Hey everyone, this is kind of long, but I'm basically looking for any advice or words of encouragement.
A stray cat gave birth in my back yard two weeks ago. I provided her a cat shelter (waterproof bin), food and water so she could do her thing, but the weather here has been terrible. It has rained nonstop for the past two weeks and even snowed/hailed once. She never moved her kittens into the shelter, so she was laying in a puddle with three kittens. I have a spare room so I tried luring her inside so she could keep all her kittens warm and dry, but she is very skittish.
A couple of days ago, I heard the kittens screaming and went out to check on them. Two kittens were laying in a puddle (it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside) and they were sopping wet. I picked them up, dried them off, and put them in the cat shelter and waited for her to return. I know she might have taken the other kitten to a better shelter/dry ground so I was hoping she would come back for the other two. She never did. Eventually, it got dark and the temperature started dipping so I brought the two little babies inside.
One kitten was still pretty strong, but the other one couldn't meow or even hold up his head. They were both freezing. I warmed them up gently with body heat and eventually a heating pad and started them on kitten formula once they were all warmed up.
They started only taking 1ml every two hours, but now they are up to 6ml. I have a family that to feed them (belly down, warm formula, no pressure) around the clock. We've been getting them to pee (no poop, but we've been stimulating them with toilet paper and cleaning them with a warm cloth). We also have a dog who has been cuddling them and cleaning them (dog time is supervised).
I've helped raise kittens before, but I always had a queen who did most of the work. I have bottle-fed one abandoned kitten before, but she was very small and didn't make it a day so I'm still a little inexperienced/scared to mess up.
I'm just trying to do the best I can for these two little babies. I think I'm doing everything right, but I just need some encouragement or advice that anyone has.
(I've tried finding them a foster cat mom, but the only queen in our area wouldn't take them. The shelters near me also do not accept kittens this young.)
Random questions:
If they are screaming but are fed and pottied, what should I try?
Is it okay to wake them if its feeding time? Or should I let them sleep?
If mama cat comes back around, should I try to replace the kittens with her?
A stray cat gave birth in my back yard two weeks ago. I provided her a cat shelter (waterproof bin), food and water so she could do her thing, but the weather here has been terrible. It has rained nonstop for the past two weeks and even snowed/hailed once. She never moved her kittens into the shelter, so she was laying in a puddle with three kittens. I have a spare room so I tried luring her inside so she could keep all her kittens warm and dry, but she is very skittish.
A couple of days ago, I heard the kittens screaming and went out to check on them. Two kittens were laying in a puddle (it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside) and they were sopping wet. I picked them up, dried them off, and put them in the cat shelter and waited for her to return. I know she might have taken the other kitten to a better shelter/dry ground so I was hoping she would come back for the other two. She never did. Eventually, it got dark and the temperature started dipping so I brought the two little babies inside.
One kitten was still pretty strong, but the other one couldn't meow or even hold up his head. They were both freezing. I warmed them up gently with body heat and eventually a heating pad and started them on kitten formula once they were all warmed up.
They started only taking 1ml every two hours, but now they are up to 6ml. I have a family that to feed them (belly down, warm formula, no pressure) around the clock. We've been getting them to pee (no poop, but we've been stimulating them with toilet paper and cleaning them with a warm cloth). We also have a dog who has been cuddling them and cleaning them (dog time is supervised).
I've helped raise kittens before, but I always had a queen who did most of the work. I have bottle-fed one abandoned kitten before, but she was very small and didn't make it a day so I'm still a little inexperienced/scared to mess up.
I'm just trying to do the best I can for these two little babies. I think I'm doing everything right, but I just need some encouragement or advice that anyone has.
(I've tried finding them a foster cat mom, but the only queen in our area wouldn't take them. The shelters near me also do not accept kittens this young.)
Random questions:
If they are screaming but are fed and pottied, what should I try?
Is it okay to wake them if its feeding time? Or should I let them sleep?
If mama cat comes back around, should I try to replace the kittens with her?