New kittens

Adopted a pair of kittens from a rescue shelter earlier today. Seven week old Domestic Shorthairs from the same litter, a male and female who I've chosen to call Luke and Leia (yes, I'm a huge geek). They've settled in quickly enough. One of the litterboxes has already been investigated and used, and as I type this, Luke is sleeping on my shoulder while Leia is busy investigating every corner of the apartment. (scratch that, now they're both cuddling on my chest)

Unfortunately, not all is well. They're a little young to be away from their mother (brought to the shelter at a little under 6 weeks old, their story prior to that point is unknown), are a little undernourished (not actually starving level, but their ribs and vertebrae are a little too easy to feel), and displaying early symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. The shelter did have them on some antibiotics, but I won't be able to resume that regimen until I get in to see the vet a few days from now. There were other kittens there that would have been less troublesome to care for, but I decided that these little ones needed my help more.

Of the two, I'm more concerned about Luke. He's been sneezing quite a bit, is rather lethargic, and is displaying little in the way of appetite, in spite of the warm and smelly tuna offered earlier as a treat.

I've fought URI before, in a tiny half dead 3-4 week old kitten pulled from a muddy streambed. She survived the first eleven days and seemed to be recovering, but then relapsed and died in my arms within a matter of hours. That is not something I'm willing to let happen again.

Seeking general advice for this situation.

Can you get to a vet sooner?

I'm surprised the shelter didn't give you antibiotics to use until you go to the vet.

Get some KMR if possible.  It's available at pet stores and Walmart.  the kittens can lap it up from a bowl and it has plenty of nutrients for them

There is another place i could probably get into a little quicker, but their reported track record is so bad I suspect these two are better off waiting.

I was a little surprised myself, but didn't press for an explanation when told that.

I'll snag some KMR tonight, any particular brand?

Pet AG powdered form is good.  Avoid Hartz and Seargents brands, people have reported problems with these.  Powder is better than liquid forms.

Got the KMR, but he didn't want to drink that either. Fed him an ounce or so of it using an eye dropper. I'll repeat that every once in a while, make sure he keeps his strength up.

You can also mix it with the wet food and use it to soften up the dry food.

Did you mention to the vet you want to see that the kitten was on antibiotics and currently isn't?  They may be willing to see him sooner.

Saw the vet earlier today. Prognosis is promising, they should be feeling much better within a few days on the provided antibiotics.

In the meantime I've been feeding Luke by hand every few hours and intend to keep that up until he starts eating on his own again. I'm afraid he's getting tired of this treatment. Leia on the other hand loves the KMR however is it being fed. Attempts to snag the eye dropper away from Luke have been made.

In case anyone is interested, here's a picture of the pair.

So cute!  Keep the updates coming.

Day two on medication. Leia is doing notably better, and has taken to bouncing around the apartment in between naps. She's already back up to a healthy weight and growing fast.

Luke seems to be doing a little better as far as respiratory function goes, but is still lethargic and refusing to eat on his own (and getting rather testy about having food forced on him). I'm having a hard time feeding him enough KMR throughout the day. Is there anything more I might be able to do to help restore his appetite?

Try taking him in the bath room while a steamy shower is running.  The steam will clear out his nose and he will smell better.  Cats won't eat if they can't smell the food.

I've been doing that, it doesn't seem to help much. Is there any kind of decongestant that would be safe to use?

I just went through this very same thing with two very sick kittens.
Steamy showers helped the best. I asked the vet and other than the rx they were on there wasn't much else we could do.

you can try saline nasal drops, you want just the saline ones with nothing else in them. That should help to open up his nose so he can smell.

http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm that site is for new born care but it might have some helpful tips for you in the section about URIs and such. Advisors, please correct this if I'm wrong. Thanks.

You can give him saline drops in his nose to help clear any mucus. Otherwise, he should feel better and begin to eat more in a couple of days since he's on antibiotics. Has he had fever?

As mentioned by handsome kitty , you could provide wet food (canned). Have you tried a few different kinds of canned food? Maybe he is just not keen on a particular brand. It's hard for me to say. (Personally, I'd avoid tuna.)

Also, when my cats are sick I give them Gerber turkey or chicken baby food. You may want to try this to entice his appetite.

I was trying the tuna earlier due to the strong smell, figuring that this would be a problem, it is not something I'd use on a regular basis. So far, four different wet food brands have been offered and rejected, as have pieces of cooked and raw chicken.

I can try the baby food though.

Update, both kittens still sniffling, but their energy levels are up considerably.

Luke has started to actually enjoy the KMR, and has begun drinking it himself from a saucer plate rather than having me essentially force it on him. Still hasn't eaten any solid food (wet or dry), and yes I've thought to mix it with the KMR, he just licks it until the stuff is relatively dry. I'm not a fan of pate type pet food, but I may pick up some for the sake of a milkshake that I'm sure will be quite disgusting from my perspective.

Even accounting for this, he doesn't seem to be eating enough. Leia already masses 50% more than Luke, and the latter eats only perhaps a third of what she does. It isn't a matter of food theft of any kind (I've been watching for that), Luke simply stops eating rather quickly.

I think the milkshake idea, made from pate food and KMR, would be good to try with Luke. It's concerning that he eats so little and is so much smaller than his sister.

Have you tried the baby food yet?