Pitiful Foster Kittens

[JoyM]

Let me start by saying I am the definition of a SUCKER! I already had 5 four wk old kittens and their mom and a six wk old that I am fostering in addition to my 2 cats and 2 dogs.
Yesterday morning I got a call from my husband’s ex-wife. She works at a scrap metal yard and they checked in a scrap vehicle that had been brought in on Friday (4 days earlier) and found 4 two week old kittens that had been in the vehicle in 95 degree weather without their mom for 4 days. One had already passed away and the 3 survivors were in the WORST condition I had ever seen. They were nothing but skin and bones. I took them up to the shelter to see the vet there and he gave me fluids to give under the skin (3cc at a time because they weigh next to nothing) and gave them a special exotic cat formula while they were there.
One of them was so weak that I was certain he was going to die around 10pm last night so I gave him an extra bolus of fluids and it took 30min to get 2cc of KMR in him. Somehow, he made it and when I went to feed them every 2hr, he was a little stronger.
I’m doing everything I can think of to help them but if anyone has extra advice, I’m all ears! I’m giving them lactated ringer solution subcutaneously 3cc every 12hr, mixing their KMR with pedialyte and some Nutrical and syringe feeding them with a miracle nipple attachment and warming their rice socks every 2 hr when I feed them.
I have never seen an animal this skinny and frail. They shake when they stand because they have NO muscle mass at all. I’m doing all the regular things that I do for bottle babies but I don’t know if it’s enough. They have been through so much and are still fighting so I want to do my part. Any ideas?

 

[JoyM]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have next-to-no experience with this, and certainly am light-years behind you. But, I wanted to acknowledge your post, and bless you for what you are doing!

Weighing them to ensure they are gaining weight is important, but I am sure you already know this. Until other members with experience in raising orphans come along, maybe there are some additional tips on this site (assuming you don't already know about it).

Kitten-Rescue.com

Please keep us posted!

 

[Willowy]

Oh, my, poor little things! I don't think they're only 2 weeks old since they're able to stand, though. Do they have teeth?

It sounds like you're doing everything right, just keep it up. Only enough time getting enough good food can fix them up. I can't really think of anything else to do except maybe add some probiotics when they've gotten stronger, since being unfed for so long might have wrecked their gut bacteria.

Keep up the good work!

 

[danteshuman]

I don’t have any experience pulling kittens from the brink. So I would strongly advise you look up the kitten lady on YouTube since she has fostered hundreds of kittens!

The only advice I can give is: to groom them extra with a soft toothbrush (just for comfort) and that unscented baby wipes are a god send. I will also add combing out or even giving them a bath if need be to kill fleas (evil little bastards) can help save kittens. Lastly I have found putting them on my chest, under a blanket while I fake purrr at the kittens (and pet them and talk softly to them) helps comfort frightened kittens ... and keep them warm. There is something to be said for skin to skin content. I had one kitten that was failing to thrive so I held my gentle neutered cat belly up and talked to him softly while she nursed off of him. (at the time I didn’t know kittens should be isolated from other cats.) Anyhow after that he let her nurse off of him anytime she wanted.... and was Mr. Mom to the two kittens. That kitten started eating again and thrived. So even if you have to bottle feed them, their being near the mom and kittens will help them immensely (Assuming Mom is OK with it and the kittens got the all clear from the vet so they will not infect the other kittens. I can’t prove it but I swear kittens/babies/puppies can feel that intense maternal love and pull through because of it. Then again I greet every kitten by chanting softly “you are safe, you are loved, you are my family now” ... though that last part might need to be changed to ‘I’m your mama now and I will find you a great home someday’ for foster moms.

*Lastly watching those videos on YouTube I heard a Hannah talk about giving them probiotics and vitamin b so they can balance out their gut bacteria and better absorb the formula.

I hope all three kittens make it. Thank you for loving on them! If they do not make it, please know that at least you gave those poor babies a chance to experience love in their short lives. Though I’m choosing to believe all three will thrive and be miracle babies until I hear otherwise!

 

[fionasmom]

You are not a sucker....you are a wonderfully kind hearted person to help them. I am not very experienced with this either and I do think that you are doing everything possible and appropriate for them. I also wonder if they are a little older but that is not the biggest question right now. Years ago a feral mom, very feral, had two kittens on the back floorboard of my husband's car which was parked in the driveway. We did not know this at all and he went and locked the car and rolled up the windows. We leave for 2 days and when we return neighbor tells us that a frantic cat has been circling the car. We open it and find the two kittens whom she grabs and takes to a hiding place. Of course once we knew what was going on we tried to feed and help her and the kittens did survive.

 

[JoyM]

Thank you. I was guessing at 2 wk old just because their eyes are open BUT they are sooo tiny that the vet and foster director didn’t even think they were that old! I know their eyes open between 7-10 days. Their hip bones stick out so much that it’s very difficult to figure out their gender. They are getting their milk teeth in front but no molars so under 4 weeks old.
I don’t have a digital scale yet but am picking one up tomorrow if I can find one.
I have fostered plenty of newborns but these guys are in such bad shape. The shelter has told me that only 50% of orphaned kittens survive but I have only lost one since I started fostering last year. He was from a litter of 5 and was the only survivor but he was just too far gone. It’s scary because these actually LOOK worse than he was but the vet sent me home with fluids this time so I have more to work with.
They have flees but were just sooo weak that I didn’t want to bathe them until I got them a little more stable. My son is home from school now so I’m going to get him to help me keep them warm after I bathe them. Fingers crossed
I have NO idea how they survived 4 days in the car in SC heat. It’s unimaginable!
I’m definitely a sucker though. I already had 7 shelter fosters when I picked up these 3. The mom of the 4 week olds might be able to help after I get them fixed up a bit. If she is still producing milk when I am able to get her kittens weaned (they are already showing interest in wet food), I will try to get her to accept them. I have watched a video about rubbing HER litter on the kittens to get them to smell like her but I’m sure it would help to bathe them first so it washes off most of their scent. If I get a playpen for her kittens to transition to, they can learn to use the litter box better and then I can switch these guys out for her kittens.
I have watch almost all of Hannah’s videos but honestly, I have never seen a kitten as bad off as these are. Not even in a video. It was shocking to see. They are little fighters for certain!

 

[Willowy]

If you don't think they're strong enough for a bath, comb those fleas off! Nasty lttle parasites can suck a weak kitten dry without even trying.

 

[ArchyCat]

Check the color the the kittens gum. Should be pink. If the kittens are anemic due to fleas, the gums will be pale. Good Luck!

 

[abyeb]

Thanks for caring! I think it sounds like you’re doing a great job. Keep feeding them KMR, and, once you get a scale, be sure to weigh them daily.

Keep us updated!

 

[danteshuman]

I agree with the combing of the fleas to kill those evil bastards one by one if need be. If you do give them a bath I would crank the heater up to 85 and make sure the room where they will get a bath is warm. I would also heat up a rice heating pad, and wrap it in a towel before you bathe them that they can be on after you towel dry them. So you can towel dry them off, put them on the heating pad and carefully blow dry them dry. When I googled how to blow dry a kitten it said use a low setting, keep the dryer at least 2 feet away from the kitten at all times and to keep the blow dryer oscillating (moving) and finally let them move away from the hot air if they want to make sure you don’t burn them. I never did this (and the kittens were not as weak as that) the vet told us we could stick 1-2 drops of Cheristin on each 4 week old kitten that the vet had seen a few days before. We bathed them first but the fleas still stuck around. In your case I would call and ask if you could do that instead bathing them and what the correct amount would be.

Until then I would wash all their bedding/towels daily (to kill the fleas/flea eggs.) Vacuuming the room they are in every day wouldn’t hurt either.

 

[JoyM]

Well they survived their bath last night! One huge hurtle down. AND they made it through the 48hr mark! I always felt that new orphans will go one way or the other in the first 48hr so I feel a little better about them. The pictures I shared were actually after 24hr of food and fluids. There’s just no way to describe how terrible they were when I picked them up. They made the big tough guys at the scrap yard cry. I would have never believed something could possibly be alive at 0% body fat. They were just skeletal.
I will upload some pictures of them today after 48hr of food. I haven’t had to give them any more fluids because they are taking in enough now.
The weakest one didn’t do very well right after the bath but is better this morning.

 

[Kflowers]

I'm thinking those kittens have already done a great thing for cats. Being found in such a dire way at the scrap yard has, undoubtedly, made the guys there decide to check every car/truck what have you that comes in for kittens and puppies inside and out. Those kittens have saved lives.

As have you.

 

[JoyM]

Look at the bellies!!!
Since they were found in a scrap car, they are named Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Little Dodgy was the one that almost died Tuesday evening before the extra bolus of fluids and was trying so hard to purr even as he was too weak to suck on a bottle or move. He now has a big kitty purr even though he is still the weakest.
With them all being grey tabbies with similar makings and their looks are changing drastically from day to day, I was having a difficult time telling them apart (first time I have ever had that problem with my fosters) so I had to tip their ears with a Sharpie. I took a red Sharpie and marked Ford’s right ear, Chevy’s left ear and no mark on Dodge. I have to keep close tabs on how much each one is eating and because their stomachs had shrunk down to almost nothing, they can only take in a little at a time but frequently want more after just a few minutes so I have to know who has eaten once and who had seconds already.
I just can’t believe they have all survived. They are little miracles and true fighters. My 8yr old son was watching a video on his tablet last night and Chevy was laying with his feet in the air and pawing at the cord to the earbuds. They are climbing up the back of the couch and as soon as their bellies are full, they perch on my shoulder like mini-parrots.
Since I also have a litter of 5 week olds, I’m going to try to take a comparison picture this evening. These 3 are only a week younger but considerably smaller because of their ordeal.

 

[FeebysOwner]

They are so cute! The Sharpie markers - very creative!!!!!

 

[Kflowers]

Kitty tummies!!!!!

 

[fionasmom]

That is so heartwarming! You are part of the miracle that helped them survive...maybe the whole miracle.