I was brought 4, about 12 day old kittens. I have been feeding them with a pet bottle, keeping them warm, and dry. the questions that I have are:
1. How much do I feed them?
2. How do I bathe them when they have urine and feces all over them?
I gently wash them off with warm water.
3. How do I take care of the fleas that they have?
I'm afraid that they will get sick or die. I use to be a paramedic, but I wasn't trained for animals. Please help soon.
Thank you, Vanessa
Thanks, the site was informative. I'm going to use this advice. The kittens walk pretty good, wobbly, but they are quick. A couple of them try to drink out of a dish. I'm just not sure if they are getting enough to eat. I don't want to over feed them. But I'm more concerned about the fleas.
Be sure you are feeding them kitten formula (KMR), and feed them according to the package directions. The directions/feeding schedule for KMR are accurate for most kittens. They should be gaining weight each day, if you feel they are not, or are losing weight, don't hesitate to get them seen by your vet.
The link Lisa gave also gives tips for dealing with fleas in tiny kittens.....never use flea products on kittens less than 8-12 weeks old, some cannot be used safely until 12 weeks of age....when they are old enough, only use those products recommended by your vet (Frontline or Advantage)
Dear Traci And Lisa: Thanks so much for the help. I wanted to let you know that the kittens are looking much better. They are yelling and moving around alot, when their not sleeping. Their eyes are open now. they have gained a little weight and are getting stronger. I have used a flea comb on them and besides getting the fleas, I'm also getting little black dots. I have no idea what the dots are. Could you help?
I called the Vet's office today to see if they could take the kittens and I told them what I did to care for them. They said they couldn't take the kittens and that is sounded like I was doing a good job taking care of them and to just keep doing what I was doing. Thanks again for all your help, Vanessa
The black specks you are seeing is flea dirt. These tiny babies are infested with fleas, but as mentioned, because of their young age, the only thing you can do is use a flea comb on them. You want a really fine toothed comb in order to pull the fleas off them. Please keep this babies quite warm and out of drafts. They need to be at least in 93 degrees to be really safe. A pet heating pad works well, not a human one. I have even taken plastic coke bottles and filled them with hot water, capped them tightly, wrapped them with warmed towels from the dryer, and placed them in the box to keep orphans warm. But if you do that, you need to be vigilant and change the water before it cools. Another tool you might think about purchasing has been a god-send for me with orphaned kittens- a stuffed animal called Snugglekittie. Here is their website:
Thanks to everyone for your help and support. You all have been very helpful. The kittens are still doing good. I set them in a kitty litter pan with a little bit of litter and two of them used it. I'm thinking that these two might have been born first. I have been feeding them about every four hours and they act like their starving. Is there anything I could add to the milk that might help, or should I feed them every two hours again?
I hope I'm not bothering anyone with all these questions. My vet wasn't much help. Thanks again, Vanessa
You didn't say what kind of milk you are feeding them - is it a formula designed specifically for kittens, like KMR? Kittens can not survive on cow's milk. The formula should have feeding instructions on the package.
You're not bothering with all the questions, that's what everyone is here for!
Kate is right...we are all here to help each otrher so please keep posting. As I mentioned earlier, I don't have alot of experience with fostering kittens, but I do read the posts regularly..
You are doing a great job in your new kiitten meowma role
I was brought 4, about 12 day old kittens. I have been feeding them with a pet bottle, keeping them warm, and dry. the questions that I have are:
