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- Jun 11, 2021
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Hello everyone! I've come here for a bit of advice regarding the litter I've been hand-rearing. Forgive me for the long post, I'll try to sum things up quickly. I found 3 kittens 2 weeks ago crying in the middle of the street in front of my house. It was a hot day and they were on the asphalt so I immediately took them in so they wouldn't overheat. I suspect they were separated from their mother and abandoned, since they were in such an unusual spot. Only one of them had the umbilical chord attached, so I estimate they were about 2 days old at most. Mother cat didn't come back.
I've been keeping them in a box in a dimly lit room of our house, they have a warm water bottle that I re-heat every feeding to make sure they're warm, but they usually don't curl up to it much and prefer to just cuddle each other (I suspect it's hot enough already! Usual temperature here is 85-95degrees). I've been feeding them homemade formula, I know cow's milk isn't ideal for them because of diarrhea but it's pretty much the only thing available in my country (Venezuela). Since it's powdered strengthened milk I add about a tablespoon of it to a cup of water so it's not too thick/heavy for them, and to that I add 1 or 2 egg yolks depending on the size of the egg, and a drop or two of honey to help with their blood sugar. It's as much as I can do with what I have, and they haven't gotten any kind of stomach upset.
I've been weighing them daily and they gain about 3/4 grams per day, which is very slow but they haven't stalled or lost weight, and I consulted a vet about it and told me that as long as they're gaining weight, as slow as it might be, that I shouldn't worry about it. She also told me the formula I was feeding them was fine. They pee every time I stimulate them and poop every 2 or 3 days, which I've been told is normal for kittens on formula. They just recently opened their eyes which is very exciting!
Here is the issue: recently I've been having problems to determine how much to feed them. They've been getting 4ml/4cc of formula every 3 hours and a half/every 4 hours overnight. Right after feeding they fall asleep, so I assume they're satiated. But when I wake them up for the next feeding they're a bit desperate to eat. The biggest one pretty much tries to fit the whole syringe in its mouth! They got a very good suckle reflex, but it feels like they're not getting as much milk as they want to? I don't want to risk overfeeding because I know that's dangerous for them, but when they're finished eating their tummy doesn't bulge out much, so I don't want to risk underfeeding, either. They fall asleep right after though, so I don't think they're as hungry as they act to be.
I know 4ml per feeding for a regular 2 week old kitten is very little. I would increase their formula intake, but they're very underweight. They all weigh around 95 grams, so I'm not sure if their stomach capacity has increased much since I've had them. I read somewhere a good rule is 4ml or 4cc for every 100 grams, so that's what I've been doing.
They're not lethargic, are well hydrated and are very active (they keep trying to climb me). Should I increase the amount of formula fed to them? Or make it more concentrated (less water, more egg yolk) so it fills them up more (and maybe helps them gain weight better)? I'm probably driving my vet crazy with the amount of questions I ask her, but I'm probably still gonna consult her about it. I appreciate any help I can get!
I've been keeping them in a box in a dimly lit room of our house, they have a warm water bottle that I re-heat every feeding to make sure they're warm, but they usually don't curl up to it much and prefer to just cuddle each other (I suspect it's hot enough already! Usual temperature here is 85-95degrees). I've been feeding them homemade formula, I know cow's milk isn't ideal for them because of diarrhea but it's pretty much the only thing available in my country (Venezuela). Since it's powdered strengthened milk I add about a tablespoon of it to a cup of water so it's not too thick/heavy for them, and to that I add 1 or 2 egg yolks depending on the size of the egg, and a drop or two of honey to help with their blood sugar. It's as much as I can do with what I have, and they haven't gotten any kind of stomach upset.
I've been weighing them daily and they gain about 3/4 grams per day, which is very slow but they haven't stalled or lost weight, and I consulted a vet about it and told me that as long as they're gaining weight, as slow as it might be, that I shouldn't worry about it. She also told me the formula I was feeding them was fine. They pee every time I stimulate them and poop every 2 or 3 days, which I've been told is normal for kittens on formula. They just recently opened their eyes which is very exciting!
Here is the issue: recently I've been having problems to determine how much to feed them. They've been getting 4ml/4cc of formula every 3 hours and a half/every 4 hours overnight. Right after feeding they fall asleep, so I assume they're satiated. But when I wake them up for the next feeding they're a bit desperate to eat. The biggest one pretty much tries to fit the whole syringe in its mouth! They got a very good suckle reflex, but it feels like they're not getting as much milk as they want to? I don't want to risk overfeeding because I know that's dangerous for them, but when they're finished eating their tummy doesn't bulge out much, so I don't want to risk underfeeding, either. They fall asleep right after though, so I don't think they're as hungry as they act to be.
I know 4ml per feeding for a regular 2 week old kitten is very little. I would increase their formula intake, but they're very underweight. They all weigh around 95 grams, so I'm not sure if their stomach capacity has increased much since I've had them. I read somewhere a good rule is 4ml or 4cc for every 100 grams, so that's what I've been doing.
They're not lethargic, are well hydrated and are very active (they keep trying to climb me). Should I increase the amount of formula fed to them? Or make it more concentrated (less water, more egg yolk) so it fills them up more (and maybe helps them gain weight better)? I'm probably driving my vet crazy with the amount of questions I ask her, but I'm probably still gonna consult her about it. I appreciate any help I can get!