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- Jul 6, 2016
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What should out next step be?
So, a feral cat gave birth to her kittens underneath our house. They weren't on the ground; she had them in the insulation under the house. Had clawed out a little hole and everything so that she could jump into it and take care of her kittens. We didn't know about this until this morning, when my dog went outside. Apparently, she'd reached up into the hole and pulled out two kittens to "play" with them. At first, we thought that she'd killed them, but when I crawled in to pull them out, I found out that they were breathing. No blood. No signs of injury. They were quiet. But as I pulled them out from underneath the house, a cat that was obviously their mother ran off in fear. We decided to take these two kittens to the vet to make absolute sure that my dog didn't hurt them. But I want to make sure that we're doing the right thing. I realize that we actually could have done the WRONG thing, but we were so worried that our dog had hurt these kittens that we just weren't thinking properly.
So just to recap, plus a few extra details:
1. These kittens were separated from the rest of the litter, because my dog had dragged them out onto the ground. She had her mouth on them and everything. They were covered in her saliva, but there was no blood -- and it seems as if they're not in any pain (thank goodness).
2. The mother cat was still with them, but ran off after I pulled out the two kittens that we assumed were in danger. The kittens were taken care of, aren't skinny, and aside from my dog's saliva and the insulation foam, they were fairly clean. We don't know if there are any other kittens in the litter but I'm thinking that it's really likely.
3. The kittens are about 7 ounces. Open eyes, open ears, shakily crawling around. Almost to the point where they can stand, but definitely can't walk. We're assuming they're a little bit older than one week, not quite two weeks.
4. We tried to feed them, but they mostly want to sleep. We figure they're just not hungry, and kitten formula isn't nearly as good as mother's milk, I imagine.
5. They aren't crying at all. Very content just sleeping in the towels we've got for them. For the most part I leave them alone but I also cuddle with them for a few minutes before leaving them be.
6. They pee when stimulated.
I'm worried we separated them from their mother when we should have, but I'm also worried that the mother would have rejected them anyway after what my dog did. Should we return the kittens tonight? Or would it be safer for us to keep them, after they've been totally separated and my dog dragged them out? And should we keep an eye on the nesting area to make sure the mother is still coming back to the remaining kittens, if there are any? Thanks for your help, everyone!
So, a feral cat gave birth to her kittens underneath our house. They weren't on the ground; she had them in the insulation under the house. Had clawed out a little hole and everything so that she could jump into it and take care of her kittens. We didn't know about this until this morning, when my dog went outside. Apparently, she'd reached up into the hole and pulled out two kittens to "play" with them. At first, we thought that she'd killed them, but when I crawled in to pull them out, I found out that they were breathing. No blood. No signs of injury. They were quiet. But as I pulled them out from underneath the house, a cat that was obviously their mother ran off in fear. We decided to take these two kittens to the vet to make absolute sure that my dog didn't hurt them. But I want to make sure that we're doing the right thing. I realize that we actually could have done the WRONG thing, but we were so worried that our dog had hurt these kittens that we just weren't thinking properly.
So just to recap, plus a few extra details:
1. These kittens were separated from the rest of the litter, because my dog had dragged them out onto the ground. She had her mouth on them and everything. They were covered in her saliva, but there was no blood -- and it seems as if they're not in any pain (thank goodness).
2. The mother cat was still with them, but ran off after I pulled out the two kittens that we assumed were in danger. The kittens were taken care of, aren't skinny, and aside from my dog's saliva and the insulation foam, they were fairly clean. We don't know if there are any other kittens in the litter but I'm thinking that it's really likely.
3. The kittens are about 7 ounces. Open eyes, open ears, shakily crawling around. Almost to the point where they can stand, but definitely can't walk. We're assuming they're a little bit older than one week, not quite two weeks.
4. We tried to feed them, but they mostly want to sleep. We figure they're just not hungry, and kitten formula isn't nearly as good as mother's milk, I imagine.
5. They aren't crying at all. Very content just sleeping in the towels we've got for them. For the most part I leave them alone but I also cuddle with them for a few minutes before leaving them be.
6. They pee when stimulated.
I'm worried we separated them from their mother when we should have, but I'm also worried that the mother would have rejected them anyway after what my dog did. Should we return the kittens tonight? Or would it be safer for us to keep them, after they've been totally separated and my dog dragged them out? And should we keep an eye on the nesting area to make sure the mother is still coming back to the remaining kittens, if there are any? Thanks for your help, everyone!
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