Trying to take care of 3 baby kittens

[MrsBurnett]

Hi all! I have a momma cat outside who quit taking care of them so now I am, I'm pretty sure they are about 2 1/2 weeks old, the only I can get them to eat is with a medicine dropper, I can get them to pee but u haven't been able to get them to poop, any advice would help so much please!

 

[Sarthur2]

Mama cat probably went back into heat again, unfortunately, and has gone off to mate for a few days. It’s the main reason tiny kittens get left. If / when Mama returns she may be willing to continue nursing her kittens, but you also might want to get her spayed so that she does not continue to reproduce.

In the meantime, how much do the kittens weigh? How much and how often are you feeding? How long have you had them?

Adding 2-3 drops of olive oil to each feeding usually helps to soften poop and move things along, but it is an adjustment from mom’s milk to formula. Are you using powdered? Which brand? Is their urine clear? It should be if they are getting enough hydration.

Using unflavored pedialyte instead of water to mix the formula also helps their systems.

You may have better luck if you order Miracle Nipples. Here is a link:

Miracle Nipples

The minis are good for tiny kittens and the longer nipples work better on bigger kittens.

Also, here is a wonderful link for syringe feeding kittens:
Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Thank you for saving these kittens!

M MrsBurnett

 

[MrsBurnett]

Mama cat probably went back into heat again, unfortunately, and has gone off to mate for a few days. It’s the main reason tiny kittens get left. If / when Mama returns she may be willing to continue nursing her kittens, but you also might want to get her spayed so that she does not continue to reproduce.

In the meantime, how much do the kittens weigh? How much and how often are you feeding? How long have you had them?

Adding 2-3 drops of olive oil to each feeding usually helps to soften poop and move things along, but it is an adjustment from mom’s milk to formula. Are you using powdered? Which brand? Is their urine clear? It should be if they are getting enough hydration.

Using unflavored pedialyte instead of water to mix the formula also helps their systems.

You may have better luck if you order Miracle Nipples. Here is a link:

Miracle Nipples

The minis are good for tiny kittens and the longer nipples work better on bigger kittens.

Also, here is a wonderful link for syringe feeding kittens:
Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Thank you for saving these kittens!

M MrsBurnett

I don't have a lil scale so I weighed myself them held one and it didn't even add an ounce to me, I'm using powdered formula, I've only been feeding them about every 5 hrs cause I have to wake them up to do it and then I have to force them to eat with a medicine syringe and I give them about 1-2 ml, they are peeing alot and it is clear to a lil yellow in color, not dark and not to light, I brought the mom inside when she had them and she was bad with fleas, she quit having much to do with them so I put her back outside, I've bathed the kittens and got most fleas but haven't been able to get them all. I just started giving them formula 2 days ago before that idk how long it had been since she messed with.

 

[Sarthur2]

They really need to be fed every 3 hours around the clock right now, and they need more than 1-2mLs at each feeding. That’s not nearly enough food.

If they are at least 2 weeks old they should weigh at least 8 ounces and would need a minimum of 64mLs each 24 hours. This would mean 8 feedings per day, 3 hours apart, of 8mLs per kitten at each feeding.

They may not be pooping because they are not getting enough food. You might want to pick up a 5mL syringe at a pharmacy. They will give it to you free. The kittens may have an easier time latching and suckling on this size syringe. They definitely need to eat more though and more often.

Can you post a picture of the kittens please? It will help me to see their size and age.

Have you hand-raised kittens before? It’s a lot of work until they learn to eat soft foods on their own around 6 weeks.

M MrsBurnett