Never owned a cat before, I need (a LOT of) help with 5 orphaned kittens.

parisinthe30sx said:

Just out of curiosity, At what age do you stop manually helping them go to the bathroom? I know young kittens have to be rubbed with a moist towel to get them to go.

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They are able to go on their own by 3 weeks old.

A big tip here is not to rub, but to tap on their butts/genitals, that's all it takes, rubbing causes raw sore butts and they will scream when it gets that way, making them contract instead of relax and let go of their poop.

Baator said:

 
Constipation was definitely the problem. 

I added some olive oil to the formula and started massaging them with a towel dipped in warm water and after some time

a little poop became visible but wouldn't come out. Poor things were struggling and their little butts were very swollen. It took almost 20

minutes with each one but after a lot of (gross! ) massaging and pressuring and warm water, 3 of them managed to push out a huuuuuge

brown poop, with normal color and texture too thankfully. The one that had already gone in the morning also pooped a little again.

We were all exhausted in the end and now they are resting next to their bottles of hot water (inside a sock).

4 down, 1 to go, but I'm a lot more optimistic now, the olive oil worked miracles in only a few minutes and I'm happy they didn't have diarrhea too.

They didn't poop normally and it took a LOT of work with each one, but I think that is to be expected for their 1st time and after being constipated for 6 days (their whole lives basically ).

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Temperature of the room should be normal and comfortable for you, but a heat source in with them is what is needed to keep their temperatures up to about the same as ours is, so they are able to digest their formula properly, when their temp drops below 95 their organs will not digest the formula, so you never want to feed a baby that feels cool when you touch their paws or ears.

The formula is kept nice and warm if it's in a small dish that is floated on hot water in a bigger dish.

Now the most important thing is to be sure they are eating enough for a daily gain.

So it's important that you locate a s cale that will weigh them, preferably in grams.

Commonly kittens will gain about 1/2 an ounce per day, but the goal is at least 10 grams.

Having a scale can help determine if they are getting enough.

For every ounce of weight, they need 8 mls of milk, per day, so weighing 4 grams means 32 mls of formula per day.

You're doing a GREAT job for being a newbie to cats!!

First of all,you are an angel to take a responsibility like that in your hands wish there were more people like you in this world.I rescued a 4day old kitten myself and it was hard work!!!!!! So I can't imagine having them all...I had the same issue with my bby kitten,it takes them a few days to adjust to the formula which can constipate them.just keep rubbing their bellies one by one.my bby kitten didn't poop for about 1- 1/2 weeks,I was worried at first but then he ended up going. As far as the crying and sucking...the miss their mama,mine cried and cried,even while being held.it took alot of patience and sleepless nights but it's all worth it.

kitty14rescue said:

First of all,you are an angel to take a responsibility like that in your hands wish there were more people like you in this world.I rescued a 4day old kitten myself and it was hard work!!!!!! So I can't imagine having them all...I had the same issue with my bby kitten,it takes them a few days to adjust to the formula which can constipate them.just keep rubbing their bellies one by one.my bby kitten didn't poop for about 1- 1/2 weeks,I was worried at first but then he ended up going. As far as the crying and sucking...the miss their mama,mine cried and cried,even while being held.it took alot of patience and sleepless nights but it's all worth it.

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Yikes!  Definitely not good for the kitten not to poop for that long and am so glad everything turned out ok!  

@Baator  do let us know when you get the last one to go.  The suppository would be the next step.  Do they seem more settled and comfortable?

The last one simply refuses to go. It's the one that got out 2 tiny brown poops yesterday, the first one to do so, but since then nothing.

I gave them olive oil once more but no more poop from any of them.

They seem to be much better, they all have a big appetite and they are very energetic.

If room temperature though falls even a couple degrees, they all scream bloody murder. If it's uncomfortably hot for me,

they quiet down and sleep. It's so weird for me how much they love heat. Even when they eat, they have to be near something very

warm or else they refuse to eat. I put 2 big bottles with hot water in their nest and they LOVE them, they crawl all over it and they sleep

like that. They don't last very long though and I have to keep changing the water often.

When they're awake, they constantly try to get out of their nest today, all of them, all the time and sometimes they succeed too.

They only started climbing today. I guess this is normal?

Today was a very tiresome day. I'm glad we got some poop out but I don't think we're over the hill yet.

I hope they all manage to go tomorrow too, if they do, I'll be so happy.

I can't believe how much I've come to care for them in 5 days, they all have their personalities, one cries all the time,

another is a climber, 3rd one is my best feeder, 4th is my best pooper...

If I lose even one I'll be devastated, I have no idea how you guys do this all the time, I haven't slept in 5 days and I'm so stressed all the time!

I haven't given them names yet or even nicknames because I'm trying to stay a bit detached but even if I am so lucky to keep them all alive,

I'm already thinking about the moment where I'll have to give away to other homes 4 of them. We're not there yet and I'll be perfectly happy if they just all survive,

but I have no idea how I'll choose which one to keep when the time comes. :/

They love the heat because they need it, they are not able to maintain their own heat until 3 weeks old, same as potty on their own.

A heating pad on low is a much easier way to give them consistent heat. The water bottles work but will be alot more work for you.

You can fill a sock with raw rice and heat it for 5 minutes in the microwave.  It should hold the heat for 3-5 hours.  Then just reheat it when it cools down.

You are doing a terrific job!

You've gotten the information you need, so I'll just chime in as someone who has a lot of admiration for you and what you are doing for these babies.  We're here.  We'll be cheering you on every step of the way.   You are NOT alone in this anymore.

One of the strays I was caring for came up pregnant before I caught her. She was about a year old herself, had five adorable kittens. She was a great mom. I ended up keeping three of the kittens plus the momma. So I know how you feel about deciding on which one you'll keep. I just couldn't decide so I kept all three the other two cuties found great homes thankfully. They'll each show their own personalities soon. When they hit about 4-5 weeks then the fun begins! You should post some photos!

I took in a pregnant stray last March who had 4 babies. I could not decide who to keep so I kept mom and all four kittens! They just turned a year old this week and mom is about 2 years old. They are all so sweet and get along so well. I don't regret it at all! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

How's it going??

talkingpeanut said:

How's it going??

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Well, so far, so good. They're all still alive. 

Yesterday I realized that they have all gotten a lot bigger, they have definitely gained weight from when I found them.

They all use the bottle easily now. I still feed them every 2-3 hours and I let them eat as much as they want each time.

Usually they grab the bottle and eat hungrily for 10-15 seconds and then they're done. If they start turning their heads away

from it, I don't feed them anymore. Feeding is much easier and faster and they all drink the formula warm now because of that.

I've heard a few nice burps too.

I bought a heating pad for them and it works wonders. I still put the 2 bottles in their nest because they love them and enjoy sleeping

on top of them. Now it's warm for them and it's not so hot for me in the room, so we're all happy.

3 of them pooped last night after a lot of massaging. Not perfectly, but they got something out. A couple of them I can say that they are doing really well.

They got bigger, they have a big appetite, they are energetic, they poop every day, they sleep when you let them. The other 2 same, except with the pooping.

Last one has big trouble pooping. We got something out yesterday, but I was not satisfied with it.

2 of them look exactly the same and I have trouble knowing who has pooped and who hasn't. I can only tell them apart from the way they eat.

I also have trouble because like I said, some poop, some don't. I want to continue giving olive oil to those that don't but not to those that did.

And finally, I am SO tired. Yesterday, I've had a headache all day long. Today, I'm even worse. I don't sleep and I'm constantly stressed.

This is a very difficult task, I had no idea when I got them, I thought a bowl of milk and a safe space would do it, but they really are like babies.

And the constipation problems...if only I didn't have those I wouldn't complain. From what I see is very common, especially with formula. I read stories

online "sadly, I lost all 4 of them", "sadly, all my babies died yesterday out of nowhere" and they stress me out so much.

Ugh...thanks for the support everyone, rant time over, it's feeding time!

Bless you! At some point you need to set your clock and get 3 hours' sleep between feedings! It sounds like you are doing a superb job! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

Is there anyone who can help you?  You need rest too.  Can they go three hours between feedings at this point?

You could try color coding them, that way you can keep track. Try putting different color nail polish on each of them. Just do one nail on their back paw. That's what I did as all the kittens I was fostering were black and looked identical.

You can give them all olive oil.  A small amount shouldn't bother them and will keep them regular.

@StefanZ  What about an olive oil enema for the one who still hasn't pooped?

Ginny said:

 
@StefanZ  What about an olive oil enema for the one who still hasn't pooped?

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Its surely possible, but better to go first for  these glycerine tops for small children.  But for kittens you made ready just a tiny narrow bit of it.  I believe this was already mentioned in the thread.

Enema, "flushing the bowels" is the last, strategic reserve.   A little more complicated.

Ginny said:

@StefanZ
 What about an olive oil enema for the one who still hasn't pooped?

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I don't think that's safe because of the amount the intestines would absorb. A sliver of a glycerin suppositiory would be far better.

Yes, olive oil drops in the formula, and a sliver of glycerin suppository is best! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Like I said, I let them eat as much as they want, until they start turning their heads away from the bottle.

Usually, it's around 15 seconds of them hungrily drinking. I still feed them every 2.5 hours.

Is it possible that I'm overfeeding them? With the bottle, I have no way of knowing how much each one eats exactly.

With the syringes it was easier. They are definitely eating a lot more now and they've grown noticeably.

They still don't poop on their own though.