Kittens

That's so sad when people do that! How kind of you to take care of them. I don't know how old they are but maybe they need to be on kitten formula? If they aren't getting enuff to eat that might supplement them and help them feel better. It's not too spendy and you can get it at any farm store.
Just an idea.
Good luck and hugs for the little kittens.

This may sound weird but if they are really tiny you have to help them have bowel movements (we have raised many an abandoned kitten). A mommy cat will lick their behinds to help them pee and poop. So about three or so times a day take an old cloth (something you will throw away later), and get it nice and warm by running it under water (like a mommy cat's tounge) and just hold it on it's behind. They will usually get release within a few moments. At about a month and half they do learn to do this on their own, but a backed up bowel leads to a very painful death for the kitten. Try pushing on their tummies - if they feel firm and they haven't eaten recently they are definitely backed up.

Another thing is that kittens are used to have the noise of their mommies heartbeat. A ticking clock or a radio will provide the noise they need to be soothed. If you have an old stuffed toy put that in with them to cuddle with - just something bigger than them and fuzzy with the noise can create the illusion of a comforting mom.

Kitten bottles are a must and inexpensive. The nipple is way easier for them to feed from, and it will make your life a lot easier. If they still won't eat from that dip your pinky in the milk and then put that in their mouth - with your pinky there insert the nipple into their mouth and they will usually latch right on.

Regular milk will give them worms at this age so you'll need some special formula. This can all be found at a local petshop. Check their poop - worms are obvious in it, and if they are present get some deworming medicine fast. I hope some of this helps!

C.

P., the people who've written you already have given you lots of good advice. I suggest taking the kittens to a vet if you can and a rescue operation may be able to help you find one.

One suggestion that I haven't seen. Try putting out kitty food to see if the momma is still around. Here's the reason: she may be a housecat who has been abandoned and brought you the kittens. I grew up in the country and we had several litters of kittens show up on our door. The thing is, our driveway was about a quarter mile long and we had dogs, so we knew no one left them. People often abandon city cats in the country thinking they can hunt for food and will be happier. Most of the time they wind up starving and pregnant. When they have their kittens, their lifetime's experience tells them that humans are friendly and will help. They bring the kittens to a house and leave them, but most of the time the mommas a still around. We were usually able to resocialize the momma pretty quickly and with a little care and feeding for her, she was able to take over caring for the kittens. Good luck.

I received two kittens that were way too young to be away from mom also. I bought a baby bottle for kittens and formula and found a piece of fur type fabric. fed kitten every two hours day and night and used fur for sub of mom and clock for heart beat. One of the kittens I had to make a hole in fur and put bottle through to get him to nurse. It was a struggle the first couple of times but once they got it was food they latched on right away. The fur fabric helpped to keep them warm as they got cold easily at first. They loved to cuddle against us. Patience and time and maybe a vet can help. Bless you for all that you are doing and good luck.

First, if you have a baby scale or a food scale, weigh the kittens. They usually weigh about a pound at 8 weeks of age, so that can give you a ball park guess on the age. Second, they need to eat. If they can't eat solids yet, get kitten milk replacer. You can buy it at Walmart, Petsmart, Petco, and most vets will sell it to you over the counter, without examining the kittens. DO NOT feed them cows milk - this will make most kittens VERY sick and is nutritionally lacking. If they are to weak to nurse from a bottle, get a dosing syringe (walmart, pharmacy ect) made for giving little kids medicine and syringe feed them very slowly (going to fast will make them aspirate the milk.

Another reason they may be crying is that they may need to urinate or defecate. Young kittens that are still nursing need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate. This can be done by taking a warm, damp washrag and rubbing their urogenital area (the mother cat would lick this area, so you are mimicking that with the damp rag)

Kittens also need to be kept warm. A heating pad works great, but make sure that there is a towl between the pad and the kittens or they can get burnt.

Good luck! If you have any other questions, please email me and I'd be glad to help you out. If you live anywhere near Silverdale/Bremerton WA, let me know and I can help you out . . . 4 legged neonatal care is my thing!

Have you tried putting an alarm clock or something in the kitten's bedding so it will sound like the mother's heartbeat? We did this when our cat had a litter and they were much happier when mama cat wasn't around. Also, a hot water bottle under the blankets to help keep them warm would be a good bet. You can probably call Safehaven or Heartland Humane society for advice.

Try putting it in on a towel over a heating pad. Put an old fashioned ticking clock next to it. Fashion a caring holder for the day pack for you to care for yourself. It is probably to young. Surviving is iffy.

Hello P.,

you should take the kittens to a vet and get them evaluated. A vet should be able to guess their age and tell you how to best take care for them. A vet can also make sure that they don't carry any diseases that may harm your other pets or children.
If you can't afford a vet, contact a cat rescue in your area. They are often familiar with handrearing kittens and can give you advice as well.
Raising very young kittens by hand is very time consuming and not easy - I have done it a few times with mixed success. Good Luck!

They make kitten milk that you can buy at a pet store. Also little kitty bottles, or use a medicine syringe to feed them just a little bit at a time. A vet would also know what you need to do if you call them, they may even sell kitty milk, but shop around for prices. We had to do this when both my cats had kittens at the same time. They kept stealing each others kittens and couldn't produce enough milk for ALL of them, so we helped out.

Sometimes when you are holding the kitten if you grab the scruff on the neck and gently pull while you are petting the kitten it helps calm them down. It is something the mother cat would have done. Also when my mom raised an abondoned kitten she put a clock in the kittens bed that made a soft ticking sound. It was the only way to calm that kitten down. God bless you and your family

I agree with Maja.
If u can't afford to take them to the vet then call a cat rescue place, SPCA or something that can help u out, or possibly even take them off your hands and put them in a foster home if your unable to profide the care they need.

I would start by getting some mouist kitten food and/or kitten milk for them...maybe even a bottle if needed depending on if they'll drink from a bowl or not.

It can be very time consuming and also rewarding.I've hand raised several litters of kittens over the years and we actually currently have one who was taken from her mom too early..Thier lame reason was that the mom rolled over on a litter mate, tho the kitten wasn't hurt and is in perfect health they felt the kitten should be removed-stupid poeple.Poor lil girl was probably no more then 4 weeks old when we got her.We just got moist food and fed her 3-4 times a day and she's now a very playful ball of energy 24/7 and growing like a weed.

Good Luck!

I assume the baby you are referring to is a kitten, right? Have you tried feeding it with a dropper or a bottle? If this doesn't work I would seek the help of a veterinarian right away. They all should be checked anyway so they don't have health issues develop that you have to deal with later. Good luck! The innocents are counting on you!

Warm it up it's probably cold. Use a rubber warm water bottle and some towels. Feed her warm milk to warm her insides.

Call a rescue organization, they are equipped to handle and feed little kitties. There are plenty, you can find info for them at www.petfinder.org