kittens abandoned?

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  • #863991
    Melissa
    Participant

    hey, we have a growing population of outside cats that we are trying to get under control. i haven’t been able to get them all to the vet yet and another one had kittens. I have taken in a lot of kittens from this colony and tried to hand rear a few from days 2 or 3 of their lives (unfortunately they weren’t strong enough to make it but they lived their short lives warm and loved) I currently still have 2 kittens that i am fostering (i’ve had them since sept. 13th) we started with 4 in that litter. I’m having trouble getting these last 2 homes because they have feline herpes and that scares off people. anyways yesterday morning when i was leaving for work as i opened the front door i saw a little kitten scurry into the bushed so of course i looked in the bushes and this kitten let me pick it up when i did mamma came to the porch and just watched me hold and play with the kitten. i put the kitten back down and went on to work not expecting to see the kitten again bc usually when i find the kittens mamma moves them again. then when i got home from work i checked the bushes and now i see 2 kittens. they hiss and spit a little but they are probably only about 3 weeks, their ears haven’t popped up 100% and they are wobbly when they walk around. once again i saw mom watching me so i put them back but went inside and got some kitten food (i’m out of goats milk i have to get some today) and put it out for mom and the kittens. i sat down with the kittens as they ate a little while mom went around back to eat with the other cats that i feed. i checked and both kittens are little girls and solid black like every cat in my back yard (except 1 calico) they both are nourished i believe both have round faces and bellies (i know that could be worms) they are not dehydrated (i did the tent test). the smaller of the 2 has some kind of issue with her left front leg. i don’t know if it is something caked on there or if its a scab or some sort of skin issue, it’s white and flaky but very raised like a scab and takes up a majority of her leg. she also doesn’t move around as much as the other one (who i call quiver bc her tail quivers non stop). i left them when mom came back from eating.
    this morning it’s raining and when i went to check on the kittens they are soaked so i scooped them up and came inside and grabbed a towel to dry them off. i’ve now made them a safe warm place on the porch still open so mom can get to them and take care. i took the cat carrier and put a clean blanket in it and a hot water bottle so that they can stay warm until mom comes back.
    i want ya’ll opinion on if i’m doing everything ok for now and at what point can i tell if mom has abandoned them. also i’m worried about the smaller ones leg but i don’t have money to take her to the vet right now.
    any ideas and opinions would be greatly appreciated on what i can do with them. i think mom may just be watching to make sure i’m watching them. I”m most worried because mom left them in a bush to get soaked instead of moving them somewhere more covered and warm.

    #864005
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I’m not sure if you want to write mom off yet, but just make sure you keep an eye on them and make sure they are warm and fed. You should be able to tell if the mom has left them in a couple of days, but she may show up with more. You have definitely taken on a daunting task in caring for your neighborhood cats and kittens. You are doing a great job!

    It amazes me how clueless a mother cat can be sometimes, even giving birth right out in the open in the cold and in rain. I have seen it, and it just doesn’t make sense. I guess probably because she didn’t have a good mother either who taught her how to be.

    I don’t know what the issue is with the kittens leg, but make sure you use gloves in case it might be ringworm. It’s contagious and humans can get it too, but it’s easily cured.

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