NBR- Kitten help anyone?

MaineMama · September 2014

Backstory- The house we are buying has been empty for the past month. The owner has been feeding a mamma cat that had gotten into her trash before she moved. Mamma cat had kittens about 2-3 weeks ago. Mamma cat got into the house through an open window with said kittens. Today we caught the mamma and the two living babies.

I have never EVER had a kitten, or a nursing cat. WTF do I do? We have them in a extra large dog crate (plastic kind, not wire) with a blanket, food, water, and small litter pan inside. The outside is covered in a blanket to protect them from the kids and our pets. All my pet are regularly treated for fleas/parasites/worms. I know I need to worm the kittens and mamma, and treat them for fleas, but what can I use?

The mamma and babies are actually really friendly, babies have eyes open but are still doing the low to the ground squatty walking. I have let the kids pet them (with lots of supervision) but how much petting is too much? Lol, with chicks they will die and that's all I have to go on....

And food: babies are nursing still, and mamma doesn't seem much older than a kitten herself. We are feeding mamma a can of cat food mixed with milk replacer once a day, and having a bowl of dry kitten chow available to her all the time. Obviously they always have water available.

Our vet is OOT till Wed, and the local shelter is closed until Tuesday, ACO is useless. Is there anything else I should be doing? Anything I should STOP doing?

TL;DR- spay and neuter your fucking pets.

perfectlove09 · September 2014

Awe!!!!!! I have no advice. I love kitty's and haven't had one in so long. I want one lol.
You should post a pic!

ColeyCannoli · September 2014

That's a tough situation but it's wonderful that you are taking care of them. You should definitely use something like Advantage or other flea treatment on mama cat but not on the babies. It's actually great that the babies get a lot of attention from your kids b/c it'll help socialize them early and make them easier to place into homes. Just be careful because there's no telling what mama cat might be carrying if she hasn't seen a vet yet so if you have to touch her or babies make sure you wash your hands really well. All you can really do is keep the little family comfortable, clean and fed until the shelter/vet opens. Is there an emergency animal hospital near you? Maybe there's a cat specific shelter that can take them? Good luck!

Jessie333 · September 2014

Ok. Dewormer is based really on weight. The kittens are still too young to deworm. That is something you should talk to the vet about.

Maybe hold off on the kids petting the mom and babies until they are dewormed. There are some parasites that can be passed onto them.

As for the food. It sounds good. Mom needs a high calorie and fat diet, so kitten food is the way to go. Always have it available for the mom.

Eora3 · September 2014

I would sit tight until your local shelter is open. They will deworm and bath them when you surrender them. I wouldn't try to do any of that yourself.

I would also stop touching them until they have been seen by a vet. Outdoor cats can carry diseases and parasites of all sorts. Fleas and ticks carry all sorts of nastiness (bubonic plague and lime disease to say the least!). Wear gloves when you are cleaning up it's litter pan too.

Eliz77 · September 2014

It's very good you are keeping mama and babies separate-is there any contact between them and your animals? I would treat them almost like a quarantine and anything that comes in contact should be washed immediately-dishes, laundry, your hands, etc, just in case. I know front line is safe for nursing cats (and kittens over the age 2 months). Frontline spray can be used on kittens.

Since you are pregnant, take extra precautions when handling-gloves, maybe even a mask, and thoroughly wash with soap and warm water after handling both cats and liter boxes.

Other than that, if kittens are thriving, I'd leave them be until you can get them in to your vet. If you don't plan to keep them, I would ask the vet about putting you in contact with a cat rescue if your local shelter can't take them in.

I think it is great you are trying to help them! Good luck!!!

ebilbao · September 2014

If you don't plan to keep them, call your local no-kill shelter and arrange for them to be picked up. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching them, and avoid it if you can.

hollieandaaron2012 · September 2014

I am going to be the odd ball one on this. I grew up playing with stray cats and kittens living in a rural area. I would let your kids pet them but wash their hands. You can check mama for fleas and see if she needs the frontline. If she does I would treat that right away.If she has ringworm then she would have patches of bald spots.

In my experience the mom will be fine with you handling the kittens and you are feeding her well. Of course like mentioned above have your husband clean the litter box.

MaineMama · September 2014

Thanks to everyone for all the help!

We are definitely keeping them away from our other animals, just in case. And I had completely forgotten about ringworm (ick!) I got that as a kid from a friends kitten... Thankfully these kittens are symptom free of ringworm, but we still will be putting the kibosh on handling them until they see the vet.

[Deleted User] · September 2014

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JRod13 · September 2014

I didn't read all the replies, so this may have been said already, but if the babies have fleas, you can wash them in Dawn dish soap. Good luck!

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