kittens 2-3 weeks, haven't seen mom around for a week

[kitty102]

(Not sure where to post here or the sos forum)

Hi,
So last week I heard crying kittens in my backyard, I didn't care much because obviously I thought their mom wasn't there at the time. (Searching for food).
A week has past but I haven't seen an adult cat except 1, it roams near them but hisses at them, I only see them for a few minutes so I'm not sure of the relationship, is she the mom or even a female cat.
Secondly, these kittens are alive without me interfering, so does that mean the mom is around and feeds them?

Today, I was worried because the kitten would follow me, she doesn't walk well, so I'm assuming the kittens are 3 weeks, because also one bit me with baby teeth.

Also, one of the kitten keeps disappearing while the other one is still in the same area. Maybe mom moved one of them? Or where is it?

I just made a shelter with a blanket and placed one kitten there, refused the milk, I had nothing but pureed/ pate cat food and it went crazy on it like it was hungry.
I just ordered a bottle and kitten milk formula. Will arrive today.

I know it's confusing, but I'm more confused, kittens alive, but mom nowhere to be seen.
Adult cat roaming near by but hisses at kittens!
One kitten dissappeared.

Also regarding the feeding, I work for long hours, how can I arrange it.

I don't trust anyone to foster/adopt, plus I can't confirm the mom's situation. and don't want to take her babies from her.

I'm there until they can support themselves as adult cats.

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for trying to help these kittens. To be honest, any and all of your guesses could be correct. My opinion, from having seen this sort of thing, is that something has gone wrong. There are too many variables that you would not see with young kittens such as one following you, extreme hunger and willingness to eat adult food, and a questionable adult cat hissing at them which is really a wild card.

Are the kittens in any kind of an area where you can give them a secure place to stay? It sounds to me as if you should proceed with feeding them and giving them something like a sleeping area. I don’t know how safe you can make it because that probably depends on the arrangement of the property on which you live at the location in which you found the kittens. The fact that one of them is gone could well mean that something has happened to it

I would not worry that you are interfering with the care that their mother may be giving them because most mother cats, even the most feral, will take care of their babies. If you and all suspect that the cat who is hissing at them maybe the mother, if there’s even any way that you can tell that from the appearance of that cat, it is not a good sign regardless. Are there any rescues or cat organizations in your area that you can contact?

I think that you were asking if you should intervene and the short answer to that is that I think you probably should if it is possible for you to do so. Please remember that you can continue to come back here for more support and information.

 

[kitty102]

Thank you for your reply.

Are the kittens in any kind of an area where you can give them a secure place to stay?

Yes, I used a cardboard box with a blanket.

The fact that one of them is gone could well mean that something has happened to it

Yes, but the other kitten comes and go. Saw it twice last week, while the other kitten daily. What makes question is that he shows up then disappears, then shows up again. So this made me think the mother is moving them.

If you and all suspect that the cat who is hissing at them maybe the mother, if there’s even any way that you can tell that from the appearance of that cat, it is not a good sign regardless.

I do, but sometimes I don't. I'm not there 24/7 but when I started feeding the kitten she came out of nowhere, also when I placed the kitten over the blanket and fixing the place she was lounging very close by, like 9 feets away.
Also, I did notice her previously roaming near the area where the kittens were. But I don't see any motherly instincts except thwt she's "near by", BUT the kittens survived the entire week without me interfering, so I am assuming there is a mother somewhere.

Are there any rescues or cat organizations in your area that you can contact?

Unfortunately no.

 

[fionasmom]

Your suspicions could be completely correct. Following cats is hard and may deter them from where they intend to go, so I don't know if that is a possibility. There are trail cams which are not that expensive if that would help.

Another scenario is a simply bad, often young and inexperienced, mother. This could be the cat you have seen, or one you have never seen. I think that I would keep the shelter for them and provide some food as it seems that they are hungry.

 

[kitty102]

Your suspicions could be completely correct. Following cats is hard and may deter them from where they intend to go, so I don't know if that is a possibility. There are trail cams which are not that expensive if that would help.

Another scenario is a simply bad, often young and inexperienced, mother. This could be the cat you have seen, or one you have never seen. I think that I would keep the shelter for them and provide some food as it seems that they are hungry.

Thank you for your reply.

You are probably correct, the adult cat does seem young.

So the update, the kitten milk arrived and just fed the poor baby. The other update is that the adult cat has it's own kittens and she keeps them hidden way far from where I found the kittens. But I can't confirm are they all hers? Did these 2 kittens wandered far or did she abandoned them, or they are not hers. I also can't confirm if the missing kitten is in there as well, very hard to check.

I really want the poor thing to get warmth and socialise with her siblings, should I move the box and blanket near them and place the kitten inside and leave?

 

[fionasmom]

These situations can be very confusing, and you are working on this as much as you can to figure it out. If the young adult cat with the litter is hissing at the kittens, she has either abandoned them (if they were hers to start with) or they are not hers and have lost their mother. I have found single kittens on more than one occasion with no clue as to how they got there when the rest of the litter or the mother cat is clearly not in the picture.

If the kitten is anxious for the milk or food that you are offering, she probably has no other source of food. If this is a rejected kitten, or one who is not a member of the litter, moving the box closer may not help. Are you still dealing with two kittens, not counting any that you believe belong to the young mother?

 

[kitty102]

These situations can be very confusing, and you are working on this as much as you can to figure it out. If the young adult cat with the litter is hissing at the kittens, she has either abandoned them (if they were hers to start with) or they are not hers and have lost their mother. I have found single kittens on more than one occasion with no clue as to how they got there when the rest of the litter or the mother cat is clearly not in the picture.

If the kitten is anxious for the milk or food that you are offering, she probably has no other source of food. If this is a rejected kitten, or one who is not a member of the litter, moving the box closer may not help. Are you still dealing with two kittens, not counting any that you believe belong to the young mother?

Yes, only one kitten, I can't confirm if the other is with the rest, I will try to search tomorrow.
Yes, the poor thing is crying for food. But how can I confirm her age? 2-4 weeks ?
I'm trying to figure the feeding schedule to suite us both, 3-4 hours feeding is not accessible during the day. I can manage it during the night from 6 pm until 3-4 am so it's like 3-4 feedings
The next feeding I can do is 9-10 am
Also, maybe I can manage another feeding at around 3 pm
Is it ok? When can I stretch the feeding hours? I'll try my best this week because I feel it needs all the nutrition it can get, but I hope it will be more convenient a week from now.

As for the next coming months shelter, food, and water will be provided until spring comes and hopefully it will be able to support itself.

 

[fionasmom]

How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Progression: At-a-Glance
I don't know if this will help you to determine the age. If this one does not work, there are a lot of others online which you can google.

If there is no one to help you, you can only do what you can do for the kitten. Try to feed it as often as you can, barring times that you have to be at work. If they can eat soft food from a can, that is okay to give them as well. If they are three weeks, that is sort of a cut off for being able to eat wet food. Leaving food out is not necessarily a good idea as it will attract the other mother cat and her kittens and they may completely intimidate and drive off the one you are trying to help.

Do you own cats? Is it at all possible to bring this kitten inside?

 

[kitty102]

From pictures I'm guessing it's 3 weeks old, it did eat the pate I gave it (the texture is very similar to thick jello) I just cut it to tiny pieces to make it easier.

Yes, I do have an adult cat at home, he likes being the only cat, I can't change that unfortunately. I did rescue a cat previously and he won't stop meowing and yelling at the door.

 

[kitty102]

Updates:

So I noticed quite few things today.
1. Kitten no longer cries and follow people.
2. I give him 10 ml each feed, every 3-4 hours but I noticed he was no longer hungry and can go up to 7 hours without crying for food. His last night feed was 12 am, then at 8 am, and at 12:30 pm. I think I'll space them more like 6 hours.
3. What I noticed also is his canine, I don't recall seeing them a couple of days ago, but who knows.
Appreciate all the advice, and please keep them coming.
I've also placed a few cat plush toys, I felt he was board and had no kittens to play with.

 

[fionasmom]

It sounds like there is a feeding schedule that is working for him. Before he found you, food was probably scarce. If he were trying to eat at all, he might have just been getting by with anything that passed as food, but now he has some actual nourishment. Do you plan to try to get him a home of have him fixed? I do understand that you have a number of ferals around, not all who interact with you or maybe even come to your property.

 

[kitty102]

Yes, But I'm a little concerned. He's 3-4 weeks but weights only 142 grams approx 5 oz
I did noticed he gained a little bit with the milk formula but I unfortunately didn't weight him back then. My concern is he drinking enough?
He drinks about 10 ml per meal but not going crazy over food/milk like when I first found him.
According to feeding schedule he should be fed 60-80 ml per day, 6-8 meals every 3 hours. But as I mentioned he is not hungry and can go 7+ hours without crying. So literally he's only drinking 30-40 ml per day.
I do understand the kitten formula is very dense and nutritious, could this be the reason? Is he feeling full? Should I keep the low dosage 30-40 ml for the next week?

As for giving him a home, I have a large yard many birds live here, one of the reason feral cats come, I'm not sure, I'll see in a few months I might give him a permanent home with me.

 

[fionasmom]

Kitten Lady
Helpful website for dealing with any kitten issues
Kitten Care - Home — Kitten Lady
How to Determine a Kitten's Age — Kitten Lady
How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Guide: Five Weeks

How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Progression: At-a-Glance
Each age can be accessed from this guide

It is possible that with a solid diet of kitten formula and solid food that he is getting enough liquid. Some cats, by nature, are not drinkers. First off, I would say that if he will eat more, especially of the food, let him have as much as he wants. If he won't eat out of a dish, try using your finger or a popsicle type stick or other flat object that he can lick. Even a shallow spoon will work. If you have only been giving him formula, see if he will eat pate type food.

If that is his weight, and I am not suggesting that you are wrong, he is underweight by quite a bit. Illness enters into this as a possibility. Do you see fleas, parasites in poop (if you see any)? If this is a lack of appetite, it might be related to an illness. He might need to see a vet if he does not come around quickly.

 

[kitty102]

Thank you for the links.
He is definitely 3-4 weeks but is underweight, what he went through is the reason I believe, that's why I want him to be will nourished, especially the first week of using the formula.
He is completely fine, no illness from my experience or parasites. But I noticed ever since introducing the kitten formula he stopped being hungry quickly and crying, I'm guessing it is more fulfilling than the pate I used to give him. He was crazy hungery, I would spread the pate and he would just jump on top and start eating, he only acted this way probably the first 2 milk feeding.
Now after reading, I think I will stick with the 5-6 hours feeding but I will keep the 10 ml per meal and see how tthings go.

 

[kitty102]

Hello again
So, a quick update, we are now doing 3 meals per day, the first meal is a 1 teaspoon of pate chicken mixed with 10 ml of kitten milk. The other 2 meals are just 15-20 ml of kitten milk per meal, so far so good, I did notice him grooming himself after meals.

The other surprising news, is the female cat is actually the mother, the other kitten was spotted with her. Today, the mother cat didn't hiss at the kitten, she just sniffed him, but the kitten was scared and froze, when I tried to remove him he screamed like crazy, poor boy.
But why, he never did it back then, and he would walk normally around her.

 

[fionasmom]

If he is grooming after he eats, he feels good about his meal. You have really worked with him to save him and deserve a lot of credit. How long has it been since he saw his mother? Was the screaming like he wanted to go with her, or just fear about seeing her?

 

[kitty102]

Aww
He is in the backyard, while she and the other kitten are in the front yard, she does come here quite frequently but I can't confirm if she gets close to him.
Yes, clearly he was scared. But probably because she is somewhat a stranger bigger cat?

 

[fionasmom]

I could be her size. Dogs and cats sometimes don't have the kind of memory humans would have of a parent if there are extenuating circumstances. But he may also just be afraid of her.