Young Kittens And New To This Forum

[Sarthur2]

Yes, and use coconut oil as a preventative.

The weights aren’t bad for 2 weeks. They should weigh 8 ounces at 2 weeks, 12 ounces at 3 weeks, and 16 ounces at 4 weeks.

The two who are struggling are a bit underweight.

None of this is unusual with bottle babies. There are frequently issues such as you are experiencing. Hang in there!

 

[love67742]

You're doing great! When they learn how to walk, be careful where you walk. I have 3 6 week old kittens and you'd think they'd stay in there container, but they always find a way to jump out. I litter trained mine by putting them in a litter box whenever i see them about to pee, and now they are practically litter trained at six weeks! This is a big one, be patient. Good luck

 

[Sarthur2]

What is going on with the kittens? Have you been to the vet?

The bigger kittens who were doing well on the KMR can stay on it.

Please answer in this thread.

Kevin and Lisa

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

So this morning my smallest kitten did not take much during his feeding and was acting very lethargic. I put a little drop of honey in his mouth. During his last feeding he really seemed to have perked up. He drank his bottle and peed. My other small kitten still is still having diarrhea although it seems to have gotten a little bit better. I had all four of the kittens switched over to goats milk but if you think the larger two would be better with the KMR we will give them that. Since it seemed like someone had peed and pooped in their bedding, we decided to separate the four kittens into their own boxes to see who was doing what. After their last feeding all four kittens had gained a couple grams in weight.

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

I also had an issue where I thought I was overfeeding the kittens. I was feeding them with a syringe that was marked 5mL. When I changed them over to the small KMR bottle I squirted 2 syringes worth of formula into the bottle and I was surprised to see it measure 15 mL. What kind of issues would arise from overfeeding?

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

Is this ok the way I have these guys setup right now? The heating pad is on low and there is old T-shirt’s and a warm water bottle in each box. Whichever one was peeing and pooping when they were all together was making a mess

 

[Sarthur2]

Overfeeding could result in lethargy and not being hungry. It could cause the diarrhea.

The smaller kittens who weigh just under 7 ounces need 56 mLs minimum per day. If you feed every 3 hours, they need 7 mLs at each feeding, so the 15 mLs would be almost twice as much as they need.

How often are you feeding?

Leave them all on goats milk for now since you’ve switched already. I originally only meant for you to switch the one who was struggling, but it’s okay.

How often are you stimulating the kittens?

The heating pad should be covered with a blanket or tee shirt. Kittens on top of the blanket. No boxes!

You really should keep all the kittens together, not separate.

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

We have been feeding them every 2.5 - 3 hours. After they eat we stimulate them and wipe them off. All of them at least pee, only a couple of times has one of them not peed after their bottle.

So should I put a blanket between the heating pad and the box or a blanket overtop of the box and the heating pad? I figured the heating pad might be better on top rather than underneath so that it doesn’t get too hot on their skin

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

Since we figured out the mistake with the syringe we have been giving them 8 mL every 2.5 hours. Is that ok for the bigger ones?

 

[Sarthur2]

The heating pad goes underneath the blanket. The kittens will be on top of the blanket with room to move off if they get too warm.

Yes, the schedule sounds okay. Do they seem satiated after 8 mLs?

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

The two big ones eat the 8 mL very quickly. I guess they seem satisfied. We are about to do another feeding shortly so I will share latest info. We started a journal with their weights in it to keep track better. I will start keeping track of how much they eat and if they pee or poop after each feeding.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Do you have them in boxes with lids?

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

Do you have them in boxes with lids?

Yes

 

[talkingpeanut]

i think you should take the lids off.

 

[Sarthur2]

Absolutely no lids! The kittens need to be together also. You will just need to clean up after them and change bedding regularly.

I would like to see pictures of the kittens please.

Kevin and Lisa

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

i think you should take the lids off.

Ok I will give it a try. I was worried they wouldn’t stay warm enough

 

[Sarthur2]

They will be plenty warm enough on top of a blanket with a heating pad underneath.

Get rid of the boxes. The kittens need each other’s companionship.

Kevin and Lisa

 

[Kevin and Lisa]

They will be plenty warm enough on top of a blanket with a heating pad underneath.

Get rid of the boxes. The kittens need each other’s companionship.

Kevin and Lisa

Ok feeding them now. Moving them back into the carrier after this.

 

[Sarthur2]

Good!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Glad to hear they’ll all be together again. With a litter, you will likely need to treat the whole gang for any ailment anyway. It’s ok.

Re: warmth, they need to be able to get away from any heat source. Absolutely not safe to close them in.