I need some advice! One week old kittens.

Hi Lisha and welcome to TDK!

Bless you for taking care of these little orphans! Sounds like you are being a great meowmy! I’m not a kitten expert but later there will be people online to offer support, guidance and resources. I hope you will stick around and keep us updated on the babies and let us get to know you, too!

Hi, Lish, sounds like you’re doing a fantastic job! You’re probably already overloaded with helpful websites but I’ll add a few more, just in case. The first one, in particular, is very good:

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

http://www.kittenrescue.org/pages.php?pageid=15

http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/orphans.shtml

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

We have some great and very experienced kitty foster mums on here so keep checking back for more answers.

Where are you? (I’m in New Zealand). If the kittens were found at your workplace from a stray or feral mother, it’s very likely they have worms. I wouldn’t worry about it yet, if everything else seems to be going well, as they’re much too young to be dewormed — what do other TDKers think?

If one of the kitties pooped, then he’s definitely not constipated! As for the other kitten, I wouldn’t worry yet, he has the tiniest stomach and is only on liquid so there’s not much to come out — also his sibling may well be cleaning up the evidence, as his mother would have.

I would say, if they’re sleeping and purring occasionally, then they’re fine and you’re being the perfect foster mum! Little and often is how they have to be fed when they’re this young, their little tummies are so tiny and if they had their mum, they would just be latched on to her teats almost all the time, alternately snoozing and feeding. It really does sound like you’re doing an amazing job. Hope other TDKers jump in soon. Bless you for taking on such an awesome responsibility and saving these little ones’ lives!

Wow, so much info. I dont have time right now to read everything thats been said, I’ll just try to answer some of the most prominent issues you’ve raised with your kittens. Bloating: one thing that I’ve learned over the years, and its not on any of the websites, is that you have to burp the kittens like you would burp any human baby after feeding. I always sit them up straight on my knee, support their necks and chests with my one hand, and just gently stroke them over their backs in up-down motions. The burp always happens fairly quickly, so if you are spending more than a minute or two rubbing their backs with no burp, there probably isnt a burp to be had. Another issue with bloating is that its almost guaranteed that they will have worms. It is passed on through the bloodstream from the momma cat – my vet has a liquid dewormer that is safe to use on kittens from newborn age upwards, so you might want to check that out. And then as far as them eating & sleeping – its normal for the stage of development they are in at the moment. Treasure it, it wont last much longer. Pretty soon they are going to be constantly mewling and wandering around, looking for you, so that you can devote all your time and energy to worshipping them 🙂 I always say a happy kitten is one with a full belly, they are always sleeping in the first 2 weeks after feeds. If they cry a lot, you should be concerned, as this is always a very good indicator of something being wrong. As far as the one kitten suckling on the other one, thats not a good thing, as they can and will over-suck on each other, causing the skin to become raw & irritated. Its best to seperate them with a rolled up towel or something inside the box. They will still be able to hear and smell each other, and I always find that this problem resolves itself once their eyes have been open for a few days. Good luck!

There you go, Sky’s answer is all you need 🙂 She is our resident raising expert!

Out of experience I have learned the value of journalling the progress of my kittens. Its hard to keep track of who does what & how often, especially when you have multiple litters to look after. Happened to me once – had 3 2week olds and 4 newborns to to take care of, was chaos to say the least. The most important things i write down at the beginning and end of each day is how much they weigh and how much they ate for that day. You have to ideally co-ordinate the amount they eat with how much they weigh. This isnt an issue for kittens who eat well, but it is very important when you have a kitty who isnt suckling well. If you google the terms ‘hand rearing kittens’ and ‘sarah hartwell’, it will come up with the article I always refer to when I have babies to raise. Sorry, cant remember the html right now.

Welcome, Lish, it sounds like you are taking excellent care of your new babies. Besides the other suggestions you’ve been given, here’s one that hasn’t been mentioned yet:

Take pictures! Lots and lots of pictures! Not only would we love to see the kittens, but you will be amazed at how fast they grow up. If you don’t take pictures now(every day is not too often), you will regret it later.

I have absolutely no advice, but have to tell you the picture is beyond precious !!!