stray pregnant kitten

[nansiludie]

Hoping for a safe and speedy recovery for her. Perhaps she can be a community cat. That is how I refer to mine. I agree with Catwoman707 on this, all of mine, have never been given that vaccine the FeLv as I think it is the one that is not distinguishable between a cat that has it and a cat that is vaccinated against it. If she already has it, I suggest microchipping in addition to ear tipping, in case she is taken to a shelter or something.

 

[kat thompson]

I just picked momma cat up after her spay. I did not see your advice about the FeLV vaccine until now, so she did get all 3: rabies, FeLV, and FLV. I guess since I've already picked her up I can't get her ear tipped, but she did get tattooed. I don't understand what you mean about distinguishing a cat that has the virus and a cat that is vaccinated. What do you mean? I trimmed the babies little claws so they won't hurt her while she nurses . The vet said she will be able to nurse another week or two then she will dry up. So I am going to push the mush on these babies. Oh and by the way, she wasn't pregnant after all.

 

[nansiludie]

So great to hear she was not with kittens. What I meant by that is if she was taken to a shelter by perhaps a neighbor or someone who doesn't know your caring for her and they take her to a shelter, usually a blood test is run on the cat and she would test positive for FeLv as the test, as far as I know, picks up on the anti-bodies which the cat now has since being vaccinated, the test cannot tell if the cat is infected by the virus or was vaccinated.  Those cats are put down usually.

EDIT. I was wrong about this one, it is the FIV vaccine not FeLv.

 

[kat thompson]

oh my God.  Does this mean I may have sentenced her to death?  She is going to be an outdoor cat, but someone could pick her up.  She is very friendly and I have no fence around my property (which wouldn't matter, cats can jump and climb).  Now I am going to be having nightmares about this.  I thought I was doing the right thing. Now you say that it may cause her to be euthanized if someone takes her to a vet or shelter.  OMG what have I done?!  I am just sick to my stomach now.

 

[kat thompson]

ok. I just spoke with the vet and she said that what you told me is NOT true.  The vet said that the FIV vaccine is the one that will show up positive in a test for up to a year.

The FeLV vaccine does not.  She told me that they would have discussed the FIV vaccine with me if they were giving it to her, which they did not.  Also, I read this on line:

Feline Immunodeficency Virus

Symptoms of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) often mimic that of FeLV. FIV is similar to the Human Immunodeficiency VIrus (HIV) responsible for AIDS in people. Although a vaccination is available for FIV, it will render an FIV-negative cat positive for a SNAP ELISA test for at least a year after the inoculation, according to the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, it might not protect a cat against all strains of FIV. Always consult an experienced veterinarian regarding the health and treatment of your pet.

Consider FeLV vaccination of uninfected cats. (FeLV vaccination of infected cats is not beneficial.) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination with your veterinarian. FeLV vaccines are widely available, but since not all vaccinated cats will be protected, preventing exposure remains important even for vaccinated pets. FeLV vaccines will not cause cats to receive false positive results on ELISA, IFA, or any other available FeLV tests.

I was sickened by the thought of my doing something that would cause her to be put down if taken to the shelter accidentally.  I am glad I consulted with the vet.

 

[nansiludie]

Okay, that mnay have been the one I confused it with. I am so terribly sorry that I caused you to feel badly about this. It would be a good idea if you can get her microchipped, thank you again for caring for the cats. I am very sorry.

 

[StefanZ]

 
oh my God.  Does this mean I may have sentenced her to death?  She is going to be an outdoor cat, but someone could pick her up.  She is very friendly and I have no fence around my property (which wouldn't matter, cats can jump and climb).  Now I am going to be having nightmares about this.  I thought I was doing the right thing. Now you say that it may cause her to be euthanized if someone takes her to a vet or shelter.  OMG what have I done?!  I am just sick to my stomach now.

The remedy to be sure and have completely clean conscience in such a case, it to tatoo her or microchip her.   IF she gets lost, the first thing they will do is to seek after the registered caretaker, ie YOU, and you will then be able to explain she had this vaccine...

This trick covers BOTH the possible uncertainty re vaccines, AND of course, make it easier for you to recover her, if she happens to get astray.  Which is the main thing.  

 

[catwoman707]

Just got home and caught up in this thread.

I don't even know anyone who uses the fiv vaccine to be honest.

The way to best have her protected is definitely get her a microchip.

This way she is not considered a stray or homeless, she has the right to live basically.

Vets and shelters always scan for a chip prior to doing anything drastic, and automatically when they go to the shelters. It's protocol.

So all's well! Not pregos either!

You were even sweet enough to clip their tiny nails, what a thoughtful thing to do . 

Her next and future chapters of her life will be so much better now!

 

[kat thompson]

ok everyone.  momma does not seem to have much milk in her breasts.  The kittens are not even latching on, I tried to get the kittens to eat mush, only 1 out of 4 ate any.  Will they eat if they get hungry?  I don't know how her milk is gone already, guess it was from the spay yesterday, although that seems quick.  Momma lays with the babies, but they don't seem to be nursing.  I am keeping a close eye on them.  I don't want them to starve.  How can I get them to eat the mush.  It is KMR with canned kitten food miced in.  any other suggestions.?

 

[catwoman707]

If my figuring is correct they are 4 weeks old now? So they will need a week to transition, meaning working on getting them eating on their own, but meanwhile, after offering the dish, they need to be syringed, as they won't eat enough to sustain themselves. 

If they get to a point of really starving they eventually will, but it will be a setback for them, mentally they just don't "get it" yet, despite how hungry they are.

They are not familiar with the syringe, so they will resist it, but just the same, they need it.

Every 4 hours, offer the dish of food first, always. Then syringe feed each of them. This will help the weaning go alot faster now since they aren't given much choice, but that's alright, by 5 weeks old they will be able to eat on their own with this week of pushing it on them to get them familiarized.

Just syringe the canned/kmr mix to them, it will also get them used to the taste.

 

[nansiludie]

You might try bottle feeding? They probably won't take to it right away since they've only ever been with their mother. You must be sure the nipple opening is not too big, that would be worse than too small. Try using a hot needle  point to make a hole in the nipple. Liquid KMR is good for them, usually they take to it faster than powdered.

 

[kat thompson]

Well, I tried the food, no deal.  I tried the bottle with KMR and the hole in the nipple so that if I gently squeeze the bottle it will drip out.  They chew on the nipple instead of suckling, but I do see milk going into their mouth and can feel them swallow.  Afterwards, they sorta burp.  Momma laid with them for a while and they latched on , but do not know how much they got.  I will keep trying.  I certainly am not going to give up on these little sweeties.  Thank  you everyone!

 

[nansiludie]

You're very welcome, please keep us posted on them. I do think 4 or 5 weeks is a little young to ask them to eat food.

 

[easterlilypad]

I haven't read all of the posts but I rescued an abandoned kitten 7 weeks back and had to bottle feed from day one. Glad you didn't have to do this because it is very time consuming but gave me my precious Lily. I also took in a pregnant feral cat who gave birth two days ago. She's in my bathroom with a heater for extra warmth in the room since its summer and we have the ac on. This time has been a LOT easier since I have mom cat to take care of them. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with what you can. I am also in Virginia. If you are in Virginia beach I recommend All pets on laskin and first colonial. Penny works there and is a wildlife rescue person who has given me wonderful advice on my Lily and the new kittens.

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• easterlilypad
• May 17, 2015

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• easterlilypad
• May 9, 2015

 

[kat thompson]

Easterlilypad, I am in Suffolk. I have taken the babies to my vet here' as you can read in earlier posts. I have a lady that fosters that I con cult with too.
My babies are just about there. They chew on the nipple and get milk' one will lap it from the plate, one actually will eat mush, and one will not have anything to do with any of it. Momma does lay with them and they act like they arenursing, who know...her tits do not seem to have milk, but I couldn't be certain. I do try several times a day to get them to eat.

Now, I have another delimna. I saw fleas on one baby. Can they be bathed? I have to bring them in my house to try to feed them which could allow fleas in my house and even with 4 cats and 5 dogs, we NEVER have a flea problem. I can't start having fleas now. The babies HAVE to stay outside with momma, so I know the risk is high that they will get fleas. They are way too young for flea preventative aren't they? I have about 3 more weeks before I can find them new homes.

 

[kat thompson]

Anyone out there with suggestions about fleas on these babies?

 

[tjcarst]

Do not use any of the commercial flea powders which are toxic and cause neurological issues, even death.  Hartz, etc.

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/npets.asp

I don't have experience with getting rid of fleas.  I will do a quick search on this forum as I am certain others have found themselves in this predicatment.

 

[caelancaelan]

Bathe them and use the flea comb on all of them, fleas spread quickly! I took in two 6 week old kittens that were covered in fleas. It took 3 baths before i was able to find nothing else on them. I think you can use a flea shampoo on them for cats just not much? I was able to do this for my cats. I had to do the same thing for two 8 week old kittens I took in a year later. They spread fast!

 

[tjcarst]

No flea collars either.  Also bad.

Willowy posted here in post #8 but these were adult cats, not kittens.  Hopefully, someone with kitten experience posts a response.
 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264390/...emade-lemon-flea-treatment-trial#post_3405393

"Can you get Advantage or Frontline? They're available OTC now, but are still "vet quality". Or just insist to your vet that you need some kind of flea control. I can't imagine he intends to leave your cats without any protection at all"

 

[caelancaelan]

I used front line drops on mine, just look at the weight directions on the back, they also list the age directions. You can even get it at Walmart, it worked well over 6 months when I used it.