Kittens

My aunts partner found 5 kittens laying out in the middle of an alley all alone last night, she took them to the vet and they said that they would put them down if no one would care for them so my aunt is taking on the responsibility. The kittens must have just been born because their eyes were closed and their cords were still attached. There are dogs that are known to get out in that alley and there is broken glass everywhere so the kittens were taken for their safety because the mother was no where around and it was cold out.

The vet gave my aunt some formula, bottles, and information so that she can take care of the kittens, and I have sent her many links with information on feeding and creating a nest for the babies. I know how to raise orphaned sugar gliders, and everything I've read so far about raising orphaned kittens sounds exactly the same so I'm pretty confident about helping out.

My aunt only works 4 times a week, but will need my help occasionally to feed and look after the kittens when her and her partner are not home (which works well because I go to school for 2 hours 3 days a week which leaves me with all the time in the world to watch after the kittens). Today is the first day I will be looking after them, I'm going to pick them up around 12:30. I've done a lot of reading and have the general idea of how to empty the bladder, feed, and burp the kittens. I also have read up on the warning signs and there is an emergency vet less than a mile away from my house so if anything does go wrong I have a close vet to go to for help.

Has anyone else had to do this before? Any tips?

YEARS ago, I raised two kittens from birth, and I think I remember having to feed them every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. I also remembering not enjoying the overnight feedings! ;)

I've never taken in kittens that young, just a few already weaned strays that were out and about wandering, so I'm sorry that I can't be of help to you.

Just wanted to say kudos to you and your aunt for taking them in and for giving the time and effort into raising them up instead of putting them down. Keep us posted in their progress, and post some pics if you can. I would love to see the little cuties!! Good luck with them!!

I'll take a picture later tonight, turns out there are 4.. not 5.

There is a tuxedo (which hopefully I will be taking when I move out in October), an all black one, a gray tabby, and a orange/black/white one. Its always crazy how one litter of cats look so different.

It is a lot of work so far! I just did their first feeding and they didn't eat much, which is probably my fault because I don't have the technique down yet, so I will try again in 2 hours. They all went to the bathroom for me though! That was exciting, so I'm not too worried about that., I just need to get feeding down and I'll be good.

We've had the kittens for 5-6 days now, and they are doing A LOT better than the first day I saw them. I've watched them 3 times now, and each time they appear to be getting stronger and more aggressive during their feedings, which makes it a lot easier for me to feed them. They are now using the bottle instead of the oral syringe which is also good!

Heres the pictures! The little black & white tuxedo is going to be my cat if all goes well, I won't be able to take him until October when I move out but I really hope it works out!

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08556.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08563.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08559.jpg

I can't wait for their eyes to open!

Awwwwwwwww! Wow, what a great group of people you are. It's nice to see people rescue animals when they are pretty much defenseless and bringing them back up to a good healthy state. Hope everything works out keep us updated. I'll make sure my little black cat Bambina reads this too...lol.

BTW! I wish you lived near here, I would take dibs on the semi-calico...lol.

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Originally Posted by mr86mister

Awwwwwwwww! Wow, what a great group of people you are. It's nice to see people rescue animals when they are pretty much defenseless and bringing them back up to a good healthy state. Hope everything works out keep us updated. I'll make sure my little black cat Bambina reads this too...lol.

BTW! I wish you lived near here, I would take dibs on the semi-calico...lol.

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I love doing it! I'm going to college for the vet tech program they offer so I can do this kind of stuff all the time, cats are by far my favorite things in the world!

The little calico is really cute, she looks a lot like my cat Tiffany (which is the calico in my sig pic), she would be my second choice in cat but the little tuxedo reminds me of my baby Oslo so I had to have him.

Major cuteness!! KUDOS to you and your Aunt!!

Awww how cute! Wish we lived closer. We've been considering getting a pair of kittens and that little cali cat would be mine if you weren't so far away. What a cutie! Best wishes with them and eventually finding them good forever homes.

Awww!!! They are too adorable for words!!! I too am a sucker for little calicos, and like everyone else has said, if you were closer to me as well I would definitely offer her a home!!

How is the feeding and everything going?? Again kudos to you and your aunt for taking them in!!

Heres some feeding pictures of the rest of the kittens, its the only time I can get them to stay in one place for a picture.

Everyones favorite, the calico

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08571.jpg

Tabby

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08575.jpg

Black

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08576.jpg

Oh my, these kitties are way too cute!!
So small and fragile. You have done a wonderful thing!!

Well, some eyes have opened!

Tuxedo - both eyes open, hes the largest one in the group too!
Calico & Tabby - both have one of their eyes open.
Black - both eyes opened last night, I feel like he has an infection though, my aunt was wiping his face with a moist towel and a bunch of puss or gunk came out all of a sudden, after we cleaned it up he wasn't looking too bad and my aunt is going to take him to a vet if it seems to get worse. Hes the only cat that appears to have any problem right now though.

All the cats have gotten really good at using the bottle, and are getting better at trying to walk around. I'll watch them again later this week and try to get some pictures of them with their little eyes open!

Soo cute! Kudos to you and aunt for saving these little cuties! :gj:

I Luv the Calico...

It's a sad thing when you are allergic to something that seems so awesome :(

here is a pic of the new kitten we picked up this weekend

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2...22f8fd3kf4.jpg



http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5...5e6f3dabl9.jpg

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

I Luv the Calico...

It's a sad thing when you are allergic to something that seems so awesome :(

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I don't know what I would do if I was allergic to cats!

My ENG102 teacher really likes cats a lot, but hes allergic too. He was telling me that it was the hardest thing he had to do when he had to find a new home for his cat because his allergies were so bad :(

Theres always Sphynx cats! Some people don't like the idea of a hairless cat though.. Siberians are long haired cats and they are hypoallergenic, so there are a couple options out there, they're just more expensive and harder to come by.

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

here is a pic of the new kitten we picked up this weekend

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2...22f8fd3kf4.jpg



http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5...5e6f3dabl9.jpg

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What a cute little thing, whats its name?

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Originally Posted by edie

What a cute little thing, whats its name?

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Angelica aka gelly bean

This is exactly how I came to be the owner of my 8 year old cat, Leo. My friend found kittens almost exactly like that in that scenario; in the middle of no where, in a paper bag, half starved and just babies. The mother was with them so they were probably abondoned. That is so great of your aunt to take them into custody. I have such a passion for animals and helping to prevent abuse and seriously it's people like them who make it possible! Honestly, all you can do is your best to keep them safe and get them to be sold ASAP. You will probably not be able to sell them (hand them over to the buyers) until they are atleast a couple months old and have their eyes open (I remember I wasn't able to pick up my kitten until he was about that age). But I would definitely start advertising it. Since the mother is not there that could be hard on them and like I said the best you can do has already been done. If you keep them nourished and warm they could be ok. However, I know it may be hard to survive without their mother and since they are so young. I believe it would not be hard AT ALL to get these kittens sold, it's the older cats that are always so hard to be adopted. Get ahold of adoption centers for these types of animals to see if they can help. Your best bet would be to try and sell them yourselves if you have the patience and time.
Good luck to you and your aunt!
P.S they are adorable

Thanks kojack8389, I think the worst part is over and since they are all eating and growing I'm not too concerned about losing them like I was when we first got them. They have a vet appointment on Friday, so if anything is wrong I should know by then. We will not be advertising them on any sites, just because I do not trust any body that I do not personally know. My aunt is only going to be giving them to people she knows, she is very attached to these kittens so she wants them to go to a home that she absolutely knows will be good for them. I believe she is going to try and keep one herself, she knows of 2 people she works with who might each want one, and I'm taking the tuxedo cat when I move out of my parents house around October.

I know how hard it is for older cats to get adopted, its really a shame. My newest cat, Dennis, who I got a couple months back is about 9 years old.. At the humane society everyone was all huddled around the 2 sets of kittens and no one would pay attention to him, I believe he was the oldest cat they had there that day. Hes a great cat though, I actually prefer to get an older cat.

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Originally Posted by edie

We will not be advertising them on any sites, just because I do not trust any body that I do not personally know. My aunt is only going to be giving them to people she knows,.

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very good idea. Good luck! very cute pictures, too!

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Originally Posted by kojack8389

very good idea. Good luck! very cute pictures, too!

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I think it should work out well! If not, I know of a couple people who would do well with them.. my main concern is finding someone who will spend time with the cat and keep it indoors.
I'm going to try to get some pictures of the cats with their eyes open this weekend when I'm watching them.. They look adorable! They just opened so their eyes are still blue and they look so big on their face after seeing them with their eyes closed for so long.

haha! I would much much rather have an adult cat to adopt. In fact, my kitty I just adopted a month ago is 8 months old, and still in the insane lobster freak out spazz stage. Although he is calming down, I choose older cats because they like to just be petted and sleep.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

haha! I would much much rather have an adult cat to adopt. In fact, my kitty I just adopted a month ago is 8 months old, and still in the insane lobster freak out spazz stage. Although he is calming down, I choose older cats because they like to just be petted and sleep.

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Thats the way I feel too, I'm very happy with the cats I adopted/rescued at an older age, and it is harder for them to find homes since they are so old so its a good feeling knowing you're giving them a place to live!

P.S. Heres my Dennis post
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ghlight=Dennis