My son recently moved from an apartment to a nice 2 bedroom house with a large yard! Exploring the back of his new yard he has found 4 little kittens. He is not sure how old they are, they do have eyes open. He went and got KMR and bottles and picked up a couple jars of baby food too. He is not sure how much milk he should be feeding these babies. He has brought them indoors and put them in the spare room. Made a warm fuzzy comfortable bed for them. If I could get some advice from my wonderful family I would sure appreciate it!!!
Thank you!
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
2b's son has found 4 abandoned kittens-Help!
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How sweet! Your son must have Mom's goodness genes.
It's been a year since I fostered my kittens. I belive I gave them about one tablespoon (15cc) every 4-5 hours. Mine were 3 weeks old.
Many others here with lots more experience hopefully will check in soon.Posted 3 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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Honestly, I remember with mine , they usually stopped when their tummies were full. You could really tell because after a good feeding their tummies were very round.
Just checked one of my baby bottles, at 3 weeks it was 15 cc (marked on kitty bottle). Of course this went up incrementally as they grew. As I got to know them, I knew when they had had enough, they turned away from the bottle, full round belly and started to play.
Good luck to your son, and hope that we can get a peek at them via photo soon.Posted 3 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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Your son is a sweetheart, he had good upbringing :)
My favorite site for info too is http://www.petplace.com/cats/kitten-care-recommendations/page1.aspx
Remind him that if they are really young that they will need help to use the toilet afterwards and other things that I can't remember right now.
Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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What a wonderful house warming present for your son! (and how come when I move to a new place a batch of kittens aren't waiting for me???? pout:-{ )
Seriously isn't he a wonderful son! The only advice I remember from little ones is let them eat as much as they will, but I don't know anything about bottle feeding. Good luck to him and them!
Posted 3 years ago by DancingCatHill #
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Any idea what happened to Mama cat?
Posted 3 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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What an awesome, sweet son you have 2B. But of course, the apple never falls far from the tree. I wish him much good luck and success with these babies.
((2B and son))Posted 3 years ago by HuddysMama #
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http://www.rescueguide.com/orphkits.html
This looks like a very comprehensive reference
Posted 3 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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Is he sure the mama kitty is m.i.a.? Maybe she was out roaming, foraging, etc. Ask him to keep an ear open in case she comes back looking for her kits. Meanwhile, yeah! He has new kittens!!!!!! I suspect 2B will be helping with the rearing of the new babes!
Posted 3 years ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #
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Oh, poor sweet mama.....I am so glad that he found them.
Posted 3 years ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #
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2BP, I am in love with your son too. You have raised your son well. That is so great he is willing to help those four kittens. Definitely a vet visit asap. I have never been around younger than six week old kittens and others have already given you good advice. I would love to experience just once what it is like to be around kittens..being born and then being raised. Of course I would want to keep them so that is something to save for the day I live in a house (way off in the distant future if ever).
Posted 3 years ago by SylMiaFelixsMomma #
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Chances are mama kitty is still around somewhere. If she shows up for regular food and water that he'll start putting out for her, he should see if he can coax her inside... she'll do the very best job of raising the kittens, at least until they're weaned. (And then she should be promptly spayed.)
The websites listed probably do a good job of explaining food, peeing & pooping, and the importance of cuddling & temperature control. Frequency of feeding is important right now. If they're still being bottle fed, 4-5 times per day should be the minimum frequency that the bottle is offered. Also note, some kittens seem to do better on canned, liquid KMR than the reconstituted dry formula.
Weaning is a messy time, since they also typically learn to pee & poop on their own at the same time. He'll eventually need a shallow litter pan (no more than 2 inches high), plain clay litter (not clumping), and a shallow plate for wet food. Canned food should be spread in a circle around the rim of the plate, and initially coated with some liquid KMR. Right after eating, put the kitten/s in the litterbox... but if peeing & pooping don't occur, they'll need stimulation with a warm, damp washcloth. Kittens may need bathing every day for several days, since they'll wear as much food as they eat for a few days.
And don't neglect the vet visit for the litter! Good luck!
Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #
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Congrats to the new father (your son). I agree with Tigerlilly. I went by the numbers on the baby bottles (when I rescued the very last litter of kits that Ms. Hissy had) & they usually let you know when they're full. My only prob was taking care of 5 (egad!!) all hungry at the same time. Your son has gotten lots of good advice here. Can't wait for pics!
btw...did you ever download the pics of Hopper? Were they usable? I would love to compare the old ones with how he looks now.
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Thanks everyone! TL that is another great site!! Thank you! I will be forwarding all the info I can to him. He is very excited about the challenge. Best part of this is that his girlfriend is able to take the kitties to work with her and care for them during the day!!She works at a feed store who is very familliar with ferals and abandonded animals. She will be able to get lots of help there too! But I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before the weekend to see us through!! I knew I could could on my TDK family!!!!
Ann, thank you for putting this info in a step by step list!! That's very helpful for us newbies!!!!
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Susie, I brought my camera in to work last week with the intention of downloading them, but the night before I took too many pictures of Blackbeard and when I got here with my camera the batteries were not strong enough to get the pictures off...I took it back home and still need to recharge the batteries..(sorry I keep forgetting) but yes there are a couple good shots of Hopper on there!!
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Julie...you wouldn't recognize him now. His fur is soft & shiny. I still have to move slowly towards him (permanent feral trait), but,when I'm down on the floor at his level, He melts & cuddles his head into my lap. And he actually has let me pick him up twice!! Of course I was quick to put him back down,but, it's a beginning...just like your son's new arrivals. :)
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.... trying to think of famous foursomes.....
.....George, Jane, Judy & Elroy.....
.....Bob and Carol, Ted and Alice......
......Lucy, Ricki, Fred & Ethel.....
......Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy....
.... Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Daisy....
ok, I'll stop (ducks as shoes are thrown)
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Buttercup, he is amazing with kitties so I'm sure the lack of sleep won't bother him too much! His girlfriend is taking the day shift because she is able to take them to work with her, so I imagine the night shift will be his. He is currently keeping them separated from his current 4 indoor kitties that are all rescues. He was up to 7 but was able to find good homes for 3. The other 4 he will keep forever..now possibly more!! LOL
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