Kitten Care at local Shelter

They look so happy.  Your husbands is definitely a keeper.

Hubby was caught! Opening the cage to fix the beach towel we have down since they pulled it up by playing.  He was then sitting in the chair watching them and asking if the dark one was the feisty one.  I said nope...they grey one.  He said that the dark one is pretty wild lol. 

Yeah..hes a keeper!

Awww such a nice thread!

Your husband decided to join you on the foster wagon! This is incredible - just what we were hoping for.

I'm so glad that he is now supporting and embracing your efforts. It will make a world of difference. With the purchase of the rabbit cage, he let you know he was committed. Now I think it will be understood that you'll be bringing foster kittens home during kitten season.

And he seems interested in helping - bravo .

Your husband is awesome!!!

Well..guess what I did?  I brought three more bottle babies home today.  I texted hubby and told him not to freak out but I was bringing home three more bottle babies.  His reply...Am I going to have to go to the shelter and have a talk with the workers there?   I read it to them as I was leaving with the kittens.  We all laughed. 

He was a little disgruntled when I got home but got over it quickly.  The only thing he asked was when we go out of town in the beginning of October what was I going to do with the kittens.  I said that I will take them to the shelter for the weekend.  He looked surprised and said Ok.  That was that. 

These new babies look like little teddy bears.  Strange colors and markings.  There is the runt that I am quite worried about.  She is the reason that I brought them home.  She had her head stuck between the bars of their cage when I went to the shelter today.  She was just crying for anyone to help her.  Her siblings were just crying with her.  They are all snotty and have mucky eyes.  I started them on amoxicillin and eye medicine.  I am hoping its not too late for the runt. 

I brought them home and let them settle down for a bit.  Fed them after they were calm and warm.  Let them rest again in the carrier.  Mixed up the amoxicillin and dosed the runt first.  Then it was bath time.  I could see fleas on them, crawling  all over their faces.  I bathed the two larger kittens and used the blow dryer on the cool setting to dry them off.  They were shaking so bad.  I fixed them a nice little nest in a laundry basket with a fleece blanket and litter box.  I hesitated on bathing the runt but I could see the fleas crawling all over her.  So a made it a quick one.  Ugh..the water was so muddy and brown from the fleas.  She didnt fight at all.  I also blew her dry as fast as possible.  She was shaking so I cuddled her in a fleece and just held her to my neck and she settled right down. 

She is so snotty I can hear her rattling.  She was not like that yesterday when I was there.  She did sneeze a lot of snot out of her nose and I wiped it up.  I need to get a bulb syringe to help remove that.  I was patting her on her back and it seemed to help her get more if it up.  I remember that doctors will sometimes do a percussion on a patients back and chest to help loosen secretions.  So I just patted her ever so gently and she sneezed up a huge green snot and I pulled it out and there was so much of it.  She sounded better after that. 

I put them all in the nest and they slept for about an hour.  The older ones woke up and were playing with each other.  I got their bottle ready and they ate some more.  Its slow going because they dont quite grasp sucking the nipple yet.  The runt she wants to eat so bad but doesnt have the suction yet for the nipple.  I switched to a smaller one and that seemed to help.  I have her on her stomach (as they all are when they eat) and she chews the nipple and I have it cut so it slowly drips out onto her tongue.  She eats a few bites then needs a breather but goes right back for more.

They are sleeping right behind me in the laundry basket.  I will keep them secluded until 48 hours of antibiotics then they wont be able to give anything bacterial to anyone else. 

Now the two monsters I brought home first...OMG...they see me and just start yelling at me for food and attention lol.  Its quite comical.  I talk to them and tell them...foods coming it has to warm up.  The dont seem to understand lol.  They pace in front of the cage door and run out as soon as I open it.  The dark tabby crawls all over me and usually ends up by my neck getting a head rub while she falls asleep.  The grey one...plays and runs around!  They are doing really well.  A little bit of diarrhea but hearty appetites and the tabby is eating the gruel I put out for them during the night in between feedings.  The grey girl licked it for the first time last night but prefered the bottle.  Little stinker!

Anyway...when the 3 bears start to move about I will take a pic and you can see what I mean.  I have never seen kittens that look like these. 

I will keep you updated!

Tammy

You are so generous.  Thank you for taking the three bears as well as your other two. 

Take the snotty kitten into the bathroom and run a shower.  The steam will temporarily clear her nasal passages and she will be able to eat better.  Maybe try to feed her in the bathroom.

Remember your food and some supplies are charity tax deductions.  Save your receipts.  It adds up quickly.

So cute!

Aww more kitties!!!

Note to self...dont put in a warm bean bag with a runt and her litter mates.  The bigger ones were trying to nurse off her when she was cuddled up to it.  I had to remove her to her own box with the warm bean bag.  The other two are almost twice her size and are soooo mad that I removed the fleece and bean bag.  I replaced it with a flannel scrap and they are just not happy lol!

I fed all of them and hopefully they will go to sleep.  The runt and Frick and Frack are sleeping.  Oh..Frick and Frack are the first two that I brought home.  The runt is cuddled up to the bean bag sleeping and the other two bears are yelling at me!

Wait!...is that silence???  Nope ... a small meow from the two bears.  Sigh..I am going to drink a glass of wine lol. 

What is sleep???

Tammy

P.S.  I love every minute of it!

You are just amazing me with your commitment and dedication. The little "bears" are adorable. The runt would not stand much chance if you weren't helping with meds and mucus removal. As Handsome Kitty mentioned, a steamy bathroom is very helpful.

I was going to ask about a heating pad for the runt, but I see you have the warm bean bag going. Maybe you could give the other two a warm rice bag. Do you have a way to cover the holes in the laundry basket so no incidents of limbs getting stuck occur? We generally advise against baskets with holes for that reason.

Do you have a scale to weigh the kittens so you know they are gaining? Do you have a 1 or 2 mL syringe to feed the runt with until she's strong enough to suck the bottle?

Wondering also how much the runt is eating at each feeding.

These little ones are so precious, and they will miss you when you go out of town next month .

The babies are all doing well today.  The runt is sucking right along and eating 1/4 to 1/3 of an ounce at each feeding.  I have been offering every 2 hours, warming up the bean bag and cleaning snot out of his nose.  He already sounds so much clearer. 

The others are safely ensconsed in the rabbit cage together.  No more snotty noses or eyes.  The first batch had the same thing from the shelter so I feel safe putting them together.

They have been playing and generally causing a rucus lol!    Bundles of sleepy kitties!  I have the runt in a basket and the sides covered with her bean bag and fleece.  She is cuddled up snoozing away =)

Are they not the most adorable wee ones in the world?  I kinda think so!

Tammy

Kitten pile [emoji]128149[/emoji].

Very precious!!

So today my sister in law comes over.  She sees the box on the porch for a rabbit cage and says You got a rabbit? 

Hubby says oh yeah...come check them out they are cute!  She looks and says OMG...little baby kittens.  Hubby just smiles and says See that grey one..he is a bully and a piglet when he eats.   And I didnt think he was paying attention lol!

Babies are doing well.  The runt is still small and some what snotty, but her eyes are better.  No more drainage.  I found my scale and she is 5 7/8 ounces.  They estimate her to be 3 weeks.  I will weigh her daily to be sure she is gaining.

Do you think I need to weigh the other kitties?  They are all eating well and playing, meowing, peeing and pooping up a storm!  Small amounts of loose stool but I think that is because I am transitioning them over to soft cat food and no more baby food for the gruel mixture.  They sure seem to like it and scarf it down in between bottles. 

Let me know what you think about the weight for the runt and getting the others weights. 

Talk to you soon,

Tammy

A 6-ounce three-week old? That's incredibly small! I sure hope she begins gaining. It can't hurt to get a baseline on the others recorded so you have something to go on.

How much is the runt eating per feeding? We use the 8 mL's per ounce of weight per day divided by the number of feedings as a minimum amount of formula. More is always better.

I'm glad the others are doing so well .

You should definitely weigh them daily.   Not only as a baseline but to be sure you are feeding them enough. 

Use the formula Sarthur2 provided.  As the kittens grow they need more food.   If they are gaining 1/2 ounce daily they should be eating 4 ml more each day.  You want to make sure you are giving them enough to thrive, not just maintain.  Also weight loss is the first indication of a problem.

They are growing and getting much better care since you took them home.  Soon you'll need a room for the 'kitten nursery'!