Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
Well it's kitten central here now. Patty and her litter are almost all adopted except for Patty. The last kitten will be picked up by his new family on Saturday. Meanwhile since Patty is still producing milk I offered to take in two orphaned newborns. The only trouble is that Patty has no interest in nursing them! Argh.
I also have another litter about a week or so older than the newborns and they came with their mom. I would put the little ones in with them except that the little ones are sneezing and don't want to get the mom and her kittens sick. Although I have noticed some congestion in the other kittens.

So in total I have two mother cats, 4 two week old kittens, 1 eight week old kitten, and 2 five day old kittens. Aaaaaagh. It's great though, I love doing it.

Any suggestions on getting the newborns in with Patty or the other mom kitty? (I've named her Lily, she is all white)
I'll post pics soon!

I don't know what to tell you. But congratulations on all those foster babies hehe. I wonder how many will leave.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

I have emailed a member who does a lot of fostering to pop over and give you some advice. I have never had orphaned newborns, myself. Does Patti show any concern when the kittens cry? Maybe if she hears them mew, her maternal instincts will kick in.
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PHWildCat/Tessa and 18 cats, 1 dog and even a hamster
Cat Board Monitor and Chat Host
Pet Hobbyist
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

>>Hi all,
>> Well it's kitten central here now. Patty and her litter are almost all adopted except for Patty. The last kitten will be picked up by his new family on Saturday. Meanwhile since Patty is still producing milk I offered to take in two orphaned newborns. The only trouble is that Patty has no interest in nursing them! Argh.
>> I also have another litter about a week or so older than the newborns and they came with their mom. I would put the little ones in with them except that the little ones are sneezing and don't want to get the mom and her kittens sick. Although I have noticed some congestion in the other kittens.
>>
>>So in total I have two mother cats, 4 two week old kittens, 1 eight week old kitten, and 2 five day old kittens. Aaaaaagh. It's great though, I love doing it.
>>
>>Any suggestions on getting the newborns in with Patty or the other mom kitty? (I've named her Lily, she is all white)
>>I'll post pics soon!

Try rubbing the new kittens on the mother cat's other kittens so they have the right smell. They would be better in with the younger kittens because the mother cat's milk is at a better stage for them. Sneak them in the middle of the other nursing babies and get them on a nipple. Hopfully they will suckle. Once the mother cat has nursed them, they should be okay with her because they will also have her smell plus she should clean them which will show real acceptance. Be sure they are sucking, however, because if they can't suck you'll have to feed them KMR with a syringe (Kitten Milk Replacer).
Sometimes it just won't work fur a mom cat to take other kittens on, but usually it does. If either of them simply won't nurse the tiny babies, you'll have to do it. Be sure to watch them carefully when you put them in with the mom to make sure everything is all right.
Good luck!
Norma
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The Wiscats: Every life should have (at least) 9 cats!
Monsieur Gervais le Blanc
Beau
Simba
Minette
Henri le Chanceux
Andre-Guillaume
Annie-Claire
The Excellent Lady Sophie-Marie
Poucette-Noelle
Sylvie-Chantal la Joie
~~and varying numbers of foster kitties coming and going, including right now: Stevie, Flame, Cocoa~~

Well I did put the newborns in with the younger litter and they are doing great! The only problem is the mom (Lily) is kind of slacking on cleaning them and I found some discharge from one of the little one's urethra today. Soo...she is now on amoxicillin. And Lily is on Terramyacin for her eye. Oh well!
Marco went off to his new home today- the new owners drove 8 hours to get him so I'm sure he will be treated well.
I might also be getting a pregnant kitty to house in the other room. Crazy crazy! It's for a good cause though.

Glad the mom cat is feeding the babies. That stinks they are not feeling well.
Congratulations on another mommy. I'm jealous.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Glad the little ones have a Mommy and a family now. I am sure they are happier. Tell Lily to clean her babies please. Hope they feel better soon
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PHWildCat/Tessa and 18 cats, 1 dog and even a hamster
Cat Board Monitor and Chat Host
Pet Hobbyist
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers