Help--New bottle feeding fosters

GoldyCat

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Some friends of a friend just dropped off two kittens they found under a modular storage building. They said there was no sign of other kittens or a mother. It's getting pretty cold at night now, so they didn't want to leave them. They can't take the kittens home with them because they figured their dog would try to eat them. They had already gotten KMR and fed the kittens. They said they took about a teaspoon between them.

I have no idea how I'm going to tell them apart. Both kittens look like girls (as nearly as I can tell this early age) and both are solid black. One of them has her umbilical cord still attached, and they don't have their eyes open yet. I'm guessing 3-5 days old.

Kitten A weighs 4.4 oz. Kitten B (with cord attached) is 4.8 oz. I've got them in a small cat bed inside a laundry basket with heated socks full of rice to cuddle with.
A did really well with the bottle and took another 8cc of milk, then peed for me but no poop. B hasn't quite got the hang of the bottle, but I managed to get about 3cc into her with an eyedropper. She didn't pee or poop.

I've taken care of bottle babies before but only when they were 3-4 weeks old and almost ready to start eating solid food. I know I have to feed these babies about every 2 hours, but how much do I give them? Does anyone have a formula based on weight?
 

catsknowme

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Thank you for taking on the job of caring for newborns.  www.kitten-rescue.com has excellent advice!!! For my personal experience, goat milk is easier on their systems than cow's milk or KMR which is cow's whey. I dilute the kitten glop formula at first and feed more often. It sounds like the little ones may have needed some colostrum if they were only a couple of days old. I find the first week of life to be the most challenging.

    Remember that if the formula is too cold, the kitten's small intestine will shut down. I wouldn't worry about Kitten B not peeing if you are stimulating it - it may not have eaten enough to need to eliminate. Pooping at such an early age isn't as critical as the peeing is.

    Also, if your kitten crashes, don't give up too soon. You can lightly puff at its nose for CPR and be sure to massage gently and keep switching the side that it's laying on, so the blood doesn't pool. Also, use a sugary homemade pedialyte and give it drop by drop, every few minutes or so until the kitten is alert enough for a regular feeding.  My little guy Lance used to crash quite often and finally seemed so hopeless that I put him in a shoe box then l took a nap, figuring that I would bury him in the late afternoon - imagine my surprise when he stirred about an hour later.  I used the sugar solution all night with him - he's a gorgeous 2 year old now!!

Sending mega prayers and vibes that you are successful with your new babies
 
 

StefanZ

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. I know I have to feed these babies about every 2 hours, but how much do I give them? Does anyone have a formula based on weight?
Catwoman recommends a rule of thumb of 8 cc on every Oz, for a day.  For their almost 5 Oz, it would give about 40 cc  to spread around the clock.   

Here we do have an advantage with measuring in Oz. Otherwise its much easier measuring in grammes.    :)

As long as they themselves suckle and swallow actively it is diffult to give them too much.   The problem is if they are weak and dont suckle and swallow actively - in such cases you must take it easy and slowly, and not too much - you dont want to risk any refluxes or anything.

Its good you give them every 2 hours now when you are still unsure.  When they are stabilized you can take it every 3 hours if you wish (and need to sleep some).

Good luck!
 
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GoldyCat

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Sleep?? What's that?

So far they both seem to be doing okay. Baby B is getting better with the bottle, it just takes her a while to figure out she's supposed to be sucking on the nipple instead of chewing at it. She still hasn't peed when I stimulate her, but I'm not too concerned yet. Baby A has peed when I stimulate her after every feed, and somebody peed on the warm rice sock.
 

biancavd

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You are amazing for doing this! :)

Make sure you give them kitten milk, they need what's in that to get themselves going. Don't go for the cheapest either, they are still very young and they'll need everything they can get from the milk, and the cheapest brands often aren't that good. Specially as the kittens don't have their mother's milk, what gives them even more of a boost to get them through the first important week.

Keep an eye on their poo'ing and peeing. Make sure they do both. If they don't poop within a few days, go to a vet asap. Peeing they already do, so that's good.

Also weight the kittens every day. They should gain about 10grams a day in their first week. It could be a little less, but make sure they gain and never lose weight or stand still in their gaining.

For the stimulating, try using a cloth and make it wet. It should simulate a mother's tongue. It should be a bit rough and you should massage his/her intestines and lower part. It should make them poop and pee.
 
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GoldyCat

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The kittens are doing very well. I've been feeding them a combination of goat's milk and KMR. I was afraid they weren't getting enough because sometimes they seem to forget how to suck, but they've both gained an average of 14gm a day over the last 3 days. They're also peeing and pooping, not always on command. I do have to change their bedding fairly often.

I went out Friday, the day after the kittens were found, to see if I could find a mother or other kittens. No luck :(. I knocked on some doors and found out that the only cats that are regularly in the area are three neutered males. Nobody knew of any females. They're keeping an eye out for her, but so far we haven't gotten any calls.

I do have to go to work once in a while so I'm trading off nursery duty with another volunteer from the shelter. She picked the kittens up this afternoon and I'll get them back on Wednesday.
 

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   Thank you for the update!! I hope to see continued success when you get them back Wednesday :)  Bless you for going back to where they were found to see if you could rescue the mom or other siblings -
 
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GoldyCat

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The babies are doing great. I've almost got them weaned off the bottle, but they're not quite ready to give it up yet. Maybe another week. I started a thread in the Fur Pictures forum here.
 
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