Hi, I work at a vet clinic but surprisingly we don't see many kittens there. I recently moved locations and it seems like people are constantly leaving their pets in front of the store and abandoning them. This morning the manager found 4 kittens who seem to have recently opened there eyes. I have 2 with me and one of the groomers took the other 2. We're estimating them to be about 2 weeks old. I have my two on GNC Milk Replacement Formula, a heating blanket with a towel layered on top, and I feed them every 3 hours (just attempted to feed them for the first time at 6pm eastern 9/21/15). It is now 12:39am the next day and I'm attempting to give them their 3rd round of formula. These kittens are just refusing to take the bottle!! One of them is a little more open to the eye dropper but after a moment will fight it off and crawl away and they both begin to cry very loudly. I placed them on my stomach on my bed and they immediately tried to suckle on any surface that they could knead on. I tried to get them to drink from the bottle or syringe during this time but they just aren't having it, and continue to fight it off and run away crying and kneading and attempting to suckle anything but the two items it should be suckling!! I have gotten them both to pee every feeding time (a LOT OF PEE!!) but they haven't pooped yet. I don't know whats going on! Any advice on getting them to take on the bottle or syringe better? The other two were weighed in around 50-60 grams (around 2 ounces) and I was told that that's underweight for a 2 week old kitten. Not sure of the back story on it at all, nothing about the mom, feeding habits, how long it went without eating before we arrived, nothing.
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2 week old kittens - need bottle feeding info ASAP
- Thread starter marandam
- Start Date
reading, will begin to answer in a couple of munites, and proceed after a pause on a half hour
Yes, 60 grams is very little for a newborn, for a 2 weeks it must almost be a measure fault....
DO you have a syringe, or do you have a dropper? syringe is easier.... Tummy down, head up, corner of the mouth... Do you have somebody to help you?
It may be easier one holding, one force-feeding....
GNC milk replacer is good.
I will return in half an hour
DO you have a syringe, or do you have a dropper? syringe is easier.... Tummy down, head up, corner of the mouth... Do you have somebody to help you?
It may be easier one holding, one force-feeding....
GNC milk replacer is good.
I will return in half an hour
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Thanks for the quick response. The kittens were weighed at the vet clinic on the cat scale. I have both an eye dropper and syringe. Both hate the syringe, the calmer kitten prefers the dropper but he will lose interest in it after a while and the other one has no interest in it at all. I guess I'll use the syringe for a while until they pick up on bottle feeding.
If dropper is easier for you, continue with the dropper... They MUST have something into them. Take it slowly, just a couple of drops at a time, so you are sure they manage to swallow, and next couple...
They had surely momma till quite recently, and if so, they are of course reluctant to bottle... They always prefer momma before bottle... try, as they are suckling on practically everything, you can perhaps let them suckle off GNC from your fingers.
GNC body warm of course. not just room warm. After it, perhaps suckle of the bottle nap. Or syringe top....
With very difficult, or very weak, tube into the stomach is the safest and easiest, but you must KNOW exactly how to do it, ie have someone whom shows you. And have the proper gears. The problem is, it seems most vets dont knows either. So either an experienced seasoned rescuer )perhaps an rescuer of wildlife-animals) or a vet whom do frequently works with small kittens.
Get home glucose sugar - if you dont have it, glucose syrup, white caro syrup, or even honey may work. Useful for homemade pedialytes, AND also, if you notice they begin to be lethargic - they will, if they dont eat! you can perk in some energy into them by smearing a little on t heir gum and lips...
The daily dosage of food is 8ml / Oz of body weight. Say they do have these 2 Oz you mentioned (the prob have more, more probably around 300g, but. Btw, if you seldome have small kittens, the cat scale is perhaps for bigger cats, and not accurate for kittens? Try to get a recount, best you do have your own scale. You DO want to get your own daily measure, so you know for sure they do add minimum 6g a day, preferably 10g or more a day...)
gives 16 ml divided into the portions during the 24 hours. Say every 3 hours, gives 2 ml at a time. If you take a nap on the night, sleeping 6 hours, you give it delt in 7 helping instead, about 2,5 ml each.
Ah, one more. Every 3 hours is nice and proper for stabilized kittens. Kittens whom aren not yet stabilized, must get more often, at least every second hour, perhaps even more often. And as yours wont eat, you cant wait 3 hours for the next try... Do tries every hour, till they are used to the idea... Hopefully you get into the a ml or even 2, even if they are reluctant... Given every hour it may perhaps suffice...
The task of rescuer is often difficult. In your case, its also a nice and worthy extra education in your profession as vet assistant and nurse, no?
They had surely momma till quite recently, and if so, they are of course reluctant to bottle... They always prefer momma before bottle... try, as they are suckling on practically everything, you can perhaps let them suckle off GNC from your fingers.
GNC body warm of course. not just room warm. After it, perhaps suckle of the bottle nap. Or syringe top....
With very difficult, or very weak, tube into the stomach is the safest and easiest, but you must KNOW exactly how to do it, ie have someone whom shows you. And have the proper gears. The problem is, it seems most vets dont knows either. So either an experienced seasoned rescuer )perhaps an rescuer of wildlife-animals) or a vet whom do frequently works with small kittens.
Get home glucose sugar - if you dont have it, glucose syrup, white caro syrup, or even honey may work. Useful for homemade pedialytes, AND also, if you notice they begin to be lethargic - they will, if they dont eat! you can perk in some energy into them by smearing a little on t heir gum and lips...
The daily dosage of food is 8ml / Oz of body weight. Say they do have these 2 Oz you mentioned (the prob have more, more probably around 300g, but. Btw, if you seldome have small kittens, the cat scale is perhaps for bigger cats, and not accurate for kittens? Try to get a recount, best you do have your own scale. You DO want to get your own daily measure, so you know for sure they do add minimum 6g a day, preferably 10g or more a day...)
gives 16 ml divided into the portions during the 24 hours. Say every 3 hours, gives 2 ml at a time. If you take a nap on the night, sleeping 6 hours, you give it delt in 7 helping instead, about 2,5 ml each.
Ah, one more. Every 3 hours is nice and proper for stabilized kittens. Kittens whom aren not yet stabilized, must get more often, at least every second hour, perhaps even more often. And as yours wont eat, you cant wait 3 hours for the next try... Do tries every hour, till they are used to the idea... Hopefully you get into the a ml or even 2, even if they are reluctant... Given every hour it may perhaps suffice...
The task of rescuer is often difficult. In your case, its also a nice and worthy extra education in your profession as vet assistant and nurse, no?
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
It is feeding our once again and they have woken from their nightly nap. I was able to get around 3ml of formula into both of them, after that they kick it away to seek out a nipple of some sort. The calmer one is taking to the bottle every blue moon, if he is attempting to suckle a blanket I can get him to use the bottle for about 5 seconds before he takes off again, like a bullet lol. The crazier one just wants to run (very wobbly) meowing and trying to suckle. Won't take to anything, he hates when I force feed him but I'm gonna do it until he learns it's the only way he's going to eat! Very stubborn babies. I'm glad they made it until this morning, gives me a lot more hope. Once again they pee'd, didn't poop. Should I wake them up during feeding hour or should I listen for their meows? Regardless my clock is set for every 3 hours.
If dropper is easier for you, continue with the dropper... They MUST have something into them. Take it slowly, just a couple of drops at a time, so you are sure they manage to swallow, and next couple...
They had surely momma till quite recently, and if so, they are of course reluctant to bottle... They always prefer momma before bottle... try, as they are suckling on practically everything, you can perhaps let them suckle off GNC from your fingers.
GNC body warm of course. not just room warm. After it, perhaps suckle of the bottle nap. Or syringe top....
With very difficult, or very weak, tube into the stomach is the safest and easiest, but you must KNOW exactly how to do it, ie have someone whom shows you. And have the proper gears. The problem is, it seems most vets dont knows either. So either an experienced seasoned rescuer )perhaps an rescuer of wildlife-animals) or a vet whom do frequently works with small kittens.
Get home glucose sugar - if you dont have it, glucose syrup, white caro syrup, or even honey may work. Useful for homemade pedialytes, AND also, if you notice they begin to be lethargic - they will, if they dont eat! you can perk in some energy into them by smearing a little on t heir gum and lips...
The daily dosage of food is 8ml / Oz of body weight. Say they do have these 2 Oz you mentioned (the prob have more, more probably around 300g, but. Btw, if you seldome have small kittens, the cat scale is perhaps for bigger cats, and not accurate for kittens? Try to get a recount, best you do have your own scale. You DO want to get your own daily measure, so you know for sure they do add minimum 6g a day, preferably 10g or more a day...)
gives 16 ml divided into the portions during the 24 hours. Say every 3 hours, gives 2 ml at a time. If you take a nap on the night, sleeping 6 hours, you give it delt in 7 helping instead, about 2,5 ml each.
Ah, one more. Every 3 hours is nice and proper for stabilized kittens. Kittens whom aren not yet stabilized, must get more often, at least every second hour, perhaps even more often. And as yours wont eat, you cant wait 3 hours for the next try... Do tries every hour, till they are used to the idea... Hopefully you get into the a ml or even 2, even if they are reluctant... Given every hour it may perhaps suffice...
The task of rescuer is often difficult. In your case, its also a nice and worthy extra education in your profession as vet assistant and nurse, no?
Yes, so little as they eat, they must eat when its eating time, even more often. Them just sleeping could otherwise be beginning for dying.
Marvelously they are still hanging on, but you do surely understand its Red Alert over the whole?
@catwoman707
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Woke up to some hungry kittens this morning. They both willingly ate 3.5 mls of formula, half suckling have chewing with the side of their mouth. They are cleaning themselves and walking around mewing still, but they seem to be walking more than yesterday. Stimulated both, no poop still and I used a warm paper towel in an attempt to simulate the mothers tounge. Each step the took just now seemed a little more confident. I do know it is still Red Alert as of now, since I'm still having to convince them to eat and they are slow to get the hang of things.
Nice there seems to be a breakthrough! Not enough as yet, but the beginning is made!
I suspect they MUST have got into them something, even if you didnt noticed. Because they wouldnt be still alive.
Even if healthy kitten may abstaif from daying even a couple of days... 4 days is something of a record for almost newborn. Of course, no wonder many of kittens in the wild doesnt make it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
Great news! I switched to a longer and thinner nipper to put on the syringe and they both ate 6mls and are demanding more. I was looking around about 2 week old kittens weigjts, I believe they may be more than the 2 ounce I was told. The littermate was weighed that the groomer took so that's all I had to go off of. They still want to knead when they are on my shirt, any warm wall it seems. Is there anything I can give them that's safe to knead on? Like a teddy bear? I even thought about placing the bottle inside a teddy bear that was warmed in the dryer. I would do this by makin small holes to put the bottles nipper through. I'd still be accessible to squeeze the bottle if necessary, but it would give the babies what they wanted. Are there dangers to this?
sounds like a good idea! Should go OK, esp if they suck actively.
Teddy bear as such, and or a warming pad, is never wrong. Fleece feels like moms fur, so wrapping up the bottle in fleece, or a warming pad in fleece, are another ideas.
You know the principle of making a provisorical warming pad, by having some common rice in a sock, and heat it up - up to 5 minutes, in micro.
Keeps warm several hours. Wrap it in a towel, so its not too heat, and also, keep the warmth longer....
Experiment some, its not always full 5 minutes necessary. One forumite got the rice burned several times running, so its apparenlty fully possible too.
I suppose she had a very efficient micro, sat on highest watt.
Once again. Its very useful to have your own scale, to weight them every day, and see yourself directly the development or lack thereof.
They arent costly. I suppose you live in Britain or some british "dominion"`? As GNC is british made... I mean, so you probably dont have Walmart.
Still, cheap electronical scales must be possible to get almost in any country.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
I actually live in the USA, Georgia. I have walmarts surrounding my area lol. I will look into getting my own scale. I have a friend who is getting me in touch with some people, a friend of a friend has a nursing queen! We will see if we can get these little babies into that group. If not, I won't be too disappointed as these babies are getting stronger and stronger every feeding.
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The milk replacer was an expert idea
Im sure you can handle them
And thats that
Im sure you can handle them
And thats that
Maybe putting ballons on the tip of dropper and use a pin to make a hole rinse the ballons and puta very tight rubberband . Im just looking for a nipple replacement but ask the vet first if that is doable. Good luck. My 8 yr old cat got very sick and i force fed her. And. Vet said good thing i did she would have dehydrated. Good luck post pics i want to see the babbies.[emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji]
Sounds like an interesting idea, but Im not sure Im following. Could you please describe it more step by step?
Get a big droper fill with milk put small balloon at end of it and wrap tithht with rubber band around the droper and leave enough space for kitty to suck from make a hole with a pin so its tiny and kitty will have to suck on it. But ask a vet first please. I think you would have to turn balloon inside out and wash it first. Ask Dr first bedore you try it please.
I think you should continue to feed them normally with the bottle, but give them a stuffed toy to snuggle with in the nest. Do you have accurate weights on the kittens yet?
aha, so you mean this ballon will function as a nipple? Using this if you cant find loose nipples?
I become stuck, because if you punctate a balloon, it usually explodes into small piece of trash... Apparently we shall not blow up the ballon much, just to punctate it comfortably... And the kitten gets a big, comfortable nipple. Right?
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