Questions, so many questions

[abacat]

Hello, I am fostering a Momma and three babies. The babies are three weeks old as of yesterday. They had a rough start but are doing OK now. I took them to the vet last week after one passed away. The vet said that the babies looked good and Momma has enough milk but she's not cleaning them well so I have to do it. That's no problem and she seems to be doing better now. My problems are:

They were gaining weight but for the last two days two have stayed the same and one has lost half an ounce. She gave me a can of HIll's A/D and she told me to blend it with equal parts water and try that. I also got liquid KMR but I am not having any luck hand feeding. Any suggestions? I have bottles, pipettes and syringes.

When can I start to offer KMR or kitten mush to them in a dish?

When do they start to pee and poop on their own and how can I tell? Another volunteer gave me some pine litter and her starter box. I put the litter in Mommas box and she wasn't impressed. :-)

They are active and clear eyed. The male even bopped Momma on the head today.

Sorry for the long post. Adult cats and weaned kittens I know but this is all new territory for me.

 

[Sarthur2]

At 3 weeks they may not be ready for mush yet, but it sounds like mom may not be producing enough milk. You'll have to supplement them with a syringe. Kittens with a mom will not take a bottle. You'll need to get the formula into them whether they like it or not. With 2 days of no weight gain, and with one having lost half an ounce, it's critical that you turn this around now!

If they are squirmy, you can wrap them up like a burrito in a towel. With tummy down and head up, you feed them in the side of the mouth. Not too fast, allowing time for them to swallow. After a feeding or two, you and the kittens will be more comfortable with it.

If you give me their weights, I'll tell you how much to feed each kitten.

 

[Sarthur2]

You can also begin to offer mush on a plate anytime now to see if any are ready to lap it, but they are young. They should begin peeing and pooping on their own any day now, and once on solids, they will need to learn the litter pan.

I suggest you switch to non-clumping litter.

Let me know how the feeding goes!

 

[abacat]

Thanks! Two weigh 12ounces and one weighs 11 and a half ounces. They all weighed 12 yesterday.

 

[Sarthur2]

They should each get 12 mL's of formula every 3 hours for a total of 96 mL's in a 24- hour period. I don't know how much they are getting from mom, but not enough, so see if you can begin getting this much into them.

Their weights are right on target for 3 weeks. They should weigh 16 ounces at 4 weeks old. You want them gaining 6-10 grams per day.

And kittens love Gerber turkey or chicken baby food! I weaned mine on it. Easy to lap up and digest.

 

[abacat]

Thanks again. :-) I was thinking they were too young to try feeding from a dish as well. I have the pine pellets for them. I leave a small box in the crate when I'm not home (I leave the crate door open when I'm with them or in the house). They are in my finished basement away from my cats.

Also, how long can KMR sit out before you need to toss it? I warmed some up about five hours ago and it's been out since then.

 

[Sarthur2]

I'd toss it now if no one's consumed it. It starts to get funky.

 

[abacat]

OK​. I'm off to warm up some formula! I'll have to wrap them up to try to feed them. I was suspicious Mom didn't have enough milk. They nurse constantly, if she had enough they'd be much bigger.

 

[Sarthur2]

Let me know how it goes! Good luck!

 

[abacat]

Well, I got a small amount into two of them. I'm so worried about them aspirating it, I didn't force it. I ended up using the pipette. They were really stressed and so was Mom. I either need to have someone come over and show me or take them to the vet which  hate to do because it stresses everyone and it's expensive.

 

[Sarthur2]

Let's see what they weigh tomorrow, and try the mush or Gerber turkey baby food before panicking. Having someone come over to show you is an excellent idea!

Did you get any into the kitten who lost weight?

Do you see them nursing frequently and for decent periods of time?

 

[handsome kitty]

Are you sure mom is getting enough food?  She should have as much wet and dry kitten food as she wants.  You can also give her a dish of KMR a day.

 

[abacat]

I will weigh them in the morning after Momma feeds them. Yes, they nurse every hour to two hours and for a few minutes. I have been giving Momma wet food twice a day with milk replacer in it. She stopped eating it but now with the liquid KMR she gobbles it up. She is a tiny thing. I bet she doesn't weigh more than five pounds. I also think she's going back into heat. :-( We'll soon find out, there is a new male in the neighborhood and he's not fixed yet (he will be as soon as a spot opens up) so if he starts hanging out at the back door i'll know.

Oops, I should have said she has unlimited dry kitten food and two big bowls of wet kitten food with KMR in it. I can add more KMR and also offer her a dish of just KMR as well.

Thank you so much! I feel better now.

 

[abacat]

Let's see what they weigh tomorrow, and try the mush or Gerber turkey baby food before panicking. Having someone come over to show you is an excellent idea!

Did you get any into the kitten who lost weight?

Do you see them nursing frequently and for decent periods of time?

Yes, she was the first one I tried.

 

[Sarthur2]

Maybe offer mom a third bowl of wet mixed with KMR, and do check in tomorrow. We'll take it from there! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[handsome kitty]

Don't go crazy with the KMR, Mixing it with the wet food is fine unless she isn't eating it. Too much can cause diarrhea.

 

[abacat]

I got the kittens to take a little KMR this morning. I stimulated and weighed them. The boy gained a half ounce but the girls stayed the same. I am calling the vet. They are experts at getting kittens to eat so hopefully a day or so with them and they will gain weight. I hate to have the expense but other than one person i''m not getting a lot of support and I need these kittens to do well.

 

[Sarthur2]

I'm glad you got some KMR in them. If they are spending the night, mom will need to go too.

Can you ask for a vet tech to show you how to feed? That may be all that is needed. It's great that one gained and no one lost, so at least they are maintaining.

Have you tried Gerber with them yet?

Let me know what you do next. I feel like you need some confidence, and hope the vet techs can help you out. I wish I could!

 

[abacat]

I'm glad you got some KMR in them. If they are spending the night, mom will need to go too.

Can you ask for a vet tech to show you how to feed? That may be all that is needed. It's great that one gained and no one lost, so at least they are maintaining.

Have you tried Gerber with them yet?

Let me know what you do next. I feel like you need some confidence, and hope the vet techs can help you out. I wish I could!

Oh I totally lack confidence! I'm the kind of person that needs to stand there and watch someone do something to learn. :-)

I tried the baby food (cause i'm a crazy cat lady and I have some on hand). The littlest girl lapped some up! The rest just walked through it and the A/D I mixed up. :-)

I've texted and gotten no response but most people are at work so it's understandable. I'm calling the vet now. They are awesome, they will show me how to feed. I didn't think to learn before because Momma was feeding them.

I'll update once I know something.

 

[Sarthur2]

It's good news that the little girl lapped some Gerber! I'd continue offering that along with the KMR. They are a little young for it yet.

I'll wait to hear after you know more later. [emoji]128522[/emoji]