Advice Needed For Bottlefed Kittens

furballs bring joy

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Hi. 11 days ago, someone brought us 5 approx 2 day old kittens. They had been found in a livestock trailer that had travelled far from the farm. Kittens were returned to farm, but 24 hrs later rescued again, nearly dead, as the only mother cat that showed up just hissed and growled at them. Believe it or not, they are healthy and happy, eyes open. To start with, I mixed an emergency formula from evaporated milk, egg yolk, etc, as it was Sat night and we are far from any shopping center. 36 hrs later, we found KMR. They do battle constipation, although I am giving oil and occasional water enemas. ( on a farm and we have raised many animals, so feel somewhat experience6). I am slowly switching to goat milk. However, they have stalled off with weight gain. They are bright eyed and active, peeing lots. I am diluting goat milk half with water as thats all I could find for info. I put a tiny bit of organic yogurt in. Its not canned goat milk, its refrigerated. Should I not dilute? Should I be adding egg yolk? They are getting 6.5 ML every 3 hours. They all weigh about the same, 5 oz. They may have been without their mother for 30 hrs?
 

StefanZ

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You dont need dilute goats milk, you can add some ypghurt and egg yolk.

The daily need now is 8x5 = 40+ ml a day.
Be sure they are warm - or chilled off if its very hot.
 

StefanZ

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Healthy orphans are typically easier to save than weak sickly kittens. That is why they survived so long although alone.
 

StefanZ

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Yes!

As they are constipaded you can give some drops of water inbetween feedings, or dilute a tiny trifle.
But diluting of goats milk not necessary by itself, even if some do so.
Nice recipe you have componed!
 

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Wait 1 egg yolk in 1 cup isca trifle too much.
 
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furballs bring joy

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One more question for now. We do go 2 stretches at night, 3.5 hrs each, between feedings. We go 3 hrs during the day, but if they all cry at 2.5 hrs, we feed them. No trouble with appetite. Do you think we could do 4 hour stretches at night, or that is too long for them?
 

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The rule of thumb is one hour for each week old, so at 2 weeks it’s feed every 2 hours, but if they are already used to every 3 hours stay with that for now. And if they are having a growth spurt they may be hungrier. Play it by ear!

I like the recipe that you and StefanZ StefanZ came up with! Full fat goat milk (undiluted) with egg and yogurt. Very good for the kittens! :)

F furballs bring joy
 
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Thanks! We'll keep on at 3 hours, than. They love their milk and are peacefully sleeping. We did end up separating them all, as they were so into sucking each others genitals. Maybe someone has an idea. We tried sock onesies, etc, but nothing stayed on. The funny thing is now they all are sleeping peacefully instead of roaming around, looking for something to suck, and are not so disturbed! We put them together, supervised, at every feeding.
 
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Ok, so kittens still don't poop without help of a water enema. They get 1 drop of olive oil at each feeding. They have even gained a bit of weight since yesterday. I last gave them each an enema 30 hrs ago. Shall I give 2 drops of oil at each feeding? I don't want to disturb them between feedings to give water. They are happy and content
 
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Thanks! I'll do that. Their poop is not hard and almost crumbly like the first days. It does hold its shape, tho, and is firmer than toothpaste.
 

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It sounds like they may need more hydration. You may want to take the yogurt out of the recipe and just give the goat milk and egg yolk mixture. The poop should be a bit softer like toothpaste. See what happens. You can always add the yogurt back later.
 
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Ok, I'll do that. Now how long should I wait for oil to kick in? I don't feel like having to deal with constipation issues at night! Should I give an enema tonight, or will they be fine until morning, if they get 2-3 drops oil every feeding?
 

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Wait to see if they poop with stimulation in the morning. Do you stimulate both before and after feeding? They don’t need to poop every single time. When did they poop last?
 
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We usually stimulate only after feeding. They all pooped yesterday morning, except one did in the afternoon. I don't think they are blocked up with days worth of stuff, just from yesterday and today. Only one ever tried to poop with normal stimulation. Should I add water to milk? If so, how much?
 

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I would not dilute the milk. That is their nutrition and they need the calories. Just use more oil for now. It’s okay if they skip a day of pooping. Also, you can shave a tiny piece from a glycerin suppository and insert it if need be. It usually brings on a poop in a few minutes.
 
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