Greta & Mikey under their favorite Birch Tree
With all our success in getting the feral cats fixed through our local SPCA Feral Cat program, there were three females we were unable to catch. The first one to have a litter had 3. She was extremely flighty and elusive. Lo and behold, she got pregnant again and had 9 kittens! Not sure of the date of birth but I discovered them on a Friday under the bushes in front of the house. And they were tiny – surely just a few days old.
The following Wednesday, the mom got killed. I retrieved the 9 kittens and we bought bottles, KMR (kitten milk replacement) and started bottle-feeding them. This is not easy. I found many excellent sites and most of them recommended KMR (by PetAg), however, it is quite expensive when dealing with 9, and we had to try something else when the KMR ran out. I must confess that I mis-read another information site and thought you could substitute Similac. However, I was in error and after a week of using it, things were not going well. Further investigation revealed that human baby formula was a no-no. I did a Google search again and found three different sites that posted the same homemade recipe for formula (and one of the sites also gives a recipe for pedialyte – good thing, that stuff is expensive when you need a cup of it per batch of formula!)
All the articles advise to have a heating pad under the box set on low. I did that. We had them out in the barn on a wide, secure shelf and I covered the box at night with a towel and during the day I used a soft screen – lets in the warmth but keeps out the flies. I also put on those black binder clips all around to keep the “roof” secure. I slept in my recliner with an alarm clock next to me, getting up every 3 hours to feed them during the night (was like being on mare watch!).
The kittens on the bottom of the sleeping pile were always wet. I tried to keep them clean and dry but it was hard. I also tried to at least dry them with tissue but even then their fur was stiff and matted, you know? You also have to gently massage their privates with a cotton ball or soft tissue to get them to go potty after eating. Most will, some won’t. You are also supposed to burp them but I wasn’t very diligent, I’m afraid. I should have been. And then there is the stool consistency issue. OMG. I found great information about this on the HDW Enterprises site noted below. They give examples of stool and how to rectify.
In short, I did a terrible job. The tiny kittens died one after another. My heart still aches over it. When I was down to 5, I brought them into the house (should have done it from the beginning!), using the small bathroom we have off the kitchen. The temperature was more consistent and I had more control, if you will. Alas, two more died.
I was left with the biggest one, a seal point we named “Mongo”, a large gray, and a very small gray and white. They seemed quite strong and ate well. Then, suddenly one day, Mongo was not so interested in food. I “force” fed him, using a syringe which helped but I don’t think he was getting sufficient nourishment. One morning I found him languishing. I thought he was in his last throes of life. I snuggled him into the bottom of my sweatshirt while I fed the other two and he rallied! He started eating again…was always the first to take off when I let them out of the bathroom to walk around. And then, about a week later, without warning, he was gone. Just like that. Broke my heart. The gray and the gray & white survived and are doing well.
Mikey & Greta Playing under the Birch Trees
I’d like to recommend a great site that became my bible after all my errors. It is “Hand-Raising Orphaned or Rescued Kittens” by HDW Enterprises & Foothill Felines Bengals. They cover nearly everything. Three other good sites are Hand Raising & Bottle Feeding by Ron Hines, DVM, PhD, Kitten Rescue.com and No Cans.com, (the latter two sites have recipes). But there are many and all have good stuff in them.
If you find yourself in this predicament, accept it carefully. I was exhausted from getting up all during the night and have my days broken up to accommodate. Don’t get me wrong. I am not sorry. I had no alternative. You may find you don’t either. What I do recommend, though, is that you thoroughly research on the internet – get lots of people’s advice and instruction before you delve in. There are many nuances to this task and you need all the information you can get.
Good luck and good feeding!