Kittens 10 days old

[MommaLee]

The kittens I've been raising since birth are 10 days old today. They have just opened their eyes. They seem to be doing well, I hope. I still have a few questions about their care.
How long do I need to keep them on the heating pad?
When will they be able to go potty be themselves?
Should they be pooping after every feeding? Mine don't and sometimes I worry.
Should their tummies feel like a day old balloon (like squirrels) after they eat? If so then I may be over feeding them.
They don't eat as often as all the websites say they should, but when they eat they eat a lot. Maybe that's wrong if so tell me so I can change it. I think they've survived by hope and a prayer and I guess alot of hard work. I have raised and released a squirrel and these kittens are way harder. Well thanks for any info you can give me.

[MissDolittle]

The kittens I've been raising since birth are 10 days old today. They have just opened their eyes. They seem to be doing well, I hope. I still have a few questions about their care.
How long do I need to keep them on the heating pad?
When will they be able to go potty be themselves?
Should they be pooping after every feeding? Mine don't and sometimes I worry.
Should their tummies feel like a day old balloon (like squirrels) after they eat? If so then I may be over feeding them.
They don't eat as often as all the websites say they should, but when they eat they eat a lot. Maybe that's wrong if so tell me so I can change it. I think they've survived by hope and a prayer and I guess alot of hard work. I have raised and released a squirrel and these kittens are way harder. Well thanks for any info you can give me.

Hi MommaLee,

for some reason I moved the thread from the Dogs and Puppy Forum to this one and I replied and it's all gone :eek: . LOL

Ok, let me do this again:

How long do I need to keep them on the heating pad?
I usually take them off the heating pad when they start going to the litter box on their own. However, I offer them a rice buddy or the Snugglesafe Disc to cuddle up against..kittens love heat no matter how old they are!

When will they be able to go potty be themselves?
At about 3 weeks old.

Should they be pooping after every feeding? Mine don't and sometimes I worry.
They poop between 2-4 times a day. If the poop is firm and not runny or too hard, everything should be ok.

Should their tummies feel like a day old balloon (like squirrels) after they eat? If so then I may be over feeding them.
Yes, their tummies should be visbily larger and roundish after feeding. Overfeeding is nothing to worry about really..if they drink too much, they'll throw it back up..however, you can overfeed by making the formula too strong..which usually results in diarrhea or constipation.

They don't eat as often as all the websites say they should, but when they eat they eat a lot. Maybe that's wrong if so tell me so I can change it.
I have kittens that want to be fed every 2 hours and just drink a little each time and some that want to be fed every 6 hours and drink a lot each time.

Sounds like you are doing a great job!! Any pictures? :)

[MommaLee]

My kittens will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. I still can't keep them together, because the little boy is huge compared to my little girl, and as soon as he's in the same box he attacks her and procedes to nurse on her anywhere he can. She will fight and scream but it does no good, he's just bigger and stronger. Well they were doing just fine eating well, pee and poop:smt023, gaining weight, and then yesterday my big boy has diarhea. Yuck! I have cut the strength of his formula in half and have added yogurt. Is there anything else I should do? And how long before I see results? How long should I wait before taking him to the vet? Thanks for the help, Pamela

[MissDolittle]

Man, they are STILL doing that? Sometimes they will carry that on way after they are weaned even! I really wish I knew a way of stopping that.

I would start worrying about diarrhea on the third day or if he refuses 2 meals in a row and starts to get dehydrated, whatever comes first.

Is there mucus in the stool?

[MommaLee]

Man he would never miss a meal, in fact he wants to eat all the time. Yes there is mucus. It's yellow and slimy. I hope he's alright. We have 2 vets here in my town. The first day I had them I took them to the one close to us and they told me to feed them asbilic puppy milk, I told them no I'd go to the other vet who I knew had kitten milk. When I got to the other vet (my usual vet) I told them I had trouble getting them to nurse from the bottle. They took them to the back and feed them. When they handed me the bottle it was very cold (not even room temperature). So I'm not sure how great either one of them are. But if it doesn't clear-up I'll take him back tomorrow. Is there something else I should be doing?

[MissDolittle]

I actually do give all the kittens here Esbilac puppy formula, because it's so easy on the stomach. I give it to all mammals as a matter of fact.

Keep doing what you are doing..but mucus in the stool is not good news. Lets hope it was just something minor and temporary. Keep an eye on the other one for the same symptoms.

[MommaLee]

Hi there me again. On Saturday my kittens will be 5 weeks old :dances:. They are using their litter box, not much poopies yet:smt102. Hope that starts happening more often. I took them to the vet 10 days ago(couldn't get the diarhea to stop:eek:) . He wormed them and then put them on a 10 day wormer(I can't remember what he said it was for), but it seemed to help. I keep dry kitten food in their cage. I don't think they eat it yet:smt009 .I'm not even sure if I should expect them to:confused: . I still give them their bottle 3 times a day. Yesterday I bought something called KMR stage 2, it says to start this at 4 weeks. I mixed it like it said to and then tried to get them to lap it up. No go:smt017 ! They wouldn't even try, they don't touch the water I keep in their cage neither. So I gave in and put it in their bottles. It smells a little different so I guess it tastes a little different. It took some coaxing but they finally gave in and took it. Should I even be trying to wean them? Just need to make sure I'm on the right track. Thanks
Pamela

[MissDolittle]

He put them on a wormer this young?? What kind of wormer was it? I've been looking for ages to something I can give them at this early age, but no go. That would be really helpful to know.

You know what? I gave up on the weaning thing. I simply feed them their bottle for as long as they want. The only thing I do differently is that I add more water to the formula as soon as they start eating dry food.

I have the dry food in the cage with them and the water from the day I feel teeth. Some eat dry food with 4 weeks already, some won't be interested until 7 weeks. I let them do it on their own terms. As long as they want the bottle, they'll get it.

I do not make the mess anymore and soak dry food and grind it up and add it to the bottle..heck, they'll eat dry food soon enough, no need to rush it.

[MommaLee]

On my receipt it says Albon suspension, each kitten got .5 cc everyday for 10 days. I have taken the little boogers to the vet once a week since I've had them. I guess I'll just keep giving them their bottles and they'll do the rest. Should I go back to the regular KMR or keep giving them the 2nd step KMR? The 2nd step is a little thicker (like when you add rice cereal to baby formula) and has a little less protein and fat.
KMR:40% protein,27% fat
KMR 2nd step:34% protein, 11% fat

[MommaLee]

Oh yeah, before I bought the 2nd step KMR I tried grinding up the kitten chow and mixing it with their formula. They hated it!! And everytime I tried it I had to clean them and their cage. Way to much work.

[MissDolittle]

I think it's alright to stay on the weaning formula. But keep an eye on it, see how they handle it. If they digest it well, stay on it. I use Esbilac Puppy Formula for all mammals, so I can't really talk from experience.

The dry food I give them, the Purina Kitten Chow has 40% Protein as well..highest protein count I could find on the market.

[MissDolittle]

Oh Albon, yes, heard of it, didn't pay much attention, doh! Thanks!!!

[MommaLee]

I'm sorry but I should have got my facts straight. Turns out Albon is an antibiotic, he gave them just in case the diarhea was caused by Coccidia. He wormed them with the same general wormer he worms all the cats with( i think he said Strongid,see i should have wrote it down). He said he generally does feral kittens around 3 weeks since the moms have probably never been wormed. I hope this helps. He gave me something called Bene-bac, said for me to call him if I think I'll need to use it. How will I know if I need to use it?