Help.............4 baby kittens and NO mom!!!!????

Question

My mama cat died this morning and I have 4 kittens that are 3 weeks old I went and got the replacement milk but when do they start to eat on their own, My husband said to just put the milk in a bowl but I don't think they know how to eat by themselves yet.. and will they potty on their own, the Vet said to rub "down there " with a warm towel but, 1st, it gross and 2nd it don't work. SO will they potty on their own and if they don't will it kill them?? Help please! I dont know what to do...Thank you

Answer 1

1st, you should put the milk in a bottle, and hand-feed each kitten.

2nd, I know it is gross, but you do need to rub the kittens butts with a warm, damp towel. Normally, the mother cat tells her babies it is time to go to the bathroom by l*****g their butts. If you don't, the kittens could get constipated, and then they won't be able to p**p. You need to keep doing this until you see them pooping on their own.

3rd, You need to feed the kittens every 2 hours.

4th, DO NOT GIVE THEM TO AN ANIMAL SHELTER! Most animal shelters won't take kittens that young. They will just kill them.

5th, don't feed them kitten food until about 11 weeks old. When you do start feeding them kitten food, you also need to feed them water, and mix in some milk with the food.

6th, when the kittens are about 12 weeks old, you can start to give them out to people, or you can keep them.

Answer 2

You are obviously unprepared and very irresponsible to not have spayed your cat. Take them to a shelter, where they will be sent to an experienced foster home and get the proper care. If you aren't going to spay or neuter your pets, don't have any.

Answer 3

they will start eating on ther own between 6 and 8 weeks old. you also do hav to rub them with a warm wash cloth it takes a while before they go but they will. if they dont they will get sick and pass away. i judt raised 4 babys myself and it was vry hard you have stay with them alot  

Answer 4

hi

well done for trying.

If you have not had experience this is going to be hard for you. Potty for the kittens is important and they will die without. You have to mimic mother cat; i use a cotton wool pad with warm water and just 'l**k' their privates.

Lots of info on the internet about looking after them, it is REALLY hard but very worthwhile i have done it and lost them but also having succcess right now with a 1 week old.

good luck

Answer 5

You can't just put the milk in a bowl.. they are too young you have to bottle feed them or syringe feed them. Lucky for you probably only for a week longer.. at 4 weeks they can start to eat out of a bowl.

Make sure to follow the instructions on the milk replacer, make sure the milk is warm when you feed the kittens and make sure you DO NOT feed them like a human baby on their backs, they have to be laying flat with their stomach down.

You will have to stimulate them to go to the washroom and it will work, just have patience. Yeah it's gross but you're a grown woman I'm sure you can handle it. Make sure you have a lukewarm cloth and wipe thier bottoms with short firm strokes like a cats tongue. Do it before and after you feed them. You should be feeding them every 4-6 hours and make sure food and water is available at all times so they can explore and learn. Soon they will potty in their own so make sure a litter box with NON-Clumping litter is available and put them in there often as you can. Take some of their p**p and put it in the litter box if possible so that they smell it and understand it is the bathroom.

For more information on caring for kittens check out these links.. http://www.kittenbaby.com/

http://www.rescueguide.com/orphkits.html

If you are unwilling or unable to properly care for these kittens, by bottle feeding them, stimulating them to urinate/defecate, and all the hard work that comes along with it. I suggest you contact a local cat rescue or No-kill shelter and turn them over to someone who knows what to do. There are people (like me) who foster kittens for rescues and do all the gross things other people couldn't be bothered to do..  

Answer 6

YOUR HUSBAND DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT... it's like taking a 3 months old Human Baby and giving it a fork and a spoon and a plate of spaghetti.

These kittens need a bottle until they are at least 5 - 6 weeks old... then they MAY learn to drink from a bowl... (kittens should not have cows milk though)

I suggest you find (call the vet) a surrogate mom.

If the kittens are about the same age then she will take them on with hers.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO WIPE THEIR BOTTOMS with a damp cloth to stimulate them going pee/ poo so they won't die.

I really don't' think your husband is going to tolerate you spending this much time on these kittens so I would try to find a lactating momma for them.  Hummm what is he going to do when you have a baby???

(for future reference)

You CAN have strays fixed by trapping them (you can get one from the vet) and then just take it in ...in the cage so you don't have to touch it and get bit or scratched.  There are programs that you can have feral cats spayed/ neutered for free but you will have to call around about that.

well good luck.

Answer 7

First, I am very sorry to hear about the mama cat. How sad :( Secondly, please don't panic. If you went and bought the KMR then you have started caring for these babies in the right way. They most likely can NOT eat by themselves and need to be either bottle fed or fed with a syringe. In another week or so you can start by introducing very soft kitten food mixed with a bit of the KMR. Place it on their tongue so they get the flavour in their mouths. At 3 weeks of age a kitten is just beginning to learn how to use the litter box themselves but it is still quite early. You will need to do exactly what the vet said and rub their 'parts' with a cloth, or bit of toilet tissue. I have done it a lot and really, it is quiet easy. If the kitten is not able to relieve themselves, they could become blocked, will be unable to eat and become sick. Perhaps you should consider asking your vet if he knows of any nursing mothers right now that would take on these babies. There are also rescue groups that specialize in fostering and taking care of tiny kittens such as these. They need to be fed every 3-4 hours. Make sure your utensils are clean. The kittens tummy should be rounded when you are done and I always burp them just like a baby on my shoulder. There is a lot of info on the internet about raising small kittens, so find as much to read as you can. Again, please stay calm, it is not as hard as you think and conCATulations for being such a caring person.  

Answer 8

Good for you for trying to do what is right!  

If you DO have a shelter close, ask if they have foster homes.  Not every shelter is equiped to handle these situations but there are others, like mine, that are.  We do not euthanize unless they are too sick to save.  Believe me, we do everything we can to help them survive and find loving homes.

Normally at 3 weeks I start following the regimen below.  But since this just happened, I would feed with a bottle for 4-7 days to make sure they are on good ground, then the kittens can be started on kitty milk supplement and solid food.  Use a bottle at least a couple times a day.  Feed every 4-6 hours. Put dry kitten food in blender and grind until fine.  Mix with supplement and can food warmed in microwave.  Don't warm supplement in the microwave (it loses it's nutritional value) use warm water to make it fairly runny so they can lap.  Supplement with bottle for a week or so.  At 4 wks, mix it a little thicker like runny pudding, they eat rather than lap.  At 5 wk, instead of grinding, put dry in ziplock bags and smash with hammer.  You’ll have ground and small chunks.  Mix it with canned and supplement, small chunks will soften.  Make sure the chunks have softened, they can chew these without choking.  At 6 wks you can eliminate the supplement if they are eating well.  You need to stir a couple times because it gets packed down.



If appetite falls off, supplement sparks their interest.  You can put food in their mouth with your finger or plastic spoon.  They will get the hang of it.

You will need to stimulate them for a little while.  It's very likely they may be going on their own now or very soon.  Just watch to be sure they are. If not, start stimulating.  I use warm water on a cotton ball or a warm wash cloth.  Milk replacer can cause constipation so once they start on the food, their bodies work better on their own.  To answer your question, yes they can become compacted and die from it but as long as you are making sure they are going, they should be fine.

Probably the biggest thing you need to look for in young, stray kittens is upper respiratory infection.  (Kitty Cold).  This can start with sneezing, runny eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite.  This is dangerous in kittens, they can take a very bad turn over night so if you see anything like this, take to the Vet right away.  Sometimes it's viral, antibiotics won't work on that but on bacterial it will.  Viral will usually clear up in about 10 days.  They should also be able to give you nose drops if their little noses get stuffed up.  When they can't smell, the lose interest in eating.  Not trying to scare you, just inform you.

I've never heard of a Vet saying not to give food until 11 weeks old.  It's common and acceptable to adopt out kittens at 8 weeks.  They are eating on their own by then and are emotionally stable enough to be weaned from the mother.  Orphans don't have the emotional advantage but are capable of eating on their own.  

There are a lot of opinions here.  You will need to decide what seems the most logical to you.  Everyone has good intentions but not everyone has the experience.  Vets are great at medical decisions but people who work at shelters generally have more practical experience because of the volumes of animals.  Our shelter took in 18,000 animals last year.

I hope this helps.  Good luck and bless you for our efforts.

Answer 9

Calm down Calm down CALM DOWN!!! they usually start eating at 4 weeks.they will go to the bathroom on their own.when they go wipe their but.(I know gross but oh well)You can try the milk in the bowl but if it does not work you have to bottle fed them.every 2 hrs.even thro the night.if you do not want to do any of this post an ad on craigslist for Urgent need momma cat with milk!!! tell them you will give back their cat and kittens and only keep your own.ok.so you have 2 choices.If it was me I would go with the first one.(its really fun to be thier mommy but also a lot of work)

Answer 10

I would go to a shelter and see if they could maybe take care of the babies for a while.

Answer 11

They can not eat on their own yet, they are too young.  You need to feed them every 2-3 hours (even at night).  The responsibility of owning a cat, and letting it have kittens is having to put up with gross things.  Wear surgical gloves if it bothers you that much, mother cat stimulate the a**s gland for secretion by l*****g the kittens there, and they can NOT go on their own yet.  If you don't want the responsibility of doing this until they are 6 weeks old, then you need to contact your local SPCA or no-kill shelter and tell them you can not care for newborn kittens and turn them over for fostering.

I would respectfully suggest that the next time you decide to get a pet, you remember to have it neutered or spayed immediately.

Answer 12

you mean you have to **** them?

d**n..........

Just leave them outside XD or feed your dog.

:}

or you could draw straws.......