# newborn kitties - mom not nursing?



## pmagas

Hi all!! I have two cats and just within the last couple of days a feral cat (who we've seen around the neighborhood for a while) came into our office and wouldn't leave. We thought she was a kitten (well, she probably is) and she looked as though she were starving, so we fed her. Oddly enough she wouldn't go back outside - she wouldn't let us near here but that didn't surprise us. (It's a 2-family home and our other cats don't have access to the part of the building that she's in.)

Well, this morning I went down to check on her and I followed her when she ran to a corner. I moved a box so I could see her and give her the food I brought - that's when I heard the scratching and meowing of the babies. Fearful that I had squished them when moving the box (it had heavy items in it), I removed the babies. I found a little blanket and put all three of them together right there in front of the mama cat. Then I heard the 4th - found her in another box several feet away and put her with the others. 

But I'm not sure that the mama cat knows to feed the babies. I've seen her in the basement a couple of times today (before finding the babies) and each time she was sleeping on top of a box - not near the kittens. I'm worried that she doesn't know what to do because she's so young.

What do I do and how long can I wait to let nature take its course? The mama kitty is skin and bones - I took her some milk as well as the water and food she's had, but she wouldn't drink the milk. Maybe she will since I left. I don't want to further traumatize the mama cat - I realize after the fact that I did quite a bit of that when I moved the kitties, but I haven't dealt with feral cats before.

Thanks for any suggestions you might offer.

Warmest regards,
Penny

PS - should I put this in a different part of the forum?


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## Jeanie

This link should help:

http://maxshouse.com/kitten_care.htm

I would buy some kitten formula (KMR)and a bottle at the Pet Store or vet clinic to supplement mother's feedings. She might not have enough milk. You should hold the kittens upright for feeding and gently stroke their tummies and bottoms to stimulate digestion.

It appears that mother cat trusts you enough to take care of her and the babies. Don't try to pet her unless she decides to rub against your hand. It's possible she has had contact with people in the past. 

There is an emergency recipe in this link. There is also a guide to help determine how much the kittens should be fed. 

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/kitten1.php

If mother cat can nurse the kittens, allow her to do that, but supplement with kitten milk (KMR) until you're sure she's giving them enough to flourish. Milk is not the best diet for Mother cat. It gives many cats diarrhea. I would give her canned food. She needs "soupy" food to help make milk.

I hope this is helpful. Please keep us informed.


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## pmagas

Thank you, Jeanie! I'm off to the pet store now. In addition to keeping them apart and washing my hands, is there anything I should or should not do with regard to the two mature cats who live upstairs? 

Thank you again - the articles are most helpful: I'm sure I'll re-read them in the next couple of days to make sure that all is OK.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

Your cats will smell the odor of the kittens on you. (they would smell them anyway.) It's hard to prevent that. You're wise to consider that, though. However, unless there's direct contact or they eat from the same dish, I think they'll be fine. Of course, as you said, you will wash your hands and arms before handling them. If you want to be extra careful, you could keep a smock of sorts downstairs to wear while feeding the kittens.

I would just give your cats extra love! They'll like that.  I hope all goes well.


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## pmagas

Thank you, Jeanie! I'm not sure how much the kittens are actually eating and if it's enough. I think the mother cat might be snuggling and trying to feed them when I'm not around because I saw fleas on them when I was last feeding them. When was the last time one of us was glad to see fleas on a cat??!! I guess they might have just jumped from the mother cat, but I'm hopeful that she's bonding with them. She hasn't eaten the soft food that I gave her but she's been doing a good job of eating the hard food. I guess she just likes it better - go figure.

Have a lovely night and thank you ever so much for the moral support and great advice.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## pmagas

Jeanie - this is just funny, but I need to ask. How do I tell the kittens apart to know which I've fed? One is white but the other three are yellow & white striped and it's dark where they are. In a few days time I can probably start to tell them apart but in the time being do you have any suggestions? the only thing I could think of was a little food coloring on each in one spot but that makes me nervous - I don't like using any sort of chemicals especially on such tiny things. And it might further upset the mother cat. Tags & ribbons are clearly out of the question. Maybe after a couple more times I'll start to remember better. 

Warm regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

I think I'd prefer using two boxes. The unfed kittens would not be put into box 2 until fed.

I wish you the best.


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## pmagas

Oh, Jeanie - I get the duh! award, don't I?? Can we chalk it up to my being totally freaked out and unprepared to having kittens?! 

Well, this morning my dear husband went down to help me. I was really glad to have read all of the articles you sent. Apparently Mother Cat isn't really doing anything - they are now urinating and defecating for us (when gently wiped as instructed.) I surely wouldn't have thought of or known to do that. Mother Cat is staying close by but I don't think she's doing anything with them. I put them in a box lid yesterday but one of those scallawags likes to travel and he was outside the box and lost a foot or two away from it this morning. Bigger box time - don't know how I'll corral him in a couple of weeks 

We were able to get all of them to eat this morning. We're both a little worried about how cold they are but I'm not sure what to do to keep them warmer. If I put a lightbulb close enough to warm them, it might hurt them or cause a fire. And I hesitate to use a sunlamp - I don't want to cook them or burn them. But they have a blanket and they snuggle into the folds and we warm them against our bodies when we feed them. 

Thank you SO much for your help and guidance!! As you can see from my comment of not being able to keep track of them, some of my common sense has fled.  

I have started to worry about what to do with Mother Cat after the babies are old enough to adopt out. Hopefully we can get Mother Cat (who's really a kitten herself) to come around to us so that she can be adopted too. But if not, we're going to need to get her spayed or we're going to be having lots of litters of kittens for years to come since she's found a safe haven. 

Have a great day!

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

Penny, it's essential that the kittens be kept warm. There is a heating pad made specifically for kittens and puppies. It's safer to use that than a heating pad for human beings. Make sure that you give the kittens a space without the heating pad, so they can wiggle away if they get too warm. I should have emphasized this in my very first post. So, don't feel bad. 

Here's another article that might be helpful:

http://homeatlastrescue.org/html/aboutc ... ncare.html

As the article says, if you use a regular heating pad, put it under the box or under many layers of insulation, such as towels. Then keep it on low. All baby animals need warmth, and if mother isn't lying with them, they are not getting the warmth newborns need. Good luck! I think you have saved these kittens' lives.


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## pmagas

Jeanie - they're warmer now and eating better. Fortunately they have some resilience and it gave us enough time to learn what the heck we're doing. I know we're still not 'out of the woods' but I'm hopeful they'll be OK. There's one in particular that isn't very interested in eating, but we're being patient and trying to feed her a little more often than all the rest who fill their bellies pretty readily now. 

Mother Cat still hasn't 'pitched in' and I'm losing faith in her willingness to do so. But I'm hoping I'm wrong.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## pmagas

*One kitten not eating*

Fortunately we have an office in our home and my husband is able to take care of the kittens during the day. But one of them isn't eating - just a few drops at a time and she's losing weight. My husband's calling the humane society to see what their vets might suggest. Do you have any suggestions? I'm afraid we might lose one.


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## Jeanie

She might have a birth defect. However, just in case it's an illness, I would isolate her from the other kittens. Poor little baby.  Tube feeding might help, but you would need instructions. It can be a life safer, but a mistake could get milk in the lungs. The vet or vet tech would have to teach you, and it's helpful to have a helper when you do it. 

If mother cat had milk, she'd be uncomfortable if she didn't nurse the kittens. My guess is she doesn't have any.


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## pmagas

Mother Cat ran away yesterday evening. Now when she gets pregnant again, she's likely to come back. Oh my!! I might see if there's a nearby group that catches feral cats and neuters/spays them. I hate to think of more motherless kitties!

I believe my husband took the baby somewhere for help but left his phone behind. One of the other kitties was real slow to start swallowing and drinking, but she finally got it last night and is doing OK. I'm hoping we can turn this little one around.

Thank you again!!
Warm regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

Hopefully, she'll come back when she's hungry, but it is not too early for her to get pregnant.  I'd set a humane trap again and hope!


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## pmagas

*kitties are better*

We were very worried about one of the kitties yesterday - dh took her to the vet and one of his assistants wanted a new kitty to hand-feed. So he (we think it's a male) went to a good home already and she can get vet services practically free. So the kitty is in good hands.

The other three seem to be doing well - they're eating and sleeping and doing all those other things we expect them to do.  They seem to be growing quite quickly too - and they're pretty fast already!!

Thank you SO much for all of your support.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

How wonderful!  

Have you seen mother cat?


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## pmagas

Mother cat is nowhere around. 

Apparently, though, the kitties did take a little turn for the worse today - you can tell that they've lost weight and been lethargic all day. So we took them all to the vet this evening. They'll be OK, I think - she gave them each a shot of glucose and gave me further directions on how to feed them and know better what they need. As soon as we got home, they all felt better and ate 'hearty' meals.  They'll toasty and snuggly now and in about 2 hours, I'll feed them again. 

We were starting to get caught in a vicious cycle - they weren't eating enough and didn't have enough energy to eat. But the glucose shots helped and she gave me little syringes (no needles, of course) and instructed me to give them just a drop of sugar water if they start to get lethargic again and not eat. So I think they'll be OK. And their sibling was at the office, so we got to see her briefly - she seems to be doing OK. Yesterday the vet was worried she wouldn't make it. I think things are looking up for all of them.

I can't thank you enough for all of your advice and help and support - I could not have done this alone!!

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

I'm glad to hear the vet was able to help these babies. I always add white Karo to my emergency recipe for kitten formula. You would think that their need for glucose would be covered in KMR, wouldn't you? I think the problem is that these little ones did not get colostrum from mother cat. 

Here's another source that might be helpful:

http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm

Thank you so much for caring. You're a kind person.


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## pmagas

Thank you, Jeanie!! The Karo is a great idea - why didn't it occur to me when the dr was talking about 'sugar water'? When reading over the link you sent, I begin to wonder if these kittens were premature. The dr didn't mention it when I was there (though she might have the first visit when I wasn't there.) But since the beginning I've thought they looked more like mice than kittens. They looked 'funnier' than the kittens my cats have ever had. But the most recent that has been is 15 years - and my memory isn't always that great.  So I just thought I didn't remember the newborns well enough. That would also explain why their little eyes haven't opened yet. Today they are 5 days old (assuming I found them the day they were born.) And they don't have a lot of fur, though that has started growing in more. Wow!! What an eye opener! 

Warm regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

It's possible they're premature, Penny. You'll be able to judge that by their development. I would expect their eyes to begin to open within the next few days-- if their development is normal. 

You are being so very thorough in caring for these babies!  I think you have a wonderful respect for the miracle of life.


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## pmagas

I'm looking forward to spending time with them over the long weekend. Mark (my husband) has been caring for them during the day - bless his heart!! Did I mention he doesn't like cats - well, that's his public declaration. But we know better. This is the same man who two years ago told my daughter and me that there was a blind kitten deserted on a porch and who then went (at midnight in a bad neighborhood!) to pick up the kitten so I could take care of her. That's Alice - she has the sweetest disposition!! Yes, he doesn't like cats - sure. :wink: 

Warm regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

What a sweetheart he is! Don't tell him I said this, but he's a puppy! I'll bet he's really getting attached to these babies. I know you will find it difficult to part with them. There's a special bond, I believe, when you have cared for them like a mother. God bless you both for that. :angel


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## Mitts & Tess

Penny I just came upon your posting. Thank goodness for Jeanie!

One other thing you might want to do for the little kittens is to give them some bene-bac. Esp if they didnt get to feed from the mother. She was probably too malnurished to produce milk. I hope you are able to trap her and spay her. Cats can have two litters a year!

Any picture of your kittens? They sound sweet. How are the feedings going?


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## pmagas

Thank you! I'll get some and put it in their formula. 

I'm sad to say that I lost one of the kitties on Wednesday evening.  I was beside myself!! But one is being cared for by a lovely young lady who has hand-fed kittens before (she's a vet's assistant) and we have two here that my husband and I are still caring for. They seem to be doing better. It was a week ago today that I found them - I believe that was the day they were born. And their eyes still are not open, but finally they seem to be putting on a little bit of weight - it was touch & go there for several days. I'm still worried but not quite as much.

Feeding them with a bottle wasn't very successful and I couldn't be sure how much they were getting. But we switched over to tiny syringes - it's slower but I can be sure they're getting enough at each feeding now. They still don't like the syringe or the bottle - they root on our hands. If only we had nipples on our hands, they'd be happy.  

I think they're trying to purr now - they sound more like geiger counters.  At first I was concerned that it was a problem with their breathing, but I was able to pretty quickly set that worry aside. When they sleep or are just waking they don't make that noise. It's when they seem to be 'happy' - being fed and sometimes when they're walking (more like wobbling) around our hands. They're still pretty unsteady but now I think it's because their round tummies are in the way. Their legs are getting stronger and I'm fairly certain their coats of fur are fairly complete (they weren't for the longest time.)

I've introduced them to our cats (highly supervised of course) in the hopes that one of them would try to foster the kittens. No luck so far, but I'm still hopeful. They get a lot of formula on them at feeding time, but I don't want to 'bathe' them or even get them too wet for fear they'll get chilled. So they look a mess - but they're alive and seem to be doing OK, so I figure that's the bigger priority. They've starting pooping in between feedings so I'm encouraged with that. (We do continue to stimulate them with a warm, damp cottonball before or after feeding just in case.) And the laundry ranks up there with a newborn baby's almost.  I want to keep them as clean and warm as possible, though, so it's worth it.

Thank you for the encouragement - I feel a bit overwhelmed at times and distressed at other times. It so saddens me that we lost one and makes me wonder what I did wrong. But I keep telling myself to keep my chin up because there are still two little ones that need me to be there for them. Gosh - I sound so dramatic & pathetic. I'm sorry. But they're so precious and I never would have guessed it would be this difficult to keep them going. Clearly they need a mama cat but my husband & I are all they have.

Once they get through this, it will be so hard to give them away. But I'm just not sure I have the time and energy for four cats.  And I'm not sure how our blind cat and our 'geriatric' (16 year old) cat will feel about two kittens once they get big enough to start roaming. 

I have pictures from last Tuesday, but need to get them off the camera and into the PC. I should take some current ones before doing that. We can 'compare and contrast.' I'll try to upload them before the weekend is over.

Thank you all for your help, guidance and kind words. We would never have made it this far without you!

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

I'm so sorry you lost a kitten, Penny.  It is certainly not your fault. You have done everything by the book. Mother kitty is young, they were probably premature, and mother had no colostrum for them. I know how hard it is for you, but this happens. I'm praying that all will be well from now on.


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## Vespervale

Penny-Bless you for your loving care of these sweet kittens. What wonderful people you and your DH are! I will be thinking of all of you. (((HUG)))


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## Mitts & Tess

It was so nice to get an update. I syringe feed kittens also. The bottle just doesnt work for me. Plus you know how much they are truely getting. You and your husband truely have big hearts. Its alot of work to get newborns over the hump to safety!

My mind set is when I go to adopt our kittens who have been with me from the start is I got them ready to be healthy well adjusted great cats to bless someones life. Its easier to let them go. Its like raising your own children to be good citizens and a possitve force in this world. 

When you go to adopt them out be sure and let the people upfront know these are to be indoor only cats and not to declaw. I would have them spayed or neutered with their first round of shots before they go up for adoption. Send people down the road who you dont think will make that forever commitment. Several people have adoption forms on Cat Forum. I think my rescues website will have thier up so you can down load it. We just designed a new website and its just going up in the next couple weeks.

Edited this to add~ just read you were going to squirt the benebac in their food. The way to do it is to squirt it in the back of their mouths. They will swallow it and it will coat their intestines.

Cant wait for pictures and updates.


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## Jeanie

I am always hoping for updates too. I tend to use a syringe or eye dropper too. The bottle is more natural. That's why it's usually recommended. 

I hope the little ones are doing well.


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## pmagas

They are doing SO much better!! One of the little stinkers crawled out of the box today and started exploring. I had the box on a bed on our third floor (no AC up there so it's quite warm) - I think he kind of slid down the bedspread because it was dragging on the floor. I certainly hope so!! Now the box is on the floor and we're on the lookout for them. I haven't figured out what to do next - there's not a door between the kittens and the stairs, though right now they're a couple of rooms away so for a day or two I'm not worried. I don't think a baby gate will keep them in because they're SO very tiny still. I guess I'll just have to find a bigger box. 

They're using the bottle today, but I've been measuring it in for each of them before feeding them so that I know how much they eat - or pretty close. They don't quite finish all I give them, but I can gauge much better this way. They're each taking in about 5-6 ml at each feeding and they have 6 feedings a day. I don't know how much they weigh now - last Tuesday they were about 65-70 grams. 

I haven't gotten pictures yet - still busy catching up on the rest of my life.  I hadn't set aside time for these unexpected guys and they threw me for a loop. They are really endearing themselves to us!! 

Oops - almost feeding time again - gotta run. I'll try to get pictures in the next couple of days.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

Thanks for the update, Penny!  You're right about the taller box. It will hold them in until they're ready to take them downstairs...for the purpose of spoiling!


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## pmagas

*Update*

Only one kitty made it.  But he (or she?) is doing well - about 3.5 weeks old now. It's at least doubled in size and his/her eyes are open. She likes to eat and is running around now. For a long time, when she tried to walk, she just sort of wobbled since her tummy was so big and her legs didn't seem very strong. But I think she had a lot of catching up to do. 

At what point do I try introducing the litter box? I tried over the weekend - thought the extra time I had would help because I expect it will take a while. But both times I put her in it, she tried to eat the cat litter!!! Silly kitty!!! I had to pull it out of her mouth. So we haven't tried the litter box again yet. 

Only yesterday did we see her start to clean herself. The other kitties in the house don't want to have anything to do with her yet: one is 16 and rather aloof and the younger one (3 years old) is mostly blind. The younger one freaks out when she gets within a foot of the baby and runs away. It's too funny!! This 3-yr old cat is probably 20 times bigger than the baby, but she's scared to death of it. We're going on vacation in a couple of weeks and while we're gone, the baby is going to stay with my daughter. She has two kittens that are about 6 months old (sisters) and I'm hoping that they are more receptive to the baby and maybe teach her a few things - like cleaning herself and even playing. 

Who would have thought a baby kitty would generate so much dirty laundry?! But since she has no mama cat, we want to keep her as clean as possible without bathing. Though twice now we've given her 'baths' - no soap of course and just a tiny bit of water in a very warm room with lots of towels and a warm heating bag to snuggle with after drying off. She stunk so badly!!! I worry about her being so dirty because I know that can promote infection. But I don't want to overdo it on the cleaning and have her get chilled. So we do our best to keep her little box (which has been replaced a number of times because I want them to be clean too) and her towels (we have a huge collection of things that she sleeps in - every few days I do a load or two of laundry) clean along the way. And occasionally I 'spot clean' her with a washcloth. It all feels silly, but the little one is still alive, so we're thankful for that. 

Even the little one who went with the vet's assistant died.  And she had experience nursing baby kitties - and resources to keep her hydrated along the way. But she only lived about 1.5 weeks. It's been sad losing these guys, but I have to focus on the one who made it. 

You'll all like hearing this --- remember my husband who really isn't a cat person? He's been feeding these babies every two hours while I'm at work. The one who's still with us (we need to find out the gender so we can name him/her) has decided that my husband is Mom. A few days ago, I was holding the baby and petting it and my husband was a few feet away in the same room. When the phone rang, he went into the other room to answer it. Baby kitty started crying and I couldn't figure out what was wrong or calm her down at all. Finally, my husband got off the phone and came into the room - baby kitty was fine. lol!!! And she has to have snuggle time with him after she eats. Sometimes it's ok to snuggle with me - but sometimes it just has to be him. It's too cute!! Hopefully she won't be too upset when we go on vacation. I wonder if we should take a shirt of his or something else that smells like him over to my daughter's so baby kitty can snuggle with that occasionally? Is that too silly?

I don't have pictures here with me (at work on lunch break) but will try to load some up soon. Thank you all for all of your help and moral support and guidance through this. Baby kitty sends purrs and kisses to you all. >.<


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## Jeanie

Penny, the shirt is a great idea! Kitty is a bit young to use the litter box, but she will soon be eating soft kitten food, and the litter box can start after that. Her BM's will change in consistency then also. 

I think mother cat was just too young. A young stray we took in had 6 kittens, and all but one died. She musr have got lost during her first heat. You have done so well! The whole story has been so touching and, despite the loss of the other kittens has been aweet and triumphant. The one baby has a Meowmie who shaves! That is so very touching.  He's a good guy. You saved a little life. God bless you for that!

I hope we will continue to hear from you, here, and in our other forums! You are a lovely kitty lover!


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## pmagas

Jeanie - thank you! Is there a good way to judge when she's ready for soft kitten food and/or the weaning formula? I want to be sure she's getting the nutrition that she needs. She seems willing to nibble (based on fingers and fabric and such.) She's still so tiny - I don't know what her weight is, but she only fills my hand now. Well, you can't see my hand, now, can you? lol I haven't measured her, but I'd estimate she's 5.5 - 6 inches long (without including her tail.)

She's adorable - I'll try to get a picture on here soon.


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## Jeanie

Try some pureed baby food at about 4 1/2 weeks. Do that to get her started. (She'll make a terrible mess!) Then, you could start soaking kibble in homemade formula. When she starts stealing the other cats' food, the formula will no longer be necessary!  (and she will!)


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## Mitts & Tess

Penny thanks for the update. I loved hearing the progress your little one has made. Your hubby sounds like a great guy. I bet hes an offical cat lover now!

By about a month they can be eating food. I start mine on meat baby food for starters. They seem to like the ham the best of all the types. Then graduate them to a good quality soft food. Around a month he/she can be encouraged to use a non clumping cat litter. They dont always make it at first but they catch on. 

I put them in there and do little digging sounds. Then take their front paws and show them to dig. It seem to click with them eventually. I use worlds best litter or non clumping swheat.

Sorry to hear the others didnt make it. You got them so young and it is touch and go even with the most attentive efforts. They sounded premature so this little survivor is a miracle kitten.

One other optional thing you could do is to give the kitten Vetri DMG liquid vitamins to boost its immune systems. I swear by it.


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## pmagas

Thank you!! She'll probably start stealing the other kitties' food when she's at my daughters.  Which will be good - because they're eating kitten food (rather than the adult cat food that my kitties eat) so we won't need to worry that she's not getting the proper nutrients.


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## Jeanie

Good advice!


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## Mitts & Tess

If by chance your daughter is using dry food be sure and have the small nuggets available for it. Royal Canin makes new born tiny nuggets. We have that available for our foster kittens to eat along with the quality soft food.


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## pmagas

Thank you - she is using dry food, so I'll check. I'll probably be taking her some too. And it's good to know a quality product - especially for tiny kittens. We buy the higher quality pet food - and our pets have been healthy and live long lives, so I credit much of it to that.


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## furbabylover

How is the surviving kitten doing? did she make it?


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## pmagas

She's GREAT! Her name is Guinevere and she's absolutely adorable. We couldn't bear to give her away. Have to run - dh is calling - will upload pix tomorrow, I hope. Guinevere sends purrs, licks and little kitty hugs to all of our friends.

Warmest regards,
Penny


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## Jeanie

I'm looking forward to those pictures!


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## furbabylover

I am looking foward to seeing those pics too!I sat and read the whole post and I am soooooo happy the last kitten made it ......and you kept her  thats great I too kept some fosters that I bottle fed!!Itty Bitty Mischeif and Trouble were orphaned at 2 to 3 weeks and I bottle fed them intending to adopt them out, but I fell in love!!


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## pmagas

One of the kitties made it. Her name is Guinevere and she is a spitfire. I hope you will all forgive me for taking so long to post a picture. In a week or so, she'll have her first birthday - and she sends thanks and purrs to you all!!! She wouldn't have made it without your love and support. And I thank you - she's a lovely addition to our family. (We didn't have the heart to give her to anyone else.)

Love,
Penny

PS - I couldn't figure out how to attach her picture, so I put it on my blog here: http://sitekickdesigns.biz/?p=44


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## Heidi n Q

Wishing "G" a Happy B-day! :bday


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## Jeanie

What a lovely girl she is! She certainly looks healthy and content! Thanks for the picture.


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## pmagas

Thank you, all!! Yes, she is healthy. We just love her vet. As a matter of fact, it was she who chose Guinevere's name. We felt the doctor had quite a hand in keeping her alive - she was there to answer all of our questions and she just adores all little critters. (I can't imagine one that doesn't, but she's even more loving than others I've met.)

And Guinevere is a feisty little thing. At her last dr visit, she weighed 5 pounds and Dr. seemed to think that was as big as she would get. She has grown a little since then and started filling out. But she is a little devil cat (though fairly well-behaved most of the time.) I can't begin to tell you how very *angry* she was after she was spayed. (I had no idea those words were in her vocabulary. 8O She struck out at us all - the vet's office even put a little red dot on her record. oopss... Every other time she's been nice to the vet. But she did not like that operation nonsense. I left her in the cat carrier for an hour after we got home - she broke out of it!!! Apparently she's smarter than we all gave her credit for too. 

We just love her. She gets along well with Alice (our 3-year old (or is she 4 now? - blind cat.) Liz, the 'eldest' (17 now) has decided she doesn't want anything to do with the other kitties - she moved to the basement and first floor shortly after my mom moved in. She adores Mom and they're both quite happy. So peace reigns again in our home (well... as much peace as you can have with 3 cats!)

Our kitties have been through some interesting things this last year - I think I should write a book about them. I think it's more likely that one of them would write the book, though. rcat 

Cheers all and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.


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## Heidi n Q

I love reading updates, and that one was *very* interesting. 8O I'd never heard of a cat being so difficult to all around them due to being spayed... Oh, well. With pets, you learn something new every day!


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## pmagas

She forgave us within a day or so, but she's quite vocal when she's upset. Sometimes you can see in Guinevere the traits we suspect make 'Mama Cat' successful feral cat. Guinevere is very independent! Mama cat still hangs around the neighborhood and there's a tom whose markings are quite similar to Guinevere's and Mama Cat's. We don't know if he's 'Daddy' or brother or what. One of our neighbors is fairly successful at catching the feral cats, having them spayed and re-releasing them. I suspect that's happened with Mama Cat. She hasn't tried to come back into our house (thank goodness!!) and to the extent that we can tell from 10 feet, she hasn't gotten pregnant again. (She's very distrustful of people - won't let anyone close to her, but she does seem to be happy in our backyard fairly often.) But Mama Cat's a little cat herself. I think Guinevere might actually be a little larger than Mama Cat. But Guinevere's diet has been better than her mother's I'm sure. We believe in buying premium pet food. (We seem to think our pets live longer as a result, but who knows.)

I am officially rambling, but I love an audience to talk about my kitties. And it's so nice to be able to report good news.


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## Heidi n Q

Well, I really have to tell you...I LOVE reading replies that are more than just a word or two. Give me something to really read! Details! The more the merrier! I enjoy reading about the kitties around everyone. 
Updates are great. Photos _*cough*hint*cough*_ are even better. :wink


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## Mitts & Tess

You have a blind kitty? I have two totally blind kitties Im trying to find homes for~ Lavern and Shirley. One more with partial sight ~ White Soxs. Any tips for blind kitties? We had to have the eyes removed on two of them ~ Lavern and Shriley. One is very confident and one is skiddish so we started giving her Composure to calm her down. being spayed and removing Laverns eyes, which caused her pain, set her back. 

I loved reading your postings. Its heart warming to meet another bonified cat lover.

Sometimes when they spay cats they put them under with Kettlemien (sp?) which cause halucinations afterwards. They bite and get hissy and act like they dont know you. That is what could of happened with your little mz Guinevere.


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