The Kittens in Mommy's Room

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April 29th 2012 12:20 am
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Hi everyone,

My mommy is fostering a litter of kittens that a friend found under a truck out in the cold. They were very dirty and she took them in. They are so young that they still have their umbilical cords attached! There's 5 of them and they are doing better now. She has been bottle feeding them with KMR, the replacement formula for kittens every 2-3 hours round the clock. She even helps them go potty at every feeding time. They have a ziploc bag in their basket with hot water that mommy wraps in a towel to keep them warm. Now that they started pooping, they are getting messy, since they don't always wait for her to help them and they move around, getting it on eachother. Mommy tries her best to clean it off, but since she can't bathe them, she sometimes gets frustrated that she can't clean it all off with just the damp cloths. She wants them to be as clean and comfortable as possible. She won't really let me or my brother spice around them, keeping them in her room and she doesn't let us in. I heard her tell dad though that she wonders if me and Spice would like the kitties and help her clean them and keep them warm. But dad thinks we are too yougn to know how to care for kittens since we are only 8 months old, and Spice hissed at the basket when mommy first brought them home. Mommy is also concerned about us, and hasn't let us around them because she thinks their is a risk the kitties might make us sick. Both mommy and daddy are very tired, since they have to be getting up through the night to feed and clean the kitties on top of their regular work schedule. The kitties are keeping them too busy and they have hardly played with us lately. I am interested in the kittens and will try to sneak into the room to catch a glimpse of them, but I always get caught. I'm not sure if I'm suppoed to like them or hate them????

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Purred by: Blade (Catster Member)

April 29th 2012 at 1:25 am

Wow! How exciting! And that is furry young! Must be only a few days old if they've still got their umbilical cords! It is a lot of work though! Mom adopted me at 2 weeks old and nursed me for about a month, or maybe a tad longer even! I was just one kitty but imagine a whole litter! We never had any cats at the time but our dog was super interested jumping up to see what I was, Mom took another kitten home a while after I grew up and same reaction. Now Me and stewie are fairly good furiends (although he goes a little overboard with playing, Mol).

Good luck with the nursing, let us know if you need any tips. Mom said I stayed pretty clean. But at the same time your kits are quite a bit younger too.

Purrs and headbonks,
Blade

Purred by: Sugar (Catster Member)

April 29th 2012 at 11:24 am

Thanks for the warm wishes Blade! It is very nice to hear positive messages as this morning has been a difficult one. You see, two of the kitties have now crossed over to Rainbow Bridge and mommy and daddy are very sad.

Purred by: Blade (Catster Member)

April 29th 2012 at 12:48 pm

Awww, we are so sorry to hear that. Don't worry too much, at that age it is very hard to nurse them, it is their mothers job after all. Mom also took in 2 kittens that were only a day old (or a few hours, can't quite remember) since the Mom had passed away. The kittens didn't survive the night... They were super small (smaller then normal) and the vet warned her that they might not make it. Our suggestion for nursing is to make sure you are VERY patient with giving them milk. Make sure the hole they drink from is small, if they don't want to drink only give a drop or two of milk on their tongue. Its better then nothing, and definitely better then giving too much! The problem is that kittens who don't want to drink tend to aspirate the milk.

We'll be purring for the rest of the kittens that they have the strength to make it!