HELP. FAST!

[Caspers Human]

Your kittens might have a health issue but, at this point, you could just try to be a good Kitty Mommy. If they don't get better in a little while you should take them to the vet, however.

Have they been wormed?

It's a common belief that kittens need to be wormed when they are young.
That's not necessarily true but, as a rule of thumb, it's still good to have them checked.

One of my former cats, K.C., had worms as a kitten. He was off his food and he meowed a lot. He was the first cat that I owned by myself and I was surprised and a little bit shocked when he horked up a big pile of worms! He was a totally indoor cat and there were no other cats or animals around. I didn't think a cat could even get worms unless he picked them up from another animal.

That's when my vet told me that a lot of people assume that cats are "just born with worms" and always need to be checked. No, that's not really true but the spirit still applies. Essentially, the vet was telling me, in his own way, that you should have your kittens checked for worms even if you don't think they have them.

Still, I think your immediate remedy would be to pay lots of attention to your kitties. Make sure they have plenty of food, water and/or kitten milk. Make sure they have a warm, snugly place to sleep and hide out. Play with them. Give them lots of kitty love.

Most of all, talk to them all the time. Use a soft, reassuring voice. You can even talk "baby talk" to them... mimic their biological mom's voice and manner.

Personally, I think they just miss their mommy... but you're their new mommy, now. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[talkingpeanut]

Your kittens might have a health issue but, at this point, you could just try to be a good Kitty Mommy. If they don't get better in a little while you should take them to the vet, however.

Have they been wormed?

It's a common belief that kittens need to be wormed when they are young.
That's not necessarily true but, as a rule of thumb, it's still good to have them checked.

One of my former cats, K.C., had worms as a kitten. He was off his food and he meowed a lot. He was the first cat that I owned by myself and I was surprised and a little bit shocked when he horked up a big pile of worms! He was a totally indoor cat and there were no other cats or animals around. I didn't think a cat could even get worms unless he picked them up from another animal.

That's when my vet told me that a lot of people assume that cats are "just born with worms" and always need to be checked. No, that's not really true but the spirit still applies. Essentially, the vet was telling me, in his own way, that you should have your kittens checked for worms even if you don't think they have them.

Still, I think your immediate remedy would be to pay lots of attention to your kitties. Make sure they have plenty of food, water and/or kitten milk. Make sure they have a warm, snugly place to sleep and hide out. Play with them. Give them lots of kitty love.

Most of all, talk to them all the time. Use a soft, reassuring voice. You can even talk "baby talk" to them... mimic their biological mom's voice and manner.

Personally, I think they just miss their mommy... but you're their new mommy, now. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Since we don't know how old these kittens are or where they came from, I do think a vet check is in order. We also don't know that their nutritional needs are being met. Yes, they do need more care and love, but it also needs to be the appropriate care.

 

[Caspers Human]

I agree. If the kittens haven't been to the vet they need to go.
IMHO, all kittens should go to the vet just on principle.

I still think that doubling down on your Kitty Mommy skills is in order.

If the kittens are sick, they are going to need lots of TLC to help them get better.
If the kittens aren't sick they are still going to keep lots of TLC to make up for losing their biological mother.

 

[Willowy]

What exactly do you feed them (be specific; brand, type, amount)? What is the litterbox situation (what brand of litter, size of the litterbox, how often cleaned)? What is their living situation (size of the room, amount of interactive play, what kind of beds/toys/etc.)? Have they ever been to the vet? Where did you get them?

Usually if kittens are meowing a lot it means something is wrong . Perhaps we can help you figure out what's bothering them.

 

[lunria]

½ of the bowl is crunchy food, then soft.

I use Hyvee litter & food. I let them use my bed, I clean the LB often. My room is mediocre in size. Toys include plushes. No vet yet.

We adopted them from a woman Maddie. 

 

[talkingpeanut]

 
½ of the bowl is crunchy food, then soft.

I use Hyvee litter & food. I let them use my bed, I clean the LB often. My room is mediocre in size. Toys include plushes. No vet yet.

We adopted them from a woman Maddie. 

It would be better if you could give them a bowl of dry food that is always full and several meals of wet food every day.  That way, the food doesn't go stale or soggy and stays fresh.  They need constant access to food since they are kittens.  How much are you feeding them total per day now?

Why are you not allowing them out of your room?

Do you play with them with interactive toys?  A wand toy or a laser?  They sound like they are bored.

Last, if you adopted them from a person, they have had no vetting.  You need to get an accurate age on them, and if they are over 8 weeks they need vaccines.  They also need to be dewormed.  None of these things can wait 3 months.  It is great that you are getting them spayed and neutered at that time, though.

How old did Maddie tell you they were?  How long have you had them?

 

[Caspers Human]

If your kittens are really only 4 weeks old, they *NEED* kitten milk!

Not cow's milk!  Cow's milk isn't very good for cats and it's especially not good for kittens that are only a month old.

Kitten milk is a special thing.  It's designed especially for kittens when their biological mother isn't around to feed them real cat's milk.

Technically, it's called "Kitten Milk Replacement" or "KMR" for short but everybody I know just calls it "kitten milk."

Even if you are feeding them solid food, you STILL need to feed them kitten milk along with!

For kittens younger than 8 weeks, kitten milk is a MUST.  Even afterward, up to three months, if a kitten still likes kitten milk, you should feed it to her.  After that, you should start weaning them off.

Even if a kitten is eating solid food, their digestive system still isn't fully functioning.  Young kittens still need to supplement a solid diet with milk until they are at least two months old.

Hy-Vee does sell kitten milk.  I just googled.  It's on their website.

If you aren't feeding kitten milk, you need to drop whatever you are doing and get yourself to the grocery store and buy some kitten milk, right this minute.  That could be the reason why they won't stop meowing.  They might be malnourished and they are meowing because they are trying to tell you so!

You are their new Kitten Mommy, now! 

 

[Willowy]

Hy-Vee canned food is OK, but Hy-Vee dry food is very low-quality. Besides being low-quality, it also seems to be disliked by most cats. It would be better if you could get some Purina Kitten Chow. And, yes, give canned food and dry food in separate dishes, or the dry food will get soggy and gross. They should always have a full bowl of dry food, and feed canned food 3 or 4 times a day. Make sure they have fresh water available at all times.

From the pictures I don't believe they're 4 weeks old, but if they are they'll need kitten milk. You can mix it with canned food to make a mush, most kitties really like that. Can you post more pictures? It's illegal to give away kittens at 4 weeks old, because they aren't weaned yet, but some people don't know that.

Hy-Vee litter is OK, not the best at odor control but not terrible. At this age use the regular litter, but when they're older you may want to switch to the clumping litter for better odor control. When they get older it would be a good idea to have 2 or 3 litterboxes, having too few can cause odor issues and some cats don't like to share.

They need to see the vet, for vaccines and de-worming. Are they the same gender? If not, make sure the girl is spayed before 4 months, some kitties mature early!

 

[Caspers Human]

From the pictures I don't believe they're 4 weeks old, but if they are they'll need kitten milk.

Judging from the pictures, I agree with you but I take the OP at her word.
If they really are that young, they will need kitten milk.
If they are older, it would still be good to offer it because we want them to be happy.
From what I have read, I see no contradictions and giving them kitten milk would be the most conservative position, at this point, until we know more.

They need to see the vet, for vaccines and de-worming. Are they the same gender? If not, make sure the girl is spayed before 4 months, some kitties mature early!

True dat!
No argument there!

It would be better if you could get some Purina Kitten Chow.

My father used to breed dogs when I was a kid. Ever since I remember, Dad used to start the puppies out on Purina. That was decades ago. (Oops! I'm telegraphing my age! )
Today, there are lots of good options. Some might even be better. Still, I don't think you can go wrong with Kitten Chow.

Personally, I wouldn't feed a store brand unless I had it on good authority.
Always best to go with a good name brand.

They should always have a full bowl of dry food, and feed canned food 3 or 4 times a day. Make sure they have fresh water available at all times.

100% agreed! Always, always, always make sure that water is available 24/7!
When I was a kid, it was one of my chores to make sure that the dogs were watered and fed.
I'd be liable to get a butt-whooping if I didn't!

We didn't have cats when I was growing up. With anywhere from 5 to 10 dogs around, plus God knows how many puppies, it probably wouldn't have been the wisest idea. However, in terms of taking care of animals, there are plenty of similarities between kittens and puppies. If you know how to care for one, common sense should be able to guide you to take care of the other. Over the years, I have had 5 cats. (Not all at the same time.)
There are some "adjustments" that need to be made when you first go from one to another but I think that any reasonably smart person should be able to learn how to care for kittens if they know how to take care of puppies... and vice versa... if they try.

The main thing is to understand that, when you decide to have a kitten or a puppy, you are taking responsibility for a living creature. You should always do your best to take care of your kittens or puppies and, if you don't know something, find somebody who does know and ask them for help.

It is really good to ask for help by using the internet but it's better if you can find a real person to help. Your vet should be the first place to look. If you know other people, ask them for help, too.

In my opinion, I think you should take your kittens to the vet ASAP.
I think your kitties are super cute!

It would be a good thing to know that they are happy, healthy little kitties!

 

[lunria]

 

[talkingpeanut]

Did you take them to the vet?

 

[lunria]

Wow, I really didn't put much effort here. Well, I just wanted to say, my cats are perfectly okay now, little black one is cuddling on my lap right now! Thanks everyone.

 

[jen]

So they got to the vet for their vaccines and spayed/neutered and everything? Glad they are doing well. How old are they now? You really had us worried there back when you needed urgent help.

 

[lunria]

So they got to the vet for their vaccines and spayed/neutered and everything? Glad they are doing well. How old are they now? You really had us worried there back when you needed urgent help.

The babies are 2 years old.
One's a bit chubby, but shes a little bit smaller so that's alright! They have been doing normal cat things. We moved house and they adapted fast! Love them

 

[lunria]

The babies are 2 years old.
One's a bit chubby, but shes a little bit smaller so that's alright! They have been doing normal cat things. We moved house and they adapted fast! Love them

Also, yes! Spayed and neutered, vaccinated, all the works.