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- May 11, 2013
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Hi all,
Sadly I think I know just enough to be dangerous so I am reaching out for feedback. I have never reared orphaned kittens before. I have taken in two semi-feral adults and had more success than I ever expected but am concerned that these little guys are more fragile.
I have a neighbor who maintains a colony of semi-feral to feral cats. He does not believe in spaying and neutering or vaccinating them. Other neighbors and I have teamed up and started to spay and neuter and vaccinate the ones we can catch. This has caused some friction and we have been asked to stop. We haven't of course. Last year we treated 8 cats. We hoped that would at least slow things down. But I don't think it has much.
Yesterday we found 4 kittens abandoned in the middle of the a neighbors back yard. They all have conjunctivitis. One was in pretty bad shape. He felt cool to the touch when we first found him and he was definitely dehydrated. He also was not moving his front legs (his back legs work). We started to given them all formula and took the one to the vets (emergency visit over Memorial day). They treated him for dehydration and gave us antibiotic ointment for their eyes. They didn't have much to offer in terms of his front legs.
Today, two are bouncing back well. They are started to be very mobile and to explore. Another one is eating well, but then just sleeps and the little male (my husband has named him Kai) is not eating very well and sleeps all of the time.
Now I am worried. For starters, I have brought them into my home and I have other cats. My neighbor works and has cats and dogs and kids (who bond and who want to play with the little kittens) so my house was the practical choice. I have them separated from my other cats and am trying very hard to make sure I wash my hands etc. But, I am worried about spreading disease to my other cats. In addition, I am not sure if there is anything else I should or could be doing for the kittens. Are there any other signs I should watch out for? I Am giving them replacement formula alone in one container and replacement formula mixed with canned kitten food in an another. They can lap on their own, but they seem to prefer the milk still. The three healthier kittens have used a litter tray on their own. I have not seen little Kai go, but that does not mean he has not in his nest.
I have weighed everyone so I can keep track of whether or not they are gaining weight. I have started to try to measure how much food Kai is eating. Today he has had little over a tablespoon of formula. He took a little on his own and the rest I gave him spread out over about an hour. I read he should get about 6 tablespoons a day but I don't know if I will be able to get that much into him today. I have read mixed reports on how often to feed them. Some sources say every 3-4 hours other sources say 5 to 7 hours. Is this a play it by ear situation?
Best guess is that they were abandoned for 12 to 24 hours. If they were beginning to get a bit shocky will it simply take a few extra days to rebound? Should I be running Kai and the other less active kitten back into the vets? I am worried we have given them pneumonia or that they have distemper or something else I am unaware of. But then maybe the two or simply more depressed by the conjunctivitis and I need to give it more time.
In terms of social behavior, they were all pretty hissy yesterday and Kai would try to bite but that seems to be improving rapidly. I notice they tend to hiss more if I let the neighbors kids handle them. They are good kids, but they are kids. Is there anything else I could do besides simply feeding and bathing them. I suspect yesterday was the first time they had ever been handled.
Sorry about the long dump, but I figured the more information I give the better someone will be to help.
Thanks in advance!
Sadly I think I know just enough to be dangerous so I am reaching out for feedback. I have never reared orphaned kittens before. I have taken in two semi-feral adults and had more success than I ever expected but am concerned that these little guys are more fragile.
I have a neighbor who maintains a colony of semi-feral to feral cats. He does not believe in spaying and neutering or vaccinating them. Other neighbors and I have teamed up and started to spay and neuter and vaccinate the ones we can catch. This has caused some friction and we have been asked to stop. We haven't of course. Last year we treated 8 cats. We hoped that would at least slow things down. But I don't think it has much.
Yesterday we found 4 kittens abandoned in the middle of the a neighbors back yard. They all have conjunctivitis. One was in pretty bad shape. He felt cool to the touch when we first found him and he was definitely dehydrated. He also was not moving his front legs (his back legs work). We started to given them all formula and took the one to the vets (emergency visit over Memorial day). They treated him for dehydration and gave us antibiotic ointment for their eyes. They didn't have much to offer in terms of his front legs.
Today, two are bouncing back well. They are started to be very mobile and to explore. Another one is eating well, but then just sleeps and the little male (my husband has named him Kai) is not eating very well and sleeps all of the time.
Now I am worried. For starters, I have brought them into my home and I have other cats. My neighbor works and has cats and dogs and kids (who bond and who want to play with the little kittens) so my house was the practical choice. I have them separated from my other cats and am trying very hard to make sure I wash my hands etc. But, I am worried about spreading disease to my other cats. In addition, I am not sure if there is anything else I should or could be doing for the kittens. Are there any other signs I should watch out for? I Am giving them replacement formula alone in one container and replacement formula mixed with canned kitten food in an another. They can lap on their own, but they seem to prefer the milk still. The three healthier kittens have used a litter tray on their own. I have not seen little Kai go, but that does not mean he has not in his nest.
I have weighed everyone so I can keep track of whether or not they are gaining weight. I have started to try to measure how much food Kai is eating. Today he has had little over a tablespoon of formula. He took a little on his own and the rest I gave him spread out over about an hour. I read he should get about 6 tablespoons a day but I don't know if I will be able to get that much into him today. I have read mixed reports on how often to feed them. Some sources say every 3-4 hours other sources say 5 to 7 hours. Is this a play it by ear situation?
Best guess is that they were abandoned for 12 to 24 hours. If they were beginning to get a bit shocky will it simply take a few extra days to rebound? Should I be running Kai and the other less active kitten back into the vets? I am worried we have given them pneumonia or that they have distemper or something else I am unaware of. But then maybe the two or simply more depressed by the conjunctivitis and I need to give it more time.
In terms of social behavior, they were all pretty hissy yesterday and Kai would try to bite but that seems to be improving rapidly. I notice they tend to hiss more if I let the neighbors kids handle them. They are good kids, but they are kids. Is there anything else I could do besides simply feeding and bathing them. I suspect yesterday was the first time they had ever been handled.
Sorry about the long dump, but I figured the more information I give the better someone will be to help.
Thanks in advance!