6 Foster Kittens with Momma ~ 2nd Momma Cat and 6 Kittens! OMG!

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Sorry for not getting back on here to give an update.  Momma Cat is doing fantastic!  Her baby kittens are now 25 days old.  It won't be but a few days before they are running all over the bedroom I have kept them in.  Even though Momma Cat became so sick and then the kittens came down with eye conjunctivitis which required eye drops, this has been such a wonderful experience for me.  It will be so hard to say good-bye to them when Danuta, the rescue lady takes them all back.  One thing for certain is that I definitely will want to help out the rescue and foster again.

I've been reading up on when I should try to introduce some solid food to the kittens and from what I am gathering, dry kitten kibble moisten with KMR Kitten formula can begin to be offered in tiny amounts after they reach 4 weeks of age.  I was thinking that I would buy some Royal Canin BabyCat 34 that is specifically designed for very young kittens from weaning to 4 months.  Would that be a good idea?  Do you have any suggestions?

Here are a few new videos I made just yesterday for you to enjoy and see how great they are doing.  Watch carefully as Momma Cat whizzes by! lol





Oooh I just can't help myself!  I'm finding I'm so attracted to this little white kitten!  I'm trying to resist keeping him and Momma Cat!  Good Grief I already have 5 cats of my own!

[dabs]

how is momma getting on? 

[dabs]

So glad she is doing well and obviously the kittems are settled.

I would advise keeping her on the A/D as much as you can in preference to treats such as salmon and tuna. Too much tuna for cats is a bad thing and can make them poorly. Oven cooked chicken breast is fine as she will need the protein and some poached white fish may be more preferable to tuna and salmon. Make sure the white fish is cooked though as uncooked white fish depletes essential minerals etc.

Also try her on some wet kitten food as well as she will need as much in the way as vitamins and calcium than she can get.

One of my foster queens is now just entering her 5th week of nursing and is getting thru about 8 pouches a day plus biscuits, so be prepared for her appetite to increase quite a bit.

You are obviously doing something right, well done. 

[bonnielass]

Im so glad to hear momma cat is feeling better now and has started eating again,hopefully now she will go on to make a full recovery and the kittens are gorgous dont think they will be waiting long for homes of their own

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Thank you.  I have been weighing the kittens daily and they have continued to gain weight.  Momma Cat is doing really good today and has begun to eat on her own   She is still on the Clavamox twice a day and is now getting canned chicken, salmon and tuna mixed in with her Hill's Prescription Diet a/d.  She has really perked up today and even pooped! YIPPEE!!   Oooh and two of the kittens are starting to open their eyes!  They are so adorable!



Another cute video of all the kittens nursing.  Momma cat is breathing so much better and her nose is not as stuffy today nor have I heard her sneeze today.  I'm so thrilled.

[dabs]

I am glad that mum seems to be getting better, trust me it is hard work hand rearing kittens!

Are the little ones settled, at this age all they should be doing is feeding and sleeping, if they are crying and wandering round the nest then that is a sure indicator that something is worng and that they are not getting enough milk.

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Yes, thank you, she does do a vaccine that is a 4 in 1 but the Momma Cat must have had this harboring before she rescued her.  The last batch of cats all came from the same kill shelter and every one of them have been sick.  I'm not sure if all the cats lived together and were taken to the kill shelter by their previous owner. All 4 female cats were pregnant.  I think she told me that the kittens can't be vaccinated until they reach 2 pounds in weight.  Is this true?

Momma Cat seems to be better this morning.  She finally ate some canned chicken and salmon on her own.  She is still on Sub~Q fluids and antibiotics and high calorie supplement.   Hopefully she will poop today.....fingers crossed.  The kittens are all doing good and so far no sign of sickness.  *knocks on wood*

[Hippykitty]

I hope mum and kittens are doing well.

Maybe Danuta could consider vaccinating her rescue cats against enteritis and flu in future. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing.......sorry, but most rescues do this.

Good luck with the babes and mum. 

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Thank you dabs.  Danuta and  I ended up taking Momma Cat to see the vet.  She has not improved so we just wanted to have her checked over.  The vet felt around her tummy and could not feel any lumps or blockage.  Momma Cat got another round of Sub~Q fluids while at the Vets.  The vet did say the same thing as you, in that with Momma Cat not eating well, that she probably does not have anything to poop out.  He said to switch the Laxatone to every other day.  He said to continue to force feed her and that she should be fed a minimum of 1 1/2 cans of the Hills Prescription Diet per day.  Also we are adding additional vitamin supplement as well.  Dry kibble is also available round the clock and close by Mum.  The vet also looked the 6 kittens over and said that they look good.  When I asked him if they would get sick too, he said it's a possibility but not always the case.   

I have been removing my shoes when going into the quarantine room as I am trying very hard to keep the area free of all nasties.  I also weighed the kittens again tonight but there was no change in their weight.  I've only picked the kittens up to weigh them and since I live alone, there is no chance that anyone else will be handling them.

So far so good with the kittens, but Momma Cat has really got me worried.

[dabs]

As you said that mum cat needed force feeding, is this because she is not eating? Mum needs to eat at least one and half to two times what she would nrmally eat in order to make suffcient milk. Not enough calories = poor milk. Babies should gain about 8 to 10 grams per day and less than this means that they may need extra feeding by you.

If mum is snuffly, then she cannot smell her food. Try warmed pilchards to release the aroma, this may tempt her. ensure that food is down at all times for her, so she can nible if she wants. Some cats, especially novice queens may be reluctant to leave the litter, so make sure the food is in reach.

Usually if a cat has eaten that many placentas they go the other way and get the runs, it could be that not eating there is nothing for her to pass.

Weigh babies twice a day for the first couple of weeks, but keep all other handling to a minimum as it could cause rejection, do not allow visitors in and out of the isolation room due to the risk of transmission and again it will disturb mum.

Remember that a lot of nasties can be transmitted on the bottom of your shoes, so even a change of shoes is advisable.

Good luck with them.

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Thanks everyone.  I have been extremely careful with my clothing and washing my hands.  I've changed out their bedding daily too.   Momma Cat is still sneezing and stuffy nose and still not going poop.  Danuta came over again last night and gave more Sub~Q fluids and force fed Momma Cat Hill's prescription diet.  We are continuing with doses of Laxatone and Clavamox.  I was so hoping to see poop in her litter box this morning, but got nothing even after two days of Laxatone.   Danuta is taking some other foster kittens into see her vet this morning and will talk to the vet again about Momma Cat.  Yesterday the vet said that when the Momma Cat eats 6 afterbirth placentas it can cause her to become constipated.  He also said if she doesn't poop by today then Momma Cat will have to go in for a scan to make sure she does not have blockage or twisted bowel.

Millys Mum, I only began weighing the kittens yesterday on my kitchen scale.  I've made a chart to note each kitten's weight.  This morning when I weighed them all again, 4 of them had gained slightly and 1 kitten stayed the same but the white kitten actually lost a tenth of an ounce.  I have no idea if that is a normal since this is my first time to foster newborn kittens?  I thought that maybe white kitten had a full tummy yesterday and today when I weighed him his tummy was empty?  I will weigh him again this afternoon.

Thanks for your support everyone.  I just pray that these little guys make it.   Do you think it is likely that the Momma Cat will get her babies sick too?  She has been sneezing so much that her little nose has begun to bleed.

[Millys Mum]

Beautiful kitties 
Aswell as the flu my worry would be about enteritis, its very contagious so hygiene will be your ultimate weapon in preventing it spreading out of her room. (If they are incubating it that is) Separate clothing for clean/dirty areas.
Do you weigh the babies daily? If not it would be a good idea to as its a good indication things are going well.

[bonnielass]

Fingers crossed for this little mum and babies that they all get through this, and well done you for taking them on ,im sure you and Danuta are doing everything you can for this little family and the other needy cats,

[Desley (booktigger)]

Fingers crossed for them.

[HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val)]

Hi Everyone!  Sorry I haven't been around for a while, but it's always good to know you guys are here any time I need some help.  I recently adopted two more kitties so I now have a total of FIVE!  lol  I am finding that I am falling in love so deeply with cats and can't live without them now.  I will tell more about them in another thread. 

Anyway, Danuta, the lady who runs the rescue that I adopted my last three kitties from came to me asking for help.  She had rescued 4 pregnant cats from a terrible 'kill' shelter with horrible conditions.  Shortly after getting the pregnant cats, two of them delivered their kittens for a total of 13 newborns.  Within the last two weeks 4 of the newborn kittens have died.  All of them are sick with URI and requiring Clavamox, supplemental force feedings of KMR kitten formula plus Sub~Q fluids.  Danuta is also registered human nurse and works full time in a local hospital here in San Diego.  Her whole life is dedicated to cats and her nursing job supports it with the funds to keep running.

Last Thursday Danuta called me and was begging me to help her out.  All her foster homes are full with other cats and or kittens and she had no where else to turn.  The third pregnant cat had given birth to 6 kittens on Wednesday night.  Danuta was desperate to get those 6 kittens and Momma Cat out of her rescue since there is an outbreak of URI and/or possible Panleukopenia (feline distemper).  She has disinfected all her kennels/cages etc. but is terribly worried that these latest 6 kittens would become sick too.  Therefore, I agreed to help her out so Danuta brought the 6 newborn kittens and Momma Cat over to my house on Thursday afternoon.
I have kept them in tight quarantine. 

On Friday, I noticed that Momma Cat was sneezing and by Saturday night, Momma Cat was clearly congested and stuffy nosed, plus she had not gone poop since Thursday.  Danuta had already left me a bottle of Clavamox antibiotic which I was giving to Momma Cat from day one.  Then on Sunday morning, I noticed that there was blood splatter on my tile floor.  I immediately called Danuta and she called her vet.  She was worried that maybe there was a dead kitten still inside Momma Cat.  The vet said to continue giving the Clavamox and to start giving Laxatone for constipation and to administer Sub~Q fluids so we can get Momma Cat hydrated so her bowels would start moving. 

Danuta rushed right over, brought all the supplies and also injected the Sub~Q fluids plus she brought along some KMR formula so I could supplemental feed the kittens should Momma Cat become to sick to nurse her babies.  This is my very first experience with newborn kittens.  I am so scared that they too will become sick with URI that I can't stop just sitting in the room with them to watch over them.  Danuta is an ANGEL!  I've never met anyone quite like her.  She has really inspired me to help her with more foster kittens in the future.

Anyway, I just popped on here to tell the story of these 6 darling little newborn kittens and their Momma Cat.  I could use a little moral support and any tips on caring for them.  I worry every time I see Momma Cat lick her babies that she is going to spread her URI onto them.  I guess I will just continue to hope and pray that this has a good outcome.  I just could not take it if any of them should die.  They have really tugged on my heart strings.

I made a Youtube video of Danuta giving the Sub~Q fluids as I found it to be so educational and interesting.  Danuta was camera shy and did not want her face in the video so I had to respect that.  I really admire her for doing rescue work.  It can be so rewarding and yet so heartbreaking at the same time.  Bless Her!

Please excuse my shower as it is under repair and missing the lower half of the tiles. lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmqoGGJEn7E

This picture is the first day I got them.  They were only 1 day old.



This picture is day four....you can see how much they have grown in just 4 days!