Advice needed please regarding 2 abandoned kittens.?

Question

We have been looking after the kittens for about 16 days....so we think they must be about 18 days old now. They were doing very well until this morning...they are being bottle fed with kitten formula but the vet said that when this ran out to use baby milk instead...he gave us the brand name so we gave them some last night and they drank it all but this morning they wouldnt drink very much of it so we bought some more kitten formula...now they dont even want much of this (were drinking at least 10-15ml now only taking about 5ml) They do have the runs so Im just hoping they just dont feel like eating because of this. Any advise please as getting worried that we may lose them if they dont start eating more.

Answer 1

When ever i've had to bottle feed a kitten i've used a syringe to squirt a little bit of the formula in their mouth. Sometimes they get a little weak and aren't able to suck out of a bottle. Keep trying to feed them about every 2hours. Keep them warm to this helps them digest. You can do this by a heating pad, if you don't have a heating pad you can microwave a wet towel for 2 min. and put it in a grocerie bag and wrap a bunch of towels around it and place it under the babbies. You also need to be wiping their bottom with a wet washcloth or rag to stimulate them to go to the bathroom. They may just have runs because of the formula or they may have some serious health problems. If things don't get better over the weekend call the vet ASAP. Good luck!

Answer 2

The ideal thing would be to find a queen cat who has recently given birth as she would probably be quite happy to take on a few more kittens. You could check with your vet, the local animal shelter, or run an ad in the local paper. If they have the runs really badly, mind they do not get dehydrated., Try giving them water instead of formula. Stay in contact with your vet and follow her/his advice.

Answer 3

They may have just filled up on baby milk as its more 'filling' (sorry can't think of the right word!)
I'm more inclined to think that it is too rich, hence the 'runs'.
They are in danger of dehydrating so I would advise a trip to the vets asap.
Another point one of my kittens had diarrhoea for months and the vet just kept changing his food. Once he was old enough for a serious dose of worming stuff it stopped! so check the stools as they can get the worms from the mum!

Hope that helps and that all goes well.
Your doing something really good, thank you! :)

Answer 4

Hello there, kittens are really hard work and you seem to be doing a great job, but you must take them back to the vet a.s.a.p it could be something simple like they have full tums but I would advise you take them to your vet for another opinion especially now that they have the back door trots as this can be serious in young animals.

My love and wishes go with you and hope all turns out OK for you and the little ones.

p.s. I truly admire your taking these little souls on its no picnic.

Answer 5

they are still little and need to eat often. sounds like the baby milk may have not worked out like the vet thought it would. call the vet immed. and tell them that the kittens arent eatting at all, not even the kitten milk. they may need to be seen or may have a suggestion over the phone. but i wouldnt wait, id call

Answer 6

i hand reared some kittens in the past and i would say baby formula is not that good for them at this stage of their life....personally i would say persevere with the kitten milk, when they are hungry you will know...give it time if it gets too bad then yes back to vets.
although they still have the runs they may still have a blockage, just take luke warm water on a cotton wool piece and wipe over their little bums to help them on their way.

Answer 7

i would say take them to the vet as soon as possible. during that time, while the weather is really warm, don't let the kittens stay in the sun for any length of time to prevent any dehydration. if the amount they drink decreases any more, i would say try to get it down them with a syringe (i know it sounds harsh but as you said you don't want to lose them).

Answer 8

firstly never give kittens human formaula milk it isn't good for them god knows what your vet was thinking. i am habd raising my cats kittens as she is very ill. if you are in the uk get kitten milk replacement formula called either cimicat or lactol i use both lactol is their main food but if they go down hill then cimicat comes in as well. this sounds like fading kitten syndrome. you will need to try and get milk in them every half hour and keep them head up and bottom down wrapped in a towel or blanket cut to size. but believe me this is hard work but i have saved three kittens lives doing this in the last four days. you need to keep them warm i use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel and then placed under their nest bedding. you need to keep their sugar levels a tiny amount of honey could help and keep the milk coming even if they are only taking small amounts it will keep them going. you also need to keep them clean and use cotton wool to stimulate them to go pee and poop this is essential hence what looks like upset tummies. trust me i have gone from two days of all of mine not going to the trots and now we are fine. also never suddenly change their milk again hence the trots changes of kmr needs to be done slowly and never with human replacement milk. they should go back to the vets to be checked, wormed and defleaed now. good luck i'll be praying for them

Answer 9

have you called your vet with this info-they can help you over the phone for free sometimes....in the mean time, maybe try putting a bowl of kitten formula next to them, maybe they want to drink that way instead of from a bottle, although it sounds unlikely
best to call the vet,hon
good luck

Answer 10

Keep trying to feed them with the kitten milk. When their tummies feel better they will eat more, but you need to keep the calories/fluids coming.