Premature Kitten Care.

[kumbulu]

Age adjusted to 2 weeks and 2 days old.

Weight: Tiny - 291g or 10.3oz Timmy - 368g or 13oz

Well! The little vegemites took their sweet time opening their eyes. Tiny opened hers at about 2.5 weeks and Timmy, about 3 days ago. Both are very well, getting bigger every day and now that they can hear, they cry whenever they hear my voice or the 'bing' of the microwave announcing that their formula is ready! (Technologically advanced kittens these.

) Tiny is going to be a lovely tortoiseshell and white and Timmy, a cute grey and white.

Smokey is no longer sharing their box and is now sharing a much bigger box with two other boys - one black with a very long tail and long, slim legs and a slim little face (that I suspect is part purebred something) and a very shy black and white. The black is about 5 weeks and the black and white about 6 weeks.

New pictures are in this thread.

 

[valanhb]

YAY!!! Saw the pictures and that are SO cute!!! Those big baby blue eyes are just to die for! Thanks for the update, I look forward to it every week!!!

 

[ldg]

Kumbulu posted:
...Both are very well, getting bigger every day and now that they can hear, they cry whenever they hear my voice or the 'bing' of the microwave announcing that their formula is ready! (Technologically advanced kittens these days).

...

The "new" mom, right Tania? Oh I am just all smiles today now!!!!!!

Now I gotta go see those pics...

 

[kumbulu]

Laurie, I'm teaching them to say "Mummy".

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Is that fur I see on them now?

They're doing so well under your care.

I love reading the updates.

 

[hissy]

You do rock my friend, I am glad they are in your hands. They aren't out of the woods yet, but the fact that they are still around speaks loudly to your devotion to them. Keep it up! By the way- where IS that article you were going to send me?

 

[kumbulu]

Mags, they are very furry now, like normal kittens.

MA, I put it on disk and put it somewhere so I wouldn't lose it, it's just that I don't know where that somewhere is LOL. I'm looking.

Thank you all for your support of these

.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Idea just popped into my head just now....and given the time I haven't thought it through and it does mean extra work for you Tania, I'll admit that.

With all the work that you've put into these three bundles of fur, perhaps you could put an article together dispensing advice to other people out there and include the diary and photos too. It's just an idea that popped into my head while sipping my chamomile tea, posting on TCS and reading Kittens for Dummies.....phew...no wonder I'm tired.

But seriously, kittens are a handful, I can't imagine taking care of premature kittens.

You're doing a fantastic job. Hmmm...do they recognise the smell of vegemite yet?

 

[kumbulu]

Mags, I actually have written an article all about caring for orphaned and abandoned kittens. It covers everything you need to know. That's the one MA is asking about. As soon as I find the disk, I'll send it to MA and I think we were going to put it on TCS for people who find or are given a tiny kitten, to use. I will also e-mail her some pics and see if we can use those too.

I've offered the two kittens some Vegemite toast but they went pffft and wanted their bottle.

(Just kidding.)

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Yay!

So that's the article that you're being hounded for. I was thinking I missed an article about TCS in some Aussie magazine or something.

Be careful waving that vegemite around. Russell practically plonks himself sitting looking up at me with his yellow eyes looking ever so handsome saying "Remember when I was 11 weeks old and recovering from flea bites and worming sessions and vegemite on toast was my treat in the morning?" Esper comes along and plinks herself down and looks at me saying "I'm the Princess, surely I get some." Menchi, well he doesn't know what vegemite is yet but he sure knows loves the smell and he plonks himself down in front of me...but being a kitten he's easily distracted by Esper and Russell's tails sweeping the floor behind them.

 

[kumbulu]

LOL Mags.

I wanted to tell you all a little story about something these 2 preemies did. A lady called me about a week ago and said that her cat had been missing for almost 24 hours. Her cat had three 1 week old kittens and she said one of them was quite floppy. I asked her to bring the kittens over as it sounded like they weren't very well and had gone without milk for so long. I had the kittens for a day and a half and she rang to say that the mumcat was back. I asked her to bring her over and we'd see if she still had milk and also to see if she'd take the kittens back.

So she brought the cat over and we put her in a basket in a quiet room along with her kittens. She let them nurse straight away. I asked about the cat's health etc and she had been fully vet checked recently. I asked her if she'd mind if I placed the two preemies with the mum to see if she would take to them.

I placed Timmy and Tiny in the basket after giving them a good rub with another of her kittens and she didn't mind at all. The thing was, both Timmy and Tiny crawled up onto her side and lay there mewing. I placed them back with the other kittens and showed them a nipple, gently sqeezing a liitle milk to help them get the idea. Again they crawled up onto the mumcat and mewed.

It was sad to see that they didn't know how to nurse. Usually it's the other way round, with them having a hard time adjusting to the bottle. I don't know if it's because they were prem or becaue they never got to nurse from their mum but I felt so sorry for them. I took them back to their box and gave them a bottle, which they happily nursed on.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

*Hugs*

Tania, feel glad that the premmies are nursing and feeding.

There's no need to feel sorry for them. I don't. They're in the hand of someone providing them with the best chance in life. It's sad that they never got to feed from their mum, but you're their mum now and they couldn't have found a better one.

 

[hissy]

Tania,

It is likely because they were born to soon, did not have the critical moment with mom where she guides them from her purrs to her belly and they grab a nipple and it becomes theirs from that point on. Since they missed that curcial time, they are at a loss as to know what to do.

 

[kumbulu]

Adjusted to 3 weeks.

What can I say? My baby girls are growing up. They love to gently play-wrestle with each other and are having short exploring sessions with me, on the floor. They complain loudly about having their bottoms stimulated, even though they're not quite ready to be trusted on their own. As soon as they have a bit better muscle control in their legs, I will introduce them to the joys of using a little litter-tray.

They love their formula and are now going 5 hours between feeds. Mummy is very happy about this as it means she can sleep for 5 hours straight!

They're awake for a good hour at a time now before they conk out wherever they happen to be.

Their pics are in this thread for you to see how big they've grown.

*Edited to add: I've just realised that 'conk out' may not be a familiar phrase to the Mericans. It's the same as run out of steam or your batteries go flat and you fall sound asleep LOL

 

[dustycatwriter]

You have done an admirable job. The kittens are adorable.

BTW-Sometime we conk out in Texas.

Dusty

 

[kumbulu]

Dusty, I'm so glad that others conk out too.

Kittens for Dummies arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago and I love it! Thank you for writing such an informative and comprehensive book about baby furries. I love how you've peppered the book with humour too, it's so refreshing!

I have to go and do kitten baths now - those usually sweet smelling, innocent-eyed girls have poopied everywhere! Amazing how such an unacceptable smell comes from such cute bubs!

 

[valanhb]

Tania it just makes my heart sing every time you post about these little ones!

 

[kumbulu]

Adjusted to 4 weeks.

Weight: Timmy- 593g or 21oz, Tiny - 487g or 17oz

They are getting so big! They enjoyed toddling around the back garden today (as long as I stayed VERY close lol) and are almost ready for the dreaded weaning. They are very healthy, though Timmy likes to store up her poopies for 3 days and then do a huge one. She's not constipated, she just stoically holds onto it, the little booger! They are getting so fluffy and their eyes are beginning to change colour.

It's going to be pretty hard to let these two

go when it's time!

Their 5 week pictures are in this thread for you to see.

 

[valanhb]

Thanks for more updates and more pics!! These two just have my heart, I can't imagine how hard it will be for you to adopt them out. What a great job you've done for them!

 

[ldg]

Tania, I can't even imagine how difficult it'll be to part with them. We've only fostered one teeney kitty that we then adopted out, and we were all tears and really grumpy. Sending lots of "be strong" vibes to kitty mommy of the year!