ginnyinWI
ginnyinWI's JournalLacey's kittens: two weeks old
It's been a rough week. The mom came down with an upper respiratory infection (URI) and by Saturday we started her on an antibiotic. Then on Sunday one kitten got sick too and was so stuffy that she stopped nursing. (If they can't smell, they can't find the nipple no matter what you try.) So I have been feeding her kitten milk replacement formula since then. She's holding her own but hasn't grown like the other two--is pretty much the same weight as a week ago. 
But a friend is also fostering a mom and kittens who also got sick and they lost a few of the kittens, so I guess I should feel lucky. Her mama cat stopped eating so then had less milk and everything got much more complicated.
Yesterday tabby kitten number two started sneezing and getting congested. So far she is still nursing well--she's 14 days old rather than 9 like when the first one got sick. I have a steamer in the room, a heating pad, saline drops for their noses, ointment for their eyes, and the formula. I am getting up once every night to feed the first kitten, so I am feeding 11:30 p.m., 3:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and then every two or three hours during the day. So naturally I am looking forward to the little nose clearing up so she can get back to nursing on Mom. I think she is a female but am not sure at this point.
I will keep the mom on the antibiotic for another week because the kittens who are nursing will get some in the milk. That's what's sad about the first sick kitten--she is too little for any meds and isn't getting any in Mom's milk either. They can have meds at three weeks old, so if this goes on that long, that's what we'll do. A URI is caused by a virus, but research shows that antibiotics help lessen the severity of it.
The first photo shows the two that are nursing and the third sick one going up over Mom's back because she can't smell where the milk is. Second photo is of the three. Sick littlest one in the middle (tabby). The third photo is the other tabby who just started sneezing. She's bigger and has a little handlebar mustache pattern on her face. The third kitten is all black and is so far eating very well and has a round little tummy. You can't tell in these pictures but their eyes are halfway open now. Hopefully when they are better I can get some better pictures of their faces.
Lacey's kittens: one week old today!
My foster cat and her kittens. No names for the kittens yet until we are sure of their sexes. They weighed in at about 7 ounces each, which is probably double their birth weights. Their eyes are just beginning to hint at starting to open. I will try to update every Friday. 
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Gender: FemaleHometown: Southeastern Wisconsin
Home country: USA
Current location: Waukesha County/Greater Milwaukee area
Member since: Fri Nov 19, 2004, 07:59 PM
Number of posts: 17,276
