Stray cat had kittens on my patio...need help!

[KJE]

Here's the deal...about a week ago my dogs started going crazy trying to get to a certain corner on my patio. I live in a condo and the patio is underground. That particular corner is blocked by my girls' bikes that are being stored under plastic for the winter. There is also a couple of pieces of wood that my husband keeps there, just in case he needs them.

Anyway, today I was helping one of my daughter's with her Algebra when I hear this little meow. I knew right then that it was a kitten. My husband moved the bikes and this fairly young cat ran out. I knew the meow sounded younger than this cat, so he investigated further.

There, huddled in the corner trying to stay warm were 3 tiny kittens. My husband picked them up. The mother was kind of nervous, so he thought he'd relax her by letting her sniff the kittens. Duh! Not a good idea. She grabbed one of the kittens and took off. He gave the other 2 kittens to my daughter and tried to follow the mother from a distance to see where she was going. She took the kitten into the woods behind where we live.

Of course, at this time it was getting pretty dark so my husband came back and got a flashlight. He wasn't able to find the mom or kitten. We have looked in the woods a couple of times tonight with no luck.

Unfortunately, we saw the mom cat in our parking lot without the kitten at one point. We are afraid that the other kitten will get killed by a raccoon or get too cold tonight. We plan on looking again in the daylight tomorrow.

Since I foster for an animal rescue I decided to call them. The owner of the rescue told me what I'd need to do to feed the kittens. From what I told her, she thinks the kittens are around 3 weeks old. She can't take them right now because she is currently treating some cats for upper respiratory infections in the rescue and is afraid these will catch it and die.

We went to PetsMart tonight to get everything we need to feed the kittens. PetsMart was kind enough to donate the bottle and powder milk to us free of charge. The babies haven't been too fond of the nipples on the bottle, so I've been using a syringe to feed them.

The are doing pretty well. I have been stimulating them so they pee and poop. I weighed both of them on a gram scale tonight. One weighs 295g and the other one ways 309g.

I do have a question, though. How much should I be feeding them at one time if they are eating every 3 or 4 hours?

 

[Herps&Inverts]

What size syringe are you using and what kind of milk? Most animals will stop drinking when they're full. When they start crying again, they're ready for some more. Depending on the appetite of the kittens, they may eat small amounts (1cc) or more (5+). Feed them according to how the squirts are reacting to the food, make sure its warm as not to harm their little tummies. As long as they are eating, they should be absolutely fine. If they wane from eating or lose interest in the milk try adding a tsp of Kayro syrup to the mix. The extra sugar will give the kittens a boost in energy and, often, a newfound interest in feeding. Good luck!!

Sam

 

[KJE]

Sam, thank you very much! I'm feeding them KMR. One of them is a bigger eater than the other one. One of them eats about 1.5 to 2cc, but the other only seems to want about 1cc each feeding.

I have been able to get them to pee by stimulating them, but no poop since I've had them last night. Should I worry about that right now or will they poop when they are ready?

 

[KJE]

The kittens have started eating a lot, but still no poop. I have tried everything the animal rescue person has told me with no luck. I have tried rubbing their butts with baby wipes for a while and running them under warm water for a few minutes while stimulating them. The rescue lady said that if they are 4 weeks old, which is what she estimates them to be, they should be able to go on their own. I have provided a short box with litter in it. I keep putting them in it, but they just walk right back out. Does anyone know of anything else I can do to get them to poop?

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

perhaps they are clogged up? Which MAY require a vet visit. My mom who used to breed poodles would get a Q-tip and put a bit of vaseline on it and get all that stuff out, and the pups/dogs would be just fine. Though it may not be the case with your babies.
You could give it a try, or perhaps offer a bit of some sort of laxative after cleaning the area.

If that doesnt work, you'll definitely need to go to the vet.

Good luck

 

[versimomma]

A warm flannel normally works. But as the lady said they should be going on their own. Any sign of Mum and baby?

 

[KJE]

One of them has pooped a couple of times now, but the other one hasn't yet. The vet tech told me to give it a week and if it doesn't poop within that time to bring it in to see the vet. We have tried tracking the mom through the woods behind our house, but we can't seem to keep an eye on her long enough to follow her.

 

[xelda]

You might want to try using aspen chips instead of litter. I had a kitten that even at 5 or 6 weeks old had a hard time using litter.

 

[KJE]

You might want to try using aspen chips instead of litter. I had a kitten that even at 5 or 6 weeks old had a hard time using litter.

Funny you should mention that. At first I was using aspen chips because I already had some. I made a special trip to the store to get litter. I'm going to change them back to the aspen for the time being. Thanks for your input!

 

[xelda]

Any update on how these guys are doing? Did you manage to find the mom?

 

[Daisey_Boo222]

what are you going to do with them after they're grown up a little bit?

 

[KJE]

We have been trying to track the mom. She's very good at hiding. The mom still has one of the babies, which is probably dead by now. The temps here haven't been very good for young kittens. Plus, we discovered that one of the babies we had had pneumonia. It was put on antibiotics, was tube fed, and given sub-q fluids, but it died. The other one we have is doing VERY well. It is on antibiotics to hopefully prevent it from getting pneumonia.

We are still setting out food for the mom, who comes by at least once a day to eat. I didn't realize how hard it would be to track an adult cat. :wall: If we ever find where the other kitten is and it's still alive we are going to take the kitten and trap the mom with a safe trap that the rescue has.

I foster for a local, private, no-kill rescue that will take the kitten as soon as it is weened and old enough not to catch everything that comes around. They are also going to take the mom if we can catch her and have her spayed and put her up for adoption. My husband is allergic to adult cats so we cannot keep it, even though we are getting very attached to it. He has tried different allergy meds, but they don't help his allergy to cats. He's having a hard time with this one, since he's helping with the feeding and everything. His allergies have been okay, though, since it's a kitten. He's just had very mild problems.

 

[Daisey_Boo222]

I hope you find the mama and the baby kitten. Good Luck