Abandoned kittens/breastfeeding

[Allison]

Thought that'd get your attention. ;)

I adopted two female kitties last night who had been abandoned (though likely not purposely) by their mother. The home owners found them under their manufactured home after they'd done some work under the house and put the siding back up. They believe they probably locked the mother out and that she didn't abandon them on purpose. They were only about 4 weeks old and were without their mother for 3 days! They asked around the neighborhood to see if anyone had a cat who'd given birth and no one did. They waited for her to come back but she didn't.

I fear for the mother that she got mastitis and died. :( They are probably around 5-6 weeks old now and one of the little darlings has not lost the need to suck. It's so sad. When I'm sitting she milk kneads my shoulders and hair and snuggles up to me, licking and attempting to suck any skin she can. Last night I took them to bed with me and she did the same thing in my hair and to my ear. I was crying because I was so sad for her and laughing because it tickled so bad. lol

Anyway I woke up this morning to a kitten sized hickey on the side of my thumb. I suppose she found a way to attach to that area of my thumb and went to town while I was sleeping. Poor thing.

I'm going to try to find some kitten formula and something for her to suck at the pet store today. If I had any milk left I'd give it to them for sure, but I'm all dried up. :( I think wouldn't have been naturally weaned for another 2-4 weeks if the last litter we fostered for the shelter is any indication.

[Amber]

Poor little kittens. Hopefully you can find some milk replacer for them today.

[ReedleBeetle]

:( Poor little one.

[J3K]

They sell milk replacement for kitties and even little tiny bottles. You have to cut a hole in the nipple yourself. I always have on hand kitten formula and tiny bottles. I can't tell you how often they come in handy.

I wouldn't worry about the mama cat. I would keep looking for her. She might take the kitties back.

[Garland]

If you can't find kitten milk at the feed store, you could use goat milk.

[domesticzookeeper]

Poor babies. The good news is that, even though they weaned too early, they *are* old enough to live without needing milk exclusively :hug

[Maggie]

Aw...so glad you can care for them! :heart

[lmgeenw]

I had a kitten that the mom stopped nursing when he was about four weeks old. He sucked on blankets all the time, even as an adult, and when anyone petted him, he would knead the person with his front claws, like kittens do when they nurse. It was rather annoying, but I felt sorry for the poor little guy. :(

[Heather Micaela]

I had a kitten that the mom stopped nursing when he was about four weeks old. He sucked on blankets all the time, even as an adult, and when anyone petted him, he would knead the person with his front claws, like kittens do when they nurse. It was rather annoying, but I felt sorry for the poor little guy. :(
I had a cat who sucked his tail :heart

Just the other day I saw someone with an itty kitten in walmart. She was telling the greeter she just found it and HAD to bring it inside or it would be cold and promised she was going straight to the pet section for formula. So apparently they sell it there.

[domesticzookeeper]

I had a kitten that the mom stopped nursing when he was about four weeks old. He sucked on blankets all the time, even as an adult, and when anyone petted him, he would knead the person with his front claws, like kittens do when they nurse. It was rather annoying, but I felt sorry for the poor little guy. :(

Poor thing :heart

OTOH, we have a cat who nursed exclusively for 8 weeks and still wasn't fully weaned until she was 6 months old. She also sucks on everything, especially blankets, and kneads and licks us when she's feeling affectionate or needs comfort. Her sister (also extended bf) is the same way, to a lesser extent. I do think that early weaning has a negative affect, but I *don't* think that those behaviors can always be attributed to early weaning :shrug3 Their brothers *didn't* extended nurse and don't show any of those behaviors. Go figure.

[cbmk4]

We bottlefed two kitties around the clock for one week, and by the time they were about 6 weeks old, the vet said we could switch to kitten food. The kitty milk formula was expensive! We actually found one of my daughters doll bottles that worked well.

[Allison]

Thanks everyone! I got some goat milk (no kitten milk replacer to be found! Welcome to kitty season!) and two tiny feeder bottles. And neither of them will take it! Not from the bottle, not off my finger, not out of a bowl. They prefer the dry food. The kitty I thought needed the bottle so much hasn't attempted to suck since the first night. Weird. But I'm keeping it all on hand in case she wants to try again.

Thanks so much for all of the responses and advice. :heart

[J3K]

Kittens , like children , nurse for varying lengths of time. Here's a photo of mama cat with her newer kitties , and one from the batch before... She even let the older cat (same age as she) nurse sometimes. I think she really enjoyed it.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/jenjohnvon/IMAG0028.jpg

[Allison]

Soooo sweet! Love that pic!:heart

[whippet99]

Aw! I love the picture of the mama kitty with her many "kittens"! :heart

We had a mama once who nursed her own litter and then fostered two more litters in a row after that! She was such a sweetie. :)

Here's a recipe for making your own kitten milk replacer until you can find a commercial formula:

1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg yolk
1 drop multi-vitamins
3 Tums (antacid) crushed
Mix in the blender

[domesticzookeeper]

How are the kittens doing?

[abh5e8]

where is that thread from yesterday (?) where the OB nurse told the mama on discharge to keep all the formula samples...cause she could use them to feed kittens if nothing else. ???

so i'm thinking, got any formula samples. :wink

[Allison]

How are the kittens doing?

They are doing great and growing so fast! Unbelievable, really, how fast they grow.