orphaned kittens

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Wendy - 07 Sep 2003 15:35 GMT

I have read the orphaned kitten FAQ but still have a few questions.

We have 4 3-week old kittens. We found them in a junk car when we went to
tow it to the junk yard yesterday. Three of them are sucking the bottle but
the smallest one just hasn't gotten the concept yet. I have managed to get
some food into her. How long should I give her before trying another method
of feeding?

I have gotten all of them to pee but none have pooped yet. How often should
they do that? How long do you need to wipe their bum before they usually do?

Is there a good way to start getting them interested in drinking/eating from
a dish?

Wendy

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Mary - 07 Sep 2003 18:10 GMT

>Three of them are sucking the bottle but
>the smallest one just hasn't gotten the concept yet. I have managed to get
>some food into her. How long should I give her before trying another method
>of feeding?

I would probably instantly try another feeding method. I'd get a large syringe
feeder and use that. Just put the syringe tip in her mouth and squirt a tiny
bit so she can taste it. Then keep squirting a couple of drops in at a time.
She should get the idea.

>I have gotten all of them to pee but none have pooped yet. How often should
>they do that? How long do you need to wipe their bum before they usually do?

If they haven't pooped, don't worry. They probably didn't have anything to poop
as they were without food for a day maybe. When the food starts to go through
their system, you should get poo a couple of times a day at least. I generally
use a warm moist cotton ball for 30 seconds or so. Another good trick is to put
them on their bellies and massage their back with head to tail strokes. It
simulates mom cleaning them and they will usually poop.

>Is there a good way to start getting them interested in drinking/eating from
>a dish?

I would start adding a tiny bit of wet kitten food into their formula so they
can used to the taste and smell. Then keep adding more to thicken it up. In a
little while you can put some wet kitten food on a plate and hopefully they'll
take to it. Be prepared for them to get it all over themselves. Thanks so much
for taking care of the kittens. Too bad you couldn't find the mom cat.

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