rearing process it will go more smoothly!

Should I let them eat as much mush and drink as much milk as they want or should I go by weight on the milk?

Let them have what they want. It's really hard to overfeed a growing kitten.

It's important to go by weight for newborns and through the first 3 weeks, because they need a minimum amount to thrive, and usually more then too.

Regarding Sophia, do you think the hole is big enough in the nipple? Does the milk flow easily but not pour out?

That's just precious that she wants her bottle so much. I think she's a bit young to be weaned from it yet. They especially love it when they have no mom.