Last night I got a call about a mom and kittens in a yard. When I called back this morning, I expected the conversation to be about how, as long as they are in a safe location, newborn kittens with feral moms are best left alone until they are 5-6 weeks old and weaned. Instead I learned that the kittens had been brought inside, one didn’t survive the night, and mom is now nowhere to be seen. So they brought me kittens and I sent them home with a humane trap…fingers crossed mom comes back looking for her kittens.
Meet Stella, Static, and Spike. These babies are two days old and still have their umbilical cords attached. The level of care they received is unknown (bottle feeding was attempted by the finders) but based on their dark yellow urine, my guess is that they haven’t had a whole lot to eat. So, we are getting them back on track today with:
• Diluted formula to get their brand new digestive systems accustomed to a changing diet
• Probiotics to give their digestive system the tools it needs to work properly
• A colostrum supplement as an immune support.
Lesson of the day? If kittens are safe, clean, and quiet…don’t touch ‘em! Mom is nearby and they are better off staying with her. If kittens are in a dangerous location, appear dirty or sick, or mom hasn’t been back for 12+ hours give the nearest shelter or rescue a call. #dontkittennap @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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Stella’s lunchtime feeding🍼♥️
These babies haven’t been the best at latching on and eating. All day yesterday they alternated each feeding on who had a good appetite. Thankfully all three still ate enough for a weight gain. Today, we are doing a lot better—especially Stella! She has downed her entire syringe the last few feedings.
Unfortunately there has been no word on mom. She has disappeared. 🙁 @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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The S babies are approaching one week old! You know what that means…eyeballs await! @themarigoldkittencrew said.
Volume up for tiny purrs! An update on the S babies. Yesterday we started tackling two issues:
Spike developed an umbilical abscess. This can happen when the umbilical cord falls off and bacteria grows on/under the stump. Thankfully after some chlorhexidine flushes and Clavamox he is looking a lot better!
Static started battling some green poop. Normal neonate poop is going to be yellow/orange. This can happen due to bacterial imbalance in the gut. He’s been separated from his littermates in case suckling has been the cause of this. We are talking to the vet today about a treatment plan to get this guy back on track!
And Stella is my perfect angel. She chugs her bottle with her normal looking poops while I’m busing cleaning abscesses and giving meds to her brothers. @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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Tell me how I went one week without realizing that Stella is actually a boy! Well, Stella is now Stellar. Stellar, Static, and Spike.
Also, these babies are 11 days old now and really have me asking…where are the eyeballs?? @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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I was just complaining about the lack of eyeballs over here and the next day we had peepers! Spike here was the first to see the world and his brother have since also opened their eyes. He can’t see much other than blurry figures right now, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re learning to hunt toys and scale cat trees! @themarigoldkittencrew said.
Static wins the award for squishiest, chonkiest, most adorable kitten of the day. It’s an honorable title. This morning he finished his bottle and fell asleep purring in my hands and I just about melted. It never gets old.💕 @themarigoldkittencrew said.
These three are literally the cutest. The cutest what? I don’t know, you decide. Kittens? Bear cubs? Sentient puff balls? @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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As if being illegally smol and a criminal butt sucker wasn’t bad enough, Static and his brother tested positive for coccidia today! I brought a sample to vet after noticing a strong and very distinct foul smell from their stool. 😱
Coccidia can be devastating when it goes untreated, but thankfully we caught it fast in this crew. A few days of ponazuril and they’ll be good to go! @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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Let’s appreciate Spike’s bat-like ears and polite little paws before I have to tell you that the S kittens have to visit the vet tomorrow for suspected calicivirus.
Calicivirus is a particularly awful URI virus that causes two very telling symptoms: limping and mouth sores. This virus only incubates for up to 14 days, but since I have not been (knowingly) exposed to it for over a year I have no idea where it originated from. Only that Spike has a sore on his tongue and Stellar has a limp.
Thankfully (!!) they are still eating and active. Spike chugged his bottle like he does every feeding and they all climbed into my lap for a food-coma nap. We are going to get some medications on board tomorrow and hopefully help them kick this virus quickly! @themarigoldkittencrew said.
It’s 3:00pm in the afternoon on a Thursday and Stellar going into “instant nap mode” is already how I’m feelin’.
Calicivirus update? Most mild case I’ve ever seen. The S boys are just as rambunctious and ravenous as always. Until it’s nap-time, that is. ♥️ @themarigoldkittencrew said.
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