stray kittens a few days old advice please x

Amber_Sunshine

The black & white one looks a lot smaller than the others, do watch him/her closely.

kellyt86

Well done you for taking them in! :T

If you are able to hold onto them for a while I'm sure you could rehome them privately if necessary.

ktflosspot

Mighty mouse ( black n white one ) didn't make it :-( put babies in the box and put box where babies were but mama has taken 2 and left the 3rd one alone now :-( still in garage so can keep an eye but wee Magic ( the black one ) all alone so may need to bring in sooner x

zaksmum

Aw poor little scrap.

it's good the mum cat is looking after them though.

Well done for helping them.

secondhandsusie6cats

I am sorry one of the little ones has crossed the bridge if you are still up please take the kitten that is on their own and place them with mom cat as they can't regulate body temperature at this age and could die if hypothermia it could be that mom knows there is something wrong with some of the kittens or she could be inexperienced and not fully aware of how to look after them. Contact a local vet in the morning and explain these are strays to see if they are prepared to give them a quick check over for free. I feel really bad now for suggesting moving them but given how quickly that kitten passed,it sounds like they had something wrong with them . Fingers and paws crossed for better luck with the others.xxx

southcoastrgi

there you go, so cute, sorry to hear one has gone

the_pink_panther_2

I haven't read all previous posts but scanning through it's possible they'll have covered anything useful I can say, so apologise for repetitions.

In the shortest term, I think best you can do is provide mother with easy access to fresh water and food as she'll need it (and be starving as she's feeding young) so that she is well enough to feed the kittens and also so that she doesn't need to spend too long away from them whilst searching for food, as someone else has said, kittens so young cannot generate their own body heat so depend on their mother for this- perhaps proved old material to help mother with a bed for them to keep in the heat? What I have experience of is with feral cats more specifically than strays but to some extent there's likely to be similar issues. I have taken in feral kittens (not UK) who were 4 weeks old and very sick (cat flu, bronchitis etc so only chance of their survival was to separate from mother). They all survived and although they initially hissed and growled and bore their teeth like wild dogs when I approached them, within a week of living indoors they were the most tame, loving, affectionate kittens you could come across. What I'm building up to is that I knew someone else who found a feral kitten in a dustbin at 6 weeks old (also not UK), took it in and that one never really tamed, so I think there is a window of opportunity age-wise for the cats to become better domesticated, so I'd factor that into the equation too and ideally they'd get used to mother being comfortable with you and hopefully she'd become more comfortable with you being around the kits and maybe interacting a little, (although not when they're quite so young as they are now)?

I understand that some animal shelters put down cats/kittens they are unable to re-home within a set period, others don't. I'd find out which category your local shelters fit into and if it's ok then if they have space. Failing a positive outcome, or if it's a destroy arrangement, then I'd suggest trying websites like 'preloved', I'm sure there are others but this is one I know of, where you could advertise the kittens+mother (though when kittens are old enough to rehome). The kittens will be easy to re-home especially if you give their back-story, the mother perhaps not so easy. You are likely to have to filter through a lot of unsuitable homes - I re-homed a cat this way and waited about a month to find a home I was happy with after rejecting 90+% of people interested who I considered unsuitable. If you'd like more help advertising them on this site then PM me, I'm happy to help, could even do it on my account.

ktflosspot

Thanks so much for all the advice every one . Mama cat is a lovely wee thing and is taking good care of 2 of the babies. We got cat milk and food for her and she seems happy to have that although shes a fussy wee madam and turned her nose up at one of the flavours ! Been up all night to see if she would go back for Magic but she hasn't , shes only young herself I think and maybe can't cope with all 3 . Have spoken to the vet at end of road who very very kindly has said she will pop up and have a wee check over of them. Neighbours with cats have brought food and blankets too, honestly , peoples kindness never ceases to amaze me :-)

the_pink_panther_2

There is special formula you can feed the kitten mum's not feeding. Vet can supply. Kitten can't go long without it. My cat rejected her only kitten (she tried to eat it for the first day). I bottle fed it the formula and had to help it poo (vet can show you how) and kept in on a wrapped up hot water bottle kept at body temp. Was very tiring but after few days mum was ok with her and accepted her again. She now 2 years old, fit as a fiddle and healthy.

paddypaws101

Please don't give up on the black one! When my cat had kittens years ago she kept trying to dump the smaller of the three ....I kept seeking him out and popping him back in the nest. I think she instinctively knew that the 2 much bigger siblings had a better chance at survival and so was hedging her bets.
Murphy survived just fine and is presently snoring beside me on the sofa at age 18.5! At the time I had no idea about top up feeding etc but do think that is good advice if it seems she is not feeding the balck one preoperly.