Three day old kittens

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  • 12 March, 2017 at 1:00 am #857138
    Steven
    Participant

    Hello everyone, me and my wife have acquired three three day old kittens. I have been reading all I can about these little guys and this site has helped me tremendously. The first question I have is about the color of the feces. Some of it is yellow, and some will be brown. Is this normal? The second question I have is about the weight of them. Two weigh 2.8oz and the runt weighs 2.2oz. Is this normal, or are they considered premature? If they are premature, what can I expect as far as if they are going to make it? They all have a pretty good suckle response and I feed them about 1.5 mils each feeding every 1 hour during the day, and every two hours at night. They have all had a bowel movement today. We have one that isn’t peeing that much compared to it’s siblings, so two feeding ago I supplemented half a mil of pedyalite on top of his regular feeding, is this okay. I have noticed he is already peeing more after two feedings. I know this is a lot, but I want to know everything I can to help these guys make it.

    12 March, 2017 at 1:28 am #857141
    Laura
    Participant

    From all that I read when I raised my newborn, babies should weigh 3.2 ounces at birth. However, mine only weighed 2.5 ounces at 3 days so I would think the runt still has a chance. They don’t have a potty routine at this point. They can poop & pee several times a day or go a couple days without either. The poop will vary in color and consistency.

    I tried everything with my baby but the one thing that worked best for her was powdered goat milk. She seemed to take off and thrive once we switched her to that.

    Don’t rub their butts too much, but just make sure the cloth is warm and damp, and try to mimick a cat’s licking. If they don’t go right away, try again after 15 minutes but don’t force it.

    Just remember to keep them warm. I used a warm water bottle under a towel in a small crate.

    Have fun with your babies!

    12 March, 2017 at 1:45 am #857142
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Steven,

    It’s wonderful to read about someone who’s getting it right from the get go!

    The stool should be a light brownish color so this is fine. Pedyalite is an excellent means of kits staying dehydrated. 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. You can find it in the dairy section or the concentrate in the baking aisle. Mix the concentrate 1:1 with water or pedilyte. If you decide to add Goats’ milk you can do it as a supplement or in place of kitten milk. Which ever you feel most comfortable.

    Newborn kitten care means making sure the kittens are growing properly. The average kitten weighs around 3 1/2 ounces when born. Each day they should gain close to 1/2 of an ounce.

    It is SO important to weigh kittens frequently during the 2 weeks following their birth. Daily is best or at least every other day. If the kitten is not gaining weight, you want to know right away when there may be time to save the kitten. They should continue to be weighed over the next few weeks at least twice weekly. The first sign you often get that a kitten is sick is a lack of weight gain. That is why weighing is so important.

    Here is a kitten weight chart. Use it as a guide and not a hard and fast rule.

    You and your wife are now purr parents. If you suspect anything then call a vet.

    Congratulations! Welcome to TDKland

    Keep in touch

    PG

    12 March, 2017 at 1:48 am #857143
    Steven
    Participant

    Thanks for the reply! They are still doing good, is it okay that they are not bundled together? They are all staying warm from a heating pad, so I’m not too concerned. But I have been feeding them kmr kitten formula, I will pick up some of the powdered goat milk and see if they like it better. The runt is doing well, I think lol. He always eats and is doing better and better each feeding.

    12 March, 2017 at 1:57 am #857144
    Steven
    Participant

    Thanks for the reply PG, I have been overly paranoid about them gaining weight, I weigh them every two feedings ( a bit of over kill I know, but I just figured that’s the best way to moniter if they are doing well lol). They have all gained about .1 ounces in 6 hours. I really just hope all of them make it.

    12 March, 2017 at 5:02 am #857145
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Kittens usually lay in a pile for warmth, but if you have a warm heating pad in their nest, this should be good enough for them to stay good and warm. Cold kittens cannot process their food.

    I raised my last kitten on goat’s milk, because I have found that the KMR powder causes them to get constipated. This isn’t the end of the world, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s not a lot of fun to try and get a kitten to poop when it’s constipated or has dry, hard poops. Goat’s milk seems to prevent this, probably because it has probiotics in it. If you find they are having trouble pooping, you can add a few drops of olive oil to their milk to get things softened up.

    I will post a couple of links that I used when I had my kittens. They are full of information. Good luck!!

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

    12 March, 2017 at 6:18 pm #857154
    Steven
    Participant

    Okay, just got some powdered goat milk, on the can it says vitamin D3 and folic acid added. Will this harm the kittens?

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