Found 6 Kittens During A Storm, Need Advice!

[Jcatbird]

Oh my! They are adorable. Yay about the adoption! I hope the others fin an equally good home. Those little ones are truly precious. Thanks for the update and the photos!

 

[Furballsmom]

geez they're RIDICULOUSLY darling!!

 

[Talien]

It sounds like they are all doing quite well, you did well doing your research and so you are doing a good job taking care of them. It is Kitten season though and shelters and rescues are all going to be inundated with them so it may be months before any of them have room, just keep trying to adopt them out yourself. Another thing you could do ls try to find someone willing to foster them who is better able to take care of them long term until they find homes, but that's a slim chance since most fosters are going to be full of overflow Kittens from shelters.

Ack!!!!! I have never heard of that!!! The snake feeding sounds like an urban legend and irresponsible owners seem more likely (I hope!)

Unfortunately it is not urban legend, it really happens. There are worse things than that too, like how some people will take small animals (Cats, Kittens, Rabbits, etc.) that are offered "free to a good home" and use them to train fighting Dogs.

 

[danteshuman]

I just wanted to add that my runt Nick bulked up starting around 3 months. He is now bigger/stronger then his brother and ‘beat him up’ when they play wrestle. (Nick is more muscular by nature ..... making him look like a panther. My boy Jackie is just petite by nature. People think he is a girl.)

Just think of your runt as a premie (& oh my goodness is he adorable!!!) I would keep giving your runt formula (though in a saucer ..... and I might make ‘kitten gruel’ made of 1/2 formula 1/2 wet food pate mixed together.) I wish I could adopt your runt!

 

[Adoptus]

I just want you all to know that I'm reading every single one of your responses and putting your advice to good use! I really appreciate every bit of help you've given me and I'm truly grateful. I created a video based on the information you guys have provided me in order to help get these kittens adopted.

Here are some before and after photos taken 3 weeks apart of the 2 that are going to potentially be adopted next week. They're best friends and get into all sorts of trouble together but are actually well behaved compared to the other kittens. They spend most of their time playing and chasing each other. They're getting bigger now so I've been supplementing their wet food with dry food.

I miss their baby fat, but I'm glad their shaping up.

If anyone is wondering what I've been feeding them it's Instinct for kittens. I started them off with wet and now have been adding the dry variety since they're growing and are heavily active.

As promised here is the video that I've put together. The whole process of filming and editing took me roughly over 5 hours. I know some of the information may be off and a bit confusing, but I'm new to this whole kitten thing so please bear with me haha.


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="Found Stray Kittens | The shelters won't take them! - YouTube" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[catsknowme]

Great video!! You have done a superb job with the kittens - they look to be in excellent health and are "bright eyed and bushy tailed". You make excellent points about the bottle baby - my little singleton Tilly is also a milk baby and very doglike. I love that brown tabby-tux - she reminds me so much of my Maine Coon JC at that age - the coat, the size, the personality.

edit* I forgot to add that the raw tail end is.likely from the other kittens suckling on it

 

[danteshuman]

They look great! One way to tell them apart is to buy break away kitten collars or like we said cut a clump of fur off a different spot on each black kitten.

Giving each kitten a name/description of their personality helps them get adopted. I suggest people names but I view kitties as people. These names are not important because they are often renamed. Some people do food names or charters from movies or bands. My cat Salem came to me with the name Noodle. My current cat Jackie started off as Sunny/Sunshine & his brother Nick started off as Dark (until my nephew started calling him Darkie! We renamed him that day!!!) * I would show pictures of each kitten in a different pose or with a different toy. A white/light background (sheet) will help the black kittens stand out .... along with bright lights &/or a flash.

It is ok to feed them fancy feast or what not. Also maybe you can offer to foster them for a shelter so they can get the medical help they need (most importantly their distemper vaccine that kills most kittens it infects!)

Cheap kitten toys are: paper bags, jingle balls, a newspaper sheet crumpled into a ball or tented so they can hide under it, a box on it’s side, paper towels crumpled into a ball they can rip up, crumpled tin foil balls.

*** ribbon is a favorite toy (especially curling ribbon) but all ribbon/string/shoelaces must only be not in a drawer the kittens can get into is when they are supervised. Kittens/cats love to eat ribbons/floss/string/rubber bands etc. if they eat those things they will need a laxative/close monitoring & possible surgery. My cat gave me a crazy scare just this month when he ate the ribbons off his toy ..... all of a sudden one night while I was asleep!

 

[danteshuman]

I love watching them play!

There is a kitten lady video about homemade cat toys on YouTube. Also the kittenlady has how to videos on how to care for orphaned kittens in every way. Even saving sick kittens. My gut says I would have that tail looked at by the vet. It looked freshly bloodied (fleas maybe? That is easily treated.)

Picture of the toy my dummy cat ate the ribbons off of along with 6 inches of the bungee cord that attached it to a wand... at 9 months old! (I was beyond relieved when I checked his poop on day 3 to find he pooped out the bungee cord!) Also pictures of Nick has a kitten to show you how a white/light background really makes him stand out! Included one of my favorite pics of Nick when he was 6 months old sporting his brand new bright turquoise bow collar that really makes him standout. He seems to photograph better with bright light then using a flash but experiment. When I looked on Chewy they only sold kitten collars in light blue or light pink. However there are many kitten collar sets where you get 4-8 collars in a set. Just be sure to measure your kitten’s neck first to make sure they will fit (& breakaway collars. Kittens love to rip off their buddy’s collar during play!)

 

[tnrmakessense]

My speakers are out but the video is ADORABLE. Three things. 1) if you can find Animax online, it might help with the baby's tail issue. I've found that it's a miracle drug. 2) please hound the adoptive parents after they leave you to be sure they spay or neuter the kitties. 3) When the kids outgrow the aquarium, see if you can borrow a dog crate - it's a good kitten nursery.

 

[Adoptus]

Since I've posted the video I had a lot of people interested, but they all bailed when it came time to come over and see them. I'm moving out of my apartment next month and I don't know what to do with them as I can't bring them with me. I've contacted vets and shelters, but again they refuse and keep recommending me to ones that already denied me.

If anyone knows any organization or anyone that could take in 5 kittens in Dallas TX please let me know.

On a positive note, I was able to get the bottle baby to eat solid food 2 weeks ago. I had ran out of formula and had to work all day so she was the only one who hadn't been fed. When I got home, she wasn't meowing at me and they were all playing so I assumed she would be fine until the morning until I got some more. Well one of the black kittens ran to me and played with me. I found a piece of cat kibble on the ground so I picked it up and tossed it in her mouth as she was play-biting me. After she ate it she became frantic and aggressively searched the ground for more. It turned out that she was the bottle baby who hadn't eaten all day because the others wouldn't eat when I tried to feed them a piece of kibble.

That's when I gave her - her own bowl to eat out of and she inhaled it. Here's a picture of the bottle baby munching away at solid food for the first time. She doesn't usually look this mean, but she was cranky from not eating all day. It's so much easier to feed them all now.

Again I would like to ask if anyone is in the Dallas area and could help out in any way shape or form it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure what to do with them because no one wants them, I definitely did not think it was this hard to get rid of them all.

The owner who adopted one of the 6 kittens took him to the vet and informed me that he was infected with intestinal worms that needed to be treated with prescription medication. I'm assuming that the rest could be infected as well.

 

[Talien]

The owner who adopted one of the 6 kittens took him to the vet and informed me that he was infected with intestinal worms that needed to be treated with prescription medication. I'm assuming that the rest could be infected as well.

Yes, if one has worms it is pretty much guaranteed they all will. It's not very expensive per dose for most dewormers, usually around $20, but with 5 Kittens that adds up quickly.

 

[tnrmakessense]

Since I've posted the video I had a lot of people interested, but they all bailed when it came time to come over and see them. I'm moving out of my apartment next month and I don't know what to do with them as I can't bring them with me. I've contacted vets and shelters, but again they refuse and keep recommending me to ones that already denied me.

If anyone knows any organization or anyone that could take in 5 kittens in Dallas TX please let me know.

On a positive note, I was able to get the bottle baby to eat solid food 2 weeks ago. I had ran out of formula and had to work all day so she was the only one who hadn't been fed. When I got home, she wasn't meowing at me and they were all playing so I assumed she would be fine until the morning until I got some more. Well one of the black kittens ran to me and played with me. I found a piece of cat kibble on the ground so I picked it up and tossed it in her mouth as she was play-biting me. After she ate it she became frantic and aggressively searched the ground for more. It turned out that she was the bottle baby who hadn't eaten all day because the others wouldn't eat when I tried to feed them a piece of kibble.

That's when I gave her - her own bowl to eat out of and she inhaled it. Here's a picture of the bottle baby munching away at solid food for the first time. She doesn't usually look this mean, but she was cranky from not eating all day. It's so much easier to feed them all now.

Again I would like to ask if anyone is in the Dallas area and could help out in any way shape or form it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure what to do with them because no one wants them, I definitely did not think it was this hard to get rid of them all.

The owner who adopted one of the 6 kittens took him to the vet and informed me that he was infected with intestinal worms that needed to be treated with prescription medication. I'm assuming that the rest could be infected as well.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

One of my feral cats that I've been feeding for a year went missing some weeks ago. On Saturday she still was not seen but Treasure, the first feral cat I domesticated had a kitten that she was fostering. I know the kitten isn't Treasure's as Treasure and Shaman are noticeably fixed. Anyway I went through the Next Door app, found someone interested in the kitten, checked with the vet and she's a responsible pet owner. Kitten got a new home Saturday, yesterday a check up with the vet and Momma was taken to a no kill shelter. Treasure Shaman, Noobs and Wichapi are all 4 still here and probably will remain with me. But Shadow needs to be an only cat household. Long story.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Since I've posted the video I had a lot of people interested, but they all bailed when it came time to come over and see them. I'm moving out of my apartment next month and I don't know what to do with them as I can't bring them with me. I've contacted vets and shelters, but again they refuse and keep recommending me to ones that already denied me.

If anyone knows any organization or anyone that could take in 5 kittens in Dallas TX please let me know.

On a positive note, I was able to get the bottle baby to eat solid food 2 weeks ago. I had ran out of formula and had to work all day so she was the only one who hadn't been fed. When I got home, she wasn't meowing at me and they were all playing so I assumed she would be fine until the morning until I got some more. Well one of the black kittens ran to me and played with me. I found a piece of cat kibble on the ground so I picked it up and tossed it in her mouth as she was play-biting me. After she ate it she became frantic and aggressively searched the ground for more. It turned out that she was the bottle baby who hadn't eaten all day because the others wouldn't eat when I tried to feed them a piece of kibble.

That's when I gave her - her own bowl to eat out of and she inhaled it. Here's a picture of the bottle baby munching away at solid food for the first time. She doesn't usually look this mean, but she was cranky from not eating all day. It's so much easier to feed them all now.

Again I would like to ask if anyone is in the Dallas area and could help out in any way shape or form it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure what to do with them because no one wants them, I definitely did not think it was this hard to get rid of them all.

The owner who adopted one of the 6 kittens took him to the vet and informed me that he was infected with intestinal worms that needed to be treated with prescription medication. I'm assuming that the rest could be infected as well.

Worms are easily and inexpensively treated at the vet. And vets have comprehensive "kitten paks" which include exams, basic innoculations and the followup innoculations. A lot of vets give little kits with small packages of different foods, too, as kittens need kitten food for their first year. And of course, most vets strongly advocate spay/neuter after the kittens weigh over 2 pounds, and definitely before 4 months of age, because they can become pregnant at 4 months.
This is the height of kitten season, so most if not all rescues and shelters are beyond full. You can visit www.animalrescuedirectory.net, bring up your location on the map and contact the rescues listed. You can also visit www.alleycat.org which is the website of AlleyCat Allies, the national database for cat advocacy, and www.bestfriends.org/resources, where there are many links to different resources. I hope and pray you can find reputable safe haven for them and not "get rid of" these precious living beings. They are not objects! They have feelings and definitely the right to live in safety and good care with someone who will treasure them. And the words we use do have power. Just saying.
I'm pretty sure they're full, too, but you might look up kittico cat rescue. They're in the Dallas area. *PRAYERS* for these sweet babies.

 

[Adoptus]

When I said "get rid of" I didn't mean to say it in a way that objectified them lol. I meant adopting them off, but I'm not known for my beautiful vocabulary haha. The one in the previous video that has missing fur at the tip of her tail started growing back, I didn't realize it until yesterday.

I'm worried for them because they aren't getting adopted as quickly as I thought they would. I have one more person interested, but I'm not counting on it at this point since so many people bailed. You guys have deterred me from giving them away for free.

I also contacted an independent organization today and she's reached out to me so I cross my fingers and hope for the best. I'm not really a pet guy, but I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss them once they're gone. I even thought about keeping one, but realistically that wouldn't work for my living situation and I wouldn't want that for any living being. These kittens have taught me so much, I never wanted to keep them for this long but I'm thankful I did.

 

[tarasgirl06]

When I said "get rid of" I didn't mean to say it in a way that objectified them lol. I meant adopting them off, but I'm not known for my beautiful vocabulary haha. The one in the previous video that has missing fur at the tip of her tail started growing back, I didn't realize it until yesterday.

I'm worried for them because they aren't getting adopted as quickly as I thought they would. I have one more person interested, but I'm not counting on it at this point since so many people bailed. You guys have deterred me from giving them away for free.

I also contacted an independent organization today and she's reached out to me so I cross my fingers and hope for the best. I'm not really a pet guy, but I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss them once they're gone. I even thought about keeping one, but realistically that wouldn't work for my living situation and I wouldn't want that for any living being. These kittens have taught me so much, I never wanted to keep them for this long but I'm thankful I did.

Yeah, I know -- I just take it personal when people use terms like that, because I love cats so much, having been born and raised with them. It's all good.
That little striped one is getting to you, right? It would be one of the best things that ever happens to you, but you're putting them before you, which shows what a good guy you are. Maybe you'll come to a place in your life where it will be possible to share your life with a cat. If that happens, you'll see.

Sounds like some potential good things in the future. Good on ya for everything you're doing for this little family. And that's great about the fur growing in on the tail of the one little girl.

 

[Furballsmom]

You guys have deterred me from giving them away for free.

Thank you thank you thank you, from the bottom of everyone's heart here, for that.

 

[Adoptus]

UPDATE:

We've gotten support from some of our friends who donated some cat food and helped spread our message about the kittens. With their help we have been able to adopt off 2 of the striped kittens leaving me with all 3 black kittens. A friend of mine has been staying at my place to help me take care of them and get them adopted. I can't thank her enough for her support although it was hard coming home to one of the kittens missing because we became very close. My friend adopted her off while I was at work. She informed me, but it was still sad coming home and not seeing her there.

I became very attached to the large striped one with white paws. She would be the first to run to me and loved sitting in my lap even if there were other people around. She would follow me everywhere and was the first to break out of the aquarium I used to keep them in when they small just so she can find me and sit on my lap. I didn't think I would get attached, but I did. Her new owner is a great guy and sent pictures of a cat play house and a vet appointment right when he got home. I know she's better off there so I feel better knowing that she's in good hands.

We took 2 of the kittens (striped run and a black kitten) to the vet and bought deworming medication for the new owners. One of them decided to back out from the black kitten which is ok, I didn't really want to adopt her off to them anyway.

During the process of trying to adopt them to good homes, I had people trying to low ball (an already reasonably low fee) and argue with me. The worst was when one person accused me of not trying my hardest to take care of the kittens and accused me of lying just so I can profit off wild kittens... I had to leave that group and my friend's friends helped out by directing me to a less toxic group on FB. I wouldn't want those type of people adopting these angels.

Here are some pictures of the black kittens, they've grown so much!

When they were stinky and still had their blue eyes and kitten ears.

I love you Aurora, you will be missed.

 

[tarasgirl06]

UPDATE:

We've gotten support from some of our friends who donated some cat food and helped spread our message about the kittens. With their help we have been able to adopt off 2 of the striped kittens leaving me with all 3 black kittens. A friend of mine has been staying at my place to help me take care of them and get them adopted. I can't thank her enough for her support although it was hard coming home to one of the kittens missing because we became very close. My friend adopted her off while I was at work. She informed me, but it was still sad coming home and not seeing her there.

I became very attached to the large striped one with white paws. She would be the first to run to me and loved sitting in my lap even if there were other people around. She would follow me everywhere and was the first to break out of the aquarium I used to keep them in when they small just so she can find me and sit on my lap. I didn't think I would get attached, but I did. Her new owner is a great guy and sent pictures of a cat play house and a vet appointment right when he got home. I know she's better off there so I feel better knowing that she's in good hands.

We took 2 of the kittens (striped run and a black kitten) to the vet and bought deworming medication for the new owners. One of them decided to back out from the black kitten which is ok, I didn't really want to adopt her off to them anyway.

During the process of trying to adopt them to good homes, I had people trying to low ball (an already reasonably low fee) and argue with me. The worst was when one person accused me of not trying my hardest to take care of the kittens and accused me of lying just so I can profit off wild kittens... I had to leave that group and my friend's friends helped out by directing me to a less toxic group on FB. I wouldn't want those type of people adopting these angels.

Here are some pictures of the black kittens, they've grown so much!

When they were stinky and still had their blue eyes and kitten ears.

I love you Aurora, you will be missed.

Awww, I was hoping Aurora would stay with you. The little black ones are my favorites, aesthetically speaking. Good on ya for being careful and caring. May they find the best loving permanent homes quickly! and that's great about your friends' support and sharing.