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New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/2/2008 1:22:45 AM
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DenimDiva
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We have a cat who had three kittens about St. Patrick's Day, so they are about six weeks old.
A friend found a dead cat who was still lactating and her two babies were with her. He said it looked like mama may have been ran over by a vehicle. The kittens look quite young- approx. 2 weeks old.
The kittens need a mama. We have a mama. We have introduced her and her kittens to the new kittens. They all seem to be on friendly terms. However, when she nursed her own kittens, she showed no interest in nursing the new ones. The new kittens showed some interest in nursing, but they had just been fed some kitten formula.
Are there steps we should be taking to encourage the mama to adopt these new kittens?
Also, the man who found the kittens knows nothing about kittens. He was cleaning them up and thought their eyes were stuck closed due to an infection of some type. He forced the eyes open. We have no idea if the eyes were actually opened or not.
Should we be concerned for their vision in any way?
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/2/2008 6:55:27 PM
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DenimDiva
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Mama did let the larger, more assertive of the two nurse for a minute or so today. She was going to let the other one nurse too, but that one couldn't latch on for some reason.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/2/2008 7:26:12 PM
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manda59
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The kittens' eyes could have been seriously damaged by being forced open. IMO the kittens need to be taken to see a vet, urgently.
Also, if it was me, I personally would not have introduced them to my own cat/kittens as I'd have no idea whether or not the kittens were healthy, had fleas etc. Btw, do you know for sure that your own cat doesn't have FIV or Feline Leukaemia? Is she vaccinated?
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/2/2008 9:49:16 PM
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DenimDiva
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quote:
ORIGINAL: manda59
The kittens' eyes could have been seriously damaged by being forced open. IMO the kittens need to be taken to see a vet, urgently.
Also, if it was me, I personally would not have introduced them to my own cat/kittens as I'd have no idea whether or not the kittens were healthy, had fleas etc. Btw, do you know for sure that your own cat doesn't have FIV or Feline Leukaemia? Is she vaccinated?
We don't know because she adopted us just after she got pg, so she hasn't been tested for anything.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/2/2008 10:25:29 PM
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Mrs.X
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Are you able to take them to the vet? If not, I'd call a vet and just say you can't afford to bring them in, but need some advice. Can you afford kitten formula in case they don't nurse? When you're on the phone with the vet ask if you can put Vicks Vaporub on the kittens and the mama so she can't tell the difference between her kittens and the new ones. I heard that one time, but I wasn't sure if it was safe or effective. You can also try rubbing the kittens together...you know like rub one baby with a new one to try to get his scent on the other cat. One thing we did with a runt that had a hard time nursing (getting pushed away by brothers and sisters) was we just latched him on and put space between him and his siblings so he had plenty of room. We tried to do that for him everytime we noticed them nursing. He came out in the end.....really small, but healthy enough.
I'd also ask a vet about the eyes getting forced open. I do know that when they get nasty eye boogers, you just take warm water and q-tips and try to gently rub the boogers off. It's like an eye cold when they get that and not really a big deal.
My guess is your cat isn't vaccinated because she wasn't spayed by her previous owner, but niether are her kittens or the new ones, so it probably doesn't matter.
Hope all works out and the new babies are OK.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/3/2008 8:02:15 AM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SteelMagnolia
My guess is your cat isn't vaccinated because she wasn't spayed by her previous owner, but niether are her kittens or the new ones, so it probably doesn't matter.
IMO it would matter if DD's cat has any disease that could be passed on to another cat's kittens through her feeding them.
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"I think my computer needs a "What Manda just said" button." 1mlasp July 2008
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/3/2008 12:55:47 PM
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DenimDiva
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She plays with them and lets her babies play with them, but she has decided that she won't do any of the "mothering" things to them like feeding, making them have bms, etc., so we are taking care of that by using kitten formula, cleaning them and stimulating the bowel. It's fun to feed them. They've decided that they like water, so cleaning as been fun. I could do without the stimulating the bowel though.... KWIM?
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/6/2008 12:47:23 PM
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DenimDiva
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Sunday was my niece's birthday. The kittens went over to our neighbor's that day. She decided to keep them. Not sure how she's taking care of them and working, but she is.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/6/2008 1:25:19 PM
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manda59
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Have the kittens been taken to a vet yet?
If your neighbour has them, how is she feeding them? Is she accustomed to rearing kittens?
If you're not sure how they are going to be looked after since she works, how come you let them go to her?
< Message edited by manda59 -- 5/6/2008 1:34:44 PM >
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"I think my computer needs a "What Manda just said" button." 1mlasp July 2008
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/6/2008 5:38:01 PM
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GrahamCracker
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The mama might not have enough milk for the orphans, even if she were inclined to do so. If you want to keep them alive, there is a lot of information on the internet about caring for orphaned kittens. My wife and I have done it. You can get powdered nursing formula from pet stores.
After they eat, you have to stimulate their bladder and intestines because they cannot use the bathroom by themselves.
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Sure we're under the law, everybody knows that!
When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Heb 10:13)
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/6/2008 8:20:16 PM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DenimDiva
I noticed that she came home for lunch yesterday and today to feed them.
I hope so - they need feeding about every 3 hours.
They will also likely need treating for fleas - your neighbour needs to get (from the vet) a flea preparation that is suitable for their age. After the flea preparation has been used, they will need a gentle bath and then to be dried.
quote:
If you find fleas or flea dirt on kittens of any age, you must get them flea-free as soon as possible. Young kittens can easily get anemia from flea infestation and really endanger its life. First, use a flea comb to remove as much of the dirt and fleas from the fur as you can. Ask your vet for a flea spray that's okay to use on very young kittens; always read the warnings on any flea product to confirm at which age it is safe. Place the kitten on a towel for about 20 minutes; then discard the towel with the dead and dying fleas that have come from the kitten. After using the spray, give the kitten a bath in gentle or surgical soap.
If you don’t have a safe flea spray, you can wash the kitten with a gentle dishwashing soap like Dawn or Palmolive (do not use antibacterial), or a citrus-based shampoo, and comb all of the fleas out afterwards. Make sure water temperature is lukewarm so as not to chill the kitten. Dry the kitten, if old enough, with a blow dryer or you can towel-dry it, then put it in a carrier and aim the blow dryer into it to gently dry the kitten with warm, circulating air.
Other skin irritations to look for are ringworm and mange. If a kitten is scratching excessively and there are bare patches where fur is missing, isolate the kitten from littermates and consult a vet immediately for treatment.
< Message edited by manda59 -- 5/6/2008 8:27:17 PM >
_____________________________
"I think my computer needs a "What Manda just said" button." 1mlasp July 2008
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/6/2008 8:55:50 PM
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Ps103
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PM Brandy, Roberta. She will be able to help.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/7/2008 2:08:12 AM
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DenimDiva
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The fleas are off of them. They haven't had a flea since the first night we had them.
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/7/2008 6:43:32 AM
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GrahamCracker
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DenimDiva
The fleas are off of them. They haven't had a flea since the first night we had them.
That's good. Keep in mind that the reproductive cycle of fleas is such that they may return. They may still have flea eggs on them. At least they are small enough that you can find most of them.
Insofar as flea treatment is concerned, diatomaceous earth is nontoxic for all adult cats. I would imagine that it is safe for kittens too.
_____________________________
Larry
Sure we're under the law, everybody knows that!
When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Heb 10:13)
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RE: New Kittens Need a Mama - 5/8/2008 1:42:12 PM
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DenimDiva
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The kitties still have no fleas. They get a bath once a day to help keep the fleas away.
I went over and saw them this morning. She (our neighbor) took her smallest bedroom and "kitty-proofed" it and gives them free run of the room. She said she went to Petco and got a "few things" for them. I don't think that she left anything in the store! LOL!
She's got tons of kitten formula, toys, tunnels, scratching posts, etc.
She's been taking her dog in there for about 15 minutes a day so that he gets used to them and won't try to get rough with them with they are old enough to roam the house.
She took them to her vet and was told that they are approx. 3.5 to 4 weeks old and pretty healthy.
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) They weren't having bms, so I showed her how to get them to do that.
