Emergencies

Mom is young and she isn't interested in feeding them. Since, she has now injured one with puncture marks.
I just read online how some cats will nurse other kittens. Does anyone know a mama cat that can do this?
I know that's alot to ask, but, these are alot of kittens. I found "mom" abandoned in a Walmart parking lot.

Bless your heart Resident! Try contacting GrandmaMary, she has a mama that may help?
http://www.rimoftheworld.net/discuss/107/33283

Also contact both vets to see if they know of anyone who current;y has a litter & Mountains Humane Society - 337.6422

If she isn't feeding them- please make sure you are bottle feeding every 3 hours until you find a mama- they can't go to long without eating! And you need to stimulate there private areas to make them urinate and defacate- VERY IMPORTANT!! If you have any questions- please call me
Tara
338-8502

Is there too much excitement and activity going on? Make sure the kittens and Mom are in a quiet place where they won't be disturbed by kids or other animals. Just one person should try to coax Mom into laying down and letting the kittens suckle, perhaps just sit with her and pet her and help her relax. Handle the kittens as little as possible during this phase. Once she gets the idea her maternal instincts should kick in. It's very unusual for a mother cat to refuse to nurse unless she is ill. But it is important that her and her kittens are in a quiet place she feels safe.
The chances of bottle feeding and survival are very slim at this stage so it's very important that you try to help her relax and nurse. No noise and only one person in the room. Once she starts nursing, the kittens should not be handled for a couple of weeks unless necessary.

Resident, are the babies ok??

It seems the 6 are being fed by mom now (my husband and kids say so), and when we tried to reintroduce the rejected one, she didn't go for it. She tried to hurt it again, totally unsuccessfully (I have been tending to him).
He was eating better toward the evening, and even pooping well, but, in this last hour, took a total turn for the worse, with shallow breathing. GOD THIS SUCKS. Can it really happen like that?
My husband is with him, making him comfortable. Does the shallow breathing mean not to attempt a feeding? He is also not responsive like before, but, the tummy is slightly moving. *tear

Question. Unusual for the mother to behave like this unless she (the mother) is ill, or the kitten?

Resident, it's a very good possibility that the kitten is weaker then its siblings, perhaps even ill. Have you tried feding it on its own? Sometimes the weaker babies just need to be removed & kept separatley. If it's nothing more than the kitten being the runt, with patience, care & good feeding they can bounce righ back. But you need to get the kitten away & start feeding him immediately, otherwise it could be too late.

Whew - so glad Mom has settled down some. 7 kittens is a very large litter and a cat can usually sense if one is ill or weak and will reject it. Better attempt to bottle feed this one as soon as possible and once it is stabilized she may allow it to feed later.
But if the kittens are handled too much by the kids she may reject them again. Please be careful and don't over expose her to too much excitement right now.

We feed the little one throughout the day and I really thought he was going to make it. He wasn't the runt. (there is a runt, a tiny little thing)
At 11pm we noticed he was not as active as earlier in the day. We pretty much set up an ICU area, watching him every moment, letting him rest, feeding him by the clock, and making sure he poo'd, which he did.
His breathing got shallow around 1130pm and he passed away at 150am this morning.
My husband was just as emotional, if not, worse, than me. He held him on his chest nonstop, keeping him warm for the last 2 hours. Neither one of us wanted to think about going to sleep and leaving this little one alone.
My husband named him "Legolas" from Lord of the Rings. He was fighting RIGHT UP TO THE VERY END. What a special kitten.
I think I already posted that mom cat is feeding and caring for the other 6. My children are 15,17,20 and they knew about handling kittens from a long time ago. Cats are precious to my kids. I realize after reading some articles about Queens killing their kittens, that mom cat really trusts my kids unreservedly.
I read that it is not unknown, although VERY RARE, that as the queen (mom cat) gives birth, she may bring the newborn kittens to her owners bed, chair, or lap. Well, she had the kittens in the middle of my son's room, and brought one to my sleeping son (4am) which woke him. My other son remained in the room with mom cat, on the floor, and after each delivery, she would climb on him, PURR her heart out, and seek affection. He had blood all over him, and she started putting the kittens ONTO HIM.
I read that in the wild, queen cats might chose alternate queen cats if she is in a "happy family" of cats. A domestic cat might choose her owner as secondary queen if she is in a happy home. It was strange, and refreshing to read that AFTER THE FACT.
Maybe mom cat knew Legolas was ill, but, he sure was STRONG.

It sounds like you guys did the very best you could Resident, thank you so much for trying. Hugs to you, for the pain you've gone through in working to save them, all of them.

RIP Little One. I'm glad you felt love before you left. Safe journey over the Rainbow Bridge.

What Fly said!!! At least Legolas knew love!!

When my dog had pups and wouldn't take care of them, we also tried to keep them alive. It turned out that they all had clef palates and that was why the mom rejected them. Your little one may have had something like that (just guessing). My heart goes out to you. Thank you and your family for trying so heard.

Hello, everyone!
I just wanted to update everyone on the 7 kittens!
Of course, Legolas passed away within 24 hours of birth. The next concern was Streak. We carefully monitored her weight as she was not inclined to eat like the others. We weighed her daily and were just about to take her to the vet when she began gaining at a slow, steady pace. Because she got that extra human interaction, it turns out she became the most lovable and has already been adopted!
My sons are currently begging to keep "Chocolate". We are in negotiations right now.
This leaves the remaining 4. ALL are just as adorable!
Reason says there is no way I could keep 9 cats/kittens, so, we must find them fabulous homes.
They have all been incredibly loved. No trauma has made them skeptical or unfriendly. They are very happy kitties!

Their story:
Born on March 28th, all by 8am, to a mommy that we found in the bushes of the Redlands Walmart parking lot.
Mommy gave birth right in the middle of my son's room. In between births, she would bring the babies ONTO my 17 year old son, as well as place them on my 19 year old son's bed as he slept!
She also used my 17 y/o as a birthing coach!
Literally, in between births, she would lay on my son, purring like crazy, and seeking his attention.
(I looked into this on the net and found that in very rare instances, when mommy cats are comfortable and happy in their homes, they will actually recruit their owners to be secondary mommies to their babies by these actions!)
They have had full time nursing with mommy cat, and we know that makes happy kitties!
I had every intention of having them spayed or neutered before placing them for adoption. Popco allows for 3 voucher's to be issued at a time, and I have those voucher's for $25 off the surgery for 3 specific cats (chocolate, gray and kitty). The problem is that Orange Show's facility has no openings until September! They suggest using alternate facilities such as Riverside or Rimforest. These voucher's are in my name, so, for the new family, you will be able to call the popco number to get a new voucher in your name. It's a great benefit for mountain residents! You don't even need proof of income.

Let's talk kitty!
(sexes are as best we determined)
ALL ARE BOX TRAINED.

Gray- Gray in color (spots of white). So far, Gray has been the one to excel. First to open her eyes. First to explore. Gray loves to curl up in a paintball mask!

Carebear- Primarily cream in color with brown accent. Carebear will fall, belly up, when you scratch his back. He has a "no worries" personality.

Cocoa- Primarily brown in color. Playful with the other kitties, to a fault, as evidenced by his shortened whiskers!

Runt- Very light gray in color. Runt was the last born, and the smallest at birth. Not anymore. He moved up in rank to the #1 spot as heaviest!

Here are the pictures!

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=2008085

Please contact me at:

adopta.kitty@yahoo.com

if you have a safe and happy home for a kitty!

Congratulations on taking such good care of them!!
And since there is no longer an emergency, you may get better responses under "Cats Needing Homes"?
You could also request a copy of an adoption application from Mountains Humane Society use it as a template & help ensure that these beautiful kittens will go to good homes?
Good luck!!

duh! nevermind about reposting!

Sad story! happy ending I hope all got good homes

What BEAUTIFUL kitties.

THANK YOU for saving their lives along with Mom~ ANd taking such good care of them.

I don't know if you remember a post about dozens of kittens right off the 30 fwy. I was the one who found them. I tried to call animal control but they said their is no protocol for cats (like there are for dogs)
Anyway, several years ago we were in front of Goodwin's finding families for kittens, and when the last one was adopted, we went to Cushman's to drop off videos. Right in the middle of the parking lot was a box with writing all over it. When I opened the box I found 5 young kittens and the words on the box were "Please help them!"
OMG. I JUST found homes for kittens not 5 minutes before I found this box of new kittens! I could not believe it. Anyone could have run the box over. So, we brought them home for a short spell, then found homes for them!
I just live my life and as kittens cross my path, I do what needs to be done. My teen boys are ESPECIALLY fond of cats which makes it so understandable how mama cat trusted her kittens to them during her birthing!
There is a man on a bike who hauls his kitten around at the AM/PM right there in the Redlands Walmart parking lot. He is there everytime I get gas so I bring canned kitty food. His kitten is soo adorable and you can tell he gives it PLENTY of attention and care.
There is a black kitten at the Target on Del Rosa. That one is quick, but, I have seen it enough times to lay down food for it. I have to be careful, too, because these can be cats that have just wandered from home.