Several issues with my week old foster babies. Could use advise!

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  • 5 September, 2017 at 1:54 pm #862404
    Nikki
    Participant

    Ill give their backstory a little. We have a feral female we’ve been trying to trap for over a year but it seems she knows what we’re trying to do. She just had her 5th litter in a little under 2 years but out of all those kittens, only ones ever survived. She’s been very sick the last 6 months and I really didn’t think she was going to “keep” this last pregnancy. Fast forward to Saturday 8/26. Went to the restroom around 5am and heard a bunch of meowing. Went outside around 7 to find she had the litter under my bathroom window out in the open. On closer inspection I realized they were all still attached to the placenta and all tangled in the umbellical cords. Limbs were twisted, they were twisted, it was a gruesome sight! Rushed them to the ER vet and she helped tie them off and gave me the basics of what to do (after offering to put them all down). Never really liked cats but I believe all living things deserve a chance! So I’ve been syringe feeding KMR from day one. Weight gains have been amazing, along with appetites but the pooping has been a struggle. They go about every other day and it’s usually the right color but very firm. I have a big boy in the group that loves his food and this past Saturday we upped his intake a little. Since then he hasn’t pooped. His stomach is a little firm as of the 1am feeding and he seems uncomfortable. He ate but not as much as he usually does. Need some advise on how to get are purring Purrcy back to his purring self.

    My other issue is, I have one who likes to suckle on the other two’s private parts. She can be so full she looks like she is going to pop, and the will still suckle in them. I’ve tried to separate her from the others but she literally cried for hours. Never went to sleep, just meowed the whole time! How can I get her to stop without putting her through the stress of being alone?

    Tried to upload a pic of Purring Purrcy but there is no option do to being on my cell. Ty in advance!!

    5 September, 2017 at 3:22 pm #862406
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Hi Nikki, thank you so much for saving these little babies, without you they would have had no chance. What was up with the vet for wanting to put them down? Seriously. If you can’t do any good, then do no harm…

    You are doing a great job with these kittens. It’s a tough job and I will post some links for you that can help immensely with questions and how to’s. On the kitten that is suckling everyone else, you will have to separate her for the time being. Put a heating pad wrapped in a towel and set on low in her nest, and put a small stuffy in there with her. Some nubby fleece is also good, she can suckle on the stuffy or the fleece to comfort her. The others can get sores from a littermate suckling on them.
    Add a few drops of olive oil to the bottles of milk to help soften up the poop, also with him…drop him back down to what you were feeding him before.

    Bottle Babies

    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm

    Helping a kitten to eliminate

    5 September, 2017 at 4:22 pm #862408
    Nikki
    Participant

    We have poopage! BUT, while he was constipated he was hungry but fused when I tried to get him to latch on to the nipple (I use miracle nipples). 3 feedings now that he has done this. I’m currently taking a time out so I can go try him again. He’s starving, my hands are proof from the claw marks but he sucks for maybe a movie or 2 and then refuses it again. I’ve tried different temps of the formula, tried 5 different nipples and 3 different sizes. I’m at a loss! He was the pig out of the bunch and I didn’t have problems with him at all until the constipation start. Dumb question but could it be from teething???

    The ER vet said they would probably be failure to thrive do to the tram. We lost two to internal damage from the constant twisting and pulling from the twisted cords. When I say horrific….HORRIFIC LOOKING! Hope to never see something like that again!

    6 September, 2017 at 12:58 am #862419
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I’m not quite understanding your post above. I don’t know what miracle nipples are–I have just used the regular PegAg bottles and the nipples that come with them. If you had to make a hole in them, a lot of times they tell you to stick a hot needle in them–trouble is when you pull the needle out, it seals up the hole. I take a razor blade and make a cross cut X in the top, this lets the formula flow freely when they latch on with their gums. If he is clutching and grabbing, he isn’t getting formula and he is hungry. His gums may be itchy, but I think it’s because he’s sucking so hard and nothing is coming out. You should be able to turn the bottle upside down and it should have a steady drip, drip, drip without squeezing. I don’t know what the ER vet means by tram. What’s that? What do you mean by the constant twisting and pulling of the cords? Cut the umbilical away from the kitten and GENTLY REMOVE IT. Sorry if I seem a little slow, but I’m unfamiliar with the terms.

    6 September, 2017 at 1:22 pm #862428
    Nikki
    Participant

    Tram was suppose to say trauma. My phone is trying to auto correct to world’s that aren’t making sense, lol. They were twisted all together by their cords. There were mangled limbs twisted in with them, one baby was twisted so tightly that she actually had a bit of her stomach starting to twist with them all. Then on top of that, had the placenta dried up all in between the mess. They were like that for hours before we found them.

    Miracle nipples are made by a wildlife rehabber I get my supplies from. They are designed to mimic mom’s teet but less air gets in their stomachs. They also have a bigger bad around them for the babies to kneed. They are pre-holed already. Not sure how to upload a photo of them while I’m on my phone but if you Google them, you should see them.

    6 September, 2017 at 1:26 pm #862429
    Nikki
    Participant

    He’s doing better this morning. I went back to feeding him less and every 3 hours instead of 4. If I switch them over to goats milk, how is it mixed up? Do I need to put anything in with it?

    6 September, 2017 at 3:23 pm #862432
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    No you don’t need to add anything. I like the powder, just mix according to directions. If you go with the concentrate in the cans…you mix the whole can 1 to 1. Of course the stuff in with the regular milk, just warm up and feed out of the carton.

    I understand about the darned phone trying to write your posts or texts for you…it’s #$&(? frustrating to say the least…I spend more time backspacing and fixing than I would just trying to type a text. I’m not illiterate, just give me a keyboard and leave me alone! 😆 (glad I got that off my chest!)

    Still give the nipple hole a look, sometimes it just gets gunked up. I think I know what those nipples are…but I’m curious, and will look them up. Keep us posted!

    6 September, 2017 at 3:33 pm #862438
    Nikki
    Participant

    Sorry for all the questions! I have them in my head when I go to post and the as I’m typing I lose the ones I meant to ask, lol. (Very sleep deprived, lol!) The two babies I’m not having issues with are pooping regular now and taking anywhere from 9 to 10 mls and weighing in at 233g and 245g. The boy that I’ve been having the issues with is weighing in at 255g and takes in about 8 to 9 mls. He steadily gaining but isn’t eating what he was. I still have to burp him more and longer as well. He’s pooping but it’s still firm and not like the other two. Just so I can hear it from others, is this all ok for him and just keep doing what we’re doing since he’s still gaining weight? I don’t want to have to take him to the vet yet again since they have no immune system right now. Thanks for all the advise by the way!!

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