Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   I have brought home a pair of 10 day old orphaned kittens. Today they are 13 days old. Couldn't find a foster mother.

   I live in India, and there is neither KMR milk replacement formula nor a vet around my house. I have read some pedialyte and kitten glop home preparations, but unfortunately the ingredients are not available. Also, goat's milk is not available in the area that I live. I have been bottle feeding them with newborn human baby formula for the last 3 days since I have brought them home. They seem to be putting on weight and seem to be doing OK. I feed them every two to four hours and they passed a lot of urine on stimulation. Today (13th day of birth) they are urinating on their own.

   In the last 3 days that they are with me, they have pooped only on day 2. I don't know if it was diarrhea since they did it at night and their box was all dirty. When I cleaned them up, the cotton swabs turned yellowish. This means that their stools were yellowish. They haven't pooped again. Their stomachs look pear shaped and bloated up, but they haven't pooped again. They often urinate after feeding.

   MY QUERY:
   1. Are the kittens constipated?
   2. Can they digest human baby formula?
   3. Any homemade formula possible with milk powder, egg yolks,yogurt, etc? These are available.
   4. There are no vets around and no pet care organizations. What should I do in order to take care of them?

   Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

2. 

   I am sure you will get some good advice from others here. The one thing I can tell you in the meantime, is that yogurt is excellent for getting their digestive systems in order. My vet had me give my mother cat a couple of teaspoonfuls once after she gave birth and her own stools were a smelly mess. It put her right immediately. So with your kittens I would say a quarter of a teaspoon each twice a day (as a supplement)until you see their stools improve would be a safe start.

   If they are constipated, you may have to try giving them an enema. Again, I would wait until those who know how to do this either tell you or direct you to a site that describes it properly.

   You are in a tough spot if there are no vets and no pet care organizations near by. Is there a zoo in your area? If so, perhaps they might have someone available who could give you advice?

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Lily #

3. 

   Oh I found this:

   http://www.hdw-inc.com/tinykitten.htm#tabbypatterns It says:

   "Constipated or straining kittens? In this case, you would want to increase the strength of the formula, and feed slightly smaller amounts, but feed more frequently. If the kitten has a swollen abdomen and hasn't passed a bowel movement in over a day, you may want to try mineral oil given by mouth (3 drops per ounce of body weight). You may want to discuss with your vet whether or not a warm, soap-water enema can or should be given."

   I wonder if you have thought about finding another nursing cat? If someone in your area has a cat, she would likely care for the kitten. A nursing cat will generally take care of any kitten you give it, so long as she has enough milk for her own kittens. That is how I got my 4 day old Munchie—I had brought my cat to the vet to break the bond between her and her kittens (they were 9 weeks old and she refused to wean them!). So when someone dropped off an orphaned kitten, there she was ready to step in and take care of it.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Lily #

4. 

   Lily, Thanks for being kind enough to provide the a/m tips and the link. Will do accordingly.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

5. 

   Wow, you are in a really tough spot. I agree with Lily's advice, I would just also suggest you start trying to get some protein into them as soon as they are able to take it. Maybe something like cooked and smushed up chicken livers, mixed with rice? Also, check out www.messybeast.com/handrear, it has a lot of good information, I just dont know hom much of it will be of any use for you. Good luck, and keep us posted!

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Skyron #

6. 

   Any possibility of canned goats milk or sheep milk? From what I've read, these would be preferable to cows' milk. Thank you so much for doing your best with these babies, you're a star and it must be very hard with the resources you have at hand. Keep looking for a nursing mum cat that could help, that would be the ideal option. These sites may also be useful:
   http://www.kittenrescue.org/pages.php?pageid=15
   http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/orphans.shtml
   http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html
   Good luck!

   Posted 2 weeks ago by jcat #

7. 

   Thanks for your advice, Skyron and JCat.

   Skyron, I'll definitely try the chicken liver once they begin to eat solids. The link you provided is not opening. Thanks for writing though.

   JCat, Canned goat's milk is not available. Also, thanks for the links. They were very useful. Thanks once again.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

8. 

   Willtoway, try googling 'hand rearing kittens + sarah hartwell + 2002', it should come up with the same article.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Skyron #

9. 

   Or try www.­messybeast.­com/­handrear.­htm -- it doesn't seem to come up as a link when I post it but it works for me as an URL. The site Skyron suggests is great so it's worth looking for it...

   Posted 2 weeks ago by jcat #

10. 

    Hi Willtoway. Can you get your hands on canned evaporated milk? That's way better than fresh cows milk or baby's formula. try this link. They have a long list of glops you can try. http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm

    At this age when they aren't weaned on solids, it's normal for kitties to not go poopoo for 2-3 days. After all, they're only taking in formula. I personally find that so long as their abdomen's are not rock hard, they shd be doing fine. My rescue kittens sometimes wgo 4 days without poop and when they do go, it is usually still soft and yellow. So don't worry too much. Don't try enema unless you're really experienced with this sort of things. And with babies so young, I would advice you to seek other alternatives first. Add a drop of mineral oil to their formula to make it easier.

    And please please try to look up a vet. And a foster mom. I know it's hard but bless your soul for trying. Let us know hw they are faring.

    Posted 2 weeks ago by Khom #

11. 

    Hello Skyron & JCat,
    I got the website. It is pretty exhaustive and very informative. Thanks.

    Khom,
    Got the kitten glop site. Evaporated milk (we call it milk powder out here), skimmed milk (liquid) and condensed (& very much sweetened, canned) milk is available. However, aren't these are all cow's milk products? Thanks for sharing from your experience. Both the kittens pooped today. It was of toothpaste consistency and brown in color.

    Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

12. 

    Ah, there's nothing that makes a tdk'er happier than news of good poop :D

    Posted 2 weeks ago by Skyron #

13. 

    I have called various pet stores. However, they did not have any kitten replacement milk. Some of them had kitten food for 1 month+ old kittens and are located quite far away. The problem in India is that most people do not buy any special food for pets(especially cats). Pets are fed whatever the family eats. Therefore there is not much of a market for cat food. Dog food is getting popular. Some pet stores I contacted even had to close down due to lack of business.

    I know of many people who have raised kittens on baby formula. I am continuing to feed the kittens on Nestle Lactogen 1- (http://babycare.headlinesindia.com/baby-brands/lactogen.html) till I find some real kitten food. It contains whey proteins (11% whey), corn oil, maltodextrin, soyabean oil, minerals, vitamins, etc....along with milk solids and some other stuff. I see to it that they are fed every 2-4 hours.

    Today is day 16 and they seem to be doing well. They are putting on a little weight and are quite playful after feeding. Their ears are still droopy and they are still shaky as they move around. They are kind of responding to sight and sound signals, and love human contact.

    I thank all you wonderful people for your kind words and advice. Will keep you updated.

    Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

14. 

    WTW, toothpaste consistency is good. they are after all only on formula. you don't see much well-formed poop till after they start on solids. u're doing a good job cuz it's not easy hand-raising babies so young.. So happy to hear the kits are coming along well! :)

    Actually, I've wondered about the same thing too...why evaporated canned milk is better than cow's milk. I don't know really but that's what all the experts tel you to do in extreme cases like this where you can't get to kitten milk. Anyone else can shed some light on this?

    Posted 2 weeks ago by Khom #

15. 

    I have no idea but I'm guessing the processing of the milk (which must involve heat, right? to evaporate it?) destroys the enzymes which cats can't digest or at least changes them so much that they are no longer a problem. (I'm assuming it's enzymes...) One thing's for sure, if it's evaporated or condensed, it's very different from the original raw product...

    WTW, we have evaporated milk AND milk powder. Now I'm confused too :)

    Posted 2 weeks ago by jcat #

16. 

    Thanks Skyron, Khom and JCat, for keeping in touch.

    The kittens are doing just fine. I have a human weighing scale and not a kitchen scale...not available here. So I can't tell how much weight they are putting on. Some friends who visited us after 3 days said, "Wow, they've grown!" So I know that they are doing well.

    Haven't found a vet yet...still on the lookout for one nearby.

    JCat, I think the "enzyme" you are talking about is lactose, which is present in cow's milk and which cats can't digest. Cats do not produce the enzyme lactase, which is required to digest the lactose present in cow's milk. Never mind the terminology... I got what you are saying.

    Posted 2 weeks ago by willtoway #

17. 

    Here a picture of the kittens. http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/kissing.jpg

    The white one is named Mint, and the black-gray one is named Pepper.

    They are 3 weeks old and are doing well.

    I thank all the above mentioned friends for your support and advice.

    Posted 1 week ago by willtoway #

18. 

    here are some more pictures:

    http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/SDC11553mintfacepepperback.jpg

    http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/fastasleepinnewbasket.jpg

    Posted 1 week ago by willtoway #

19. 

    They are precious WTW! Bless you for taking care of these babies!

    Posted 1 week ago by Lainey #

20. 

    Thanks Lainey. I'm blessed to have them. They love to cuddle up and go to sleep in my lap.

    Just saw Jetta's pictures. I can see that you've done a great job with her.

    Posted 1 week ago by willtoway #

21. 

    WTW, when I was in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer I hand raised a small kitten on boiled rice and fish gruel... And when he grew up into the largest cat my Thai neighbors had ever seen, he ate crumbled fish and rice every day... Bless you for taking these kits in! Good luck!

    Posted 1 week ago by nawlins catmom #

22. 

    Wow! Thanks Nawlins!
    Fish and rice- that's what most people in India feed their cats. However, I was in a fix with my kittens, since they were very tiny and fragile when I adopted them. Furthermore, I was discouraged because I couldn't find a pet store. When I finally found a number of pet stores, they did not have any KMR or the like. They advised me to feed the kittens with human baby formula. Fortunately the kittens are doing very well and are growing.

    Posted 1 week ago by willtoway #

23. 

    WTW! such precious things they are. u're doing a great job! I'm so glad all's well.

    Posted 1 week ago by Khom #

24. 

    They are adorable and thriving Willtoway! The kittens might be ready for solid foods in addition to formula,maybe some small bits of cooked fish or something. You'll figure it out,you're doing such a good job.

    Posted 1 week ago by Buttercup #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.