Need Help with abandoned kittens

[Mic]

**Update on page 2**

Well, the cat-bearing season is in full swing. My parents have 2 out-buildings on their property with a litter of feral kittens in each, and a third litter that was abandoned more than a week ago. I told my parents to leave the kittens alone because the mother could be sneaking back to feed tham at night, but that is not the case. I saw her hiss at the kittens Saturday, and verified she was not feeding them at all. One died yesterday, so I brought the other 4 home to raise because my Dad just can't do it. I have 2 rescued strays as pets already: a Russian Blue female that just turned a year old, and a former feral tortoiseshell female that is 10 months old. They were both about 12 weeks old when I adopted them, and they DO NOT like the baby kittens at all. My oldest cat spent the entire night outside, refusing to come in, and my tortie hid from me all night! Can anyone offer any advice on having the older cats temporarily accept the kittens? I called my vet about the care of the kittens, but I'm not sure he's the one to ask about the psychology of the older cats. He didn't seem to think the kittens would even live, saying that he would consider my efforts successful if 2 survived. They are so small for their age, which my Dad estimates is 3-4 weeks old. They were extremely dirty and full of fleas, so I gently bathed each one with a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid in a small dishpan and fed them last night, then did the same again this morning. I'm hoping that 4 feedings a day is sufficient because they are little poop machines. I massaged their small bellies after both feedings and wiped their anal area with a small damp cloth to stimulate their bowels and stomachs, and apparently that is doing the trick very well. I have them in a small pet carrier with a heating pad set on low and wrapped in a towel. So far I have thrown away 6 towels...this is going to be expensive. A spay/neuter clinic an hour away will give them their basic starter shots and fix them for @$100 each, which I can't have done until they are at least 9 weeks old, and I'm really hoping I can have each one spoken for by then. Has anyone had luck getting rid of kittens? Everyone I know says I won't be able to, but if I pay for their shots and surgery, deworming, and offer a 3-month supply of Frontline for each kitten, it should be a good deal for someone wanting a pet. Am I nuts? Can anyone offer fostering advice? Neither my local shelter or animal control offered any help, just said they would pick them up and humanely dispose of them. I'm thinking I will need a large dog crate/kennel to keep them in at night, one large enough for them and a small litter box. Is there something better to use? I can not let them roam freely, even when they are older. My family would kick all 5 of us out if that happened! And I have to keep them safe from my older cats, if they haven't left me over this. I have already told several people to keep their ears open for someone wanting a cat, and will post pics on my facebook page. Would a facebook page or blog spot for the kittens be helpful? My 18-year-old son is home from college and could set it up for me(he would complain about doing it, but would do it). If I posted pictures and updates on their growth, would I reach more people than just simple flyers? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[marlaine8]

Sorry I don't have any advise, but I just wanted to say that you have a heart of gold!

 

[fkj2]

My established house cats don't like newbies either. A friend once told me--and I haven't tried it-- to splash cooling vanilla on your hands and then pet each animal. They'll then all smell the same and supposedly improves the acceptability of the newcomers.

Don't ya just hate irresponsible pet owners? Keep calling around. I know we have a local shelter who sometimes does a two-for-one special spay/neuter.

 

[marie1203]

First of all to you for doing this. If you buy a crate make sure is the plastic kind the wire ones they can clim the walls and injure their paws. I will also post them in craiglist and see if you find possible adopters.

Sorry I forgot to add to fix the problem check with cats rescues in the area I know most of them provide free spay/neuter for feral cats and then they are release back were they were found maybe you could put some traps in your fathers house and get them all fix to avoid future problems.

 

[manhattan]

My DH came home about 3 weeks ago with a kitten. She was about 6 weeks old, someone found it in the engine of the car. I would suggest just emailing everyone you know, people will forward those emails. DH was the third forward on the email. We just had her spayed yesterday by the humane society and they charged $15 (which included a booster shot). I think its great what you are doing and I am sure that you will find homes for them!

 

[java]

I was surprised to see a sign in our local mall pet store asking for Kittens! They wanted more to sell! I couldn't believe it.

Do you have a local pet food store? Like a Petco? with a Board where you can post the kittens?

How very sweet of you.

 

[TotoToo]

We once found 4 darling kittens in a storm drain by our home. My daughter was an animal lover - still is - and took them into our shed for protection. We had them checked at our vet but really didn't want to keep them as we had 3 cats already at the time. Long story short we found homes for two then unexpectedly our vet decided to adopt one of the remaining two - the boy- so we had one girl left. We had her spayed and then tried to introduce her, slowly, to the other house cats. It took awhile but our little Boots eventually bonded and we had 4 cats - soon after that became 5 - and she was maybe the most loving, affectionate and least picky eater of all. It was like she appreciated that we took hr in and gave her a warm, dry home.

About three years ago, while I happened to be in the hospital for my own health problems, I came home but Boots failed to greet me. That NEVER happened. Then my wife told me that earlier that morning she han't come to breakfast & she found her dead on the floor of the basement near one of her favorite chairs. She was 14. I miss her still as she, like all our animals, had a unique personality that made her special. It still seems odd to be able to eat & not have her pulling my arm down to get a snack.

So thank you for caring for the kittens. Don't be afraid to take one if needed as usually the "pack" will adapt and the cat will never forget who took them in. Bless you.

 

[kelby86]

Well, the cat-bearing season is in full swing. My parents have 2 out-buildings on their property with a litter of feral kittens in each, and a third litter that was abandoned more than a week ago. I told my parents to leave the kittens alone because the mother could be sneaking back to feed tham at night, but that is not the case. I saw her hiss at the kittens Saturday, and verified she was not feeding them at all. One died yesterday, so I brought the other 4 home to raise because my Dad just can't do it. I have 2 rescued strays as pets already: a Russian Blue female that just turned a year old, and a former feral tortoiseshell female that is 10 months old. They were both about 12 weeks old when I adopted them, and they DO NOT like the baby kittens at all. My oldest cat spent the entire night outside, refusing to come in, and my tortie hid from me all night! Can anyone offer any advice on having the older cats temporarily accept the kittens? I called my vet about the care of the kittens, but I'm not sure he's the one to ask about the psychology of the older cats. He didn't seem to think the kittens would even live, saying that he would consider my efforts successful if 2 survived. They are so small for their age, which my Dad estimates is 3-4 weeks old. They were extremely dirty and full of fleas, so I gently bathed each one with a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid in a small dishpan and fed them last night, then did the same again this morning. I'm hoping that 4 feedings a day is sufficient because they are little poop machines. I massaged their small bellies after both feedings and wiped their anal area with a small damp cloth to stimulate their bowels and stomachs, and apparently that is doing the trick very well. I have them in a small pet carrier with a heating pad set on low and wrapped in a towel. So far I have thrown away 6 towels...this is going to be expensive. A spay/neuter clinic an hour away will give them their basic starter shots and fix them for @$100 each, which I can't have done until they are at least 9 weeks old, and I'm really hoping I can have each one spoken for by then. Has anyone had luck getting rid of kittens? Everyone I know says I won't be able to, but if I pay for their shots and surgery, deworming, and offer a 3-month supply of Frontline for each kitten, it should be a good deal for someone wanting a pet. Am I nuts? Can anyone offer fostering advice? Neither my local shelter or animal control offered any help, just said they would pick them up and humanely dispose of them. I'm thinking I will need a large dog crate/kennel to keep them in at night, one large enough for them and a small litter box. Is there something better to use? I can not let them roam freely, even when they are older. My family would kick all 5 of us out if that happened! And I have to keep them safe from my older cats, if they haven't left me over this. I have already told several people to keep their ears open for someone wanting a cat, and will post pics on my facebook page. Would a facebook page or blog spot for the kittens be helpful? My 18-year-old son is home from college and could set it up for me(he would complain about doing it, but would do it). If I posted pictures and updates on their growth, would I reach more people than just simple flyers? Thanks in advance for any help.

Yes, first off this is amazing and wonderful of you to do and take on. I fostered a kitten whose mother had turned him away and was not feeding him when he was about this age about a year ago. He turned a year in the end of January/Feb. It is difficult and a lot of work. If they are eating that is a good sign, what are you feeding them?

It is typical for older cats to not like new additions or drastic changes. It takes time and seperation is a good thing at first. They need to get used to the smell of the new cats. Especially since they are not able to go to the vet yet as being so small it might be good to keep the older cats away as much as possible in case of disease, fleas, germs, etc.

It is good that they are eating and pooping. The problem I had with my foster was loose stool. *Sorry for too much details if so.* We tried everything and he had a full belly but was gaining muscle. I talked to my vet a lot and she was able to get adult cat medicine for this called into a compounding place where they compounded it into a liquid and dosed it for a kitten that weighed one lb. You also need to make sure they are getting water. YOu can syringe water very slowly to them if they are not able to drink out of a bowl on their own.

Sounds like you are doing well with a pet carrier and heating pad on low. It can get expensive quickly and I think if you get them spayed/neutered and shots you could find people who want them. Advertising, getting the word out anyway you can would be beneficial, if they are 'free' just hope you get the best response of families who really want to take in a loving pet. You are not nuts at all, if someone is looking to adopt a pet but does not have a lot of money you are doing a great service.

When I was fostering mine I did keep him in a soft sided crate with a litter box, heating pad and bowls, once he could eat out of bowls. Letting them roam freely is not a good idea since they could get hurt or caught in something. As well as your family and other cat family members. Cats are forgiving and they will not hold a grudge toward you and may eventually come to like the kittens. After the kittens get their first shots in when I would let the older cats interact with them.

I think your idea of posting pictures and updates on a facebook page would be a great idea and your facebook friends could spread the word that way to all of their friends, it is a free way to get the word out and people who are interested could see pictures and updates.

You are a hero and doing a great thing! Lots of good ideas from others, let us know how it goes!

 

[NYCDiane]

Thank you for caring for these little angels!!

Your older cats are jealous as cats always are. The vanilla trick above should work.

I think you're doing a great job with them -- if they're eating and pooping, that's a good sign!

Now, if at all possible, can anyone trap the other ferals and bring them to a low cost spay/neuter place?? They're only going to continue having kittens and, next thing you know, there are going to be 100s of cats around that no one wants.

 

[pigletto]

I am hand rearing a kitten right now!!!

He and his siblings were left in the doghouse on my parents property by a feral cat. His siblings were dead when he was found. We think he was probably about 4 days old.

He is now almost 4 weeks old!!! It has been a lot of work but so very rewarding. So many people helped me along the way and I'd be happy to give you links to information etc if you need.

My older cat is also not sure what to think of him. However the biggest thing is they need to stay APART. For everyones safety.

Those kittens could be carriers of a number of things that aren't making them sick but could kill your older pets. ALWAYS wash your hands well before and after handling them and change bedding often.

I keep new kitten in his basket in my room. When he comes out for bottle feedings our older cat will look at him, and try to smell him from a distance but I do not let them come in contact as per vets orders until kitten is old enough to have his shots.
This isn't hard to do because until this week he slept 95 percent of the day.

If you don't already have it, look for KMR formula. Kitten has tolerated it well and doubled in size the last few weeks.

I even have pictures I could show you for motivation

It's not easy but soooooo worth it!!
We are just in love with this little guy.

Most of all Good Luck!!

 

[DisneyNutMic]

Well aren't you a gem. I have 5 kitties. 3 of them were once feral so I do have some experience here.

Peppers - 3 small (tiny) kittens found in a basket. They were approximately 3 weeks old and momma cat got killed in the road. We had to spoon feed one of them. Her mouth was too little to open up around the baby bottle we were using. Two died of a neurological disease. Nothing we could do to save them. They died within 3 hours of showing signs of anything being wrong. Peppers is 4 now.

Smitty - we found him all by himself covered in fleas, so malnurished that we could see every bone in his body and his eye so mattered up we couldn't even see the eyeball. He quit eating. He didn't drink. The vet gave him no chance to live. My finance stayed up with him constantly (he was out of work with a bad back) and fed him every 2 hours for more than 2 weeks. He couldn't control his sugars, he couldn't stand up. He just turned 3.

Vanilla - adopted on purpose.

Sahara - found her under a dumpster at the park. The people there started to take her home but decided they couldn't before they left. She followed me around like a puppy. I couldn't leave her. I took her home with the hopes of getting her to a cat adoption service locally after the Labor Day weekend. She never left and now sits on my shoulder like a parrot.

Sully - we adopted because we found out that he was the same Sully we intended to adopt when we got Vanilla more than a year and a half earlier. That's no life so he came to live with us too.

And to think I wasn't a cat person.

You can do this. Keep them fed. Make sure they are growing. We started with plastic rubbermaid totes and a tiny plastic bowl with litter for their bathroom. We graduated them up to the bathroom (free roam) once they started trying to get out of the tub.

As for the older ones getting used to them, we just tried to act as normal with them. We wanted them to know that just because someone was there didn't mean we cared any less for them. They all still got their normal lap time and petting amounts. They will start to get along better soon I'd say.

Thank you for taking these babies in. They will reward you in their own time and way.

 

[Mic]

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement! I was surprised to learn when I called the vet for an appointment that there was really nothing that could be done until they were at least 6 weeks old. I knew I couldn't use flea shapoo, but I assumed they could be dewormed and checked for earmites and treated for fleas. To be honest, the vet seemed a little pessimistic about their survival. While bathing them for the THIRD time today, I noticed they have little tiny teeth, which the vet said was needed to wean them off the milk. He said if they have teeth, stop the milk and soften kitten chow with a little warm water, as the milk could cause diarrhea(goodness knows we don't want that!) Once I fixed their "gruel", I put 2 small bowls of water down for them and they drank it(well, after they fell in!) The vet said he could do a "physical", check for worms, and and give them their distemper shot when they were 6 weeks old, and would only charge me @$250 for all 4. He suggested I wait until they were 6 months old to have them spayed or neutered, even though the spay/neuter clinic will do it sooner. I told him what they quoted me for the surgeries, and he said he could not do it for less, and even suggested I wait to have them tested for Fel leukemia and vaccinated when they had their surgeries done as the clinic offers a "package" deal. Considering college tuition is due in July for two of my kids, I appreciated the money-saving advice. The hardest part so far has been keeping the kittens clean. I am meticulous with my older cats, and am hoping the dirty/stinky phase passes soon with the kittens. After I wash them and dry them, and feed them, they poop and I have to wash them again. I really need one of my older cats to give me a hand(or a tongue). Thanks to everyone's posts, I am starting to worry less about finding homes for them. I would love to keep them, but the only way my husband would agree to me feeding them was if I promised to find homes for them. My husband and son are both allergic to my cats and have to take medicine every day so I can have them in the house. I really don't want to push them to accept another cat, but if one of them would get attached to a kitten, I would have no problem keeping it I have been looking on craigslist for a large crate(they are over $100 new!), but I will hold off advertising my kittens for adoption there until I have exhausted other options.

I have urged my parents to catch and spay the feral mothers for two summers, but their response has been "they are not my cats" . I finally convinced my Dad that any cat living on your property is "yours" if you will ultimately be responsible for their care in any way(which we are now). If he will just catch the mother(s), I have offered to take them to the spay clinic myself and pay for the surgery and shots. Every pet I have ever owned has been spayed or neutered as soon as physically possible, and my kids know this cost has to be factored into the adoption of anything. My parents treat their housepets like royalty, so it bothers me a little that they haven't done anything to curb the feral population around them. They have a large tract of land with outbuildings and the problem will only get worse.

I live near people that leave their cat population unchecked; that's how I ended up with my two older cats. I feel a lot better about spaying and adopting my cats than I would have about feeding them every now and then and letting them breed all year. I did go to my irresponsible neighbors and ask if my "foundlings" belonged to them(even though other neighbors confirmed they did). The true owners denied recognizing the kittens, of course. I let them know I would be adopting them; it was my way of saying "Don't even THINK you can have them back once I pay the medical bills"

 

[rottiemom]

Oh you are a sweetheart!

Definitely look for cat rescues or cat assistance in your area. See if local vets, pet food stores or shelters can point you towards any. You're already fostering the kittens and the rescues should be able to give you advice, as well as help guide you toward low cost vet care.

Keep them separate from your cats. We have a surly, 7 lb female alpha cat who wants NO part of any other feline in HER home and we kept a friend's 2 cats at our place for 3 weeks. The cats were kept separately and aside from the occasional nose being poked out of the bottom of the door there were no incidents.

Good luck and do the best that you can. I hope that they all make it.

 

[jgraney106]

Good luck with the littlle kitties. I too have been trying to take care of a stray, that I believe was dumped in my neighborhood. This kitty is a female. She is such a good girl. She is not a kitten , but I think she is fairly young. My problem is we all love her ,but my daughter is very allergic to cats.
We have tried asking friends, friends of friends, family, called two local vets, animal control, church friends and posted a found kitty on craigslist. She hasn't been reported missing and I can't seem to find her a home.
We have her scheduled for a vet visit on June 22nd (first available appointment).
We really shouldn't keep her due to the fact that my daughter is not feeling well when she is around her.( yes she has been washing her hands after touching the cat and all those other tips for allergies to cats).
I hate to take her to a shelter, as they are over run with cats now.
It angers me to think that someone has lost her and hasn't bothered to find her, or if they didn't want her, why didn't they put on their "big boy britches" and take her to the shelter. They shouldn't depend on good hearted people like us!! I'm sick over this!!

 

[rottiemom]

It angers me to think that someone has lost her and hasn't bothered to find her, or if they didn't want her, why didn't they put on their "big boy britches" and take her to the shelter.

So many people view pets as disposable. I will never understand how you can dump an animal, or leave it to starve to death when there are shelters. I'll never forget when I was growing up and our neighbors moved away in the middle of the winter, leaving their cat on the street along with everything else that they weren't taking with them . I can't comprehend that kind of behaviour.

But then you've got people like the OP and so many of the PPs in this thread .

 

[KBW]

You are such a good soul to be doing this!

If you have a Pet Smart or a Petco in your area, check in there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Our local one has a rescue organization that is there every weekend. We adopted both of our kitties from there.

A co-worker of mine also volunteers at a rescue organization (they too are at a different Pet Smart every weekend). She was just telling me today that her organization is at capacity because another volunteer had picked up several abandoned cats (including some moms with brand new litters of kittens) from around the southeast, and drove them up here (PA/DE).

Or, you can go on petfinder.com. On the left side is a section "Find Animal Welfare Groups"... You can see all the groups in your state to (hopefully) locate one that is relatively close. Where we live, you can call them, they will come out to capture the kitties, and then take over from there...(shots, spay/neuter, foster homes, adoption).

Best of luck! Please keep us posted...

Best of luck

 

[pigletto]

Hmmm.. I am surprised at your vets advice.

I took Marvin (our rescue) in the day I after we found him. My vet got me in right away and we weighed him and went over everything I would need to know how to do this properly. He taught me how to tube feed in case there was an emergency, told me everything to look for and sent me home with deworming medicine to be given at 2, 4, and 6 weeks. My kitten has had no diarreah on the kitten formula.. , and is probably just now ready at 4 weeks to start litter training and wet food which we will attempt tomorrow. Did he mean no cows milk? I could see that, as it is very harmful to them.
The biggest thing is that he thanked me for the job I was doing for this little guy and flatly refused to take any payment! (So after going back and forth for a bit I bought a bunch of raffle tickets frm the front desk for a walk he is doing for cancer research).
We had to call back in a few days later for an eye infection and he just charged for the eye drops. I feel he was very realistic with me about survival rates etc.. but he also made sure to go over everything I should watch for.

If they have fleas hand pick them and bathe then comb. That should do the trick for now..but they can be dewormed, and being feral kittens the odds are very high that they have a parasite.
We go in for shots at 6 weeks.

Just wanted to share in case it helps.

(If they are eliminating on their own you can start with non clumping litter.. if not, you have to continue to stimulate their privates with a warm wet cotton ball to get them to pee and poop. I assume you know that but thought I would mention just in case.)

 

[Planogirl]

We once found 4 darling kittens in a storm drain by our home. My daughter was an animal lover - still is - and took them into our shed for protection. We had them checked at our vet but really didn't want to keep them as we had 3 cats already at the time. Long story short we found homes for two then unexpectedly our vet decided to adopt one of the remaining two - the boy- so we had one girl left. We had her spayed and then tried to introduce her, slowly, to the other house cats. It took awhile but our little Boots eventually bonded and we had 4 cats - soon after that became 5 - and she was maybe the most loving, affectionate and least picky eater of all. It was like she appreciated that we took hr in and gave her a warm, dry home.

About three years ago, while I happened to be in the hospital for my own health problems, I came home but Boots failed to greet me. That NEVER happened. Then my wife told me that earlier that morning she han't come to breakfast & she found her dead on the floor of the basement near one of her favorite chairs. She was 14. I miss her still as she, like all our animals, had a unique personality that made her special. It still seems odd to be able to eat & not have her pulling my arm down to get a snack.

So thank you for caring for the kittens. Don't be afraid to take one if needed as usually the "pack" will adapt and the cat will never forget who took them in. Bless you.

Your story touched me. Boots was a lucky kitty.

 

[torinsmom]

Please make sure your older cats are up to date on their shots if they will be in close contact! I got two kittens from a rescue a few years ago. Even though they had had their shots, they were somehow still carrying calcivirus on their fur. It's a really dangerous disease for cats. Both my older cats caught it, and I spent $500 on the one that had such bad mouth ulcers that he couldn't eat or drink. Then he had a relapse of it a year later to the tune of $200(it is like herpes and they can have recurrences for the rest of their lives). Then a year after I got them, the youngest started having trouble with her teeth. When they put her under to find out which tooth was bad, all her teeth except the canines fell out! She evidently had calicivirus too and it had eroded the bone that held her teeth in her jaw. That was another $400.

Don't do what I did. I only got the first shots and then rabies from then on. My cats are inside and only around each other. I assumed since the kittens had their shots, they wouldn't pass anything to my cats. Your kittens have been around feral cats who most likely have had no shots, so be extra careful!

 

[fkj2]

I was surprised to see a sign in our local mall pet store asking for Kittens! They wanted more to sell! I couldn't believe it.

How very sweet of you.

Ooh. Be careful about that. I contacted a chain store a year ago and they strongly urged screening prospective adoptive pet parents. Seems some people feed the kittens as snake food.