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I have a litter of four kittens. The mother was feral, she ...
Sent to Cat Experts October 19 10:32 PM

I have a litter of four kittens. The mother was feral, she brought them up on the porch and they had their eyes open. She stayed around for a couple of weeks then she dissappeared. That was about a week or so ago. I have them on KMR powder and they seemed to be doing well. Today, for some reason they don't want to eat. They chew on the nipple, getting a little, but not like before. I have read your info on feeding kittens and found that I should not heat it in the microwave. Then I started heating water on the stove and putting the bottle in it to heat. Is there something I should do, how do I get them to eat?? They have had very little all day. Please help me. Thanks, Sally

 

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October 19 10:55 PM (4 minutes and 16 seconds later)
         
Reply to Jessesmom's Post: I would appreciate any help from another cat expert. I sure don't know what to do. Don't want to loose these babies. Thanks.
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October 19 11:44 PM (48 minutes and 14 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
Hi Sally,

Sorry for the delay!

Check their mouths to be sure they don't have any oral lesions which may indicate calicivirus infection that can make them painful and not want to suckle.

You may need to tube feed them to insure that they stay hydrated and nourished. You would need instructions from your vet about this, and I'm including some good links, below, for hand feeding abandoned kittens.

KMR is a good supplement, but it should not be fed hot...just lukewarm, at best. Test it on your wrist and make sure it's not too hot for them before feeding. Also, make sure the opening in the nipple is big enough but not too big. Try dropper feeding if they won't take the bottle. Go very slowly, from the side of the mouth where there's an opening between the upper and lower gums, or try from the front, like with the nipple, just go slowly and encourage swallowing by gently rubbing the throat. Keep them in the same position as you would for bottle feeding, on their belly, not on the back!

Also, make sure you're stimulating these kittens in the rectal/genital area to be sure they are urinating/defecating and have not become constipated!! That could be another cause for them to lose interest in suckling.

They need to be kept WARM at all times! Kittens can't regulate their own body temp., and cold kittens can't metabolize food properly.

A vet check to assess for external (fleas/mites) and internal (intestinal worms, protozoan) parasites and FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) would be a good idea, ASAP!

http://www.petcaretips.net/orphaned_kitten_care.html

http://maxshouse.com/kitten_care.htm

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/kit.html

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/kitten1.php

These all contain good information; most of it is repeated, but they're all still good!

Good luck! Let me know how they're doing.

Cher




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