A Few Hours Old Abandonded Kittens

Kypros

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Hello,
newby here and thank you for acceting me in this wonderful forum.
I have a few cats, but I feed all the strays that knock on my door regularly.
I need your advise on an urgent matter.
Yesterday I was visiting my parents and I heard kitten cries under the stairs.
Upon investigating, I found three newly born kittens, one dead still in the sack, the other two with their umbilical cord attached and bleeding. This is how I determined they were a few hours old. The mother was nowhere near and I waited for a few minutes to see if she would appear, but to no avail. I assumed that if the umbilical cord was still attached, it might be a case of the mother abandoning the kittens.
I took them home and fed them kitten formula, although expired and discoloured, it was the only thing I had at that time. I took them to bed with me and fed them every time they cried.
This morning I took them to the vet and bought fresh formula for them. BTW, I cut the umbilical cord in the meantime.
Today, my father called and said there were more cries, so I rushed and found another kitten by a tree nearby where the others were. Obviously it crawled away,that's why I missed it yesterday. Although dehydrated and starving, it took well to feeding and its now with the other two under my care. Right now it's very hot and I don't have any warming blankets in their box. They don't seem to be infeted with fleas either.
I have a few questions for the more experienced. Is it ok if I leave the formula in the bottle outside until they drink it all? I make a fresh dose every 5-6 hours.
Is there anything I shoud be doing apart from feeding them and making sure they do their little business every time they eat?
Thank you.
 

Sarthur2

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Welcome! :wave3: Thank you for joining us!

What do you mean by outside? Are the kittens inside your home? Formula should be refrigerated and then re-heated slightly before feeding.

I’m wondering if the kitten you found by the tree was where the mother birthed it?

Can you check for the mother cat at your parents’ home? Perhaps catch her and bring her to her babies? She may be looking for them with teats full of milk. Just because you did not see her over those few minutes does not mean she is not around. Poor mother sounds very inexperienced, like perhaps a first-timer.

K Kypros
 
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Kypros

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Welcome! :wave3: Thank you for joining us!

What do you mean by outside? Are the kittens inside your home? Formula should be refrigerated and then re-heated slightly before feeding.

I’m wondering if the kitten you found by the tree was where the mother birthed it?

Can you check for the mother cat at your parents’ home? Perhaps catch her and bring her to her babies? She may be looking for them with teats full of milk. Just because you did not see her over those few minutes does not mean she is not around. Poor mother sounds very inexperienced, like perhaps a first-timer.

K Kypros
Hello,
the kittens are inside the house and sllep inside a box next to me.
I saw a pregnant cat a few days ago at my parents place and actually saw her again last night on the other side of the yard resting. Assuming she is the mother. She wouldn't let me go near to see if she was the one who gave birth.
My assumption for the kittens being abandoned by the mother is that she didn't cut the umbilical cord, or bothered to feed the last kitten I didn't see last night. If she was the mother, or any other cat at that, she would have taken the last kitten out of harms way as there are tom cats around there that might have harmed the little one.
 
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Kypros

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Yes, the mother sounds very inexperienced. She should be trapped and spayed at the least, or there will be more kittens before long.

It sounds like you are taking good care of the kittens! :)
Thank you, I would hate to lose any of the kittens, so I'm prepared to go to any length. I'll see if the mother can be cought and spayed. I spay all my female cats but don't neuter the males, ever since I saw a neutered male that was so overweight and had no energy for anything. The owner said his character has changed since.
 
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Kypros

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Abandoned orphans are usually easier to care for than weak sickly kittens. So you do have good practical chances, even if not very experienced!

Can you get raw goats milk? This is even better than KMR.
I'll do my best with them although I do take good care of all my cats. I have six right now, not all of them loyal, two of them though are adorable, always home and on my lap. Goats milk is difficult to come by around here.
 

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OK. Processed goats milk is OK to use, but raw is best, esp for infants. This comes too from an alive momma, no?

Its not absolutely necessary, but useful, if they can get colostrum. It doesnt need to be from momma in her first milk, its also in powder. Some kmr brands do also have colostrum...

There is a probiotic especielly useful for orphans, the BeneBac made by PetAg.
 
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Kypros

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OK. Processed goats milk is OK to use, but raw is best, esp for infants. This comes too from an alive momma, no?

Its not absolutely necessary, but useful, if they can get colostrum. It doesnt need to be from momma in her first milk, its also in powder. Some kmr brands do also have colostrum...

There is a probiotic especielly useful for orphans, the BeneBac made by PetAg.
I'll try to find colostrum as I have a beautiful cat that was taken away too soon from her mother and she is now rather fragile and has a weak stomach. She vomits on any kind of dry food, although she loves it and demands it in the morning.
 

StefanZ

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She too would prob fare well from goats milk. raw or even processed.

I'll try to find colostrum as I have a beautiful cat that was taken away too soon from her mother and she is now rather fragile and has a weak stomach. She vomits on any kind of dry food, although she loves it and demands it in the morning.
 

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Colostrum is only relevant on the first day after kittens are born. According to this study, kittens can only absorb maternal antibodies from colostrum for the first 12-16 hours of life: Transfer of colostral antibodies from queens to their kittens. - PubMed - NCBI

After 24 hours of age, just get the kittens the best nutrition you can (goats milk or kitten milk replacer). Probiotics, as suggested, are also good, as everyone at any age needs healthy gut bacteria.
 

talkingpeanut

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Thank you, I would hate to lose any of the kittens, so I'm prepared to go to any length. I'll see if the mother can be cought and spayed. I spay all my female cats but don't neuter the males, ever since I saw a neutered male that was so overweight and had no energy for anything. The owner said his character has changed since.
Do your males go outside?
 

catapault

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K Kypros I have two neutered male cats, indoors only. They are 7 years old, weigh 9 pounds each, race up and down stairs etc. None of my neutered / spayed cats were fat and lethargic. I think the fat cat belonging to your friend is more likely over-fed. Overweight, less likely to be active, pile on the pounds.

Intact male cats will fight, and it is bite wounds that transmit FELV.
 
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Kypros

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K Kypros I have two neutered male cats, indoors only. They are 7 years old, weigh 9 pounds each, race up and down stairs etc. None of my neutered / spayed cats were fat and lethargic. I think the fat cat belonging to your friend is more likely over-fed. Overweight, less likely to be active, pile on the pounds.

Intact male cats will fight, and it is bite wounds that transmit FELV.
Now you got me thinking, I'd love to see my tom boy more often, also save the cost to the vet every time he gets into a fight.
 

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Now you got me thinking, I'd love to see my tom boy more often, also save the cost to the vet every time he gets into a fight.
They are also out mating and contributing to kitten overpopulation :(
 

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Buy the powdered form of Kitten Milk Replacement, if you can find it. Then you just mix as much as you need at a time and don't have to worry about the powdered form spoiling. Which is a problem if you buy the liquid form.
'
 
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Kypros

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I've noticed my newborn eat more and are gaining weight. Is the right proportion formula enough or do they need water also?
 
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