I have no issue caring for the kittens, I love love love taking care of animals that's why I'm taking 9 years of college specifically for that. I just need help because I dont know what to do right NOW (oh I also forgot to mention before I was the one with the dogs that badly needed training but stuck with a family who doesn't care to bother, I jsut changed my URL sorry!). (cont.)
We have one kitten right now and it's very clearly malnourished, skinny, and taken from his mom way to early. The only thing I was able to do this late at night was go to the dollar store and pick up some soft food, I know that's terrible but he needed to eat something. I picked up the best I could find, after meticulously checking ingredients. Meow Mix Tender Favorites. It's not the best, but surprisingly it's not the worst for a wet cat food either, from what the ingredients say. No by product meals, meats that are actually named are the first 4 ingredients, minus the broth. But this is just to get him SOMETHING until tomorrow because I know that's way from proper for kittens under 6 weeks. This is where my actual questions start, sorry for the long monologue. Tomorrow I'm going to get him, and the other kittens we'll be getting, properly set up. My plan was milk replacement, which means I'll be bottle feeding 5 kittens, but I'm fine with that. Basically my question is what's the best course of action? What do you suggest I do? Is milk replacement the way to go? Is there a certain brand I should pick up? How do I supplement malnourished kittens? How do I know when to stop? I don't know how old they are exactly, but I assume by the way he keeps crying and biting at my fingers he's missing something vital from his mother, meaning the others will be, too, and I know that kind of thing is really bad for stomach development. But I'm the only one around this house that seems to care or wants to bother with it, so if I'm completely on my own, I'd at least like to know exactly where to start, and where to end. I just hate thinking that these kittens are going to end up with the same kind of people they started with because where they go in the end is something I have no control over, but at the very least I hope I can start them out. Oh, and do I actually need a bottle? I mentioned bottle feeding because I can't get him to drink water, which is also scaring me. My friend was telling me about getting him to suck on a wet towel and slowly churn him over to the bowl is that right? Sorry for so much! This is my first time with all of this, my experience is all in hedgehogs, not cats
Ok, so I pieced this together in the order I think it was meant to be in! Unless tumblr ate a message or two.
First, you need to find out how old the kitten is exactly. Ask the previous owner but also compare them to these kittens.
That will determine if you need to bottle feed! If the kitten is 4 weeks old or younger it will need at least some milk. 4 weeks and under kittens need milk quite a bit, but the actual amount of feeding daily depends on their exact age. Kittens reach big milestones each week, so their care changes frequently if not with mom. Little baby 1-2 week old kittens need their bowels stimulated to go potty. You take a wet warm washcloth and gently wipe their bum until they go pee and poo. To answer your other questions:
I would determine the exact age of the kitten so you know if bottle feeding is necessary, if they are ready for all canned food, or somewhere in between.
Milk replacement is probably necessary. KMR is the only brand I know of and have used in the past.
KMR also sells something called "bene-bac" which is a small tube of probiotics to help the kittens digestive system, and if I'm not mistaken also has calories. That will assist any malnourished kitty. At our store it only comes in the emergency kitten feeding kit which has 1 bottle, 1 small pack of dry KMR, and 1 tube of bene-bac.
Kittens begin weaning at 4 weeks of age. That is when you start introducing canned food. What my mom had us do was put a paper plate on the ground (so the kittens can easily access the food) and put some canned food on it. Gather the kittens around, though most will ignore it. Dab a little bit on their nose, this causes them to lick it, thus getting them interested. They should inspect the food further and eat at least some. As they age, they will eat the food more regularly. Weaning is complete at 8-10 weeks of age.
I would absolutely take the kitty in for a vet trip, if it's dehydrated it should get fluids and a vet can also test it for feline lukeimia virus (FeLV) which can be transmitted from mother to kitten either while in the womb or through her milk.
Also give the kitten a good once over to check for fleas, ticks, or ear mites. Check the gums, they should be nice and pink, not pale or white. (warning for slightly disturbing images in that link)
That's all I can think of for now, I hope the little kitty does well for you!
