Kittens Stuck Together But I Can't Take Them To The Vet. Help!

[crystalcat614]

How is it going?

It's going great! Two of the kittens seem close to opening their eyes! Also, I know I haven't really been active here, but that's because I'm not usually one for forums. I mainly just came here because I got freaked out when I saw the kittens stuck together and I didn't know what else to do. But everything's fine now! However, I still want to wait until the kittens get a little bigger before I post any pictures.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Were you able to move them to a secure area?

Glad to hear all is well. Is there a reason that you're hesitant to post photos?

 

[crystalcat614]

Were you able to move them to a secure area?

Glad to hear all is well. Is there a reason that you're hesitant to post photos?

Like I said, I still want to wait until the kittens are a little older before taking/posting any photos. Plus, there's still one kitten who hasn't fully opened his eyes yet and I'd kinda like to wait until he after his eyes are more open before taking/posting any photos.

 

[crystalcat614]

I know I said that I wanted to wait until the kittens got bigger but now I don't know if I'll be able to post pictures at all. To be completely honest, I'm really worried about the hurricane that's coming tomorrow. I don't think we'll get much flooding or anything where we live, but it's still a scary thing to think about. Plus, due to personal issues and whatnot, we can't exactly evacuate our home, much less take our pets as many of the cats are still kinda wild and unfriendly and I'd hate to leave them. However, if we all make it through this then I'll let you guys know once everything's cleared up. Hopefully, it shouldn't take more than a day or two to do that.

(Note: I'll probably also change this post if everything turns out okay.)

 

[Sarthur2]

Where on the Gulf Coast are you?

Hopefully you are not in a flood zone.

 

[orange&white]

Do the mama cat and kittens have shelter from the storms that are coming? Where will they stay?

 

[crystalcat614]

Okay, it looks like I gotta answer a few questions before anything else... First off, I'm NOT on any real part of the coast so the hurricane isn't hitting us too bad. In other words, I'm NOT in a major flood zone so no need to worry there. Second, the momma cat and kittens do have a shelter from the wind and rain (which are the only main problems) though it's not much. However, I've been bringing the kittens inside and I tend to keep them inside for as long as I can. Yet that brings me to the second topic...

As I've said before, the mother cat, Cookie isn't very friendly and she's also sort of wild. She doesn't even show any real interest in coming inside which is problematic on its own. Add that to the fact that I never got any sort of bottles or kitten formula beforehand and that means I can't just keep the kittens away from their mother and feed them myself. (I'm such an idiot for not thinking things through enough...)

Thinking about it all it makes me feel like I wish I had never found those kittens in the first place as I'm probably just gonna end up losing them anyways. Maybe it's for the best if I was heartless because I'm already clueless and helpless in trying to keep all the kitties safe so yeah... Maybe it just wasn't meant to be...

 

[Norachan]

C crystalcat614 Don't think like that. There is no reason you can't save this mother and her kittens. We're here to help you do so.

You need to bring the kittens inside and keep them in. Once they get to the age where they can run around on their own it's going to be impossible to keep track of them. That is when you are going to start losing them, one by one.

Do you have a room you can set up as a cat room? You'll only need to turn it over to the cats for about a month. A spare bedroom, a bathroom, even a large closet will do.

You need to block off any escape holes that the kittens can crawl into. Vents and tiny spaces under beds or cupboards, that kind of thing. Set up a bed, cardboard box with a blanket is fine, litter box and food and water in there.

Bring the kittens indoors and wait until the mother follows them in. If she won't follow them you can put something really smelly and tasty in there to tempt her. Tuna or mackerel work well. Some cats find KFC irresistible.

Once she is inside shut the door.

She's going to cry and try and get out at first, but you just have to be strong. You're doing this for her good, even though she doesn't know it. She will complain at first but you are saving her life, so just ignore her cries.

You can get KMR and eye droppers or kitten bottles to feed them with. I'm not in the US but I'm sure Sarthur2 or one of our other posters can tell you the best place to get them and the kind you need.

Even if the mother never gets used to being an indoor cat having her inside now will mean she won't get pregnant again. If she still wants out when her kittens are weaned you can get her spayed and let her out again. I have cats that prefer being outside too. The main thing is to make sure they don't breed and add to the feral cat population.

For what it's worth, I haven't made an awesome success of my life either, but saving a litter of kittens from death/a feral cat's life and seeing them all go to good homes is just the best feeling. You'll see. You can do this and you can do anything else you out your mind to.

We're here for you.

 

[Sarthur2]

If you can't get the mother inside right away, you'll need to put the kittens back with her so she can feed them until you can get her in.

Don't let the kittens starve.

Try to buy powdered PetAg KMR as soon as you can also.

Walmart carries it, as do pet stores. Get syringes from a vet or pharmacy.

 

[crystalcat614]

Well guys, I've got some good news and some bad news... The good news is that I put together a little shelter for Cookie and her kittens and it seems to be working out all right for the most part. Plus, like I said despite the hurricane the weather where I live hasn't been extremely bad so that's another positive. The bad news, however, is that despite my best efforts another kitten appears to be dying. I don't know how it got this way and I've tried calling the local veterinary clinics to no avail. I seriously don't think there's anything I can do for the poor thing at this point... I'm a failure as a cat lover... I'll still do my best to help the others as much as I can, but it's probably all pointless by now. I'm sorry everyone. You should stop trying to help me now as I'm a worthless person who can't do anything right and I don't deserve to be helped.

 

[talkingpeanut]

No need to be so hard on yourself.

It may be for the best to move the kittens inside and take over their care, though. Can you do bottle feedings? They are clearly not getting what they need outside.

 

[kashmir64]

The thing is, you don't know who she bred with. This could be a genetic fault and is no fault of yours.
There's no telling why these kittens are dying. I had got two kittens once and every one of the litter of six ended up dying from a heart problem. Five died before the age of 1 and the other just a couple of years ago. My two were included in that.
It's something you just don't know. You can't feel responsible and give up on loving cats because of this.

 

[Sarthur2]

Can you get the kitten put to sleep to end its suffering?

Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault.

The enclosure sounds good, and you are helping by feeding mom.

 

[crystalcat614]

Tragically the sick kitten couldn't be saved even when I was able to take it to a vet and it eventually died. I've taken it upon myself to move the other three into one of the bathrooms of my house and will be taking care of them from now on. Fortunately, I was given some kitten formula and a bottle from the vet so hopefully I'll be able to take care of the others. At any rate, I'd like to thank everyone for being so nice to me even though I still feel like I may have done something wrong that led to the kitten's death. I know it wasn't entirely my fault, but it still breaks my heart that I lost another kitten. Hopefully taking the others and caring for them myself will help them have a better chance at life. Regardless of what happens though, I'll keep you all posted on how things are going or if anything else comes up.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you try once more to get Cookie to follow you inside to be with the kittens?

Do you know how to feed them? And how to help them potty? Without mom, you will need to feed them every 2-3 hours around the clock. They need a heat source as well.

Photos would help.

 

[Sarthur2]

C crystalcat614

Yes, please bring the mom inside too. That would be best. Mom will be looking for her babies!

They may not take a bottle after having mom, in which case you'll need a syringe.

You need to weigh the kittens daily to know how much to feed and to see that they are gaining 6-10 grams daily.

They have to eat every 2 hours around the clock, including through the night.

They need to be stimulated to pee and poop with a warm wash cloth before and after every meal.

It's a lot of work to hand rear kittens. Bringing mom in will make things a lot easier.

 

[Norachan]

I'm so glad to hear the rest of the kittens are inside. They stand a much better chance of surviving there. If you could get Mum to come inside too that would be awesome.

Please don't blame yourself for anything. Those of us who take care of feral cats know how often the kittens die, even when we are trying our best to help them.

That's why we push TNR so strongly, to try to prevent further deaths and suffering.

Do you have any idea of how old the kittens are now? If you could post a picture of one we could give you a close guess.



Please let us know if you need any help or advice at all.

 

[crystalcat614]

I'm so glad to hear the rest of the kittens are inside. They stand a much better chance of surviving there. If you could get Mum to come inside too that would be awesome.

Please don't blame yourself for anything. Those of us who take care of feral cats know how often the kittens die, even when we are trying our best to help them.

That's why we push TNR so strongly, to try to prevent further deaths and suffering.

Do you have any idea of how old the kittens are now? If you could post a picture of one we could give you a close guess.



Please let us know if you need any help or advice at all.

The kittens are a little over a week old now, though I'm thinking they'll turn two weeks old by Thursday.

 

[crystalcat614]

I decided to give the other kittens back to their mother but I'll probably help feed them as well to make sure they're eating enough. I won't be able to completely watch them all the time, but hopefully things will turn out okay. Either way, I'll see what happens and let you guys know if anything else comes up. I'm also thinking of taking pictures of them soon, but I'll probably wait another day or two as I'm feeling pretty tired right now.

 

[crystalcat614]

Many of you wanted me to post pictures of my kittens and I feel bad for not doing so sooner especially since I didn't know one of the kittens would end up dying... Since I don't know what'll happen going forward and since you guys asked for it, I've decided to go ahead and post a picture of the three kittens I have now. Sorry if the picture doesn't seem so good and I'm sorry I couldn't really get the kittens to face me (they're still pretty young, after all) but at least you get to see what they look like (sorta).