Gerber turkey baby food. The mushy kind. Baby kitties cannot resist.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
No rest for the wicked
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Posted 1 year ago by Violetbabykitty #
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the evil sound of the can opener:
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-cat-crowd-can-opener.jpg
Posted 1 year ago by Cheri 12/22 #
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Well, the good news is that they made it through the night. They appear to be eating and drinking. They're not pooping yet, but that's no surprise, given their condition. All the wet food I gave them last night is gone. Most of the dry food's gone, too.
The tabby is so skinny that his muscles are wasted, and he's wobbly on his feet. He hunches down and creeps around, rather than walking. They're both hiding under the easy chair, which is a favorite hiding place for cats & kittens in that bedroom.
The tabby doesn't crawl away right away, when I appear in the doorway. I stand there and quietly say, "Hi there; good kitty," a few times. So he's not quite as terrified as he was yesterday.
This morning, as soon as the grocery store is open, I'll stop there, then go to PetsMart. I need to pick up a case of canned food, to make sure they're taking in sufficient liquid with their food. I figure they'll eat at least half of a full-sized can of food every day, at this rate.
I may have gotten them just in time. I don't know if they'd have survived another day on their own.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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Bless you anncetera, you are a good person :)
Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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I'm not a particularly good person, I just have the invisible S (for "sucker" or "softie") tattooed across my forehead.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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Seraphim
Posted 1 year ago by cricketsmama #
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Oh Annacetera, never doubt you are an angel! Your rewards in this life and the next will be great. I am honored and humbled by you and your good work.
Posted 1 year ago by debsterwiz #
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The good news is that both of the kittens just took in a mix of Pedialyte, baby turkey food & a tiny bit of plain yogurt (with sugar added). About 30 ml each.
We have an appointment at 1:00 at a nearby animal hospital. The kittens are exhibiting symptoms of serious dehydration and possibly antifreeze poisoning. We're going to test them to see if antifreeze poisoning is the case; if so, it's unlikely they'll survive.
If not antifreeze poisoning, however, chances are good that supportive care will help the tuxie recover. The tabby is borderline and in worse shape. They both need fluids, at the very least.
Will update later this afternoon.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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Anncetera you do amazing work. I am sure you are loved here and up in heaven. Praying that the little kittens can be helped.
Posted 1 year ago by SylvesterMiasMomma #
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And here's an article about some tiny survivors:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/148653/abandoned_kittens_survive_on_styrofoam.html?cat=8
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anncetera, I laughed at your "S" story. When we lived on a wodded property in PA and acquired many ferals from the woods, I always told friends that there was a sign on our back door that only kitties could read that said "all cats welcome"
Truth be told, I believe that they find us; God puts them in our path...just like Susie said, S is for SaviorPosted 1 year ago by Tigerlilly #
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Emma...that article surely stands as evidence to the tenacity of these youngsters. Wow!
Haha! Ann...So many of these people here have worn the "S" upon their forheads from time to time but then there are those who have it permanently tattooed on theirs. You wear it well!
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Further good news!
It looks like these little guys are gonna make it, with a little bit of luck. They're both boys, they aren't suffering from acute antifreeze poisoning, and their temperatures are normal. They've now been wormed.
They're both bony and underweight, and the brown tabby's pretty dehydrated. But with supplemental force-feeding and force-fluids, I believe they're going to get back to normal hydration levels soon. The vet didn't think a bag of fluids was needed. Since they're not showing signs of diarrhea or vomiting, he thinks they can take their fluid orally.
The more they're handled (even with a towel), the more they're tolerating it, and the less stressed they are. The tuxie drinks readily from the syringe, so he's easy to do. The tabby hasn't quite got the hang of that, so I'm using a calibrated eyedropper with him. The tabby's more dehydrated and more underweight, so I'm keeping a careful eye on him.
I want to add more fat to their diet (gradually, not suddenly, to avoid digestive upset). I wonder what I could add to their food/fluid mix that would help increase the fat level significantly, without adding lactose? (When I say they're underweight, I mean that you can feel all the ribs, vertebrae, femur, hips, and even the tendons in the neck.) Any ideas? While they ate wet food during the night last night, they haven't touched it so far today.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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BTW, I found out the reason they're so wobbly, their hindquarters aren't working properly, is because of dehydration and muscle wasting, not antifreeze poisoning.
I just hope they get a decent chance. They've had a rough start, and they might have permanent kidney damage from this episode. But I'd like to at least give them a chance to survive long enough to find their forever family.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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AnnCetera, when I got Milo and he was so underweight and dehydrated, the vet gave me one on the Science Diet wet foods to give him because it was supposedly very high in fat and calories and also because it was easy to thin out with pedialyte to force feed him with. I aslo gave him Nutri-Cal. He wouldn't eat it, so I force fed it to him.
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GD, thanks for the reminder! I'll pick up a supplement while I'm out running an errand this evening.
I have photos of these guys up on my Catster page. Click on my name, and go see "AutoShopKittens."
I will need to have both the kittens tested for FeLV when they gain a little weight. I'm a little frightened that one or both of them might test positive. They've also now been treated for fleas with diatomaceous earth. Next step will be combing out the burrs with the flea comb...
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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God bless you and reward you one thousand fold. They are so sweet. Can't see the tuxie too well but the taby looks so very skinny. He made me cry as he looks like my new baby Romeo. Looking forward to seeing fat baby photos soon.
Posted 1 year ago by Tigerlilly #
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It's just after midnight, and they took a lot of fluids tonight.
The tabby took over 50 ml of the food/Pedia/yogurt/fish oil mix, then another 20 ml of straight Pedialyte after that; also about 1/4 tsp Felovite II.
The tuxie took about 35 ml of the food/Pedia/yogurt/fish oil mix, then another 15 ml of straight Pedialyte; also about 1/4 tsp Felovite II.
There were both normal stools & fairly loose stools in the litterbox, along with urine clumps. Nothing resembling out-and-out diarrhea, but still... I'm probably going to discontinue the yogurt, in case it's lactose causing the problem. It could also be from the worming medication. The Felovite II will be twice daily; it should help with a bit of sugar and iron, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
More photos are up on Catster. The tuxie has a white chin, chest, belly, and feet; he's going to be a handsome boy! Their fur isn't as shiny as it was before the DE treatment, but I needed to get a jump on getting rid of those fleas. (Found a couple on them, and lots of flea dirt around the base of the tail.) Also got some of the burrs out, but certainly not most of them. At least they're not nasty sand burrs, just little football-shaped fuzzy hitchhikers.
When they're not careful, after eating, they forget to be scared of me and they start to doze off on my lap.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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Awww Anncetera they sound just too cute and you have the beginnings of little love bugs. Love when they 'forget' to be scared and give in to the temptation of being spoiled :)
Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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What wonderful news...of course, they love you already! I have no doubt that they will thrive under your care.
Posted 1 year ago by Tigerlilly #
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The turnaround here is very slow. I'm still not entirely convinced the tabby's going to make it. I may call the spay & neuter clinic to find out if I can bring them in to have the vets test them for FeLV. (I'd be volunteering there today, except these two little guys need food & water every couple-several hours.) They may also have some additional good ideas about what I could try to do, to get them turned around faster.
I can't wait to see them gobble down food on their own! I hope that day comes soon.
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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Thank goodness! Today's the day!!
I loaded up the table in the fosters' room with the baby food, Pedialyte, Vitamite II, syringes, eyedropper, flea comb and washcloth. I was all set for force-feeding, if needed.
But first, I went near the kittens, and put down a room-temp plate of 1/3 big can wet cat food, mixed with about half that amount of Pedialyte.
Then I moved to the opposite end of the room and sat very, very still.
The tuxedo kitten wobbled a couple steps and started eating first. After 3 minutes or so, and keeping a very wary eye on me, the tabby creeped over and joined in.
They finished 3/4 of the food, with the tuxedo kitten getting a bit more than the tabby. Moreover, the tuxedo kitten then scraped at the floor, attempting to cover/hide the remains... and then stretched, out one hind leg, while stretching the other.
Balance is improving, fluid levels are improving; I'll have to wait a bit to see how the loose stools are doing.
I now have hope. Their appetites are finally beginning to kick back in, and their kidneys and liver are resuming more normal function. I'll still supplement with the vitamin paste, but for now, it looks like wet cat food mixed with Pedialyte will be getting them back on their little feet.
I'm keeping a small amount of dry food in there, too, for nibbling between meals. And I figure Pedialyte instead of water in their water dish is a good idea, for now. Will continue to handle them often, in hopes of gaining their trust soon.
Okay, taking one deep breath of relief... and another...
Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #
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