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Taking care of abandoned new born kittens...IMPORTANT INFO!!

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whisperingwind29 On April 14, 2008




Jacksonville,
#1New Post! Feb 23, 2008 @ 01:28:05
Don't give up hope. I've been fostering abandoned kittens for years. If the momma cat doesnt want to have anything to do with them...it maybe because of them died or is sick and animals have a natural instinct to abandon their young if they are sick...or something is wrong in order to mantain their own energy out in the wild..instead of stressing their systems out caring for babies who might not make it anyway,..its the whole survival of the fittest theory.

Anyway, hopefully things have worked themselves out with the mama and she is now feeding them...BUT if she's not u need to go to the nearest pet store or call ur vet and get some "Kitten Replacement Milk" and a bottle and try to hand feed them. DONT give them cows milk, its too tough on their systems..and can actually kill a newborn kitten..if u have to, try to find some "goats milk" at ur local store..it should be in the condensed milk section and is found in a can.

Newborn kittens should be feed every two hours for the first two weeks and that INCLUDES at night..so set ur alarm clock..and if u can take shifts with a friend or family member it will make ur life a lot easier..so u can get a little sleep. You should let them drink as much milk at one time as they want to..let them decide..take ur cues from what they want to do.

Feed them in an upright position..their heads up, their tails down..and support them against ur chest. Don't try to feed them laying down like a baby...its too dangerous for them to accidently to choke on too much milk at one time and when that happens it can go into their lungs and cause an infection.

After they have drunk all they want to...place them against ur chest and pat their backs..burping them like u would a human baby. Its important to get any air out of their bellies that has gotten trapped their when they suck on the nipple of the bottle. Too much trapped air can cause swollen bellies and cause them a lot of pain..it can also cause a lot of pressure making them not want to eat.

Find a basket..or box..or a soft corner of the closet..if the momma wont have anything to do with them...and place a warm blacket around them..find a heating blacket..or even place a potato in the microwave for 10;00 minutes and put it in with them..Keeping them very warm is important..on average..they need to have the enviroment around them at 75..80 degrees at all times. Kittens can loose their bodies tempatures very quickly..but in general they will curl up together if all else fails and keep each other warm.

The first 2 weeks are the hardest...during that time they have a 50/50 chance of making it..after that ur usually out of the danger zone.You will need to feed them with a bottle for at least 6weeks...after the first 2 weeks u can start to feed them every 3 hours...at week 4 they should be able to go every four hours..and five...every five hours until u begin to start them on solids.

If their bellies get swollen don't panic..go to the store and buy a box of gas medicine for babies..which is liquid form. Give them one drop (their should be a dropper included in the box) of the gas medicine once a day and it should help. If their bellies don't get better..take them to the vet...but generally that is a sign that they have worms sometimes carried by the momma cat...they will need to be dewormed by the vet but that can't happen until they are a month old because the medicine is too strong for them.

I know it seems like A LOT of work and it is...but it can be done..and it can have a happy ending. And even though ur sleep deprieved its SO worth it!

Good luck and if u have any more questions or concerns..please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail through the form site or post a request for further help..put my screen name in the heading of ur message. OH YEAH...and as soon as ur mama cats milk dries up..which happens about 4 days after she stops nursing..and faster if she doesn't nurse at all because she has abandoned the babies...PLEASE I BEG U...make an apt to have her spayed!!

There are too many unwanted cats in the world already and if she isn't being a good mama the first time..chances are she will act the same way with any other litters she has...and thats just not fair to the kittens or you for that matter.

Good luck....I'll be praying for u all

Nicole
lexxel On March 22, 2009




adelaide, Australia
#2New Post! Feb 23, 2008 @ 03:05:34
thank you for your advice

i have highlighted copy and pasted to refer to and onc again a big thanks
houri On June 09, 2010




kl, Malaysia
#3New Post! Jun 09, 2010 @ 13:23:21
hey there . im a little bit like panic . i just found an abandon kitten . their so small . and since im just move in to my new place . can somebody , please ... teach me how to feed them ..
Wellard On April 29, 2012
ect.. .


Deleted



In your Mind, Cape Verde
#4New Post! Jun 09, 2010 @ 14:00:57
Remember kids do not try this at home!

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