Fostering cat mom and her litter

Felinesage

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Hello,
I am fostering a mom and her litter. She had her babies about a week ago and I’ve been trying to monitor weight every day but miss some. I’m really confused because we are on the 10th day and my lightest is currently at 194g and the heaviest is at 240g. The lightest and some others were gaining less than the 10g a day which I read is the minimum but I feel like within the range for 1 week old kittens they all have good weights? I have tried supplementing with the miracle nipple but they really do not want anything to do with it so the new strategy I used is pulling away the heavier kittens first to give the others a chance to feed at other nipples that might be working better.

I’m also really confused because the shelter told me you don’t have to empty their bladders because it empties itself when it’s full which is contradictory to everything I’ve learned from kitten lady and the internet? I haven’t gotten them to poop but I do help them pee at least twice a day
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Furballsmom

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Hi!
Bless your heart for helping these babies 💓

I can't answer a couple of your questions, but is
mama taking care of their pooping?
Can you give her some KMR to maybe increase her milk?
 
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Felinesage

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Hi!
Bless your heart for helping these babies 💓

I can't answer a couple of your questions, but is
mama taking care of their pooping?
Can you give her some KMR to maybe increase her milk?
I have started doing that since my kittens weren’t taking to it and I didn’t want to waste it. She seemed interested so I started giving her some :) I am honestly wondering if me stressing is just making her stress and product less milk so I’ll try being more of a hands off coparent and focus on giving her the best pets instead
 

Furballsmom

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How are things today? Between mama and you, are they peeing and pooping? Are they gaining better with your help for the smaller ones?
 
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Felinesage

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How are things today? Between mama and you, are they peeing and pooping? Are they gaining better with your help for the smaller ones?
I think they are gaining better the smallest one got over the 10g difference today. I'm still confused about if they are pooping because I am using black pee pads and don't see poop, also possible mom might be pooping them and eating the poop.
 

Sarthur2

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Moms lick bottoms and eat the poop the first few weeks. Nothing to worry about while they’re on mom’s milk regarding pooping.

Feed mom as much food as she wants and give 1-2 dishes a day of kitten formula to her. She needs the extra calcium for nursing.
 
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Felinesage

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Moms lick bottoms and eat the poop the first few weeks. Nothing to worry about while they’re on mom’s milk regarding pooping.

Feed mom as much food as she wants and give 1-2 dishes a day of kitten formula to her. She needs the extra calcium for nursing.
Is it ever possible for moms to not stimulate? I have a nanny cam and I haven’t noticed her really doing a lot of grooming. I’m concerned about if she is making them pee and poo so I’ve been helping out but I can’t get them to pop (they are current 1.5 weeks old)
 

Sarthur2

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There’s not a lot of poop when they are this young and on mom’s milk. Mom is surely eating it.

Are they gaining weight daily? If so, they are doing well.
 
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Felinesage

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Lightest kitten is at 311g today and we are almost entering third week. Should I be concerned?
 

Sarthur2

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No, this kitten is over 10 ounces and only needs to weigh 8 ounces at the end of week 2; 12 ounces at the end of week 3; and about 16 ounces or 1 pound at the end of 4 weeks. Sounds like all is well!
 
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Felinesage

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No, this kitten is over 10 ounces and only needs to weigh 8 ounces at the end of week 2; 12 ounces at the end of week 3; and about 16 ounces or 1 pound at the end of 4 weeks. Sounds like all is well!
I was so confused about if it was at the beginning or end of the weeks! So as of today they are 20 days old does that mean the kitty should be at least 12 ounces by tomorrow?
 

Sarthur2

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No, the weights I quoted are averages. Not all kittens hit the mark, while others exceed it. Your kitten sounds fine.
 
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Felinesage

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The kittens seem to not be gaining very much weight recently but are not losing weight. Some gain just 3g and the ones who have always been good at nursing are still gaining around 10g a day. They are almost entering their 4th week and I was wondering if I should let them try wet food? Kitten lady feels really strongly against this but some of them are very interested in mom’s food (when I let them roam outside the play pen)
 

Jaxson’s momma

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Hello,
I am fostering a mom and her litter. She had her babies about a week ago and I’ve been trying to monitor weight every day but miss some. I’m really confused because we are on the 10th day and my lightest is currently at 194g and the heaviest is at 240g. The lightest and some others were gaining less than the 10g a day which I read is the minimum but I feel like within the range for 1 week old kittens they all have good weights? I have tried supplementing with the miracle nipple but they really do not want anything to do with it so the new strategy I used is pulling away the heavier kittens first to give the others a chance to feed at other nipples that might be working better.

I’m also really confused because the shelter told me you don’t have to empty their bladders because it empties itself when it’s full which is contradictory to everything I’ve learned from kitten lady and the internet? I haven’t gotten them to poop but I do help them pee at least twice a dayView attachment 429166
Isn’t momma cat taking care of stimulating babies to pee & poop? I thought they did this by licking kittens and eating the waste. That kitten looks good for 1 week. Kudos to you for helping this family👏😻
 

Furballsmom

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They are almost entering their 4th week and I was wondering if I should let them try wet food
I'd let them try. As you noted some say not til later but I've read two TCS articles that indicate you can start earlier :)
 
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Felinesage

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Hey everyone - just an update. All kittens were healthy and well and all got adopted within a month of posting! Mom has been having some health issues so she’s still not available for adoption but she’s an absolute sweety so I don’t mind at all :)
 
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