help...found 3 abandoned kittens

[Little_E]

Please help.

My friend and I found 3 abandoned kittens in the weeds behind her friends house. The kittens appear to be about 4-6 weeks old. They are eating some solid kitten food and using the litter box. I have some questions as both of us are in grad school far from home and have never had a kitten on our own before.

First, the 3 kittens (Grissom, Neville, Spike) have a severe case of fleas. We have lined the outside of the cage with flea powder and it is working, but I haven't read anything about being ableto help guys so little. Does anyone have any suggestions?

All of them have crusty eyes and although when we found them they were caked shut, we have been able to get them open using hot water and gently rubbing their eyes. Does anyone know what could be causing this and should it be looked at by a vet?

Lastly, when should these little guys be taken to the vet? Can we take them now? Since we are in grad school, neither one of us have a lot of money, but I am willing to do what is necessary to help them survive. Should we wait until we have the fleas under control before bringing them to the vet, so we don't make the other pets their infested? And are there places that offer discounts for abandoned pets being treated? I read that PETCO has a discounted vaccine clinic? Does anyone know anything about that.

Anybody please help us. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. This is very overwhelming for both of us, but we are not going to give up on these little guys.

Thanks,
Little E

[LisaLisa]

Thanks for taking in this little furbabies. It is impoortant to get these kitties to the vet as soon as possible because of the fleas, crusty eyes and unknown health status.

As for the fleas, please do not use over the counter flea products. These can be very dangerous. Until you have these kitties seen by the vet, the only safe method is using a flea comb. You can dip the comb in a dish of warm water with a drop of two of palmolive or dawn dish soap....comb through fur, rinse comb, repeat a few times until there is no evidence of fleas or flea dander. Be sure they are thoroughly dry,. there is no need to bathe these babies.

The crusty eyes can also be a sign of an upper respiratory condition. The vet may prescribe a cream to treat this but again, the vet really needs to do a full complete medical exam on these babies and prescribed the proper treatment as soon as possible.

You may want to call around in your area to see if you can get examinations at a reduced rate.

Here is also a link that provides alot of information about kittens.

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health2kittens.html

Good luck to you both and keep us posted....There are alot of people on this board with a wealth of information so if you have questions please ask....

[Little_E]

Lisa,

Thank you so much for your advice and help. We are using some over the counter flea poweder, but keeping it far away from them, on the concrete outside of their cage, so there is no change they will get into it. We just don't want fleas all over the house. We didn't know if flea combs were safe for them or not, with them being so young, but now we know and will go out and buy one tomorrow.

Thank you for the link. It was very helpful. We are very worried about them not making it. They were very weak and lethargic when we found them (Fri.). Two are stronger and hissing and meowing at us. One is still lethargic and we are taking extra care of him (keeping him close to us and hand feeding him).

We had planned on calling vets the first thing in the morning about who will see them. I was worried no vet would examine them because they are flea-infested. Plus money is an issue for us as well. Do you know how much it normally costs for the first vet visit/shots? Any estimation would be great as we would know how much to we need to raise or how much plasma to sell.

Thanks for everything and I will keep you updated.
Little E

[LisaLisa]

Hi,

First of all, I want to say that I think it's great what you are doing to these little babies and I'm glad you are willing to getthem the proper care they need. I think they still are a bit young for vaccines but the fleas/crusty eyes problems are the big issues right now.

A recent poster to the board found a vet in their area who charged $20 for a visit (I believe that was for one kitty). My vet charges $35..I think it would depend on the area you are living in..

When you call the vets in the morning, please be clear about your situation...you may be able to find a vet who will take a post-dated check, see if you can borrow a charge card. Call around, you may find someone who appreciates your kindness and your situation..

I hope the little one pulls through...what are you hand feeding this one? KMR by any chance...

You can use the search function on the top of this board to see others experiences in similiar situations within the Feline Health Board..There are also links to the left hand side that are very useful... I used both places to respond to your questions...

I hope all works out...

[Ian]

I don't know where you live but where I am, Toronto Canada, there is a Humane Society, different from the SPCA. If there is one in your area you could give the kittens to them. They won't put an animal down for economic reasons only when there is no hope. Best of Luck

ps try doing an internet search to find a human society close to you

[Tweeti]

so happy to hear that these little one have you,,i also found my kitten but he was about an hour born when i found him and is doing well,, Call Animal shelters, they may help in founding you a reasonal doc. that can work with you. Good Luck

[LisaLisa]

Little_E,

How did everything go with the kitties?