Expert: Karen Craft - 8/27/2007

Question
Hello,

I have a few questions about how to properly care for a stray cat and her litter of 6 kittens that my partner and I took in about a week ago.

Background (kind of long, sorry):

The mother is a very small, skinny, undoubtedly young stray cat that was hanging around our backyard. Our neighbors were feeding her before we moved here, and she had a litter of 3 kittens this spring which she successfully mothered until they adopted them out (much too early -- 4-5 weeks old). This summer, we saw that the little cat was pregnant again. Our neighbors said they were going to catch and spay her, but never got around to it. Grrr.

I couldn't help myself, and started leaving out a bowl of IAMS dry food for her every morning and evening, along with fresh water. Up until then, I hadn't considered her my problem, but I felt sorry for her. Twenty-two days ago, she had her litter in a hollowed out nest of grass under a utility trailer in the yard. Six kittens! All black, like her. I realized she must need extra nutrition, so I started leaving out wet food along with the IAMS. My partner and I tried to relocate the kittens to a cardboard box on the porch, but the mother would have none of it and carried her kittens back.

I hadn't intended to do any more than that, but about a week and a half after the kittens were born, a big tomcat came around (probably the father, also all black), and tried to approach the kittens. The mother obviously felt threatened, because she didn't leave her kittens all day, not even to get food. Eventually, she moved them to a terrible location: the bed of an old pickup truck, underneath some scrap metal and wood. It seemed like not only would the male be able to get to them for sure the minute mom left them alone, but they were also bound to dehydrate and die in a hot truck bed under the sweltering summer sun.

So, we bit the bullet and brought the kittens inside. The mom willingly followed us in. We put the kittens in a cardboard box, but the mom moved them to a dark sort of cubby space along the side of our bed. So, we let them be there, even though the cubby space was deep enough that we couldn't reach the kittens, or even see them without a flashlight. We figured it beat the heck out of the truck bed!

The mom has adjusted well to this situation. She has grown more and more at ease in our company, lets us pet her, and doesn't seem to mind our presence. The routine for the past week or so has been for her to come and go, nursing the kittens every 3-4 hours or so, and sleeping with them on and off.

I know it would be better to keep her inside, but we live in a travel trailer, so space is very tight, and we don't have much way to cope with that (no good place for a grownup-size litter box, for one thing). She never goes much past our and the neighbor's yard anyway, so we decided it was a reasonable risk. She has learned to meow to be let in and out.

Since we brought her kittens inside, I've been feeding the mother a combo of IAMS dry kitten food and a high-quality canned food (Avoderm and Trader Joe's, mostly). Her coat has gotten much shinier, and although she is still very small and skinny, her condition seems to actually have improved some despite the demands of lactation -- her bones don't poke out as sharply!

So the kittens are now 22 days old. They have started to poke their heads out of their cubby some, and mom has started to nurse them right outside the cubby entrance. They are standing and walking a bit (very wobbily). However, they are still not terribly active, spending most of their time sleeping quietly in a heap.

For the past 5 days, I have been weighing the kittens on a postal scale. They have gained weight every day, usually on the order of 10-15 grams. The smallest is now 362 grams, and the largest is 409 grams.

Okay, after that lengthy preamble, here are my problems/questions:

Since the mom has started bringing the babies out to nurse, I have had a chance to observe the process for the first time. It seems as though the smallest two kittens have a very hard time getting enough milk. They cry some during and after feeding (though they pretty quickly go back to sleep). They also tend to stay apart from the other 4 bigger kittens pretty often, and hang back while the nursing frenzy is going on. This past 24 hours, they both gained some weight -- 7 and 9 grams -- but less than they have the previous 4 days. The mom doesn't seem to have rejected them, because she continues to groom them and let them attempt to nurse, so I guess it's a classic "runt" situation.

At what point should I consider trying to give them some supplemental bottle feeding?

Should I be doing supplemental feeding anyway, since the mom is small and has 6 kittens?

If I do supplemental bottle feeding, when is the best time to do it? While the other kittens are nursing on mom? A couple hours after mom has stopped nursing and gone out for a break? Or something else?

If I can't get them to suck from a bottle, what are my other options for getting some formula into them? Are they old enough to try lapping it? Or would I need to try a syringe or medicine dropper?

Finally, is it normal for the kittens to still be mostly sleeping and not terribly interested in exploring the world outside their nest at 22 days old? Should I take them out to play with them, or hold off until they start going out more on the own? They have come out a few times when mom encouraged them, but they all retreated back into the cubby fairly soon after nursing. Their space is very dark and quiet -- could this unstimulating environment be delaying their behavioral development?

Sorry for the super long post and many, many questions. I have never dealt with kittens before, and would appreciate any advice you can offer me.

Oh, by the way -- we will be spaying the mama after she weans these kittens (provided the vet gives her a clean bill of health). We have found good homes for 3 of the kittens (people we know and trust), and are working on placing the other 3.

So okay, my problems/qu

Answer
Hi Nina,

Welcome to the world of being a chosen one. I smiled as I read your letter. Cats have a real sneaky way of getting into our hearts. :)

Okay, so far you have done great. I am attaching a recipe for something called kitty glop. Use this stuff to help feed the runts. Get a kitten nursing bottle and use that to feed them. You can feed the little ones when they come out to feed off of mom. They will be hungry and very receptive to sucking on a bottle. Make sure they aren't held on their backs as you feed them. You don't want them to get any of the glop in their lungs. Try to hold them the same way they nurse off of mom.

Here's a good article about development of kittens. This should answer a lot of your kitten questions.

When kittens are born they rely completely on their mother. As a necessary first function, the mother cat will lick her kittens right after birth to help start their breathing. She also does this after they eat to help stimulate digestion. Kittens are born with their eyes and ears closed. For the first three weeks a kitten's life entails eating and sleeping. During this time they huddle with their mother and littermates to keep warm. Kittens begin to open their eyes when they are around 8 days old and generally they are fully open by the 14th day. An intriguing fact is that all cats are born with blue eyes. The 'adult' eye color begins to appear after 3 to 12 weeks. Kitten's ears open between the 5th and 8th day, and are generally up straight by three weeks. Crawling starts at 18 days and standing at 21 days. The kitten will start to orient itself by sight and sound around the 25th day.

One sign of a healthy kitten is that it is firmly packed and nurses vigorously. A kitten should double its weight in the first week. Being close to its mother and littermates is very important for the proper development of a kitten. Two of the most important health factors for a kitten are that it eats well and stays warm. Kittens can lose body heat rapidly if not kept warm. This can be life threatening. When kittens sleep they will often move and twitch. This is called activated sleep it helps the kitten develop muscle tone.

By the fourth week, most of the kitten's senses are well developed. At this stage the kitten interacts with its littermates, it's teeth will begin to come in, and it will begin walking. By the fifth week, the kitten's sight is developed. Its motor skills and social interactions will be well developed and the kitten will be able to groom itself. At this time, there will be a change towards an adult sleep pattern.

Between 7 and 14 weeks a kitten learns mainly by playing. For this and other reasons, it is recommended that a kitten be at least 10 to 12 weeks old before adoption. At 3 to 6 months the kitten will start to develop and understand social structures and territory. From 6 to 18 months a kitten learns by exploring and challenging boundaries. A kitten will physically mature to an adult cat at this point.

One reason for them to retreat to the dark area is they are still semi feral. You need to handle them and get them used to you. They will start exploring and staying out a lot more if they are familiar with you. Good luck and write back if you need to know more.

Ciao, Karen

KITTY GLOP




INGREDIENTS:
1 can evaporated milk (sweetened condensed)
2 tbsp. plain yogurt (not low or non fat)
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (real not light or No-Fat)
1 tbs. Karo Syrup (light)
1 pkg. Knox gelatin
1 egg yolk (beaten, )
1 cup Pedialyte (unflavored)
1 jar Stage One Baby food (chicken or turkey)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix milk, yogurt, mayonnaise, baby food, and syrup together well. Bring 1 cup pedialyte to boil and mix in Knox gelatin. Set aside. Mix egg yolk with small amount of milk mixture and beat well.

Add gelatin and pedialyte to milk mixture and beat well. Add in egg yolk mixture and beat well. Remember to not use egg substitute and keep egg white to a minimum.

Pour into bowl (with cover) and set in refrigerator. Glop will last for two weeks covered in refrigerator. Try freezing the mixture in ice cube trays and store the cubes in the freezer, thaw as many as needed.
Always warm glop to room temperature ,(milk form), or a little warmer, before feeding.