General Advice: Orphaned kittens

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  • 18 May, 2016 at 4:49 pm #847548
    Anne
    Participant

    Hello
    I have just taken into my care four orphaned kittens. Their mother has been killed in a road accident, they are 3 – 4 weeks old. I just want some general advice.
    I am in a country where it is hard to get supplies and I don’t have access to a vet.

    I have provided them with a warm box to sleep in at night. I bought them a litter tray which they are using. I could not get kitten milk formula, so am mixing egg yolks with coffee creamer (a man in a pet shop said it has lots of fat in it and is a good substitute). They are enjoying that. I also bought kitten biscuits which say they are for 4 week olds. They are quite crunchy and they seem to be struggling to eat them.

    Some children live in a flat above me and are feeding them pouches of kitten food which say they are for 2-month olds. I can’t stop them doing this – I don’t speak their language and the mother cat was theirs. Some of the kittens have diarrhoea.

    All the kittens seem very happy – running around and playing, and very affectionate. Is there anything else I can do to help them? Any dietary advice would be so appreciated.

    Thanks

    18 May, 2016 at 9:06 pm #847555
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Anne,

    Welcome to TDKland. We are the furriest feline blog around. Thank you for rescuing these wee kits. My first question is are you going to keep the kittens?

    TDKers use Goats’ milk because it’s cheaper and provides probiotics and nutrients they needs to grow strong. With the Goats’ milk they shouldn’t have constipation/diarrhea problems that KMR often causes. It’s found in the refrigerated milk section of the grocery or in the baking aisle in cans. The canned is condensed so add water 1 to 1.

    If you can’t get pasteurized Goats’ milk, continue with the mix you have but add plain yogurt. Their teeth aren’t about to chew hard biscuits/food. You can take some wet food and mix it with the Goats’ milk and make a gruel. Wrap a heating pad (set on low) or hot water bottles in a towel and put it in a corner of their cubby. Do make sure there is enough room for them to move if they get too warm. Cats/kittens won’t eat if they’re cold.

    Here’s a couple of links with a bunch of info on hand rearing kits.

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

    Check this info out and then let us know any more questions/concerns.

    PG

    20 May, 2016 at 7:51 pm #847643
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Anne,

    How are the kits doing?

    29 May, 2016 at 8:25 am #848029
    Anne
    Participant

    Hi, sorry I couldn’t access the internet for a little while.
    They are all doing very well now – eating and playing lots. I am just feeding them whiskers kitten wet food pouches now which they seem to love. Thank you for your help, it has been really appreciated.

    One of them is ill this morning. It’s back side is quite a mess, and it tried to defecate just now and couldn’t. It just seems to want to sleep. Could this just be a tummy bug which needs to pass? anything I can do to help it out?

    29 May, 2016 at 2:15 pm #848033
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    The goat’s milk will help, but more than likely they have parasites or worms or both–most kittens always have worms. A trip to the vet for deworming would be in order and a general well check for them.

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