I Voluntered To Hand Rear Two 3 Days Old Kittens Rejected By Their Momma

[ginny]

ginny That's what I'm hoping for too.

I found the laws regarding animal welfare, and there's not a lot I can do. I need to have multiple proof of abuse, have an association ready to press charges and assume the financial costs, and even then it rarely goes to court. Removing the animal(s) myself is out of the question, it's against the law. I called my association and they confirmed it. They still want me to keep them in the loop though.

This is hard, that's not something I ever was exposed to before. I've always have been around people who value the life of all beings, and that's how I was raised. Knowing that these cats may be in need of help, and there's nothing I can do about it, it's breaking my heart.

I'm trying to stay positive, and hope to be able to go see for myself tomorrow.

I feel the same way you do! Hoping for the best!

 

[Lyzzie]

So, the new time for today to go and see the kitties is 2PM my time, it's now 11:15 AM. Let's all cross fingers, toes, and paws

 

[daisyd]

It gets weirder by the minute. So we didn't go today because the colleague, Alyssa, had an appointment. We are supposed to go tomorrow, early afternoon. I don't know what to think anymore.

It's hard getting reliable info through multiple people, so maybe this got blown out of proportion.

Just in case, I'm going to get info about animal welfare and how it really works here in France.
We know for a fact that Momma cat is not spayed, so I'm wondering if she's identified. This is mandatory since 2012 I think, so I'll see what I can do about these cats. Worse case scenario, if it's allowed by the law, I'm thinking about taking everyone with me. This really upsets me, I don't understand some people.

I'll keep everyone updated.

Is it mandatory for cats to be spayed or identified? It's not fair to give you the runaround like this !

 

[Lyzzie]

daisyd A law passed in 2012, all domestic carnivores have to be identified. The spaying/neutering is left at the consideration of the owner. I think it's stupid, AND I know for a fact that vets spay/neuter but don't identify if the owner doesn't want to. It's ridiculous, and all done for the money, of course.
It's not cheap in France to identify and spay/neuter, but everything else is, compared to the US.
For example, Shadow's spay and chip was 215€ all included, that's 240$.
But when Medley needed X-Ray, an inti inflammatory injection, antibiotics and a heart medicine, that was 150€ all included. That's around 170$.

It's kind of the opposite of the pricing I see quoted here by US members.

 

[daisyd]

That is really expensive ! You'd think X-ray would be more expensive ! Here is is mandatory to chip dogs however not cats yet ! I paid £35 to spay gracie. Male Neutering cheaper . I paid £45 for a kitten pack which included all her first time jabs, first lot of flea and worm treatment plus a chip all included. So £80 covered it all. Circa €91 . I think it should be this cheap everywhere as it would mean no excuse !

 

[Sarthur2]

I am anxiously awaiting news. It is 3:45 your time now. Hoping for the best!

 

[Lyzzie]

Ok, I'm back, I finally saw the kittens!

So, the momma cat is 10 months old, and her owner thought she was doing the right thing by letting her having a litter before getting her spayed. I really wish people were better informed than this, but hey, what's done is done.

About the kittens :
They were born early Saturday morning, wish mean they actually are 3 days TODAY.
All of them are alive. I weighted them all, and weights are not that bad, only one is 67gr, the others are all above 95 gr.
I explained everything to Alyssa, and she is more than willing to take care of the kitties, including weighting them daily, supplementing the littlest one, and rotating them with Momma.

Momma is looking really good, she eats, drink and go to the litter properly.

We exchanged phone numbers, and I'm going back tomorrow to see the progress, and help. I think I will go back every day for the next two weeks.

So, except for the 67gr kitty, I think it's all good for now.

Momma cat has fleas, and the babies too, is there a safe flea med for momma ?
I told her to comb her daily and get rid of as much fleas as she can that way.

 

[Sarthur2]

This is good news!

So good of you to go back every day for 2 weeks. I think it is very necessary.

I am concerned for the 67 gram kitten. It could not have gained much since birth. Kittens this small rarely even survive. Did you show her how to properly supplement it by feeding it while you were there?

Good also that mama seems healthy!

Thank you for your perseverance in this situation!

 

[Sarthur2]

As for flea treatment, a tube of Advantage II on mom's neck will help. It should be repeated in 2 weeks, along with flea combing, washing all bedding in hot water, and vacuuming floors.

 

[Lyzzie]

Thank you! I was very surprised to see them all alive, even the little one.
I did show her how to feed, tummy down, head up, one drop at a time to the side of the mouth.

She was very thankful actually, to have help, she just didn't know what to do.

About the Advantage II, I can't get that in France, only Advantage.

 

[Sarthur2]

Advantage will work!

 

[Lyzzie]

Great! I have some, I'll give that to her tomorrow.

And I will take pics, I just totally forgot today.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, we would love to see pictures!

I hope the tiny baby gains some weight by tomorrow also!

 

[Lyzzie]

Yeah, me too. They are SO CUTE, I can already see that there are some tabbies in the bunch.

 

[Lyzzie]

I just got back from seeing the kittens, and here's an interesting development : There are 7, not 8. I was told 8, and yesterday, I didn't do a total check count, we just weighted the kittens one by one, until we got all 8.
Today, I counted them while Momma was eating, and found 7. We checked everywhere, we didn't find any more kitten. So I guess we probably weighted the same kit twice yesterday. Such a rookie mistake!

So, today, we got them all weighted, and their claws painted with different colors of nail polish.
Oh, and Tiny survived the night! He's still alive, but if I'm referring to yesterday's weight, he only gained 3 gr.
I got 0.5ml of KMR in him before Momma got too anxious. But his gums are pink, and he's got a set of lungs on him like you wouldn't believe. So, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Alyssa tried to get him to latch yesterday and today, but he wouldn't apparently. So supplementing is going to be IT for this little guy.

Here are today's weights :

Blue : 70 gr
Gold : 100 gr
Pink : 105 gr
Green : 110 gr
Red : 115 gr
Purple : 115 gr
No color : 124 gr

Momma was looking tired today, but she was still loving on us, even me! I just met her yesterday, and she's letting me handle the kittens. She's a cutie. I put a spot on of Advantage on her, that should help with everyone.

I left Alyssa my flea comb, some honey for Tiny, 4 cans of wet food, the KMR, and a needle less syringe. She didn't say anything yesterday, but I got a feeling that maybe money must be tight, so that way she doesn't have to buy everything at once. Maybe I'm wrong, but that way I'm sure she got all she needs to help.

I didn't get pics today, Momma was too anxious, and I really wanted to get them all weighted and their claws "painted".

I'm going back tomorrow, hoping that Tiny gained a lot more than yesterday.

 

[Sarthur2]

You are being very kind and generous.

I don't know if my suggestion is appropriate, but I'm wondering if you might consider taking the tiny blue kitten home to supplement, until it hits 100 grams.

If fed around the clock, it could reach this goal by the weekend, then go back ready to latch to mom.

 

[Lyzzie]

You know, I actually thought about that myself. I was worried that Momma wouldn't take him back. Do you really think that's something doable?

 

[Sarthur2]

I do! It would be exhausting for you around the clock, but I think he would gain faster. It would only be for a few days to give him that opportunity. The owner would have to agree, of course.

See how much he's gained by tomorrow, and decide from there.

 

[Lyzzie]

Yes, I will definitely do that. I'm thinking the min weight gain should be 10 gr, otherwise I'll ask her about Tiny Blue. Do you think it's too much of a weight gain to ask?

 

[Sarthur2]

The minimum range is 6-10 grams per day. He is tiny, so he needs to gain at least 6 grams a day. Ten is even better.

The bigger he gets, the more he can and should gain per day. I've seen normal-sized newborns gain 20 grams or more in a day. And I've seen tiny babies like this one go from 70 to 100 in 3 days.

The thing is, he can only drink so much at one feeding. But over a 24-hour period, he should have the opportunity to eat plenty and gain easily.

Since the owner works, I don't know how often she can supplement him. That's the key right there - supplementing enough.