Ignored Kittens - Help!

Hello, so we have a stray cat that showed up on our porch a year or so ago, and she's had multiple litters of kittens which have all been healthy except for the first litter that she moved here with. They got sick and we took them to the vet and got medicine but none of them made it. We've tried to take her to the local humane society or find her a home, but she disappears for the entire day if she even gets a glance of the carrier. Anyway her last litter of kittens is three weeks old yesterday, and they seem to be underweight and not taken care of very well unlike her previous litters. There were seven kittens and one of them was having problems breathing, we tried to look something up online, but eventually her breathing slowed down and she just stopped. (Thinking it might have been a respiratory infection, or malnutrition?) Well I went out yesterday and used the flea comb on them and tried to get them all to go potty. (Their nest is on our porch where we made a tent of blankets to protect them from the weather.) I switched out the blanket on the ground with a fresh one, it looked like they had been doing their business on the blanket, almost like the mom hasn't been getting them to go potty like she should've been. The smell was attracting a lot of flies so I tried to wipe them off with a slightly damp washrag since it looked like they had been sleeping in their own urination and feces. I weighed them then, one around 7 ounces, four around 8 ounces, and one was around 10 ounces. I looked up approximately how they should be growing and a weight scale and it looks like they are underweight. I go outside fairly often, and I couldn't name the last time I actually saw the mom taking care of her kittens. She did really good after they were first born, but I'm wondering if she's backing off since she's seen me out there so much recently. Should we get some KMR? and is there something that I can do to take care of the fleas without spending too much money? We are on a very strict budget right now and anything that is going to be an extra cost will probably not happen. The kittens don't seem to be as active as they used to be, and they've been sleeping in the same spot since yesterday, whereas they usually explore a little and at lest move around some. I checked to make sure they were all breathing but I don't know what else to do. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

KittyCuddler14

@sarthur2

@catwoman707

They'll be more help than I can. Have you tried a trap though with her the reproduction cycle really does need to end. But KMR may be needed. As for fleas dawn dish soap is useful someone else will tell you which path to take though at that age. The dawn needs to be the blue dawn dish soap.

Yes we have tried a live trap, but it didn't work. Okay, we are going to get some KMR and try it here in a little bit.  And we'll try the dish soap bath if we can get some of that too. I was going to try and clean off their back ends again since they haven't been cleaned off since yesterday. I tried to get the momma to take care of them but she just walked away.

K kittycuddler14

They are starving to death!

You need to bring them inside and put a heating pad under their blanket to warm them. Or fill a plastic bottle with hot water, wrap it in a towel, and place it nearby.

You need to buy kitten formula, a kitten bottle, AND a 1-2 mL syringe and begin feeding them immediately.

To perk them up you can smear some honey on their gums, and they need an immediate 1-2 mL's of water mixed with a sprinkle of salt and a sprinkle of sugar to get them hydrated.

You'll hold the kittens tummy down, head up, and put the syringe or dropper in the side of the mouth, 1-2 drops at a time, let them swallow and breathe, and go again.

They need kitten formula with dropper until strong enough to suck the bottle. They will need minimum 8mL's of formula each every 3 hours around the clock.

You'll need to stimulate them to go potty.

I hope it's not too late to save them! Please update us on how they are doing.

And you need to catch mama, hold her by the scruff, then someone brings the carrier so she doesn't see it first, and get her spayed asap so she has no more litters. This is cruel to both her and the kittens. She is probably in heat again and also completely rundown from back to back pregnancies and nursing.

Do not bathe them yet. They need to be hydrated first with clear pedialyte or the homemade kind that I mentioned. Blue Dawn gentle bath is fine later, but do not submerge the heads.

Thank you SO much. I will do exactly what you said, and I will update ASAP. I had no clue what to do and now I have a bit of hope.

Yes, there is hope!

I've got the hot water bottle, and the water with sugar and salt and the eye dropper. I'm going to try and give it to them.

Did you bring them in?

Have you any honey to smear on their gums?

Otherwise go for it!

And get the KMR purchased asap. You are hydrating them to hold them briefly while you buy formula. They need to drink formula asap. Baths are later after they are eating well and comfortable. In the meantime you can wipe them off with a warm, damp cloth.

No, I have to ask my father if I can bring them inside. If he doesn't allow it I'll find some way to keep them safe and warm out here. The mom hasn't really seemed to have abandoned them, she was cleaning them and trying to nurse them, I'm just not sure if she has enough milk. I tried the honey, but it didn't really work. Their mouths are so tiny I couldn't get it on their gums. We have the KMR so I will get that ready ASAP and give it to them. The kittens were nursing and they drank a ton of the water mixture, so I'm not sure how much they'll drink. I'll come out here often to try and feed them. I'll see if any have to go potty.

This tells me they were VERY dehydrated. Since kittens this age need to nurse every two hours, and you only gave them water, they should enjoy the KMR, unless they nursed sufficiently from their mom.

What is the temperature/weather where you are?

Also, are you feeding the mom wet food? She needs it. And dry food and water.

They weren't really eating much of the KMR, a few ate more than others, but the mom is actually over here again and trying to nurse them, but one can't find a spot so I was giving him the KMR and he seemed to be eating it good. She actually just laid down as I was typing, so maybe they'll actually get to nurse some.

Right now the temperature is about 80 degrees according to the thermometer, but it's really sunny, so it feels hotter. 

No we aren't feeding the mom wet food, although she does eat cat food and kitten food, unless you count the KMR she just spilled and licked up.

The kittens are actually moving some and a few are actually sitting up which I haven't seen them do in a while....

You have really helped them - probably saving their lives!

Are the kittens in the shade? They also do not need to get too hot or broil in the sun.

If mom will nurse them her milk is best.

I think you'd best keep an eye out and give them the water/sugar/salt mixture in between nursing. And if mom is gone too long you'll need to give them KMR too, or at least try.

Are they covered in fleas?

Thank you for helping these kittens. I hope you can get mom spayed real soon. Are you able to give mom a can of wet food each day while she's nursing?

Mom is burnt out with kittens at this point, she must be spayed ASAP now.

All of her reserves and nutrients are depleted, which will commonly happen when they have litter after litter.

Fleas are dangerous to young kittens and can do serious damage, causing anemia and lack of thriving, and even death.

Once they are stabilized with food and hydration, they need to be bathed.

Keep in mind that fleas drown after 10-15 minutes in water.

Turn the faucet on and get it to a stable warm temp, not hot, not cool. Toasty warm. Take a washcloth and wet the corner, squirt the dawn on that corner and start creating a sudsy soap ring around the neck before wetting the body. As high up right under their ears as you can.

All the way around the neck, nice thick soapy ring.

This way the fleas won't be able to climb upwards to their face/eyes/ears/nose, which they WILL do without the ring.

Then continue to wet and suds up their body, butts, armpits, and just keep soaping in swirls, as you rinse off, start with the tail end and watch the fleas and blood/poop go down the drain.

The longer they are soaped up and rinsed the better the chance of getting all fleas off.

Towel dry well, then they can be placed in the sun to dry, but keep checking on them.

If there is a breeze then wait to put them outside until they are dryer. If it's sunny and 80 degrees without breeze they will dry fast. 

Mom likely needs flea treating too or they will be right back on the kittens.

Well I'm just glad that they seem to be doing better!

Yes, they have a certain spot in their nest that they've taken a liking to recently, and it's in the shade.

She seems to be nursing them more when I help out, so I'll keep trying to help out and hopefully that will work.

Yes, they're covered with fleas. I tried using the flea comb on them before, but it didn't work too well with them being so small.

I wouldn't have been able to just watch them get worse, and yes we're going to try and do that ASAP. I will see if I can get her wet food. Usually when we give our indoor cats canned food we give some to her too.

Canned food will help, the tall cans of friskies are fine too, and cheaper.

K kittycuddler14

Be sure to read Catwoman's post #14 above yours about bathing the kittens. You will have to do this in the kitchen or bathroom sink. I would not put a clean kitten back in with kittens with fleas until they are ALL bathed and you've put fresh bedding in their nest to get rid of eggs and larva.

Can you put some Advantage on mom? Otherwise she will spread fleas.

I'm glad that you helping is helping mama cat.

Yes, will do! I might wait a day or so till the weekend just so I can make sure they're stable. But as soon as they are I'll make sure to do it!

I'll try.

The kittens seem to be doing a lot better. They were exploring around their nest and kept getting separated from the rest so we had to keep going outside to rescue them. I think I finally got them to go to sleep.

How is everyone today? Have you fed the kittens anymore?

I was just about to head out and see if anyone is hungry, I'll let you know once I do!