Help! I Might Be The Worst Rescuer Ever!

[Elyquint]

I'm a mess! Short story long, I took in a mom and four kittens from a colony of semi farels. First I let them stay outside but mama didn't come back to the kittens for 24 so I brought em in. Mama was found 72 hours later with head trama. Steroids, antibiotics and no more nursing. She's almost fully recovered. Had to separate so kittens are in a crate. One has a wound (?) on the side of it's abdomen. I put Neosporin on it, covered it in gauze and made a sock vest. Another (the runtiest) has a soupy poopy bum all the time. Im trying to feed him formula rather than kitten food but I can't get him to commit to it long enough to get enough in him. Put him back with the crue and immediately he tried to nurse. Back in the crate. Gathering them up I noticed the big guy has a hard lump on his nape. I'm tired. I'm broke. My house is a mess. I think I suck at this.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!! ...even under the circumstances...

I can't help with house messes per se but otherwise, take a look at this site
Home The Kittenlady

I have read that if you take a corner of a makeup sponge, dip that in the KMR and let them suckle on that, it can work pretty well.

Have you tried kitten glop? There are recipes on the internet...

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

Sarthur2 do you have thoughts for the OP?

 

[Sarthur2]

The kittens really need to see a vet for worming and antibiotics. Vets will usually charge just once for a litter. Can you ask for a payment plan?

How old are the kittens now?

Is mom’s milk dried up? If not, if she’s well enough, let the kittens nurse.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'm a mess! Short story long, I took in a mom and four kittens from a colony of semi farels. First I let them stay outside but mama didn't come back to the kittens for 24 so I brought em in. Mama was found 72 hours later with head trama. Steroids, antibiotics and no more nursing. She's almost fully recovered. Had to separate so kittens are in a crate. One has a wound (?) on the side of it's abdomen. I put Neosporin on it, covered it in gauze and made a sock vest. Another (the runtiest) has a soupy poopy bum all the time. Im trying to feed him formula rather than kitten food but I can't get him to commit to it long enough to get enough in him. Put him back with the crue and immediately he tried to nurse. Back in the crate. Gathering them up I noticed the big guy has a hard lump on his nape. I'm tired. I'm broke. My house is a mess. I think I suck at this.

You do not suck.
A person who sucks wouldn't have taken this on in the first place and would have stated cats are vermin and don't deserve our help. You're trying, and that's half the battle.
Do you have a vet at your disposal? Sometimes these weird issues are helped with professionals. If you mention this is a feral foster with kittens that you've taken in, some vets will kindly cut you a break on price. Many also have payment plans that can lessen the load.
Being broke + having this situation is not easy. If you have a relationship with a local vet, they may cut you some slack even further.
Did the vet that treated Mama cat tell you how soon she can go back to nursing/mothering? Even if she doesn't allow them to nurse, she teaches them stuff and is a lot of comfort and teaches them how to be cats.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Many here know what it's like =/

 

[msaimee]

Some Humane Societies have fostering programs for kittens with special needs. Perhaps they could assist you either with medical treatment for the kittens at low or no charge, or put them with a foster caregiver. It's worth a call to ask.

It's very difficult even for those of us who are experienced to care for sick and injured cats, especially the ones we take in from off the street. You're doing an amazing job caring for them. All we can do is all we can do with the resources we have. Healing vibes and prayers to your cat family.

 

[di and bob]

You have found out it takes a lot out of you to be inexperienced and overwhelmed with all this. First of all, you should have been told to never let a cat go outside in a strange neighborhood for at least a month. They have strong instincts to return to the place they are from and need to be confined at least for that long. She was most likely hit by a car. I would return the kittens to her if she will accept them, mother knows the best ways to take care of kittens. Go to garage sales or advertise on those free radio shows or facebook for a large dog crate/cage. That will give everyone some room and injuries will less likely happen. Just keep triple antibiotic on that wound and let it open to air. The hard lump is probably an abscess injury and will burst and drain. Keep it clean and apply antibiotic. he probably needs a liquid oral antibiotic, but a lot of cats recover from these with no help. Watch for fever, listlessness, and get help if he stops eating/drinking. Call your vet or the people you got the cats from, they should help you if you were willing to take them in. They would also advise you on low cost neutering and vet help.
Even after over fifty years experience with cats, I still make mistakes, some that are tragic. You DO NOT SUCK! You are trying to help a cat family in distress, and you will learn, some learning will come from inexperience and mistakes. Just ask for help as you did, and we will help where we can. Bless you for trying to help, the rewards will come, you are doing what you can and nobody can ask for more!

 

[Elyquint]

The kittens really need to see a vet for worming and antibiotics. Vets will usually charge just once for a litter. Can you ask for a payment plan?

How old are the kittens now?

Is mom’s milk dried up? If not, if she’s well enough, let the kittens nurse.

The kittens and mama have been to the vet. A local rescue group has helped a great deal. The kittens are about 5 weeks but three of four weigh only about a pound. The whole colony is extremely petite.

 

[Elyquint]

You have found out it takes a lot out of you to be inexperienced and overwhelmed with all this. First of all, you should have been told to never let a cat go outside in a strange neighborhood for at least a month. They have strong instincts to return to the place they are from and need to be confined at least for that long. She was most likely hit by a car. I would return the kittens to her if she will accept them, mother knows the best ways to take care of kittens. Go to garage sales or advertise on those free radio shows or facebook for a large dog crate/cage. That will give everyone some room and injuries will less likely happen. Just keep triple antibiotic on that wound and let it open to air. The hard lump is probably an abscess injury and will burst and drain. Keep it clean and apply antibiotic. he probably needs a liquid oral antibiotic, but a lot of cats recover from these with no help. Watch for fever, listlessness, and get help if he stops eating/drinking. Call your vet or the people you got the cats from, they should help you if you were willing to take them in. They would also advise you on low cost neutering and vet help.
Even after over fifty years experience with cats, I still make mistakes, some that are tragic. You DO NOT SUCK! You are trying to help a cat family in distress, and you will learn, some learning will come from inexperience and mistakes. Just ask for help as you did, and we will help where we can. Bless you for trying to help, the rewards will come, you are doing what you can and nobody can ask for more!

Thanks for the support! I live in a very rural community and the rescues are overwhelmed. I feel bad constantly asking for reassurance so the supportive messages really fill a hole. They were in a large do crate. Now they are running loose due to an insubordinate husband. I read that the wound should be covered but she's removed her little sock vest so Ima trust your experience.

 

[Elyquint]

You do not suck.
A person who sucks wouldn't have taken this on in the first place and would have stated cats are vermin and don't deserve our help. You're trying, and that's half the battle.
Do you have a vet at your disposal? Sometimes these weird issues are helped with professionals. If you mention this is a feral foster with kittens that you've taken in, some vets will kindly cut you a break on price. Many also have payment plans that can lessen the load.
Being broke + having this situation is not easy. If you have a relationship with a local vet, they may cut you some slack even further.
Did the vet that treated Mama cat tell you how soon she can go back to nursing/mothering? Even if she doesn't allow them to nurse, she teaches them stuff and is a lot of comfort and teaches them how to be cats.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Many here know what it's like =/

I'm really appreciate of the support. Seems it was what I was most looking for. There is very little in terms of community where I live. I moved from a city to a rural farm area and am finding most animals are disposable out here. Its a half hour trip to small animal vet but they are helpful. This colony is 10 strong and this litter is one of three born this spring so I'm a definitely overwhelmed by the size of this project. The plan is to get kittens adopted, spay the mothers and return them to their colony. This mama may have to stay due to her injuries. I adopt ch kitties so she will fit right in.

In any event we kept the kittens crated in the same room with Mama and let them all hang out for at least three hours a day. It was hard to keep them from nursing but I felt it was important to let the bond. We let them start nursing again but I'm really nervous about it.

The hardest part about having limited experience is not knowing what is and isn't an emergency and not having a local "cat lady" to consult. Hoping this forum will help with that. So far so good. I feel very inadequate so it is a relief to have a community available on-line. Thank you

 

[Elyquint]

Some Humane Societies have fostering programs for kittens with special needs. Perhaps they could assist you either with medical treatment for the kittens at low or no charge, or put them with a foster caregiver. It's worth a call to ask.

It's very difficult even for those of us who are experienced to care for sick and injured cats, especially the ones we take in from off the street. You're doing an amazing job caring for them. All we can do is all we can do with the resources we have. Healing vibes and prayers to your cat family.

I so appreciate the supportive suggestions and the positive vibes. Ironically, I am the special needs cat lady. I think the hardest thing here is knowing if these kitties develop special needs now it's on me. The special needs kitties I have came that way so anything I do is better for them. Mama cat would have been fine if I had left her with her colony. Now she's brain damaged and I feel responsible. It won't happen that way again.

 

[Elyquint]

Hi! Welcome!! ...even under the circumstances...

I can't help with house messes per se but otherwise, take a look at this site
Home The Kittenlady

I have read that if you take a corner of a makeup sponge, dip that in the KMR and let them suckle on that, it can work pretty well.

Have you tried kitten glop? There are recipes on the internet...

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

Sarthur2 do you have thoughts for the OP?

I will definitely check out the site! I'm going to try to supplement this runt with the formula even though she is nursing them again. He is one of two that has a rescue home lined up so I need him to get strong. Do you think I should stop him from eating the kitten food until the soupy poopy bum stops?

 

[msaimee]

I think you should feed him as much food as possible, leave out some dry food 24/7, preferably kitten chow. Kittens need to eat several times a day anyway, and if they're malnourished or having diarrhea, they need even more nourishment. Did the vet give you a de-wormer for him? Most outdoor kittens have worms, and that can cause diarrhea and stomach upset. If your vet didn't give you one, maybe you should call him or her and ask for one. De-wormers are generally very inexpensive.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'm really appreciate of the support. Seems it was what I was most looking for. There is very little in terms of community where I live. I moved from a city to a rural farm area and am finding most animals are disposable out here. Its a half hour trip to small animal vet but they are helpful. This colony is 10 strong and this litter is one of three born this spring so I'm a definitely overwhelmed by the size of this project. The plan is to get kittens adopted, spay the mothers and return them to their colony. This mama may have to stay due to her injuries. I adopt ch kitties so she will fit right in.

In any event we kept the kittens crated in the same room with Mama and let them all hang out for at least three hours a day. It was hard to keep them from nursing but I felt it was important to let the bond. We let them start nursing again but I'm really nervous about it.

The hardest part about having limited experience is not knowing what is and isn't an emergency and not having a local "cat lady" to consult. Hoping this forum will help with that. So far so good. I feel very inadequate so it is a relief to have a community available on-line. Thank you

Rural areas differ so much but the general idea is that they all must fend for themselves and intervention (medical) is not usually done. If they live, they live, if they die, they die. We're rural but do not feel that way and many of our neighbors share our thoughts, so it's luck + luck for us.
You're doing what you can, if she hadn't been taken in by you odds are she would have suffered the trauma, and died slowly and the kittens would have starved. You're giving it effort. Everyone starts out inexperienced with this kind of stuff, this forum is very helpful and supportive =)

 

[Furballsmom]

We're rural but do not feel that way and many of our neighbors share our thoughts, so it's luck + luck for us.

I feel very inadequate so it is a relief to have a community available on-line. Thank you

A HUGE to both of you!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Do you think I should stop him from eating the kitten food until the soupy poopy bum stops?

As msaimee commented, keep feeding, also can you get some flavorless Pedialyte?

 

[Elyquint]

I think you should feed him as much food as possible, leave out some dry food 24/7, preferably kitten chow. Kittens need to eat several times a day anyway, and if they're malnourished or having diarrhea, they need even more nourishment. Did the vet give you a de-wormer for him?

I thought I had to wait until they were a little bigger? He is about a pound.

 

[Elyquint]

As msaimee commented, keep feeding, also can you get some flavorless Pedialyte?

Yes

 

[Elyquint]

Rural areas differ so much but the general idea is that they all must fend for themselves and intervention (medical) is not usually done. If they live, they live, if they die, they die. We're rural but do not feel that way and many of our neighbors share our thoughts, so it's luck + luck for us.
You're doing what you can, if she hadn't been taken in by you odds are she would have suffered the trauma, and died slowly and the kittens would have starved. You're giving it effort. Everyone starts out inexperienced with this kind of stuff, this forum is very helpful and supportive =)

Cheers. I needed that. Exactly that.

 

[msaimee]

They are 5 weeks old, right? One pound is about right. You can begin mixing some KMR with some canned food, preferably ones specified for kittens, so the kitten system can adjust to kitten food. In about another week you should be able to feed the kitten dry kitten chow in addition to the canned food . You can leave a bowl out 24/7.

 

[1 bruce 1]

They are 5 weeks old, right? One pound is about right. You can begin mixing some KMR with some canned food, preferably ones specified for kittens, so the kitten system can adjust to kitten food. In about another week you should be able to feed the kitten dry kitten chow in addition to the canned food . You can leave a bowl out 24/7.

Even though it's maybe not the "highest quality" out there, Purina kitten chow is complete and affordable.
Royal Canin makes a "baby cat" dry that's almost microscopic kibble size that we've used to wean onto solid food, too, but it's a little more $$$.