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Pinkle asked in PetsCats · 8 years ago

Help with newborn kittens?

I am trying to hand feed two kittens that are around 10 days old. I discovered them under my porch last Tuesday (September third) and they were obviously very new, probably only a few hours old, a day at most. Their mom was taking care of them so I left them alone. I don't know what happened but their mom clearly abandoned them at some point.

I took them in and have been keeping them warm, and using an eye dropper to give them kitten milk replacer every two hours. I also purchased a kitten bottle, but it's just way too big for them to be able to handle. I've done research online and I think I'm doing everything right, but I'm just worried...for a few reasons.

Ok, first, some sites are telling me that they should be getting around ELEVEN teaspoons of formula every 24 hours. That is way more than I can get them to take. If you know those little glass eyedroppers, I can get each kitten to take about half a dropper full at each feeding, which works out to each kitten taking a scant half teaspoon full every two hours.

No diarrhea, when I make them go potty (using a cotton ball), their stools are yellowish brown and about the consistency of toothpaste, like all the sites say it should be. They pee plenty, and the urine is very very pale yellow. But....the sites that say to check for dehydration all say to do the tent test on the back of the neck for dehydration, and the skin does stay tented up a little...but they are showing no other signs of dehydration. They are quite vigorous when roused to eat, and complain loudly and squirm when I use the cotton ball on them. Another sign was to check for a wet mouth, and they are wet, I check each time before I feed them.

Once they are fed, they settle back down and are pretty quiet until the time for the next feeding approaches. I really can't afford a vet right now but I am pretty attached to these little ones. Is there anything someone can point out that I should be doing, or something I'm doing wrong? I've been caring for them for 3 days now, surely such a little thing would have perished by now if I wasn't doing ok?

Update:

I did try to find plastic, but I could only find one that was way too big for their little mouths. I also tried a needle-less syringe, but I couldn't control it finely enough to just give them a drop at a time...when I pressed it, way too much came out and I was afraid it would drown them. I am very, very careful with the dropper though...I don't actually put it into their mouth, they quickly got the hang of me offering a drop and they just lap it up from the tip of the dropper.

Do you think they might make it? I keep telling myself "if they are still ok tomorrow, I'll stop worrying so much"...but then I just say the same thing again the next day!

1 Answer

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    Lv 7
    8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Oh, I really have to answer this one.

    You are doing so much right. I don't worry how much they eat at a feeding as long as they eat at each feeding. I am concerned that you are using a glass dropper. Plastic is much safer.

    Weigh the kittens daily if you can. That way you will know they are gaining weight. At age one week, I hope for 10 grams a day.

    I would add a stuffed toy for them to cuddle up to.

    Other than that, you are a pro. And an angel. You are saving 2 precious lives that would have perished if you had not stepped in.

    Thank you so much for caring.

    Don't worry about a vet visit yet. Deworming starts at 4 weeks and shots at 8 weeks so you have some time to go.

    Source(s): foster mom of cats/kittens
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