When are newborn kittens usually out of risk of dying?

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  • #848380
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    This is awesome news! It’s good to know when the advice we give here pays wonderful dividends!! You are okay with feeding them before bed and then early in the morning. The following is an excerpt taken from the ‘safe haven for cats’ that I posted a while back.
    Remember, nothing is written in stone. Your kitten may have a voracious appetite or a very small one. When fed adequately a kittens stomach will feel full, not tense or distended. I set my alarm and get up every two hours with age 0 through 1 week, every three hours age 1 week through 3 weeks. After three weeks I usually feed the their last bottle at 11:00 P.M. and then again at 5 or 6 A.M. After 4 weeks they need to be fed only 4 bottles a day – they will drink more and this is when I supplement their bottles with Rice Cereal. They are given Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Bedtime. Once they are eating out of a bowl I always leave food with them over night. They may need the nourishment.
    Like PG said, any respectable vet will help you, or one that knows very small kittens. They may tell you that goat’s milk won’t work and to put them back on KMR, but I know it works because I have had success with it first hand. At around 4-1/2 to 5 weeks you can introduce wet food to them and you can mix goat’s milk in with it to make a gruel so they don’t choke. They will be confused by the texture at first, but will quickly learn to like the taste. We are here for you, so keep us posted!!! ๐Ÿ˜€

    #848392
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I hate to ask this question cause I don’t like putting a price on baby’s life… how much do you think it’ll cost per kitten for the vet? I called them and asked them if they had any cancellations so I could bring them in earlier and they said today at 5:40. Unfortunately pay day was Friday, so I’ve got a really tight budget. I have to kind of know what to expect. Do you guys have any ideas or is it one of those things that could be anywhere for like 50$ to 1500$?

    #848403
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Okay I’m back from the vet and it was a pretty decent bill. Babies have been treated for worms, and the vet gave me some eye drops for them. He said they looked healthy otherwise. They had to stick a q tip in the little one’s butt (the one with diarrhea) and I’ve never heard a poor baby scream like that before! He also said that the goat milk doesn’t have a particular acid that the babies need so it would be better to switch back to KMR, but also that I could mix them if I wanted.

    #848412
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I’m glad all the babies are doing well, I’m proud of you!!

    I’m not surprised by the comments from the vet. Many vets. feel that way but the success rate of raising kittens on Goats’ milk speaks for itself. Goats’ milk really does have what they need and I recommend you keep them on it.

    I just tear up when I hear them cry like that. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ Of course, the Qtip thing is offensive. The dewormer may cause upset tummies so be prepared for that to happen. You can put a dab of Vaseline or Neosporin to heal his butt.

    We all have had concerns about prices. I’m glad you found one who wasn’t that expensive. Call your local humane society and ask them for referrals to low cost clinics in your area and give the clinic a call. I don’t know your work schedule but some clinics will make arrangement to volunteer to help pay the bill.

    Pls give all you babies gentle hugs from me.

    PG

    #848449
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Well, the goat milk is cheaper AND i think the babies are noticeably healthier with it and like it a lot more, so I’ll probably just half and half it. It’s been a day for me! I woke up at 6 to feed babies (last night was the first night of actual sleep i got in like 2 weeks) and they’ve been getting rowdy and loud every 3 hours on the clock. There’s also a lot of diarrhea, so should I keep adding pedialyte to their formula indefinitely? They’re otherwise fine and the eye drops are really really helping.

    #848460
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Deanna,

    Do all of the have diarrhea or just the one out? I ask because it’s possible they have an additional parasites called Giardia is a protozoan parasite that can cause diarrhea in kittens. I would have your vet run a giardia ELISA test to be certain as this is a more precise test to detect the presence of giardia. Campylobacter and clostridium are two bacteria that can also be responsible for the diarrhea.

    Here’s a couple of links on low cost pet care. Call them and see what they have to offer.

    Home


    Frugal Friday – Spay Neuter Charlotte and Low Cost Pet Care

    Critter Care Wednesday Low-Cost Clinic

    I wish I could give you a better answer that didn’t involve spending more money.

    On the bright side you got to sleep in.
    PG

    #848484
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It’s just one little guy and he has very yellow/brown/orange-ish poo. I just gave them a bath in dawn because the fleas are just out of control. They’ve been biting me. My boyfriend and I usually dust our cats with diatamaceous earth, and it’s kept the fleas out until now, but i’m having trouble managing it with the laundry, and the babies, and work, and keeping the yard together lol. These babies are a handful, but it’s so worth it. I’ll schedule them another vet appointment soon and ask about that parasite you mentioned. I’m a little at a stand still as far as money goes, so I’ll have to wait a week or so.

    I was curious about when I can start introducing them to bowls/saucers. I know they won’t be able to lap it up themselves right away, but I figure it’d make feeding time a little less stressful/a little more fun. Two of them in particular are very aggressively gnawing and biting the bottle nipple, and each other. One of them has already started to learn how to groom himself, and he’ll bite his siblings when they’re asleep and wake the whole crowd up.

    #848487
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Well, if they are grabbing at the nipple and acting like they are starving, then they are ready to transition to wet food. Start slow to see how they do. A little wet food mixed in with the milk for starters. Put a little on a spoon and see if they like it. I’m saying spoon because if you put it on your finger, you may live to regret it! ๐Ÿ˜† If they don’t take to it that way, you can make a gruel and put it in the bottle and make the hole in the nipple large enough for them to suck it out easily. Just don’t let them choke on it and aspirate it into their lungs.
    Don’t you just HATE fleas?!! Did you try and put the DE in the bedding too along with putting it on the kittens? Funny about kitten biting his sibs and waking them up…they may be older than you think if he is grooming himself.

    #848510
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I wish I could have gotten a picture of my boyfriend setting the bowl of wet food down on the floor and one of the babies walking into it and eating as he stomped around! Was the cutest mess I’ve ever seen. None of the other babies showed an interest in it, so I’ll work on it.

    The funny thing about what you said is that the vet told me they seemed YOUNGER than they were, but I remember the day they were born, we found the mama under a table in the laundry room and they were still wet. Maybe he’s just over compensating for the lack of a proper maternal figure so he’s growing up faster… I don’t mind it. The faster they grow up, the less I have to worry about losing them.

    Last night, I fed them at around 8 and my boyfriend and I got in bed. I meant to stay up to give them one more feeding but I dozed off until 5 in the morning and they stayed quiet all night. When I woke up I was a little worried that they were being so quiet but I guess they were just being good patient little babies lol.

    And I put some DE on both of them, and will continue to do so until every last flea is dead. If they’re bites are bothering ME this much, I can’t imagine what it’s doing to these babies.

    #848511
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    The one that grooms and bites we call Omega, and we think he’s starting to make things out with his eyes. Since I’ve been giving them their eye drops, they can open them and there’s no crusties so I think they’re starting to see. He’ll sit there with his paw up and just stare at me and my boyfriend, trying to figure us out. He’s just so cute. He’s turning into a little cat.

    #848513
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    You have reminded me of the adorable little mannerisms that make kitten rearing sooooo worth it! You forget those little things (like raising your own babies) until something brings it all back! Sounds like the eye drops are working their magic too, it’s nice to know that their eyes are clear and they are starting to focus. The other kittens will pick up on the food thing too, they just don’t all develop at the same rate.

    #848517
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    How adorable are your kits! You should consider naming the bossy guy Alpha because he seems the leader of the pack. I don’t ever expect to see him at the rear of line. Purrhaps you can use this link on natural flea treatment. I’m sure you’ve cleaned their bedding but here’s a different shampoo for bathing.

    I’d love to see any pictures Deanna.

    You and your boyfriend are becoming great purr parents.

    PG

    #848535
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I have pictures, I just have to upload them! Will try to do that soon.

    I’m a little worried about my runt (I call him Alphie, short of Alpha… it was suppsoed to be ironic that the biggest one is omega and the smallest one is alpha lol my boyfriend’s idea). He has the quirts, and is a lot weaker/quieter than usual. He WILL eat, although not as much as usual, and I’m keeping him hydrated, but every time I leave him alone to sleep I worry that he’ll get stuck under his brothers and be too weak to fight it.

    I’m gonna call the vet on Monday and see if I can take him in because I have a feeling it’s got something to do with bugs or some kind of infection because of the worms. He’s so itty bitty. ๐Ÿ™

    #848536
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Deanna, I think you are right about getting your littlest kitten to the vet, as many times things DO happen to the runt of the litter. They are just so much smaller and sometimes behind in development because of it. And they aren’t strong enough to fight their way out from underneath a kitten pile! ๐Ÿ˜

    #848570
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Unfortunately he didn’t make it. I woke up yesterday and he seemed a little better, he even went after the bottle, but about 4 hours later he was dead in my hands. Poor little thing. He didn’t suffer, though. He seemed to go pretty quickly, and I’m not really sure why.

    Last night, Omega took a very large poop and it seemed to cause him a lot of pain, so much so that he was shaking. At the same time, he started vomiting. Literally in the same moment he was taking a painful poop, he threw up pretty much all the food I had gotten in him. He seemed a little sick afterwards, so my boyfriend and I laid with him for a little while, just in case he died. This morning, he seems to be eating fine and he doesn’t physically look sick, so I’m just going to watch him carefully.

    These kittens are breaking my heart.

    #848572
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Good grief Deanna, I am so sorry. Yes, they are breaking MY heart too. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ I wonder if the kitten with the painful poop had hard stool, and he was straining so hard that he got sick. Usually, once they are on the goat’s milk the constipation subsides and they have normal poops. You sound a lot like me, trying to find a reason for everything and sometimes there just aren’t any. Regardless, you are doing a wonderful job, these kittens would never stand a chance without you. Thank you for keeping on.

    #848578
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    oh Deanna,

    I’m sad with you and I’m sorry wee Alfie has passed on but he knew only love while with you and your boyfriend. I know you’re heartbroken, you have all my healing energy.

    PG

    #848606
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Omega will not put the bottle in his mouth anymore. He’ll drink it in drops if I put it against his mouth, but he will not search for the bottle and bite like he used to. Could this be because of teething?

    #848610
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    http://www.chewy.com/tomlyn-nutri-cal-high-calorie/dp/57190
    Rub some honey or karo syrup on his gums to perk him up. Sounds like he is crashing. Then feed him normally–the goat’s milk with a little nutrical gel.

    #848613
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    How long after giving him some honey should it take to affect him?

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