HELP, 2 day old dying kittens. What do I need to do?

J

jessicaamy

New member
I found dying kittens, being eaten alive by ants. I took them to the vets, got the cleaned up and I am feeding them cat replacement powder milk once every 2 hours and making them go to the toilet.
I also have them in a cat box with lots of towels and a blanket with hot water bottles under...
They seem lifeless and don't really want to eat. They are hardly moving and they seem too hot... last night they seemed to cold... did they warm up and get too hot??
They look like they are panting sometimes so i get them cooler and they stop, they are also twitching a lot but is this normal? Or are they in pain? Tips on feeding and getting them to survive?? Do I need to feed them up right?? Do I need to burp them cos they seem to be spluttering on the milk and how do i get a right temperature.
One died last night I only have 2 left :(
 
Oh darling you are such a gorgeous person doing this for these little babies. I know this sounds mean honey, but they do sound as if they are too sick to save, especially if they are having possible convulsions. Be kind have them put to sleep humanely then, feel proud you did your best and the right thing for them. Good luck and I am thinking of you and your kind heart x
 
Oh darling you are such a gorgeous person doing this for these little babies. I know this sounds mean honey, but they do sound as if they are too sick to save, especially if they are having possible convulsions. Be kind have them put to sleep humanely then, feel proud you did your best and the right thing for them. Good luck and I am thinking of you and your kind heart x
 
I'm sorry but IMO the kindest thing would be to put them to sleep. Sounds like they are too far gone to survive much longer. Kittens cannot regulate their body temps for several weeks (until they are about 3 weeks old). Once they get chilled they refuse to eat and its hard to regulate their temps.

I'm sure the ants did a lot of internal damage too even tho you cleaned them off on the bodies - I suspect the kittens were sick when born and the mother abandoned them.
 
I was given a kitten in the same shape by some neighborhood children that found him near death.
After a vet visit and some antibiotics I took the kitten home got him cleaned up and hand feed him from a dropper. I also massaged his little body for this stimulates as a mother cat does by licking their fur (body).

After that Hon all you can do is pray or wish them well. Up to mother nature after that.

Best wishes
 
I was given a kitten in the same shape by some neighborhood children that found him near death.
After a vet visit and some antibiotics I took the kitten home got him cleaned up and hand feed him from a dropper. I also massaged his little body for this stimulates as a mother cat does by licking their fur (body).

After that Hon all you can do is pray or wish them well. Up to mother nature after that.

Best wishes
 
that's so nice of you

ok they are not eating because the ants were biting them and it itches so it destracts them from eating and other stuff

you should give them a bath with cooler water not to cold or not to hot
 
I'm sorry but IMO the kindest thing would be to put them to sleep. Sounds like they are too far gone to survive much longer. Kittens cannot regulate their body temps for several weeks (until they are about 3 weeks old). Once they get chilled they refuse to eat and its hard to regulate their temps.

I'm sure the ants did a lot of internal damage too even tho you cleaned them off on the bodies - I suspect the kittens were sick when born and the mother abandoned them.
 
If these kittens are indeed too far gone, then it is true to say that there is nothing much you can do at this point and should feel proud that you did your best by them despite the tragic conditions in which you found them.

However, a kitten that is not being nourished well enough will deteriorate in a little as half a day. You say that they are not really interested in eating but you also say you've been feeding them every two hours. If they are eating something then they are still trying to survive. Have you been warming up the milk? It should not be hot but a LITTLE warming will simulate their mothers milk. If they are just eating their fill, then them hardly moving actually means that they are content as kittens notoriously almost exclusively eat and sleep. a lot of movement usually means that they are restless because they need feeding and is therefore not necessarily a good thing. When feeding kittens you should make sure NEVER to lift their heads up to the bottle because this can cause the milk to go into their lungs. They will drink the milk of their own accords, they are very good at sucking!
Also, the twitching is perfectly normal, they are only tiny and this helps their nervous systems develop.

If they are panting, I suggest you try not making the hot water bottles up quite as warm. If you have been filling them out of the kettle, then switch this to running your hot water tap until it gets very hot (still less than boiled) and filling them from here. You have already said you're wrapping them up so that should be fine. Kittens are warm when they are healthy also. you would have a lot more to worry about if they were still cold. All these things point to there being a chance.

to re cap,

they are warm which is positive,
they are twitching, which means they are still developing
they are sleeping a lot, which may just mean they're content
they have been eating regularly (as far as I know??)

warm the milk, take down the temperature of the hot water bottles and don't lift their heads when you feed them. Make sure you stimulate them to go to the toilet after every feed.

My cat has just had kittens and a lot of what you're describing about their behavior seems normal.
 
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