Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   I am new here and hoping i can get more help here then i did at my vet. On monday i smelled a very foul smell in my sisters yard and it led me to a momma and a litter of 7 kittens...5 of which had passed(we assume because of the heat it was 100+ for the last week). I took momma and the 2 live kittens and put them in a box and burried the others. The smaller kitten passed away with in 20mins. I took momma and baby to the vet right away...they gave mom a flea bath and a reg. bath for the baby.. told me the baby was between 4-6 weeks old(it has all its eye teeth but the others havent broken the skin yet). They test both for the FIP and feline lukimia as well as worms. negitiv on all but worms so they both were treated...the baby seemed OK the first day, then yesterday evening he started walking like he was "drunk" and meows alot. I took him back to the vet and their only suggestion was to put him down...I just dont feel like he has been given enough of a chance..they say he has "failure to thrive"?? he wont nurse, or eat wet food or drink.. please help me!

   Oh and on another note these cats are unlike ANY i have ever seen, they have 7 toes and fluffy heads(kind of like a lion) and bushy tails...so very cute and i want this doll to live..or give him as much of a chance as possible before i just give up on him!

   Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

2. 

   Can you go to another vet for a second opinion?

   The only thing you can do yourself is to force-feed the kitten water and liquefied food with a dropper. KMR kitten formula would be your best resource. Using the dropper, squirt the formula into the kitten's cheek and let it swallow. Give fresh water separately from the formula. Feed every four hours.

   Posted 1 year ago by Leeny #

3. 

   Hi Hizlilbrat...Welcome to TDK..I don't have the experience to help you but mark my words..there are many here who do so be patient and they will be along. God Bless you for trying to save this mama and her lone surviving baby. {{{Hugs}}}

   Posted 1 year ago by Karenopa #

4. 

   I got Deuter and his brother Nike to foster when they were 10 days old. They had to be force fed at first. I used KMR (can find it at pet stores and they normally have it at grocery stores too) and nutrical from the vet. It is a paste that adds on the calories. You use a small amount and I have never met a cat that likes the taste, but it works. Is the mother not nursing anymore?

   Posted 1 year ago by SoxsMom #

5. 

   I read here recently too about pedialyte..I think GD recommends it for dehydration. ??? Could that be of some benefit?

   Posted 1 year ago by Karenopa #

6. 

   If the kitten is dehydrated pedialyte should work wonders.

   Posted 1 year ago by SoxsMom #

7. 

   Yes Hizlilbrat,your best choice is to buy KMR like Leeny said above and feed the kitten every two to 4 hours. You can buy KMR at a Petsmart,Petco or similar store.Also get some pedialyte(unflavored) at a drug store,the generic is cheap,about $1-2.Get fluids and nutrition into him,that's really his only hope now.Being that he is so sick he may not make it anyway but at least you'd be giving him a fighting chance. Good luck and welcome to TDK

   Posted 1 year ago by Buttercup #

8. 

   I will be off to the store as soon as my husband gets home, i dont want to leave the baby alone. Momma lays with him..but he wont nurse..i try to get him to but he just goes right back to sleep? I will pick up the KRM and some pedialyte and an eye dropper...i have never had baby kittens..all mine came ot me 3 months or older...my only option other then another emerg. vet is to wait until my appt. tomorrow with a vet outside of town..i was just shokced at how little of a chance they gave this guy! He responds when i pet him, or when his mom comes around..he does get up to go potty(doesnt potty on himself) he just seems very weak.

   Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

9. 

   Welcome to TDK H, I'm so sorry it's under such tragic circumstances. God bless you for trying to save these two cats. I can't add much advice, others here are far more knowledgeable than me, but I would certainly recommend you find another vet!

   Posted 1 year ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

10. 

    Please go asap to get the KMR and Pedialyte,that's really all that will save him now.

    Posted 1 year ago by Buttercup #

11. 

    It sounds like you're going to need to force-feed this kitten. If the mom's malnourished, she may no longer be nursing.

    At this age, the kitten is starting to wean. However, I'd recommend feeding kitten milk replacer (KMR) every two hours, during waking hours. It needs to be room temperature when feeding.

    I'd also give the kitten and mama unflavored Pedialyte to drink, instead of water. You should probably also force that fluid into the kitten.

    I'm doing something similar right now, for two unfortunates who showed up in my life. I have a couple small 3 ml syringes, and a 1 ml eyedropper, so I can keep track of how much I'm feeding them each time.

    Because dehydration is my more serious concern, I'm using a mix of 50% Pedialyte, 40% turkey baby food, and 10% plain yogurt (though it's been sweetened with a little sugar). You might try something similar, especially if they suffered dehydration. As the dehydration lessens, I plan to decrease the Pedialyte and increase the baby food. And then I'll start to mix it with wet cat food.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

12. 

    If the kitten's gone quite a while without fluids, Pedialyte is definitely the way to go! If he's terribly weak, a little Karo corn syrup smeared on his gums & teeth might help. (Not too much of that, though; it's not good for diabetic cats to send the blood sugar on a roller coaster ride.)

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

13. 

    I'd urge you not to wait until your husband gets home, if at all possible. Every hour counts when they've gotten that weak.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

14. 

    the only other thing I can think of, and have been advised to do in the past is to place the kitten on or next to a warm water bottle, or something of that nature just to make sure that the temperature stays normal. The vet gave me one of their IV fluid packs to use, but as long as Mama is giving off enough warmth for the kitten, it might not be necessary.

    Posted 1 year ago by dieselsmom #

15. 

    You can use a thermometer to take the kitten's temperature. I recommend doing that every single time you feed the kitten.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

16. 

    Yayyyyy! I knew Anncetera would arrive! Please, Please Hizlilbrat...listen to Anncetera..she has gotten us all through many many episodes of kitty illnesses.

    Posted 1 year ago by Karenopa #

17. 

    Bless you for taking in this wee one and mama. Get them both some help as mentioned above and let us know how things are going.

    Posted 1 year ago by LadyKat of IA #

18. 

    I am so sorry about what you have been through, but so admire you for taking in this kitten and mama.

    Anncetera is a wealth of knowledge so I sure don't have anything to add. Except that it would seem that time is of the essence here.

    Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #

19. 

    Yes, let mama stay with her baby while you get the supplies the kitten needs right away.

    Posted 1 year ago by Leeny #

20. 

    ok so as per advise di ran to the store but i put momma and baby in the bathroom...now my only question is how much do i feed of the kitten milk/and or baby food(i also got iams wet kitten chow just incase) and how much/how often do i give the pedialyte?

    Sorry for so many questions..i just dont want ot over feed it or under feed it etc.... i am really pulling for this little guy! He seems like a fighter!

    Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

21. 

    Every two to four hours. For right now, I'd just give the kitten as much as he'll take. It's most important to get something into him as soon as possible.

    On the KMR can, it tells you how much to give the kitten per day according to its body weight. Do you have a scale you can use to weight the kitten?

    Anncetera, what would you suggest?

    Posted 1 year ago by Leeny #

22. 

    Every two to three hours. You want to try to get at least 15 ml of food in each time (whether KMR, wet kitten chow, whatever), and I'd also recommend about 15-20 ml of Pedialyte each time. Don't worry too much about overfeeding; if the kitten wants to eat or drink more each time, let it!

    If the kitten's not yet peeing or pooping on its own, and the mama's not taking care of it, you'll need to help with that every two to three hours, too. Do you know how to do that?

    A good description of how to stimulate for elimination, plus information on weaning, is found at:

    http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

23. 

    Be careful not to choke the kitten. Only give a little at a time; make sure the kitten's swallowing properly. You don't want fluid to go into its lungs.

    Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

24. 

    he fights me when i try and feed him, he meows and growls and shakes his head side to side until all the food comes out, am i doing it wrong? i am putting 1 or 2 drops inside his cheek

    Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

25. 

    Try wrapping him in a towel H, restrict his movement.

    Posted 1 year ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

26. 

    After you get him wrapped, try gently holding his mouth shut and stroking his throat. That could make him swallow by reflex.

    It's so hard because he's never had contact with a human before, and he doesn't know you're trying to save him.

    Posted 1 year ago by Leeny #

27. 

    Awww, Bless you for trying! I have never seen a mama cat stay with dead kittens. In my yard they would move the live ones to another spot. I have also had a mom lose the entire litter. Sometimes they are born defective; they sometimes live for 3-4 weeks even before they die. It can break your heart, as many here can tell you. Anncetera is the expert, she has saved more kittens than anyone I know.

    Posted 1 year ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #

28. 

    i had never seen them stay with dead kittens either but she was...all 5 of them and she was still curled around them. It made me cry, so far i cant get him to take any food what so ever but he is taking the pedialyte 5ml every 20 mins..how long should i keep doing this? When i pinch his skin it makes a "tent" and SLOWLY goes back down. I dont think the 1 injection at the vet was enough...he seems a LITTLE more active after i give him the ped. but not much...he still is walking "drunk" but doesnt seem to be just plopping over like he was before...this is so hard on me not only because i love animals so much but death seems all around me. My father passed away on the 5th, then my cousin a week later...i REALLY need this little guy to live..we see a different vet at 2pm tomorrow...

    Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

29. 

    Keep feeding him the pedialyte H,you're doing great!
    He's very dehydrated,it will take a while to get him over that and try some KMR every now and then. When he feels better he may start taking the KMR.

    Posted 1 year ago by Buttercup #

30. 

    thanks guys!

    Posted 1 year ago by Hizlilbrat #

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