My first litter arrived this morning. It stated with a call to pick up four kittens, born to a feral mom with a severe URI. Mom immediately rejected the litter, so they have received no colostrum. And because she is sick and unfriendly, there’s no options to force her to nurse.
A few hours later, I got a call to pick up a fifth kitten. The last kitten only weighed 70 grams, 30 grams lighter than the siblings.
Here’s a little bit of intro on what I am doing. I weigh the litter once a day before they are fed. I am feeding every 3 hours during the day, then every 4 hours overnight. My feeding routine is as follows:
- Offer food (either with a syringe or bottle
- Stimulate them to pee and poop.
- Offer food a second time.
- Return to their bed.
I have both a snuggle disc and a rice sock with them. The snuggle disc is for warmth and the rice sock is for comfort. I have found that by having these ready before I feed and putting them in the “nest,” I can determine if the kittens are okay.
Any kitten that doesn’t settle down after the above routine, gets a 2nd round. I offer food and then stimulate them again. If this doesn’t work, I look at other issues (which I will post about soon).