| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| PlumCreekMama |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 7:42:11 PM
My mom wanted to get rid of some of her cats, so she dropped them off at my house. Well, the next day, she found a litter of 3 kittens at her house and now I can't find the mama cat. I thought I saw her last night, but she is kind of wild and ran away. But both the cats looked the same, so I don't even know if it was the right one. One of my mama cats has fed them for me when I lock her in a cage with them for awhile, but she's not really happy about it. They are about 2 weeks old, eyes open, but can't really drink from a saucer. Anyone have any experience bottle-feeding kittens? Any tips?
http://plumcreekmama.blogspot.com/ |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Georgia Girl |
Posted - Jun 29 2008 : 5:23:50 PM
I don't mean to be rude but have you checked into a low cost spay program in your area?
~Denise~
Proud Farmgirl Sister #113
http://mybigcityfarm.blogspot.com/ |
| PlumCreekMama |
Posted - Jun 28 2008 : 8:39:25 PM
Well, my mama cat is feeding them willingly now. I have seen her bathing them and carrying them around. I bought some bottles just in case. I lost one of the kittens the other day when hubby let out the dogs and didn't watch them. They don't understand how delicate a kitten is and the kittens happened to be out walking around. But the other two are doing very well. I lock the mama cat up with them at night along with her 2 kittens, especially since it has been raining. I almost lost her 2 kittens a couple weeks ago to hypothermia after they were in the rain all night. Kittens are almost more trouble than kids!
http://plumcreekmama.blogspot.com/ |
| PlumCreekMama |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 8:13:20 PM
I tried leaving them out hoping the mama would hear them, but no luck. I have a mama cat who is unwillingly feeding them, so I think I may go and buy some kitten bottles. One of my goats only had one kid, so I could milk her no problem for the kittens. I'll let you know how it turns out!
http://plumcreekmama.blogspot.com/ |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 5:33:09 PM
Denise-- I had VERY good luck with the goats milk, but I was very careful in the begining to make sure it would do them no harm. I did not use the cat formula that time because, honestly, I was not prepared to bottle feed kittens, especially ones just a few days old, and, at $10 a can for the powder formula, and $4-$5 a can for the liquid, I wasn't willing to PAY for it either! The kittens thrived much better on the goats milk than the ones I had fed kitten formula in the past. They also seemed more content. It's a natural food, where the kitten formula is completely man made. Have you ever read the ingredients? YIKES!! I am a firm believer in letting mom raise the babies (I breed Babydoll sheep and Nigerian Dwarf Goats), but if, for some reason, mom can't (or WON'T) do it, I will find the most natural alternative that I possibly can-- and the goats milk sounded like a good alternative!
Although I'm not so stubborn in the fact that if the goats milk HADN'T agreed with the kittens, I would have payed whatever it took to raise them up to adulthood. I'm certainly not THAT cheap!!(LOL)
Oh, and now that you mention it, scoopable cat litter probably ISN'T the best for kittens. I do recall them eating a bit of it. Not a good thing.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| Prairie Princess |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 09:33:56 AM
Oh, I should mention I just mixed up the goat's milk according to the instructions on the can, since it's condensed, but you could try doing a stronger ratio of milk to water, like Tracy suggested. It sounds like a good idea, and they might do better on it.
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
| Prairie Princess |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 09:30:16 AM
Mm, I know they say not to use goat's milk, and that kitten formula is better, but here's my two cents worth.... when I worked for the animal shelter, I fostered over 30 neonatal kittens in one kitten season, lol. I used both goat's milk and formula, usually whatever was on hand when I got a new batch of babies. I've come to the conclusion that it is an equal toss up between the two, and that both have their pros and cons.
Kitten formula is made to have the exact nutritional requirements for felines. So that's it's biggest selling point. BUT it has HUGE amounts of sugars and corn syrups in it, and the babies would get more stomach upset and eye infections, etc. when I used that. But they do grow quickly on it. One long term result I saw in a kitten I ended up keeping -- he literally became a sugar addict. He would sniff out anything that had sugar in it, and get obsessive in his efforts to down some. Just because his little system was so 'sugarfied' from the formula he grew up on. After that, I started leaning more towards goat's milk....
Goat's milk is, of course, better in that it doesn't have any additives or unnatural sugars. But it's got things that kids need for development, not kittens. The nutritional specs are off a tad. BUT long term they do fine. Their poo is a bit runnier, but they don't seem to get the constipation and stomach upset the formula gave them. Also, they grow a bit slower...not too bad, but it can tack a few days onto their development. Long term, though, they do turn out healthier than the formula-fed babies.
If you go with a formula, I like Just Born, personally, since it has the colostrum in it, and gives their systems a little boost.
I never lost a kitten with either, and I've fed every age range on both, including kittens just a few hours old, so it's really a matter of personal preference.
Everyone here has sound advice. Just make sure the kittens are upright (like in their crawling position) when you feed them, not craddled upside down like you would a baby. They're prone to choke like that...
Let us know how it goes! :)
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
| Georgia Girl |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 08:59:58 AM
DO NOT use scoopable cat litter for any kittens under 6 months of age. When it gets stuck to their feet they ingest it and it will cause blockages in their intestines. You really shouldn't use goat's milk either except as a last resort. They sell KMR at petsmart or petco and Just Born at Walmart. Those are made specifically for kittens and gives them the nutrition they need. All of the other advice sounds good. I have done orphaned kitten rescue for 15 years, this is my passion in life.
~Denise~
Proud Farmgirl Sister #113
http://mybigcityfarm.blogspot.com/ |
| Sarahpauline |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 10:26:00 PM
Oh gosh, Im living it girlfriend. The new house we moved into a couple months ago came complete with a feral cat that periodically deposits kittens in my tack room and then doesnt take care of them. I am going to spay that cat as soon as I can get hold of her. But in the mean time, Im bottle feeding. Two weeks old is easy. I just feed them with a bottle you can buy at the grocery store or a super store like wal mart in the cat section. (an eye dropper the first week or so but it sounds like you are past that) I feed every three hours but not during the night though I do feed last thing before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up. Another two weeks and they will start eating solid food. The pate style canned food works great. Or you can put some milk replacer over some kitten food to soften it. Our first kitten is 6 weeks old now and eats completely on her own. We didnt have to teach her to use the litter box, we just put a tiny pan from a freezer meal filled with litter in with her, we keep her in a large dog kennel with a towel and food when we cant watch her because our other cats hate her with a burning passion. She is usually just in there at night. She just started using the litter box on her own. One thing that is really important is to use a damp cloth and wipe the kitten down after each feeding especially their hineys to stimulate them to evacuate. Otherwise they wont, and they will die. But that is mainly for the teeny weenies. Weve had to feed these from day 1.
I was told by my vet NOT to use goats milk. It sounds like Shepherdgirl has had good luck with it. I was told that it could cause diarrhia like cows milk can and not to bother to try it. This could just be the vet covering his butt in case it didnt work out too. Who knows. I didnt find the milk replacer to be expensive at two dollars for a small carton and 9 for a carton that lasts a long while. I might take that goats milk advice if I can find some.
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 8:28:33 PM
Oh, I've done THIS before! One thing you could try is to set the kittens outside and see if the REAL momma comes for them. If not, and the other cat won't foster them WILLINGLY, you can bottle feed them (small kitten bottle-- you can get them at some Wal-Marts, or a livestock supply store should have them). I wouldn't waste money on the Kitten formula. It's VERY expensive and I don't think the kittens do very well on it anyway. I had GREAT success with canned goats milk, which you can buy in any grocery store. Those kittens that I raised on it turned out to be the healthiest, shiniest, most BEAUTIFUL cats!!! (their mother was hit by a car when they were just a few days old-- so I had to feed them quite a long time)
The milk should be diluted quite a bit at first (about 2 parts water to 1 part milk) to see how the kittens will tolerate it. You can reduce the amount of water to half and half, and eventually full strength is necessary. You shouldn't have to feed them for very long, maybe another 2wks or so, until they are able to start eating "solid" food. Solid food should be either canned, or dry kitten food mixed with the goats milk to soften if up. Be prepared though, they will make a HUGE mess when they first start eating from a dish! They will climb inside the dish and have it all over their paws and their faces, but it's so cute to watch! Oh, and the bottle should be given to them about every 4-6hrs, just like human babies, though they may cry for it more, or they may want it less. They will "tell" you when they are hungry, THAT'S for sure!!!
You will also have to litter box train them. The best way to do that is to keep them either in a large box, or a plastic tote-- both big enough to put a small litter box, or some kind of shallow container with kitty litter in it. (the scoopable kind works best) You might have to keep putting them in it until they get the idea of what it's for. If they miss the litter box, you can pick up the poo and put it in the litter box, then put the kittens in it and show them where it's at. Eventually they will start to dig around in the litter and use it like they should. Some kittens learn VERY quickly, others take a bit longer, but they WILL learn. It's gonna take a LOT of patience and a bit of work on your part, but it's sooo worth it!! Good luck with the babies! Hugs~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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