My Foster Adventure

[Mamanyt1953]

They still try to eat from mama though, am I not feeding enough or do they just like mama more?

Comfort nursing is totally normal, and they do it pretty much until mama puts her paw down about it. Now, that can vary wildly. I've seen mamas put an end to nursing around three months, and more than one who continued until the kitten was a cat. One for a good two years. LOL, some of us remember one member whose kitten began nursing his Lab, who began relactating ( continuous nursing can trigger milk production in ALL mammals of either sex), and was doing so for over a year! I wouldn't be surprised if the little rascal was still nursing from that dog!

There is no way for you to "over feed" kittens this age. Their little metabolisms are going ninety to nothing, and they are growing like weeds. Feed them as often as and as much as they want for now.

 

[StefanZ]

Yes. And do weigh them too so you know for sure if they gets enough.

 

[Jcatbird]

You have made huge progress. I am so glad they are doing better! If they can’t bite the dry food yet you can always moisten it. I make sort of a mush out of it to start them out. I get so tickled when they plant themselves in the dish with all four paws to enjoy the food. The previous posts about mom are right. The kittens will try to nurse for a long time. Even if they are not hungry it gives them comfort. Hopefully now that mom is dry she will start to wean them off trying to nurse. You may She her trying to push them away, run from them to get up high somewhere they can’t reach her or even give them a little swat. The moms do bond so it may take a bit. She has been an exceptionally devoted mother. Part of her intense nursing was to protect her babies in a rough situation.

 

[StefanZ]

When they eat regular food they dont need as much kmr. As food is more energhy tight.

The scale is your friend...

 

[catsknowme]

This is great news! I am dealing with only 4 right now and they are a handful. I try to give them a schedule; I put them in a carrier and cover it with a towel for naptime and bedtime. When they get up, I bring 2 out at a time to avoid being swarmed. And at less than 5 weeks, they are learning the command "wait" quite well. But dealing with 8 without extra help is more than twice the challenge. Especially with medical issues! Not to mention dealing with our regular cats!

 

[ileen]

How is mama cat doing?

 

[Lil Dude]

How is mama cat doing?

Good, the vet says she responded to the first round of injections and he says she should do just fine after the second round. She started eating last night and walking around which was huge progress. He wasn't very hopeful yesterday, but today he says she should recover quickly. There's, of course, still fluid in her lungs that she can't cough up, but other than that she's doing good.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Again, I take our triumphs where I find them, and the fact that she is moving around and eating on her on is WONDERFUL!

 

[Lil Dude]

Again, I take our triumphs where I find them, and the fact that she is moving around and eating on her on is WONDERFUL!

She's still grumpy mama, but she's always been that way since I've had her these few weeks. She's nipping at babies when they try to eat, so..I think they've gotten all they'll get from her.

 

[catsknowme]

Good for mama! She realizes that it is time to wean them. Mama kitties are gentler than dogs or horses - I have fostered only 2 litters of puppies but it is rather shocking how brutal mama dogs can be. And twice, I have seen foals get their eyes kicked out by mama horse.

 

[Lil Dude]

Good for mama! She realizes that it is time to wean them. Mama kitties are gentler than dogs or horses - I have fostered only 2 litters of puppies but it is rather shocking how brutal mama dogs can be. And twice, I have seen foals get their eyes kicked out by mama horse.

Well, they're only about a month old..it isn't near time for weaning.

 

[foxden]

You're right.
Mama cats will typically allow kittens to nurse well past 6 weeks of age. You got one of the exceptions. Mama is not healthy, and her milk production has stopped early.

Now, you need to watch the kittens to be sure they are eating enough and gaining weight. That is a lot more work than when mama is primarily taking care of the kittens.
If the kittens are eating KMR and pate food soup from plates or bowls, everything should work out OK.

 

[catsknowme]

Yes, the kittens are young but mama was DEATHLY ill and her instincts probably told her to stop nursing. On top of that, she had whatever was making her cry in pain when she nursed. My ferals bring their babies out around 3-4 weeks to begin eating at the food dishes (In warm weather, I moisten the kibble); yesterday, I saw 3 tinies that were born about Aug.10; they skittered off before I could grab them.

 

[Lil Dude]

You're right.
Mama cats will typically allow kittens to nurse well past 6 weeks of age. You got one of the exceptions. Mama is not healthy, and her milk production has stopped early.

Now, you need to watch the kittens to be sure they are eating enough and gaining weight. That is a lot more work than when mama is primarily taking care of the kittens.
If the kittens are eating KMR and pate food soup from plates or bowls, everything should work out OK.

A lot of people have been telling me this, to make sure they're eating. That is one thing I don't have to worry about. They eat. And they eat. And they eat. And then they eat some more. It is like a nonstop thing. The problem may be that they're gaining too much weight

 

[Lil Dude]

Yes, the kittens are young but mama was DEATHLY ill and her instincts probably told her to stop nursing. On top of that, she had whatever was making her cry in pain when she nursed. My ferals bring their babies out around 3-4 weeks to begin eating at the food dishes (In warm weather, I moisten the kibble); yesterday, I saw 3 tinies that were born about Aug.10; they skittered off before I could grab them.

Well, I'm doing my part to take over mama's job of feeding them. Her nipples bled whenever they ate. I believe they would fight for space since there are so many of them, and it would cause them to get too rough.

I just remembered that you had asked for pictures of them, I've been busy, but I will try to post some tomorrow. I'll make sure to show their fat tummies.

 

[Norachan]

More good news!



There's no such thing as a too fat kitten. If they look like baby fur seals you're doing a good job.

My last lot of foster kittens came to be at around four weeks of age, they were fine being weaned then. It isn't ideal to take them off mother's milk so young, but if it's painful for mum to nurse them it's the best thing to do.

My kittens used to smurgle for comfort after every meal. That's when they suck and knead on a blanket, as if they were nursing. Maybe you could get them a thick fleece to smurgle on, to give mum a bit of a break?

 

[ashade1]

I just found this thread... have been absent in the kitten season madness! You have done a great job with these guys! Have their stools and URI's cleared up? I wasn't sure if they gave you albon for all of the kittens. It is so important to get the diarrhea cleared up ASAP because it drains everything out of them so quickly!

 

[Lil Dude]

I just found this thread... have been absent in the kitten season madness! You have done a great job with these guys! Have their stools and URI's cleared up? I wasn't sure if they gave you albon for all of the kittens. It is so important to get the diarrhea cleared up ASAP because it drains everything out of them so quickly!

Yes, the vet prescribed Albon. No more diarrhea for the kittens, but still some sneezes here and there. Honestly, I'm surprised I've only lost one kitten in this. They were so sick and all of this medicine is so overwhelming. I thought getting one cat to take their medicine was hard, now I have to do it nine times a day! Plus, the recovery is slow. I expected immediate results and that is not at all what I have gotten. It's just..a process.

 

[Lil Dude]

More good news!



There's no such thing as a too fat kitten. If they look like baby fur seals you're doing a good job.

My last lot of foster kittens came to be at around four weeks of age, they were fine being weaned then. It isn't ideal to take them off mother's milk so young, but if it's painful for mum to nurse them it's the best thing to do.

My kittens used to smurgle for comfort after every meal. That's when they suck and knead on a blanket, as if they were nursing. Maybe you could get them a thick fleece to smurgle on, to give mum a bit of a break?

I haven't seen any of them sucking on blankets. They still try for mama and sometimes she allows it for a few minutes, but then she starts to cry and I stop them.

 

[ashade1]

Yes, the vet prescribed Albon. No more diarrhea for the kittens, but still some sneezes here and there. Honestly, I'm surprised I've only lost one kitten in this. They were so sick and all of this medicine is so overwhelming. I thought getting one cat to take their medicine was hard, now I have to do it nine times a day! Plus, the recovery is slow. I expected immediate results and that is not at all what I have gotten. It's just..a process.

Trust me- I know! lol.
The albon is a little old school for treating coccidia... it stops the reproduction of the parasite so it is very slow at showing results. Often leading in the loss of a kitten. A new drug they try is ponzuril? (Spelling?) it kills the parasite. You usually see a difference in 2 days! It is great. It is a drug for horses so most vets haven't heard of it for treatment yet.