Guess who's fostering 3 week olds?? ....PIX! UPDATE!

[Catlady711]

All I intended to do today was go to work and come home like any other day, well not today... lol

One of my coworkers has alot of barn cats, and one of them frequently abandons it's kittens before they're old enough. Usually this coworker doesn't find them until it's too late. This time she found them while they were still alive, est. about 3 weeks old (the biggest one weighs in at 1/2 pound). She brought them to work today because she's a dog person and knows very little about caring for tiny kittens. She did what she could but she knew they needed more.

So this morning she brought them to work hoping one of us could help her out. The kittens were shivering, weak, and starving, the momma kitty has been gone 3 days now. I immediately got out some kitten formula to feed them and 'potty-ed' them, and snuggled them down in a bunch of soft warm blankies! They immediatly stopped crying (which she said they hadn't done since she'd found them). So for the rest of the work day they sat near the desk so I could watch them.

She begged me to foster them, but I said I had to ok that with hubby first (I mean this would make 8 cats in the household, even temporarily). I let one of the kittens cry over the phone and hubby couldn't resist the pittiful mewing. Needless to say, I'm now the proud foster mommy of 3 darling 3 week old kittens! Coworker offered to pay for food, and only one round of antibiotics if they needed it, no heroic measures if they got sick. I'm not sure I can do that, I'm too used to doing everything for my own kitties. We'll have to see. Anyways, in the meantime I'm gonna snuggle and nurture these 'ladies and gentelman' until they are old enough adopt out.

So now they are bedded down in one of my carriers (incidentally the one I raised Pooky & Bear in), and they have one of those heated disks with the soft cover, a bunch of bedding and they're living in my cpu room for a few weeks. Once they're old enough to eat on their own and use a sandbox, they can go to permenant homes.

Here's some pix....

This one we're calling Sabrina, she's a little witch lol She bullies her way around and occasionally climbs the front of the carrier to the point that when I open the gate, she's still hanging on to it! She walks over the other kittens. I suspect she's gonna have quite a 'Tortitude' when she grows up. lol
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/sabrina.jpg


This one is the middle sized one, we haven't yet found a name for her we like yet, although hubby keeps trying to talk me into calling her 'Badger' because of the markings on her face. I'm simply not going to call her that. She's a little less adventuresom than Sabrina, however she does wander around a bit, or rather lunge then wobble, then fall over lol.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/middle.jpg


This one we're calling Josh. He's very messy and doesn't seem to know how to suckle the bottle properly. He's the runt, and the one I'm most worried about. He can't seem to hold his head up and doesn't walk around very much, he's frail and weak. My coworker said this one had what seemed like a siezure yesterday. I'm hoping with alot of TLC he'll pull through. I can't wait till he's strong enough I can clean him up some.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/Josh1.jpg


Here's all three together. I appologize that my pix aren't very good, kittens are hard to photograph! lol

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/fosters.jpg

[krazyaboutkatz]

They're adorable and I'm so glad that you're able to foster them.:) Good luck and please continue to keep us updated about them.:)

[jenluckenbach]

(Maybe if mom cat always abandons her babies she should be SPAYED! :rolleyes: )

But anyway, these babies are adorable. I just love Josh! Best of luck with them. :)

[K & L]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW oh these sure brought a smile to my face this morning. How precious is this? :)

[orangemm]

Those tiny little bundles! How amazing. Bless you for taking these little ones in and giving them lots of TLC. :)

[Catty1]

Yes - maybe tell your friend not to pay for antib's and stuff, but to get that one momma spayed!

Or ask the vet for a bulk rate and do them ALL.

The babies are adorable! I pray Josh turns the corner and makes it! Sometimes the weakest ones surprise us!

Beautiful - and I liked the touch of letting a kitten mew at your husband over the phone. Blackmail! HEE HEE HEE! :D

[jazzcat]

They are so cute!!! I love little messy Josh.

I really appreciate these pictures more than you know. I've been trying to figure out how old the kittens I caught are and since I've never been around ones this little before I thought they were 2-3 weeks but Kimlovescats says they are probaby closer 4-5 weeks. Now after seeing your 3 week old for comparison I see how off I was! They even have their teeth already.

Good luck with your bottle babies. I'm thrilled to know I can begin weaning mine over to solid food. These bottle feedings are wearing me out.

[Freedom]

AAwww! How sweet and tiny and innocent! What a raw deal nature gave them. Glad to see you stepped in the help make a difference! Best to all of them.

[kimlovescats]

They are precious .... little Josh has me worried though! If he isn't sucking on the bottle, get a syringe from your vet's office. Get one of the ones with the long narrow tips. They are usually much easier to use than bottles ... at least for me!!! ;)

Good luck!
Kim

[RedHedd]

Oh, they're so sweet. Poor widdle Josh - I hope he makes it. I like the syringe idea. Good luck with them and keep us posted, although you've probably got your hands very full (literally) with this brood.

[rg_girlca]

Bless you for taking on these precious babies. They are so adorable.

I pray that Josh thrives on your care.

[orangemm]

Lil Josh kinda looks like a wee wild Willie! ;)

[kb2yjx]

What precious little ones!!! The torties already look like they have the tortitude!!! Many prayers for wee Josh!!! And for you, too!! What a very kind person you are to take up such a task!!! I hand raised a few and it is hard work!!! But worth very second!!!!

[catmandu]

That So Sad That These Babies Were Put In Such Peril.
We Are Praying That You Can Get All Three Of These Babies Through The Critical Next Few Months Of Thier Lives.

[Catlady711]

ok, to catch up with your posts all together here lol....

The mamma cat is feral and this coworker is going to get a trap to catch her and get her spayed. Apparently she's been fairly elusive.

I do also have a syringe for Josh, as I always keep a few on hand for various meds I've had need of one for. I just prefer the bottle as it's easier, not neccesarily neater, but easier lol.

The 'middle one' now has a name, fitting of a Torti....Sassy! lol She's quite the mouthy thing and very demanding when she wants something, but not as bold as Sabrina. lol

Yes doing feedings every 4 hrs is quite a job (especially at 5am lol), and I only have enough hands to feed one at a time, while the other two cry pittifully. Wish I was an octopus! lol Also since it's been 4 years since I raised Pooky & Bear, I'd forgotten how messy formula and kittens are! lol I'm making almost as much of a mess as the kittens are.

I also forgot how sharp kitten nails are! My hands and arms are getting all scratched up where they keep climbing me! lol I still have Bear & Pooky's baby fingernail clippers. I'll probably clip the fosters nails tomorrow, if hubby helps me, they are wiggly little things. lol

JOSH - Josh seems to be doing better!! :D :D Early this morning he raised his head up some, and I tried the bottle and he did manage to suck for a few seconds! Later this morning he was able to suck several times, as well as later this afternoon. And each time his head raises just a little more and he's looking around some now. Tonight I put them out on the carpet so they could get some excersize and lo and behold, Josh actually walked around some, slowly and wobbly, but he did walk. Even managed to climb up hubby's shirt! lol Course hubby just melted when Josh did that! ;)

SABRINA & SASSY are quite the adventuresome ones. The wanna crawl all over the place and try to get into trouble. I sometimes have my hands full with them. lol

Already the fosters seem to recognize me. When I got done feeding them tonight I put them back in the carrier with their newly warmed disk, but left the door open. I was laying on my stomach on the floor facing the carrier, talking to them. One by one they all climbed out and came up to kiss my nose....Then promptly tried to crawl into my shirt! lol I love kittens!! :) They've also started purring now. Sounds more like a vibration, but they'll learn to purr loudly eventually.

Thank you for all your prayers and kind words!! I'll keep you updated, and try again for some better pix. I'm planning on getting flyers made up to put up at work and such, but I really need some good pix. Guess I have some time as it will be several weeks yet before they can be adopted out. First they have to be able to eat regular food and use a litter box on their own. In the meantime I'm just gonna keep giving them TLC.

[jenluckenbach]

SWEET update! and YIPPEE for Josh. :D :D

kittens are so adorable.

[Catty1]

GREAT update on Josh! My mom and aunt were over and I showed them the pics - and they thought the messy-faced one of Josh looked like a little monkey!

I am so glad to hear he is doing better!

Bet you just melted yourself with the purrs and nose-kisses!

HUGS! Happy news!

Best of luck with the mom. Poor girl - if she only knew what a furrever home can be...maybe she will someday. :)

[moosmom]

OMG!!! Cuteness overload!!! I miss working with feral cats and kittens. It's such a rewarding experience, not to mention challenging. Great job!

[jazzcat]

I'm so glad Josh is doing better. Keep it up little guy!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that the kittens are doing well.:) I'm also so glad to hear that Josh is improving and I hope he continues to do so. Please continue to keep us updated.:)

[orangemm]

OMG, how sweet! I would have melted into a little puddle if all those sweeties crawled on me!

So glad little Josh is doing better; maybe once he figured out that milk is good, he'll decide to eat more.

[rg_girlca]

What a great update, but we do need to see more pictures of these sweethearts. :D

[Donnaj4962]

They are all adorable! I love the name "Sassy".... my Sasha is a tortie.... and does she ever have attitude! In fact, one of her nicknames if "Sassy Sister Sasha"!

You are doing a great job with these babies... and I am glad to see that Josh is doing better. Please keep us posted, with uppiedates and pictures!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Awww, I missed this thread untill now :o . Those little kittens are so precious. I am sure that with your loving care, they will all get through this!
Please give lil Josh a gentle hug :)

[RedHedd]

Aww! thanks for the great update! I'm so glad little messy Josh is doing better. His pic just melted my heart!

[Dustys People 2]

How are you doing it I have 7 that are about 3 to 4 days old. We are trying our best not to lose anymore. They came from a litter of 8 PLEASE HELP http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=114306 !!!!!

[Catlady711]

Sorry, no new pix tonight. :(

I guess Pooky and Bear being a week older were easier to raise, or else just good kitties :confused:

I weighed them today, and Sabrina has doubled her weight just since Sat.! She did weigh .5 lbs now she's a whole pound!! :cool: She was the only one I weighed Sat. so I don't know how bad off Josh really was. But if Josh doubled in weight also it's a scary thought as he weighed in today at .5 lbs!


I've kinda worried about these babies today. They don't seem to be eating as much as yesterday per feeding (finally caught up on food they missed for those 3 days maybe?). They're crying more often, even after feedings. And after I feed them today, they continue to suckle on blankets even though they don't want more formula.

However they seem active (particularly the torties) and want to climb and crawl. Josh even seems to have more energy and climbing things, although after every feeding he gets really sleepy, while the other two want to explore. I don't know if that's a problem for sure or not.

Howver I did encournter a new problem I've never dealt with before and of course it was after hours when it happened. I told you about them suckling blankets right? Well after this last feeding Sassy started suckling on Josh's 'private' parts! :eek: She really latched on to him, and he started crying and trying to crawl away with Sassy dragging behind him the whole time. Even when I reached in to get her loose from him it was difficult to get her off without hurting Josh more. The minute I'd put Sassy back down, she'd find Josh and go right back to suckling on him! Once in a while an ear, but has a def. preference for his more tender parts!!

Well after about 15 minutes of this (all while Sabrina is suckling on the sheepskin) I finally broke down and called the ER hosp. The assured me that sometimes kittens go through this stage and it was not because I wasn't feeding them enough (I was glad to hear that). They said to separate Josh for a couple days so he can recouperate, and until they get past this stage, otherwise it would get to be a habit and poor Josh would have a much harder time of it than he already is. Poor baby.

As soon as I removed Josh, the girls settled right down and went to sleep! Josh cried pitifully and hubby held him while I got the second carrier. Well Josh snuggled right down and went to sleep. Neither I nor hubby had the heart to put him back right away, so Josh got to sleep that way for over an hour until Hubby's arm went numb! LOL So now Josh is all by his lonesome in a separate carrier next to his sisters, and I don't even have a suitable 'stuffy' to put in with him! I'll have to go find one tomorrow so he'll be able to snuggle on that until I can reunite them.

Why does all the weird stuff happen to me and why does it happen when everything is closed at night?? lol

Anyways, it's almost time for the next feeding, so I need to go get eveything gathered up soon. I'll read a little more on the board then off to feed babies!

I'll keep updating you, although I was thinking, this thread might end up really long. lol

[Catlady711]

FURTHER UPDATES IN NEW THREAD...

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?p=1632294#post1632294