Liz_M
Well-Known Member
I bottle-raised a single kitten about 30-some years ago so my skills are a bit rusty...
So between this last Friday and Sunday, I have taken in three tiny kittens, because their retarded feral mama was carrying them around, dropping them randomly and leaving them for hours, like in my driveway or the middle of my front lawn. One by one I took them in, and on two occasions put them back out to see if she would take charge but she showed no interest.
They are (best I can tell) a little over a week old. Eyes just starting to open, ears just starting to stand up, still blind and I think mostly deaf (they don't respond to sound or light but when I get close they start stirring and coming towards me; I read that tiny kittens have an excellent sense of smell.)
I bought powdered formula and a couple of feeding bottles. They are being kept in a cat carrier for now, I am feeding them every 4-5 hours. And, win, my little Jack mix is an AWESOME mothering dog and she waits for me to get done feeding them, then I give them to her and she cleans them very thoroughly, both north and south ends LOL. They purr and roll around, then back in the carrier they go until next time.
They seem healthy and as active as kittens who can't really see, hear or walk can be. They do have fleas, but not horribly bad, I've been using a flea comb on them. The smallest one was initially resistant to the bottle but has since gotten the hang of it and now they are all very enthusiastic about feeding time! While I am feeding one, the other two are crawling over my hands gumming me (they also do not have teeth yet.)
So far so good, but I am reading a lot of conflicting information online. Like, when do I first worm them? And are pet store dewormers really teh evil, or should I take them to the vet? And, much of what I read says to feed kittens under 14 days every 2-3 hours, but none of them are interested in eating that often, every 4-5 hours seems to do the trick. They are not crying, or sucking on each other, in between times, which I read is a sign of hunger, so I hope I'm OK with the status quo?
I haven't called my vet yet and maybe I should but thus far they seem to be doing OK and I will get them in at 6 weeks for vaccinations, if not before. Or should I take them in just for a check-up?
I feel badly for retarded mom-cat but she really didn't appear to be holding up her end of the bargain. I am going to get her trapped and spayed within a month.
Sorry for long post. And I promise I will get photos shortly. They are all gray and white and of course adorable. I think two girls and a boy but I'm not an expert at this.
Anyhow, any tips or shares is appreciated! I'm thinking they will outgrow the small carrier soon, I do have a larger one. Can't let them out loose unattended because the knucklehead mastiff puppy is liable to step on them or something.
So between this last Friday and Sunday, I have taken in three tiny kittens, because their retarded feral mama was carrying them around, dropping them randomly and leaving them for hours, like in my driveway or the middle of my front lawn. One by one I took them in, and on two occasions put them back out to see if she would take charge but she showed no interest.
They are (best I can tell) a little over a week old. Eyes just starting to open, ears just starting to stand up, still blind and I think mostly deaf (they don't respond to sound or light but when I get close they start stirring and coming towards me; I read that tiny kittens have an excellent sense of smell.)
I bought powdered formula and a couple of feeding bottles. They are being kept in a cat carrier for now, I am feeding them every 4-5 hours. And, win, my little Jack mix is an AWESOME mothering dog and she waits for me to get done feeding them, then I give them to her and she cleans them very thoroughly, both north and south ends LOL. They purr and roll around, then back in the carrier they go until next time.
They seem healthy and as active as kittens who can't really see, hear or walk can be. They do have fleas, but not horribly bad, I've been using a flea comb on them. The smallest one was initially resistant to the bottle but has since gotten the hang of it and now they are all very enthusiastic about feeding time! While I am feeding one, the other two are crawling over my hands gumming me (they also do not have teeth yet.)
So far so good, but I am reading a lot of conflicting information online. Like, when do I first worm them? And are pet store dewormers really teh evil, or should I take them to the vet? And, much of what I read says to feed kittens under 14 days every 2-3 hours, but none of them are interested in eating that often, every 4-5 hours seems to do the trick. They are not crying, or sucking on each other, in between times, which I read is a sign of hunger, so I hope I'm OK with the status quo?
I haven't called my vet yet and maybe I should but thus far they seem to be doing OK and I will get them in at 6 weeks for vaccinations, if not before. Or should I take them in just for a check-up?
I feel badly for retarded mom-cat but she really didn't appear to be holding up her end of the bargain. I am going to get her trapped and spayed within a month.
Sorry for long post. And I promise I will get photos shortly. They are all gray and white and of course adorable. I think two girls and a boy but I'm not an expert at this.
Anyhow, any tips or shares is appreciated! I'm thinking they will outgrow the small carrier soon, I do have a larger one. Can't let them out loose unattended because the knucklehead mastiff puppy is liable to step on them or something.