Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hey all,

   One of my two one-week-old kittens is such a crybaby! Even after feeding him and helping him go to the bathroom, he cries like he's still hungry. The only way that seems to keep him from crying is if he suckles on his sibling. Now, I know that suckling on another littermate isn't good. I offered my pinky finger for him to suckle on, but he would only do it for a couple of seconds before going off to search for his sibling. Then, i tried separating them, but both of them would start to cry for each other. They don't seem to be crying because something is wrong with them, because as soon as they get to roll up into their ball together, they start purring and fall right asleep.

   I'm out of ideas on what to do!

   Posted 1 year ago by lish #

2. 

   Search for "catsifier" or "kitten pacifier" on your internet. There are various ready made ones you can buy, but some of them look easy enough to make with an old kitten bottle and a piece of soft cloth.

   Kittens suckle for comfort just like a human baby sucks his thumb or rubs his blankie.

   Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

3. 

   i will check it out. thank you!

   Posted 1 year ago by lish #

4. 

   When I adopted Jetta and Boo Boo, Boo was younger by at least a week (and still nursing on his mama)... anyhoo... he suckled on Jetta ALL the time. I used to be able to tell who was who in the dark (they slept with me, of course) by feeling... wet fur: Jetta! Neither is any worse for wear. I say just let them have their comfort and snuggle and suckle. It will end soon enough. Just my .02 :)

   Posted 1 year ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #

5. 

   Yes, I just let them continue what they're doing because it's the only way that they can keep quite and fall asleep. They've been crying a lot more within that last day or so. Could it be because I recently changed their house to a bigger box? Perhaps they're just not used to their new home. I sure hope it's nothing serious. The crying comes in spurts. When they finally fall asleep, they'll be knocked out for a good couple of hours. They even sleep through the entire night!

   Posted 1 year ago by lish #

6. 

   probably the bigger little house for them is a bit scarry to them. They probably feel better if they feel more snug in the smaller house.

   Chey

   Posted 1 year ago by Chey #

7. 

   You might consider putting a small box in a bigger box. Turn the smaller box on its side so they can cuddle in the "cave" when they sleep. But they will still have the bigger box so they can exercise and play.

   Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

8. 

   I've realized that they were crying because they were still hungry. I decreased the amount of food I fed them during each feeding to 2ml because I thought I might've been overfeeding them, but that didn't seem to satisfy them. I then upped it to 3ml and that seemed to make them happy and they just curled up and fell right asleep. They didn't mind being in the bigger box after they had full tummies. The cave idea, sounds good! I'll look around for some boxes that I can use for them.

   Posted 1 year ago by lish #

9. 

   Awwwwwww. You are doing such a good job!

   Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

10. 

    Thank you, jcat! I'm just getting so paranoid about my little babies. Numerous websites have stated that kittens this young without their mother caring for them have a very, very small chance of survival. I just want to do everything right so they have the best chance at surviving this crucial period in their young lives.

    Posted 1 year ago by lish #

11. 

    Lish, it's true, the odds of successfully handrearing two kittens, especially this young (they were only a couple of days old when you found them, weren't they?) are heavily stacked against the little ones, especially where the mother has abandoned them (which means she may already know by instinct there is something wrong with them). I think the sites probably stress this so that the foster mums can be prepared and can also know that if anything does go wrong, IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT!!!

    But sometimes miracles do happen. One of our TDK members, Tara Rose, handraised the tiniest little premature white kitten called Little -- amazingly, he is now a big beautiful bossy cat. We are all so happy when the miracles happen :)

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

12. 

    Lish, have you tried Feliway yet? It's a great product. It mimics a cat's facial pheromones and calms them. I was just going to purchase some more for my cats. They sell Feliway at pet stores, but I have found that I get better prices online. Some pet stores will match online prices, too.

    Entirely Pets seems to be the least expensive place to order it online right now. BTW, you can use the spray or the diffuser that plugs into the wall.

    http://www.entirelypets.com/feldifref.html?mr:referralID=0cc979e1-1ba2-11df-8544-000423c27407

    Posted 1 year ago by Dee #

13. 

    Dee before you order it from entirelypets, try valleyvet.com....their prices are so much cheaper.

    Ok, I found the website for the refills.... http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=da8ae795-7284-4901-b2f1-0631166b02fa&utm_source=RelatedCSProd&utm_medium=website&utm_content=29555

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

14. 

    Deb...I am going to get the 3 pack...each one comes to 12.67 each...and shipping is 4.95...do you think the other site would be less expensive?

    http://www.entirelypets.com/feldifref.html?mr:referralID=0cc979e1-1ba2-11df-8544-000423c27407

    Oh, you just edited it...thanks! It looks like the Entirely Pets site is a little bit less expensive...thanks so much for posting the other site, though...I have never ordered through them.

    Posted 1 year ago by Dee #

15. 

    Believe its free shipping and about the same price each for the 3 pack.

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

16. 

    Deb...have you tried Bach's Rescue Remedy? If so, do you believe it works for your cats?

    Posted 1 year ago by Dee #

17. 

    I have used it before, it worked on two of them and not on the third. So I think it just depends on the cat. Susie has used it before with Hopper when she was getting him used to being an inside kitty, and it worked for her.

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

18. 

    I have also tried the sleep one for myself and it worked better than some other things I have tried.

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

19. 

    Thanks for the info, Deb...I am going to give it a try.

    Posted 1 year ago by Dee #

20. 

    how about getting a plush cat?

    Posted 1 year ago by kittenlover04 #

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