Are my preemie rejected kittens going to survive?

Joolz

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Hi. I am a cat & kitten fosterer in the UK. I have a foster mum and two 4 week old kittens doing really well. The mum is lovely, caring and friendly and has plenty of milk. Last night a young scared, pregnant, stray cat gave birth to 3 very prem babies in a thunderstorm in someone's house. In fear she ate one and abandoned the other two who did not get to feed from her. Ten hours later the two kittens arrived at my house in the hope my mother would take them on. They were cold, and hungry. My momma cat showed an interest but the kittens couldn't grasp on or suck. I fed them some kitten formula and boiled water as it is 26.5 degrees and they were dehydrated. They pooped and my momma cat cleaned them. They are sooo tiny, only weighing 50 - 55g. I can keep them warm, feed, clean repeat but predict a poor outcome. I used to work at a vets so know the score. Should I let them go or keep on going?
 

Sarthur2

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:vibes::vibes:Keep trying - they are tiny but we’ve had kittens that small survive. Are they on a heating pad set on low under a blanket to stay warm? Are you giving drops of formula in the sides of their mouths every hour? You know this is all you can do until they are strong enough to suckle on their own. They pooped, and your mama cat is willing to clean them. There are already positive things happening. They will hopefully grow, get furry, open their eyes in time, and be healthy. I think it’s definitely worth trying. They will thrive or not in the next few days. :heartshape:
 
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Joolz

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The mum has just arrived with another kitten! She is very young, very, very skinny and scared. She is not feral. She has no milk. But it feels like there is at least 1 more kitten in there! There is another thunder storm on the horizon. Looks like I will be up all night!
 

Sarthur2

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Feed her as much as she wants. Poor thing. Hopefully she will be able to comfort her kittens. They are not able to suckle yet anyway, but she may get milk eventually.

How are the babies doing? Are they taking the formula well?

Hang in there! :redheartpump:
 

Talien

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All you can do is the best you can. It sounds like you know what you are doing and are just unsure of what is going to happen, and that's understandable. Just keep doing everything you can for them and they'll either survive or not, but at least you have help, your momma Cat is willing to take them in so as soon as they're able to suckle on their own they'll be in good hands.

If the mother really did eat one of the Kittens she gave birth to then it's probably not a good idea to put them together, at least not until after she delivers the rest so you can see how she will react.
 
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Joolz

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Sad update: the kittens didn't make it. They were just too immature. They wouldn't swallow or suck so I was practically force feeding them. They never really warmed up and just faded away. Turns out Momma is only 5-6 months old. She was at the vets before coming to me as she had two still inside her - they were born dead. Six kittens dead and one Momma cat - still a baby herself - traumatised by it all. Why can't owners be responsible and get them neutered? She will be looked after and loved then spayed before we find her a new loving, caring home. Such is the life of us volunteer charity rescue workers :-(
 
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