Orphan kittens

One of the women who does TNR at the trailer park found these guys this morning.  She tried to find the mama cat, but no luck.  She called me at 1:00 and I picked them up.  She had cleaned them up, and removed the cord that was around the darker kitten's rear leg.  That leg is a little swollen and crooked, but if he survives, the leg should come around.  They had no colostrum, so it will be difficult, but they're eating well so far.  One day at a time for these wee ones.

*****SIGH**** Prayers to the wee ones.

Tiny little newborns!  

Sadly, the darker kitten was dead when I got up this morning. The lighter one is still hanging in there, and ate some formula.

The directions on the formula are 2 tablespoons of formula per every 4 ounces of kitten weight per day. The little kitten only weighs 2.8 ounces!

I was saddened to hear the little dark kit didn't make it. Poor little one. We were lucky to pull our littlest newborn through those first few weeks (they were only 2-3 days old when we found them). Next time you get such wee ones maybe some oral antibiotics can help their immune system since mom's colostrum isn't there to do that job?

Oh, I wanna see the little ones!

Poor little kitty... 

Fiffur, I emailed you the pictures plus one of Duncan. I don't know if something like Amoxi would help or hinder their immune system. I know that overuse of antibiotics can be harmful.

"G', what painful news. More ((((HUGS AND PRAYERS)))))

God took one back, and left you the other. Bless you for accepting, sweetheart.

Antibiotics only fight off infections that exist already. I think it's better to keep her kind of isolated until she's had a chance to get stronger. Since the time has already passed for the colostrum to do any good, the only thing that will help is time and gradual exposure. (At least that's what my vet says.)

She has her own little carrier, with a hot water bottle, a waterproof pad (which is soft on her side) and a nice fleece blankie on top of that. She can move around, and as the water bottle cools a little, she crawls up onto the warmer part. I cover the carrier with a towel to keep the other kitties out of her business. I've gotten about 10 ml into her so far, and she should have 6 more, so we'll see if she will take that much before morning.

Sounds like she is as comfortable as you can make her. One day at a time.

I know it's a ton of work and a lot of lost sleep to care for a newborn kit, but in the end it's well worth it. Sounds like you're doing all the right things for her. My mom suggested maybe a small stuffed animal for her to snuggle up to would be helpful. Maybe keep her from missing her littermate and help hold in body heat too?

((((((((((((((((((strong survival vibes)))))))))))))))

Fiffur, she snuggles up with her fleece blankie, which is rolled up a little bit, and also covers her to keep her warm.

She was 2.8 ounces yesterday, and 2.3 ounces today, so I'm increasing her formula servings. She will eat a tiny bit from the bottle, but mostly she needs to be syringe fed. On the positive side, it's easier to measure how much she eats.

Hang there Wee One.

 

Are kittens like human babies? Many lose weight after they're born, but gain it back fairly quickly. How is the sweet little one?

Here's hoping you can get some rest, gbste, with all the extra work of a precarious life in your hands.

I wondered about the weight loss thing. So far today she's maintaining at 2.3 ounces, so at least she's not still losing weight.

Good.

Well, the little grey kitten passed this morning. She was poorly when I got up, so I gave her pedialyte instead of formula. When I checked on her later, she was gone.

I'm so sorry. God bless you for trying.

Poor kitty... 

I'm so sorry to heart "G". Love and hugs to you.

Thanks for the kind words. They're helpful on a difficult day.

Oh no. Hugs.