Newborn nursing bad habits! HELP ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Electra]

I recently(very recently) became the surrogate mother of three newborn kittens. They are about 2 days old. Their mother was hit by a car shortly after their birth.

While they were rooting around their little nest looking for something to nurse on they,um, sort of found each others bottoms!

I'm frightened that doing this will make them sick but I don't want to have to seperate them. I read somewhere that I should try putting something called Bitter Apple on their bums. But Bitter Apple is used for cat who bite electrical cords and I'm not sure it is really the best/healthiest thing to use on the kittens. Does anyone know of a way to prevent nursing on littermates?????

I would really appreciate all the help I can get!
Thank you all very much!
~Rosemary~

[davet]

before you use bitter apple et al try wiping the read ends periodically with warm water and cottone to keep them very clean like the mother would...if this doesn /t do the job then i would separate them for short periods esp. before feeding but be sure they have warm stuff to cuddle up to. i seriously doubt that thehabit will harm them but it might interfere with their eating

[Traci]

I wouldn't use bitter apple on tiny newborns whatsoever (let alone cats)....it was designed for dogs, to keep them from licking at hot spots, wounds, etc.

As Davet said, you need to provide something for them to cuddle up to, something warm...like a stuffed animal and a heating pad (please place a towel over the heating pad to prevent overheating). There is also a product called SnuggleMe Kitties which is ideal for newborn orphans, it is a stuffed animal that contains a warmer, realistic heartbeat, etc.

Please be sure you are properly supplementing them with KMR Kitten Formula and feeding them with a kitten nurser bottle, amounts and feeding times as per instructions on the KMR. Two-day-old newborns require constant care and supervision,....keeping them warm and free from drafty areas is imperative, as well as providing them with nutritional support with the KMR. (bonding is also essential to survival, when you hold them, they feel your heartbeat, it's a comfort measure)

Please don't hesitate to get them seen by your vet immediately if they show any signs of illness, no matter how slight. For more kitten care information, please see Here

[Electra]

Thank you both very much

The kitten that was giving me the most trouble was the one that was drinking the least KMR. I've tried using droppers and bottles (bottle seem to work better) but she comtines to have a bit of a difficult time. Is there anything I can do to get her to eat more? We went to the vet the other day and she didn't see anything wrong with any of them.

~Rosie~

[melissaranks]

My sister was in the same position you are in about a year ago. What she did was she got a big shoe box and (somehow) attached a heating pad to the bottom of it. In the box she taped a towel to separate the kittens from the floor and the heating pad. Then, she used old kitchen rags (cleaned of course) that she bunched up. The kittens could still hear each other and even get to snuggle up by their heads, but could not get to each other's bums. She only used the wash cloths near feeding times to separate them. The rest of the time, the kittens were allowed to pile on top of eachother like they would naturally. I'm happy to say that all her kittens survived and are all in nice homes. Her kittens were about a week old when she found them and the mother kitty who had died. I wish you luck with your kitties. As for the one that doesn't eat as much, I would keep trying. Rub his belly and make sure he's going potty too (rub his bum with warm damp paper towel it stimulates them to want to go). Good luck with your new friends!

[Traci]

Make sure the nurser bottle nipple is pierced correctly, and that there are no jagged edges around the nipple (these can hurt tiny, sensitive kitten mouths/tongues). If the nipple is in good shape, maybe pierce it again to allow a bigger opening.

Try holding her slightly wrapped in a warm towel, belly side down in a position that is most natural to that of nursing her natural mother. Make sure the formula is not too hot, and make a fresh bottle for each feeding time. (I recommend using the powder KMR, unmixed keeps in fridge up to three months, and can use only what you need for each feeding session)....If you're using the premixed cans, they can only be refrigerated up to 24 hours (I believe the can states 48 hours, but I've seen them spoil before that)

Maybe bond with her a bit moreso than usual, if she feels secure around you with holding, etc, she may be tempted to drink more of the formula. And as Melissa noted, be sure to stimulate all the kittens after each feeding. Typically they should urinate after each feeding, defecate at least twice daily.

With each passing day, she and her siblings should be drinking more, exhibiting more energy, gaining weight and be responsive to their surroundings.