FKS - Please help!

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board, my fiance and I have 2 adult cats (one from the humane society, the other was a pet someone abandoned in an alley, declawed and spayed) and have started fostering kittens for the Humane Society. The first litter they have given us is 6 kittens, about 4 weeks when we got them (last week) and were found in a cardboard box. They don't need formula, they'll eat wet food and a tiny bit of dry food but we have now lost two in this litter. The first one had to be taken to the vet b/c she was dehydrated, they injected some fluids and put her in ICU and she started to look great after the first night and by the second night they had called our humane society to tell us we could pick her up in the afternoon. They pulled her out of ICU and about 3 hours later they had to euthanize her b/c she had started vomitting and her temp. dropped. When this happened, we made an appointment for the rest of the litter for this afternoon but when I got home, another kitten wasn't looking well. I took her to the Humane Society and they taught me how to inject her with fluids and syringe feed her. We were up with her until about 11:30, then went to bed, checking on her at 1:00. She was fine then, but when we woke up at 6, she was gone.
They attributed the first one's death to Fading Kitten Syndrome and I'm fairly sure the second one will be as well, is there anything I can do for the remaining 4 to keep them from falling victim to this?! I'm gonna try to post one of their pictures below, I hope it works

I don't have any advice. I've never had to deal with anything like this before. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your lose, and I'm praying that the remaining kittens do well. The picture you attached of them is so very precious. My thought is if they are getting dehydrated, then maybe they are still in need of some formula. Although I don't know this to be fact. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site, so I'm sure you will get some good direction.

when we took on 2 4 week old kitten's we had to feed them formula for the first week by a syringe then gave them some every day in a bowl if they wanted it it was there for them mine 2 had to go to the vet's as they started being sick had a bad stomache and was lifeliss they were dyhydrated and had to have fluid's injected into them they was lucky and are now 5 month's old but it was very worrying , it happend in the space of 2 hour's when they was awake they was fine then they went in there box to sleep and wouldn't wake up properly and it was so quick so i sort of know what ur going through if i hadn't been here or was asleep it might have turned out different have u taken them all to the vet's and been checked over ? i would try given the formula a go see how it work's out good luck sending load's of vibe's

Im sorry to hear that! It is always rough to loose one. I just lost on in my litter that i have as fosters .. Soo I Know it is Sad.. I will pray for the rest!

But man those babies are precious!

Two kittens falling ill in a short period of time sounds a lot like illness. Fading kitten syndrome is usually seen in kittens under 2 weeks old. A 5 week old kitten that dies, is usually because it is sick, from something. Kittens are very fragile and can go downhill, very fast. Feline distemper can present similarly with kitten getting very sick, very quickly progressing to death. Intestinal parasites can lead to dehydrated, ill, and even dead kittens. There are many, many other viruses out there. A kitten from a shelter and on the streets that doesn't have a mother is susceptible to everything! What I would recommend is making sure the other kittens are checked by a vet, and that they have fecal samples, and are vaccinated as soon as it is safe to do so. Sometimes things happen that we have no control over. At least those two kitties were warm, happy, and had a family before they died. Good luck. They are adorable.

A question about dehydration. How can you tell if a kitten is dehydrated? I am kind of worried about one of mine....they are now 6 weeks and 2 days old. Mom doesn't want to nurse them much anymore, but she DOES nurse them. They have food and water available 24/7 but I have never seen any of them drink the water.
One of the kittens seems a little more 'sleepy' or listless, than the others. It could be just me, that I am imagining it, but I have wondered if they--her especially--are getting enough fluids.

One way of encouraging cats to drink water is by using a cat water fountain, dispenser, or whatever name is used from any particular manufacturer. They like the flowing water, and since it goes threw a filter, it is fresher. Also, my vet encouraged me to feed our kittens plenty of a high quality canned kitten food. A large percentage of moist food is water, therefore it gives another way to make sure your kittens are getting water.

I took the rest of the litter to the vet today and they all tested positive for Parvo/Distemper so they had to euthanized today. To make it worse, now my fiance and I can't foster kittens for a year because it can live on surfaces for up to a year. We came home and bleached our entire apartment, luckily our cats have been vaccinated against it so they're ok, but we're pretty much devastated. I thought I would at least post some more pics of the adorable sweet kittens.

Originally Posted by mowsluver

A question about dehydration. How can you tell if a kitten is dehydrated? I am kind of worried about one of mine....they are now 6 weeks and 2 days old. Mom doesn't want to nurse them much anymore, but she DOES nurse them. They have food and water available 24/7 but I have never seen any of them drink the water.
One of the kittens seems a little more 'sleepy' or listless, than the others. It could be just me, that I am imagining it, but I have wondered if they--her especially--are getting enough fluids.

Click to expand...

One way to check for dehydration is to lift up the skin....if they are well hydrated, the skin should bouce back....if it stays up, chances are the kitten is dehydrated.

Katie

Originally Posted by jkrodger

I took the rest of the litter to the vet today and they all tested positive for Parvo/Distemper so they had to euthanized today.

To make it worse, now my fiance and I can't foster kittens for a year because it can live on surfaces for up to a year. We came home and bleached our entire apartment, luckily our cats have been vaccinated against it so they're ok, but we're pretty much devastated. I thought I would at least post some more pics of the adorable sweet kittens.

Click to expand...

I'm sorry......distemper is an awful disease. We've had a couple of kittens die from it. Can you no longer foster ANY cats/kittens or only kittens/cats that have not been vaccinated against distemper??

Katie

Originally Posted by jkrodger

I took the rest of the litter to the vet today and they all tested positive for Parvo/Distemper so they had to euthanized today.

Click to expand...

They were so cute, sorry to hear that you lost them. What is parvo/distemper?

Originally Posted by ABK

They were so cute, sorry to hear that you lost them. What is parvo/distemper?

Click to expand...

Here you go:

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/distemper.html

Katie

How crushingly sad! I lost Garfield's twin brother Odie to distemper. How very horrible to lose all your babies!

After Odie's death, I didn't foster babies for a while. But I took on kittens who had been vaccinated against distemper. Of course that meant they were a little older. But often there will be an 8-12 week old kitten who needs lots and lots of attention to tame them. This will keep you in the fostering business, while ensuring the cats you bring in won't catch distemper.

My deepest condolences on your losses. Rest in peace, sweet babies. I'm sorry your time was cut short!

Toss out all items these kittens used, toys, litter pans, bedding etc. Take the cat carriers and wash them down several times in bleach and hot water. Let them air dry outside at least 24 hours. Distemper is nasty and hard to kill.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. In looking at their pictures, it is apparent that in their short time, they got a lot of love.

thats horrible. I had a kitten die from distemper too. It only adds insult to misery when you have to go home and bleach your whole home too.