Caring for abandoned/orphaned kittens

Eek! Carlyle coughed again a handful of times after he had his before bed bottle. Its the only other time this happened since last night. It's freaking me out! Is there anything else I can do to slow him down while I wait for more nipples? The flow is not an issue for the other 2 kittens.

This is concerning. When are the nipples coming?

Amazon says they should be here by Sunday.

Might need to just go to Walmart and grab another bottle set in the time being

I think that's a good idea.

No more coughing episodes from Carlyle so far and no other concerning symptoms. Hopefully he will be alright. We are going to run out to Walmart in a little while.

We also just gave them a full bath to clean off urine from "bed wetting" accidents now that they are getting really good at using the litter box. Let's just say they are definitely more cat-like than they were last time we bathed them! They absolutely hated it! I felt so bad but at least now they are free of residual pee on their coats and skin. They are all snuggled up nice and warm in my lap right now taking a recovery snooze. Poor babies! Hopefully we will not have to do that again!

As soon as they wake up a little bit and I can transfer them back to the bathroom we will go out for a new bottle for Carlyle.

Here's a picture of aforementioned pile of sleepy kittens 
Edited to add another picture. They are just too sweet!

They are! Melts the heart! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

More nap time photos ... 

So precious! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

Update on Carlyle:

He has not coughed at all after the bottle since 2 nights ago. We did get him a new bottle and nipple but he refuses to take formula from a hole any smaller than the ones I typically cut. It does seem he learned his own lesson though (Carlyle is the most intelligent kitty of the 3!). He has been sipping much more gently on the bottle. If he starts drinking more aggressively I pull the bottle away for a moment and then he resumes his gentle suckling. He is drinking the same amount as before just much more slowly. He also still seems to be in great health. Hopefully we have no further issues with this!

That's good to hear! Yay, Carlyle! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Those are adorable kittens!  When you get a chance...more pics!  Um...some with their tiny, wodgy tails would be welcome!

@Mamanyt1953  this was a funny little series that happened today


After I fed Carlyle he decided to use his new toy as a bed. After Cobalt was done eating he went over to play, sat right next to Carlyle, stared at me, and MEOWED as if to day "What the heck ma? I was going to play here!"

Then about 10 seconds later ...


"Well if you can't beat em' ... join em'!"

Finally ...


Cordelia decided to join the party 

wonderstruck016 said:

@Mamanyt1953
 this was a funny little series that happened today

IMG_1443.JPG

• wonderstruck016
• Jul 4, 2016

After I fed Carlyle he decided to use his new toy as a bed. After Cobalt was done eating he went over to play, sat right next to Carlyle, stared at me, and MEOWED as if to day "What the heck ma? I was going to play here!"

Then about 10 seconds later ...

IMG_1444.JPG

• wonderstruck016
• Jul 4, 2016

"Well if you can't beat em' ... join em'!"

Finally ...

IMG_1453.JPG

• wonderstruck016
• Jul 4, 2016

Cordelia decided to join the party :heart4:

Click to expand...

What beautiful, sweet babies.....[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️

That's too cute! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Update on Cobalt:

We tried feeding him with more frequency (every 2-3 hours during the day) to see if that would help curb his aggressive scratching during feeding time but this has not worked. He is not hungry for feedings this close together (he tends to drink 30cc at a time during the main feedings) and it has not helped his slashing. He scratches his front paws at the bottle very fast with his claws completely out. Not only does this seriously damage my skin and cuticles (he gets his claws UNDER them .. ouch!) but it also makes it difficult for him to get a latch on the nipple and destroys nipples. Once he latches he is usually very good and eats a lot. How can I stop this scratching behavior though? My husband and I have tried screeching and hissing and giving him time outs but nothing seems to be helping. He is not aggressive with his claws at any other time besides feedings. 


This random kitten video is pretty much exactly what Cobalt does.

It sounds to me like he needs to wean to feeding himself from a flat plate. Have you tried lately? When kittens get to this point it's time to wean.

It's time to get creative!

Otherwise, you can try trimming the very tips of his nails. You can also feed him by wrapping him burrito style in a towel, as well as holding the bottle with your hand through a towel so that he has a place to "knead" while nursing.

He needs to be settled into a tight place to feed so that his movement is limited during feeding like it would be if he were on the floor nursing from mom.

sarthur2 said:

It sounds to me like he needs to wean to feeding himself from a flat plate. Have you tried lately? When kittens get to this point it's time to wean.

It's time to get creative!

Otherwise, you can try trimming the very tips of his nails. You can also feed him by wrapping him burrito style in a towel, as well as holding the bottle with your hand through a towel so that he has a place to "knead" while nursing.

He needs to be settled into a tight place to feed so that his movement is limited during feeding like it would be if he were on the floor nursing from mom.

Click to expand...

Yes - we have continued offering wet food and formula from a flat dish at least twice daily. I try rubbing it on their lips and paws so they will lick it off but none of the kittens are showing interest in lapping either the gruel or the plain formula from a dish. 

I will try swaddling him tonight and see if that helps. I try to hold him flat on my belly but he runs at the bottle and ends up in all kinds of crazy positions with the bottle normally at his chest!

I remember reading something about encouraging kittens to eat with some sort of Gerber baby food? Might that be something to try? Or maybe a different brand of wet kitten food? 

I highly recommend Gerber turkey or chicken baby food. I used it to wean my kittens and they loved it.

It smells good and is easy to lap and digest. Also protein-filled. Offer it on your finger. If he's interested, guide him to the plate with the baby food on it. It can also be mixed with KMR and added to the bottle. Either way, he'll get there soon! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

wonderstruck016 said:

After I fed Carlyle he decided to use his new toy as a bed. After Cobalt was done eating he went over to play, sat right next to Carlyle, stared at me, and MEOWED as if to day "What the heck ma? I was going to play here!"

Then about 10 seconds later ...

IMG_1444.JPG

• wonderstruck016
• Jul 4, 2016

"Well if you can't beat em' ... join em'!"

Finally ...

IMG_1453.JPG

• wonderstruck016
• Jul 4, 2016

Cordelia decided to join the party 

Click to expand...

OH my gosh!  How cute is that?  And I got to see precious wodgy tails!  Don't ask my how I got addicted to them, but I am.  It's sad!