Greta & Mikey under their favorite Birch Tree
In my last post, I shared my not-so-successful effort to bottle feed infant kittens, having lost 7 out of 9. I know that all were not my fault (I think I know, anyway) but I am sure that some were. Of course, the best mother for these little things is the feline mom, herself. Whether she is inadequate or taken out of the picture (as in our case), taking on the task to bring these tiny kittens into a healthy life is very, very difficult – especially ones so very young. I have read in many places that these kittens die for reasons that have nothing to do with the human care-giver. “My” vet at the Sacramento SPCA told me the kittens could have all sorts of things wrong. It is true that Cassie originally had 10 kittens and one died in just a few days. I saw the entire litter on a Friday and by Saturday morning, one had died – while in her care! Ok. But it still weighs heavily on my heart and I will always remember what I did and didn’t do and, should God put me in this situation again, I will endeavor to do it all correctly the next time and strive for a better survival rate.
Pete with Her Second Litter (August 2011)
One thing the SSPCA vet advised in an email was that the kittens should be kept clean. Alas, that is why they should have been in the house!…better environment, better temperature, etc., etc. I could have bathed them with baby shampoo and been sure they would stay warm until they were totally dry. Couldn’t do that in the barn.
Speaking of warm, you are warned about keeping them too warm. Sort of the Goldilocks syndrome: can’t be too cold and can’t be too warm, rather, must be just right. Kittens that small cannot shiver so need to be warm. On the other hand, apparently more die in human care from being too warm than too cold. Ain’t that fun to deal with?
Bottle nipples are a big deal. The opening must be just right. Some advice sites advise sticking a hot needle into the tip two or three times in a group. Interestingly, we bought two different brands of bottles and both had directions to open the tip by doing a cross snip with scissors. The needle punctures seemed to seal back up and not let any milk out – no matter how hard you shook it – and the cross-snip probably let out too much. The gurus tell you not to over feed, being better to under feed them a little than over feed. Do you see how difficult this is? Especially when they are so tiny with their eyes closed and their little ears still pinned to their heads (sort of look like baby Guinea Pigs!).
I stimulated their privates for going potty by patting them with a paper towel dipped in warm water. This was a lot easier once in the house. I could keep the water warm and I could see the results – or lack of it. I also became diligent in burping them, putting them to my shoulder and gently rubbing their little backs. They don’t make burp sounds like humans but you do hear something and, once there is no more, I considered them done. The little gray I named Greta was always getting milk up her nose. This is a HUGE no-no. This means they are getting too much too fast and when it goes in their nose, they can aspirate it. Hello. Pneumonia! With my criss-cross cut nipples, I had to deal with this a lot with Greta, though not the others, oddly.
Cinnamon & Opie
And while on the subject of ingesting the milk, the baby should be on its stomach with neck extended forward while nursing. This aids in preventing aspiration of milk, as well. Oh, yeah, and be careful not to inadvertently force open their eyes during handling!
So you see, friends, this is no easy task. I suspect that if the kittens are 2-3 weeks old when taken on, the chance of survival is better. If eyes are open but ears still pretty much pinned to head, they should be 2-3 weeks old. They can move around but very wobbly. At 3 weeks, their ears should look normal and move with better balance.
I am going to post the recipes here in case you didn’t go to the referenced sites in the last post. This first one is for pedialyte – a main ingredient in the formula [compliments of Kitten-Rescue.com]
- 1 cup cooled boiled water
- small pinch of baking soda
- small pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
The formula recipe I like is simple (though I did add the clear Karo syrup later) – using a blender: [compliments of Nocans.com] –
- 1 can evaporated milk (or 1 can goat’s milk)
- 1 cup Pedialyte (or generic or your homemade – always unflavored)
Dale
- 1 whole egg
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid infant (or pet) vitamins
(I couldn’t find any liquid pet vitamins and barely found infant vitamins. The dropper for the vitamins is marked at 1 ml. 5 ml = 1 teaspoon so do the math.)
We want to thank those who have donated to our colony. Feeding them and spaying/neutering is costly and we very much appreciate the help. Of course, maintenance is long-term and we welcome your continued support! Here are some pictures of Keller Farms Colony residents.
Dinner Time at Keller Farms
