Abandoned newborns

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  • #858729
    Danielle Gordon
    Participant

    Hi everyone!

    We are trying to care for about 4/5 day old kittens. We have been bottle feeding them and they seem to have a healthy appetite. They are suckling a bottle on their own. They had their first major poops today. They pee after every feeding. But they are crying incessantly. We try to burp them by patting their backs, but we really do not know what a newborn kitty burp should look like. So two questions:

    What could the crying be about? They do not have a runny nose or eyes or anything.

    How often should a newborn kitten poop?

    Any help would be most welcome. I think they might be constipated, but I am not sure. They did have a pretty big poop just the once today.

    Thank you!

    #858733
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Danielle,

    Welcome to TDKland. We’re the furriest forum around. Thanks for rescuing these wee abandoned kits. Without you, they had no chance.

    Kits cry for three basic reasons; they’re hungry, they’re cold, they hurt. They first two you can address in this manner:

    Kittens cannot regulate their body temperature so they must be kept warm. Kittens cannot digest food if they’re cold. If you haven’t already, make a nest for them. I think the best way is to place a heating pad, on LOW, covered by a towel and a soft blanket. Also, put a soft shirt of yours in their nest so the know your smell. Be sure to provide a “cool” spot for the kittens to crawl if they get too warm. Keep the kittens together so they can snuggle.

    They have companions, so they’re not lonely. You don’t suspect they are in pain so I suspect the kittens are hungry. Since you’re feeding multiple kittens, feed the first kitten until he stops nursing, then begin feeding the next kitten, and so on. Once you have fed all the kittens, feed the first kitten again and repeat with all the kittens. Usually one to three nursing turns will suffice. When a kitten stops nursing, he/she has had enough. Do not overfeed the kittens because it can cause loose stools and diarrhea. A well-fed kitten’s belly should be round, but not hard and distended. Smaller or weaker kittens may eat less per feeding and will need to be fed more often. A kitten should eat about 8 milliliters (mls) of formula per ounce of body weight per day. For example, a kitten who weighs 4 ounces should eat about 32 mls of formula per day. To determine how much to give at each feeding, divide the total amount of formula per day by the number of feedings. For example, if you’re going to feed 32 mls per day and do 7 feedings per day (approximately every three hours), that would mean giving 4.5 mls per feeding.

    Nursing bottles are marked with measurements, so it’s easy to know how much you’re feeding the kittens. Please note that some bottles use ml for measurement, some use cubic centimeters (cc). They are the same: 1 cc = 1 ml.

    These are the absolute minimum for ages:

    Newborn need to consume about 32cc daily,
    At 2 weeks, 55cc daily,
    At 3 weeks, 80 cc daily,
    At 4 weeks, 100cc daily (add wet food to the milk to make a gruel),
    At 5 weeks, 125cc daily.

    Here in TDKland, we recommend Goats’ milk for kittens. Cats are lactose intolerant and can’t digest cows milk. Goats’ milk is full of nutrients, probiotics and gentler on their tummies. This can also regulate their poop. If you are using the Goats’ milk concentrate, mix it with pedialyte. Pedialyte gives an extra the extra boost. Keep in mind if they seem lethargic put a dab of Karo syrup or honey in their mouth. Sometimes this is all they need to give them the added energy boost to get them eating. KMR concentrate can cause constipation and KMR liquid the opposite. Here are some links with good information on caring for your wee kits.

    If they don’t flinch or cry out when you touch them, I don’t believe they hurt.

    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm

    Good Luck
    PG

    #858738
    Danielle Gordon
    Participant

    Thank you so much for the reply! The two of them will finish an entire 60 mL bottle and then some per day. We switched to the KMR (cans) yesterday per a recommendation from my vet. They helped me save my pet rat when she had a severe head injury. We have only had the one good poops so far. They are in a kennel with a towel and heating pad. Could they be too warm? I suggested to shut off the pad for just a bit to see if that would mitigate the crying.

    They don’t flinch at all when I touch them… I will pet them to wake them up for their feeding and it’s more like they pop up and lean toward me. They are really really fussy about the potty time though. Possible they are just getting upset tummies? We are going to take them with us to the vet when I pick up my dog’s meds on Monday to see what their weight is and if they can show us anything we could be doing better. We are really invested in their doing better!!! It would mean the world to us if we could watch them grow up.

    We probably can’t keep them, but I know the shelter system is overburdened and would need a foster anyway since it is kitten season. So we just want the little babies to grow up!

    #858741
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Sounds like they are doing fine. Kittens will pop up when sleeping, because they want to be with you and they know that it must be feeding time!! Since you have switched to KMR liquid, it should help any constipation issues you might have had I think. Goat’s milk works wonders, and also helps to alleviate constipation. I am hand rearing a kitten right now and he is on goat’s milk only. I am going to mix his milk with some KMR powder to firm his stool up a little, but he is peeing everytime he wakes up (and sometimes on my hubby 😉 ) and poops really good about once a day. This isn’t always the case though, especially with ones as young as yours. But after you have had them for a while and they are used to the food and your schedule…they will get into a routine of peeing, pooping, and eating.

    Bottle Babies

    #858753
    Danielle Gordon
    Participant

    Thank you so much for your response! It really gives me encouragement to know that it seems to be working out!

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