Orphaned Kittens

I have recently become the proud mother of 2, approximately 1 week old, kittens. The mother abandoned them after her other 2 kittens were eaten by a turtle(yes I did say turtle) I did not think they were gonna pull through yesterday, but I wasn't going to give up on them, so I bought some replacement milk for them and a syringe and made them rice heating pads. I left them on the heating pads for a while because I thought they might just need body heat and in just a couple of hours they made a complete turn-around They were crawling around and very vocal!!! I decided I would try to feed them again and at first they did not take to the syringe, but now they act like pros and are drinking quite well from it! I read on the internet that you have to make them relieve themselves so I have been doing that at every feeding! They seem like they are doing well considering and I took them to the vet this morning and he said they look okay. Now to my question, have any of you guys ever raised such young kittens and is there anything else I can do to make them thrive and flourish into healthy happy kittens? I want to make sure I am doing everything I can for these precious critters!!!!

Welcome Hayley.....there are 2 websites that I recommend.

http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

http://www.kitten-rescue.com

Both have great information on how to care for new kittens. You can also email Jeri who runs the safe haven website: [email protected]

You need to be very careful with heating pads:

Another method is to place a heating pad, on LOW, covered by a towel and then the blanket and then the baby. You don't want to cook them, just keep them warm. Be sure to provide a "cool" spot for the kittens to crawl to if they get to warm.

Welcome to the site
It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with these kittens! It was so wonderful of you to bring them in

I am sure you will have several replies here soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share this site with you :

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

I can't say thank-you enough for bringing-in these 2 little ones!!

Yes, I have encountered many an orphaned newborn. I have two beautiful adults that were brought up by hand...my hand ...literally from hours-old. Your task adhead is not an envious one!!

First of all, the kitten-rescue site mentioned has a great deal of excellent information. Second, at this very young, fragile age, unfortunately, anything is a go!!

It sounds like you are doing an amazing job with these two newborns so far. For the first 2-weeks or so, they should be fed every 2-hours...yes...around the clock. KMR is an excellent milk replacer...just make sure it isn't too hot nor too cold when feeding them. I never really knew what sleep deprivation was until I hand-raised Bob & Allie from birth. I can't tell you the countless hours I spent with those two...even sleeping on the floor huddled with them.

They need to be kept warm at all times...at this age, they cannot regulate their body temperature...the heating pads that you ar presently using are perfect. It sounds like you right-on-track with them elimating...keep on that...very important.

I usually keep very little ones in a small carrier loaded with towels and a small stuffed animal. May sound a bit strange, but when I held them, I always held them close to my chest--over my heart area and very often kept my mouth close to them--breathing into them and even gently rubbing into them to simulate mother cat.

This site also some very good info. regarding newborns: http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm

Please keep us posted & good vibes being sent your way!!

I just wanted to say how kind it is of you to raise these little ones. I'm sure one of our resident kitten raising experts will be along shortly to give you all the info you could ever need.

Hi! And thank you for saving thses babies!!!!!!

I have bottle raised Spike, my 3 week old baby since the day he was born.

Do you have a scale where you can weigh them daily, at the same time. It helps to know if they are gaining weight. I use a postage scale, but walmart sells food scales for around 7-10 dollars.

At one week, they should be about 6-7 oz, and should be getting about 56 cc's of formula daily, spread out between 4-5 feedings.

I see you've made a "nest" for the babies, great! I put a shirt I've worn, not washed, in the nest, it familiarizes the kitten with your scent and safety, just like momma. I snuggle with spike when I wake him up to feed, and I let him play for 30 min after feeding, I lay on the ground and let him walk around.

Oh, and poop should be toothpaste consistency, and they shouldn't strain when going.

Thanks for taking care of these babies.
This site: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/ can tell just about everything you'll need to know for your babies. And I'm sure any other questions you have can be answered by someone on here!
Good luck with the little ones!

~Julia

WOW it is great you are helping these babies. I will send big prayers...