Posted on 09/27/2010 10:54:34 PM PDT by MeekMom
Needing help!
Month old kittens will not eat mushy kitty food or go potty in a little box made into a litter box! Suggestions appreciated and much needed!
Always worked for squirrels and puppies.
[if you’re feeding an orphaned squirrel, buy the puupy formula...file it for future reference because you just never know]
For the squirrel, I started mixing in powdered rodent chow a little at a time, for pups, puppy food.
Always kept it a heavy cream consistency until they could deal with eating mush.
Meekmom says the momma cat is cutting back feeding, and Meekmom said that she should be feeding them more since the momma is cutting back, and I said that it goes along with what was written on that cat help site, which said as they get older they don’t need to be fed all the time, just less often.
That's what I have told her. Mother cats, even those who were orphaned from birth can raise kittens by instinct. It's all instinctive for them.
I would suggest to give them back to the momma cat, let her deal with it, and just take care of momma's needs. (food and water).
I’ve raised pigs and believe me, the mother pigs know best. They stop raising their young if you inject yourself into the situation too much.
Warm, damp washcloth vaguely over the ears, eyes, nose, and then rub their butts like a mommy cat would lick to remove the waste.
Remove what is eliminated.
I hate that part of raising feral kittens.
/johnny
go to your vet and get some kitten formula & ask for a few bottles to bottle feed the kittens. make a little litter box nearby so they don’t have to walk too far and after feeding put them in the litter box (if they haven’t fallen asleep from feeding) and take one of their front paws in your hand gently making a swiping motion in the litter.
Also, go to ToysRUs and get a traditional style baby buggy & line it so it’s soft and comfy & quiet for them , with the baby buggy you have the advantage of them all being together keeping warm and w/you . Don’t forget night feedings,too, because that’s part of it.
Our family went thru this one time and this kitten slept by my bedside in the baby buggy when i turned in... she turned out fabulous and she had a very differant personality than most of our other cats. We were literally her mother. We named her Cindy(Cinderella).
Don’t give them kitten food just yet either mushed up crunchies or can stuff. They are way too young & can’t digest that stuff.
I've raised some where mom was road-kill. My advice applies there.
/johnny
First, keep them with the mom as much as possible. Whatever she can feed them (even if less than before) is still very helpful. Her milk has antibodies, etc. in it that will help keep them from getting sick. Second, go to a large pet store and get some KMR kitten milk replacement formula (or some other brand if that’s what they have, but KMR is best known and works very well). KMR comes in canned or dried; dried is easy to mix up (just follow instructions on the can) and cheaper. At four weeks, they may be able to drink the KMR out of a saucer (that’s what I would do first; try it in a saucer). Do NOT give them cow’s milk or goat milk or what-have-you unless Mama cat is not feeding them at all. The cow’s milk can give them galloping diarrhea, which can kill small kittens. And I wouldn’t feed them from a bottle unless Mama is really not feeding them at all. It is easy to force-feed little kittens too much with a bottle. Just offer it to them in a saucer. They will probably get right in the saucer to drink it, but Mama can clean them up afterward. :)
At four weeks, *many* kittens are able to eat canned food and use a litter box, but some are not. If Mama cat has not been feeding them as much as they quite need, they may be a little delayed. It sounds to me more like they are behaving like three week old kittens. I would offer them the KMR in a saucer three times a day (preferably *after* Mama cat has nursed them, not before), and forget about the litter box for another week. Mama cat will wash their little bottoms and take care of that issue for at least a few more days, so you don’t have to.
Good luck! Thanks for worrying about the babies and making sure they are well taken care-of.
sounds like worms, they need milk and not mushy food.
put some in a bowl and worm them soon.
They are really young, hopefully they will be ok without mommy
Vet wrong. Still way too early. Had cats all my life. You seem not to be up to the task.Peeing on floor normal at this stage. You have to stay up with them all night and show each one individually how to use box. Cats are inclined to be clean but you have to provide the correct structure. It’s work.
As people have noted, use a warm, wet washcloth after they eat to stimulate them to poop .... have a very shallow "cat box" available with just a little litter at first (cookie sheets work really well ... but use an old one since you won't want to bake later.)
www.kittencare.com is an excellent resource.
Every kitten I’ve ever had or been around at that age would eat soft cat food and use a litter box..it’s second nature to them.
This is strange. Don’t know what to tell you.
I’m just going to assume you didn’t take your meds tonight. Someone is earnestly asking for help and this is all you could come up with? Geez
Once they have their wee wee in the box, they will be more likely to use it. KMR in the powdered form is loved by every kitten I’ve helped and it’s been a few dozen. I think it’s 2 parts of very warm water to 1 part powder. You may have to use a bottle for a couple of more weeks.
Don’t let them get chilled. I used swisspers cotton pads run under very warm water and squeezed to give them a rub down like their mom would after eating, then hold them over sink and gently use another warm swissper to gently stimulate their privates so they can wee and pookie. It can take a long time—several minutes sometimes. They must be able to pookie and peekie or need to go to vet so they can help.
Holding them by your heart while using the bottle is comforting as they hear your heartbeat. Make sure they don’t get milk down their airway!. Either hold upright wrapped in a blankie or lay them on their tummy like they drink from mom.
KMR makes a powder called 2nd step that is a thicker consistency for when they transition from the KMR milk. Try mixing that powder with the KMR milk substitute and they will like it better than plain water alone. The kitten food by Royal Canon is the best I believe once they start eating dry food.
I feel for you because I have worried when some mothers stopped nursing too early. Sometimes they just cannot make enough milk. You can help the mother by feeding her a bowl of the KMR milk substitute a couple of times a day. They need alot of calories to keep up the nursing. My hardest challenge was 5 three day old kittens that everyone thought would die. I literally didn’t sleep but one or two hours for several days because once I got all fed,bathed, and pooped or peekied it was time to start again. They are still with me many years later. If the mom still has full nipples you should be able to get her to feed more by giving her kitten food and the KMR to boost her calorie intake. Good luck!!
Pet stores sell kitten formula. They also sell syringes for vet purposes of feeding (no needles, just the syringe. They sell them for pediatric meds too.)
For can formula simply keep refrigerated and then warm up the syringe full in a coffee cup of hot water until slightly warmer than room temp and squirt it into their mouths.
It’s how we had to do it with our first abandoned barn kitten. She’s now 14 years old.
The next time they do that, blot up the urine with a tissue, and put the tissue into the litter box. They will go to the scent. That is how I trained a 6-week-old stray kitten who had decided he'd rather pee on the Kleenexes in the bathroom wastebasket than in the litterbox I had put right next to it.
He figured out the litter box that very day, and we never even had an accident afer that. But there's a lot of difference developmentally between 6 weeks and 4 weeks, so you may have to be patient.
The food? Try smearing a little on their paw, and see if they lick it.
“I’m just going to assume you didn’t take your meds tonight.” Just overlook it like the rest of us do. :)
P.S. KMR worked for an abandoned kitten we raised. His mom dumped him; eyes were closed; umbilical cord still attached. He grew up to be a gorgeous, wonderful, loving cat. Had been infected w/FLV in utero. Succumbed at age 15 mos. We thanked the Creator we had him that long—he was a joy to us!
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