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Post by swissgrl on Nov 4, 2009 22:56:45 GMT -5
on my last trip to Europe, my boyfriend was telling me that we had a cat that moved in on our property. When I came back, I found her nest with 2 kittens by accident. She decided the horse blankets were a great place to have her kittens. I got some cat food for her, so she would hang around and not have to go to far to find food. After the kittens opened their eyes, she disappeared with them, but I found her a day later hanging out by the hay storage. Then I get home one day, getting hay from the stack for the horses, and I hear these tiny screams, next thing I see 2 tiny kittens scooting around. I shosh them back under the haystack, and call Caly right away, since she is the resident feral cat expert. Left her a VM, and went on my business, checked a few hours later, and it was quiet, so figured momma had come back. Next day I get home, went to feed the chickens, and the 2 kittens were curled up in the sun together next to the haystack. Now I got hawks, coyotes, and owls around my place, didn't think that was a good idea, as soon as they heard me they started screaming and came scooting up to me. Called Caly again, and she recommended to take them to the vet, and have them show me how to bottle feed them. She thought at this point, momma was probably not around anymore, figured since this was Tuesday, and I haven't seen her since Saturday. Got KMR and a bottle from the vet, go home, find a dog kennel to borrow, and am now a surrogate mom to 2 little kittens. I've had cats before, but never had to bottle feed kittens, every 4 hours feeding time. Definitely a nervous time for me, but thank god for Caly for walking me through all this. 2 weeks later, they are growing like weeds, starting to play. They are adorable as heck, and we figured out a way to get them to Caly. Piopico's daughter is going to School in LA, and Piopico was coming down to see her. So we meet half way and the kittens are now on their way to SF, where they can grow some more, learn how to eat solid food, and get socialized, and then find a good home. I have to say it was an awesome experience, and I'm glad they both did so well, and survived in my/our care. I miss the little buggers like crazy already, but I'm glad they're going to somebody who has the experience, and resources to find them the best home they can get. I'm glad they survived, I'm glad I was able to help so they're not coyote/hawk/owl dinner. Thank you so very much to Caly for holding my hand through this, to Piopico and her wonderful daughter for the temp home and the transport, although she was already falling in love with them..... :-) she's gonna have a hard time letting them go on Sunday. Here are a few pictures of the little guys when I first found them under the haystack  the little girl  the little boy  what?  I just like that picture, she was trying to play  here they are 2 weeks later  not naming them, but I called her Jazzy (for Jasmine)  and Rascal, cuz he is one  |
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Post by calypso on Nov 5, 2009 1:44:15 GMT -5
Swissy - you done good!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I didn't tell her until after they'd left, but the mortality rate for bottle babies is really high. When she told me she'd never done it before, my heart sank, but she was willing and did an AWESOME job! They look fat and happy and healthy! I spoke with piopico a little bit ago. She'd already talked with her daughter. The kittens are camped with her in LA until piopico heads down this weekend and brings them back up. She said their talk was punctuated with the sounds of things bumping and crashing in the background. She tried to convince her daughter of the wisdom of locking them up when you want to, well, accomplish absolutely anything - but especially when you want to sleep! I imagine she'll see the light about 3am this morning.  |
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Post by piopico on Nov 5, 2009 12:30:42 GMT -5
Ha!!........I haven't heard from daughter yet this morning..........I leave it to HER to call ME because she's busy with school.........but I think it's about 50-50 that I WON'T be bringing them home.
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 5, 2009 12:44:18 GMT -5
LOL, that's what I thought, she just fell in love with them yesterday :-)
They are too cute though, If I wasn't faced with being buried in the backyard if I kept them, who knows.....
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Post by calypso on Nov 5, 2009 12:53:36 GMT -5
LOL!! Yeah, you were sad yesterday when we talked. But, 'fess up - weren't you a bit relieved?? They're just entering the hoodlum stage...which lasts for the next, oh, couple of years. Nature makes them cute, or else no kitten (or puppy or foal) would live to adulthood. I've been doing this for 7 years and every spring the first batch of kittens are oh-so-cute-and-how-can-we-ever-give-them-up. A few days later it's "omg I forgot what destructive little psychos kittens are. Aren't they old enough to GO yet?  ?" My standard response when someone says they want to adopt "a young kitten" is "Well, you just failed the sanity test." Seriously, I *do* hope she finds a great home for them down there - she done good with the last two! But, they will come up here first and finish growing up, get vax'd, fixed, while learning manners. But, they may go back down for final placement. :-) Stay tuned for updates. :-) ($5 bucks says piopico gets a call "Mom can you come down a day early and take these little freaks so I can sleep?") |
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Post by caryn on Nov 5, 2009 13:33:20 GMT -5
LOL...you guys are too funny. Oh and I wish, wish, wish I could have a cute cuddly kitty, so I guess I failed the sanity test too. I think one kitty is enough for me, he requires lots of attention and $$$....I can't do anything cheap I doubt that a kitty would appreciate the diabetic cat food at my house anyway... Have a great trip Piopico! Congrats on saving these little cuties Swissy! Good Luck to Piopico's daughter and Caly  |
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 5, 2009 15:48:22 GMT -5
it was definitely bitter sweet, but I knew I couldn't offer them the home they needed, not with my 2 dogs, and they did take a lot of time, but seeing them grow, and develop, that was so cute!
I can tell you what though, driving up yesterday with the 2 little escape artists trying to climb out of the box, and trying to feed them at the same time, that was interesting. I had a huge cardboard box on the passenger seat, and at one time the little girl was hanging on the side suckling from the bottle I was holding. Not the safest I know, but I was laughing, just thinking what other drivers were thinking when they saw us.
Caryn, I think I went broke just on the bottles I bought.... I couldn't find replacement nipples, so I kept buying bottles, and the little guys kept biting through them right away, then it was a fight who got first to the remaining bottle. Funny, and very entertaining. But I can see the little terrors they're were turning into :-)
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Post by Tockita on Nov 5, 2009 16:34:22 GMT -5
Swissy tip for next time.. If they are biting the nipple that hard, you can go on to the next size or enlarge the hole with a hot needle. Also it helps to give them something to push their feet against, but can be hazardous if they fear their nipple is in need of defending. I had one batch long ago that 2 would hook their claws into the ring and twist the top off before you could stop them, covering themselves and me in formula! Our last orphan Wadsworth (delivered to Lifesavers by a lady who said she found her in the desert) was very nice with her bottle.. she just didn't want to give it up. It was a real trial to get her lapping stage 2.. she wanted her bottle and she wanted it NOW. |
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Post by pnp4kidz on Nov 5, 2009 17:39:51 GMT -5
Lordy am I glad all of my cats are fixed and so are the neighbor's too....
I love to see pictures tho ladies! :-) just can't fathom doing kittens again... hehe
once was enough!
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Post by calypso on Nov 5, 2009 18:35:48 GMT -5
As you wish....... ;D These guys are in the pipeline too. They are about a week behind swissy's kittens. Thankfully these guys have a foster - but they will be looking for their forever home......  |
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Post by pnp4kidz on Nov 5, 2009 18:38:58 GMT -5
One big kitty fuzz ball! LOL!
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Post by piopico on Nov 5, 2009 19:07:47 GMT -5
Yes, if you're not sure, there are 4 of them. Unfortunately one of the black girls has a bad eye- Caly told the foster she needed to see a Vet..........it's lost vision, but they may be able to save the eye for cosmetics sake. I haven't heard the results.
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Post by Tockita on Nov 5, 2009 20:11:43 GMT -5
Caly you suck!!! I have been a HUGE fan of Russian Blue type kitties. Sleek, quick, TONS of personality. Even the blacks who are Russian Blue type are WONDERFUL!
My sister had Moonshadow when I was young. I had Tramp and Bandit as a young married lady, Mandy (Bullet Cat) Chubby Cheeks was Katie's, and Dumbo was a young Beth's best friend (though he turned out to be HUGE and more Chartreuse like).
We had a litter of orphans (from moms back yard a long while ago 96? 97?) and a friend of mine kept a black one they named Creepers. He acts like my mustangs, very much in charge of everything. lol
So I declare you officially suck for posting a picture of that cute little gray. It gets harder to pass them by, we haven't had a "blue" in a while.
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 6, 2009 9:31:38 GMT -5
Ha, Kathy, I tried the putting something they could push against when drinking, I tried to put the nipple between my fingers, and I guess he did feel threatend I'm still all scratched up, lil stinker. I just couldn't find any replacement nipples anywhere, and they only had one size bottle w/ nipple at my local store. The little girl put her brother in a headlock a couple of times when he got to close, I wish I would have taken some pictures when they were playing with eachother, doing the attack stance, so funny..... |
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Post by Tockita on Nov 6, 2009 10:24:12 GMT -5
We still have nipples from Wadsworth somewhere in the boxes in the garage. We found a bottle set that had the nipples with larger hole for older/bigger babies, but Wadsy was dedicated to her bottle but kind to it.
I either lay them upside down in one hand and let them brace on the hand with the bottle, or put then upright on my chest and feed them. They are all different. Luckily our last two have been one at a time and singles are less protective of their food.
Wads came from Lifesavers, Squash was the last kitten from a deaf momma. Owner felt she didin't go to the kittens enough, maybe because she couldn't hear them. He took her in to get a shot for milk, but he had lost all but Squash when he brought her over.
She was the youngest kitten we've ever received. I kept her warm by putting her in my bra when she wasn't eating. She wouldn't suck at first so we started out with a plastic doll bottle with a plastic nipple. (worked out like an eyedropper but the tip was longer and thinner so she could get it in her mouth and suck on it) she used that the first 36 hours and then was strong enough to use the real bottle.
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Post by calypso on Nov 6, 2009 10:47:03 GMT -5
I either lay them upside down in one hand and let them brace on the hand with the bottle, or put then upright on my chest and feed them. Sounds like you've had a lot of fun with bottle babies! I do need to jump in here with a clarification about laying them upside down. I'm not sure what you mean by upside down, but don't want anyone who might end up with bottle babies to misinterpret. Kittens need to be bottle-fed in a prone or upright position. It is not safe to bottle-feed them laying on their back like you would feed a human baby. It's a common mistake, but carries a huge risk of aspiration (milk goes straight into lungs instead of stomach) So - think of the position a kitten is in when they are nursing on mom and replicate that postion. They are either laying on their stomach with paws reaching forward and "pumping" against her stomach- the behavior we call "kneading" or "making biscuits" when we see it in cats. Or, they are essentially standing on their back paws to reach up to the top row of teats when they are little. Both are safe positions to bottle feed. mta: Like the idea of the doll bottle!! Much easier (and safer) than tube feeding! (I'm such a coward about tube feeding neonates! How to you ensure correct placement on something that is 2 inches long!?!?! The difference between the lungs and the stomach are like 1/16th of an inch! sheesh! That is why God invented Vet Techs!) |
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Post by Tockita on Nov 6, 2009 12:53:41 GMT -5
I either lay them upside down in one hand and let them brace on the hand with the bottle, or put then upright on my chest and feed them. I do need to jump in here with a clarification about laying them upside down. I'm not sure what you mean by upside down, but don't want anyone who might end up with bottle babies to misinterpret. Kittens need to be bottle-fed in a prone or upright position. It is not safe to bottle-feed them laying on their back like you would feed a human baby. It's a common mistake, but carries a huge risk of aspiration (milk goes straight into lungs instead of stomach) I guess upside down was a poor choice of words. I lay them on their back in my hand, hook thumb and ring finger in their pits, fore and middle fingers behind their head.. then I tip them up facing me and feed them letting them press their front feet on fingers of the bottle hand and rears on the heel of my hand. Guess we should also add.. It is too easy to "drown" a young or weak kitty by being overzealous in early feeding. They need to take the milk. You can not just push milk in them and hope it goes to the right place. A very weak kitty needs to be fed little bits frequently to rebuild strength to be able to nurse well. Very weak, & very young kitties probably do need vet intervention. It also helps if you have no life, or lots of help to nurse wee ones of and type. |
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Post by calypso on Nov 6, 2009 13:40:26 GMT -5
Tock - that is a great description! And good point about them taking in the milk rather than pushing. It's obvious you've done this many times!
A few years ago I got a call from the clinic asking me to come get a kitten that had been brought in by a young girl. She was about 15, and accompanied by some less-than-desirable-looking-types who were giving her an unmerciful load of sh*t about this kitten. It was about a week old. She'd had it for 36 hours - had gone to the store and bought KMR and was bottle feeding it - on it's back, just like a baby. (ack!!) Amazingly it had survived and didn't have pnuemonia! She knew she was in over her head so she brought it to the 24 hour clinic and that's how we ended up with him. (He survived, was adopted and turned out to be this huge Maine Coon type cat!)
Anyway, you know how you can tell the lowest horse in the herd? Well, she was the lowest ranking "horse" in her "herd" yet she stood up to the others over this kitten. I gently showed her the proper/safe way to feed and told her she had "the gift" and should think about working with animals when she got older. She had that fire in her eye, y'know? Anyway, I hope it gave her a vision for a future outside of the gang. (not sure they were actually gang members, or suburban wanna-bes: the town is extremely affluent, across the freeway a totally different story) but I lost touch with her a few months later.
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Post by Tockita on Nov 6, 2009 14:12:14 GMT -5
LOL I was that girl minus the being bullied part. Everyone just assumed I would become a vet.
I was the one who offered to sit with whelping dogs, and feed weaning puppies, and kitties lunch for people.
After I trained my brothers too smart, left behind Lab the neighbors were asking for help with dog training too.
Luckily I never had a birthing go bad, boy the thought of that kept me terrified last summer when I had three baby horses coming!
I don't go looking for babies to raise, but if they happen along and need me then we do our best!
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 8, 2009 20:34:06 GMT -5
Are they home yet?
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Post by piopico on Nov 9, 2009 1:39:30 GMT -5
Yep, arrived home a couple hours ago! Slept most of the way- on full bellies!! Caly came over to check them out.....judging by the boy's size, about 6 weeks. Jazzy is definitely a runt, size-wise, but not spunk-wise!! She'll be the mischief-maker. There were tears leaving LA, but my daughter realizes that if she gets a work rotation this week that keeps her away for 10 hours, that's just too long. She'll see them at Thanksgiving when she comes home......maybe she can have them back then....... |
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Post by calypso on Nov 9, 2009 2:12:45 GMT -5
They are VERY cute and you did an awesome job Corinne! The boy is big enough they look like they could be closing in on 6 weeks. I'll weigh them tomorrow and see them walk and then decide what I think! LOL! The little girl is tiny, but she's got a BIG personality. They were happily chewing on and kicking each other when I left. Congratulations on a job well done! And, somehow, they aren't coming to my place. These guys are charming everyone that takes them cause piopico let me know by phone, before they ever arrived home, that the babies would be fostered at her place. |
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 9, 2009 8:35:27 GMT -5
AWE, I'm so happy they made it home ok. Yeah, the little girl does have some spunk, doesn't she ;D She whacked her brother a couple of times when he got to close to her bottle, and even had him in headlocks. She cracks me up. They both did grow quite a bit (he even more than she) in the 2 weeks I had them.
I'm glad your daughter had a good time with them, they definitely know how to wrap you around their little paws. I was showing my mom their pictures yesterday, and got all teary eyed...
Can't wait to see pictures of them as they're growing up.
Thanks again bunches :-)
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Post by swissgrl on Nov 22, 2009 21:22:35 GMT -5
Having Kitty picture withdrawl ;D
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Post by piopico on Nov 23, 2009 0:43:23 GMT -5
Nursing tiny kitties, and ministering to sick horses are what I know how to do....posting pictures is another story, but I HAVE them- ! promise to sit down tomorrow and struggle thru it!!
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