Mother cat abandoned four kittens in our attic... does anyone here have any advice?

[Ginmary]

YMMV

Spaying is the most important issue. In addition to population control, it is important to prevent female cancers, avoid pregnancy stress on the body, and prevent STD’s and other diseases they can catch from feral males during mating as well as avoiding any physical harm that can also come from mating.

Kittens must be human handled before they are 12 weeks old in order to be socialized. After that it is extremely difficult if at all possible. If they are to remain outside, you may be able to handle them when mom goes to hunt for food.

I once took in a feral who was days away from birthing. The lady who was supposed to release her after weaning the kits crapped out on me. She ended living under my sofa until she passed years later. She had the run of the house with a couple of her kids (very well socialized pets) while we were out or sleeping. If we were home and awake, she was under the sofa.

As for fleas:

During the 1970’s I had 6 indoor cats. One liked to talk to a stray thru the screen. Yup, fleas jumped in. The house became infested. I bombed the house, bathed each cat while sitting in the tub wearing jeans (protection!) and bombed again the next week to get any newly hatched fleas. All for naught, the infestation was back in full force. I had avoided flea collars (popular back then before the invention of Frontline type products) because I’d heard they could cause irritation.

I decided to try the collars but instead of putting them on the cats, I put one in the bed where most of them curled up together to sleep. Fleas do not live on the animals; they jump on to eat and then jump off to live and lay eggs in the carpets and furniture. Eventually every flea must have made it to the bed area because that one collar killed every freakin’ flea in the house!

I don’t know if they collars around today are as effective since that was back in the 70’s.

 

[Folly's place]

Now we have Revolution and Frontline Plus, both effective and they do much more than just kill fleas! Some flea collars are more toxic than others, I think that the newer products are a lot safer, for us.
Mary

 

[Ginmary]

Now we have Revolution and Frontline Plus, bot effective and they do much more than just kill fleas! Some flea collars are more toxic than others, I think that the newer products are a lot safer, for us.
Mary

My idea with the collars is that they don't have to be put on the cats. It would be difficult to catch the feral to use the Frontline on (and expensive) which also only lasts a limited time. A collar could possibly be placed in an area that the ferals hang out/sleep in.

 

[Folly's place]

So true about applying anything to feral cats. Better to live trap them, get them tested, neutered, and vaccinated, or at least eliminate the colony.
Mary

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have a question for the OP. How did the mother cat get in the attic?

 

[BesideStillWaters]

Kittens would be familiar with their mother's milk, but maybe not with the milk you are offering (it might have a different taste, and certainly isn't coming out of mom.)

Since the kittens were living outside, they have probably seen dew in the mornings, and maybe puddles or a stream or a pond.

Also, since they were not used to being around humans, they were probably scared by you trying to make them drink from a bottle. Sniffing a dish and thinking about it for themselves might be less scary, so they might be more inclined to try it.

(And after I've said all that, they might be terrified of a dish of water. I never can tell with animals...)

Oh yeah that makes sense. I'm sure this powered stuff doesn't taste like mother's milk.

If the kittens were able to drink formula out of the dish just fine you offer a shallow container (like a saucer or Tupperware lid) of water. We usually mix a little bit of formula in but that means you have to replace it and wash it at least 2-3 times a day. You should be able to wean them soon but for now it’s just a matter of getting enough food in them in whatever form they will take. We’ve continued to give formula in addition to kitten food for up to around 9 or 10 weeks in cases of very underweight or sick kittens.

Three of them are taking milk and kitten food from a saucer now. The fourth, little black one I'm calling Panther, is still not trying to eat from the dish and refuses food in any form. But is drinking milk just fine with a syringe.

If you offer them a little formula in the water, how do you keep them clean?? They walk in it, and the runt, Dinah, likes to crawl into the dish and dunk her whole face and chest in it as she "pumps" the dish and sucks up the milk. They make quite a mess!

I just want to say bless you for this. It makes my heart so happy to know that you are helping these sweet babies.

It makes me happy to see them doing so well, and know they may have a chance now to be loved.

This is all good news. Please impress upon the parents the importance of spaying/neutering the kittens ASAP, and let them know the females can get pregnant as early as 4 months (if I remember correctly?). Some people may still believe a young animal should have "at least one litter" before being spayed, or that the children should witness "the miracle of birth." Please be sure the parents do not subscribe to this nonsense before placing the kittens in this home, especially if the kittens are brother and sister!

What??? I've never heard this before. I'm definitely going to make sure they know the importance of spaying / neutering. But this about must have one litter before spaying... blows my mind. Wonder how that even got started.

Oh I've seen the horror of what brother and sister can do. One cat I took in back in 2009 had conjoined triplets (and a fourth who was stillborn).

We think these are all siblings, but I've also seen some cats care for kittens who were not theirs. We are wondering if the black one is possibly from a different litter, and is younger. It might explain why he won't even try to eat. However, his teeth look the same as the others, and he is about the same size as the runt...

Four months is correct. Allowing a cat to get pregnant that young can cause a ton of health issues, stop their growth and they usually aren’t mature enough to make good mothers and end up abandoning or neglecting the kittens

I thought it was six months, and because I stalled in getting them fixed, ended up with three pregnant cats from that mistake. I knew it was younger than six months, but not that young! How old do they need to be before getting them fixed?

Do you know how often that happens?

I only know one person that didn't spay their cat in time, and they definitely had kittens to rehome (but I know they would not have bottle-fed or hand-raised kittens, so the mother cat must have done an adequate job.)

I had several young mother cats over the years, and they all did fine.

Put the dropper at the very corner of her mouth. You should be able to get it past her "lip" Don't squirt, just let it drip in

We did this for several days (the vet said to squirt it but we were afraid to to that), and now Panther is sucking on the syringe, so we just let it go in the front of her mouth.

I’m afraid I don’t have exact numbers but it’s pretty common knowledge around here to keep an extra close eye on younger momma cats. With how small they are sometimes they simply can’t keep up enough of a milk supply. Some still do just fine. But in with others sometimes we have to help with supplement feedings. It’s also rarer but sometimes the mother cat will reject or fail to provide proper care. Forgetting to wash or feed one or more of the kittens.

Oh wow, I had no idea!

ayup

That's cool.

 

[BesideStillWaters]

YMMV

Spaying is the most important issue. In addition to population control, it is important to prevent female cancers, avoid pregnancy stress on the body, and prevent STD’s and other diseases they can catch from feral males during mating as well as avoiding any physical harm that can also come from mating.

100% agree. I lost one rescue cat from cancer. She had a tumor in each mammory gland, and it spread into her organs from there. Cancer spread fast, breaking the skin around the glands open, and that got infected... it was awful. Vet operated all he could but told us that it would kill her. Six months later, she died peacefully in her sleep.

Kittens must be human handled before they are 12 weeks old in order to be socialized. After that it is extremely difficult if at all possible. If they are to remain outside, you may be able to handle them when mom goes to hunt for food.

The cat I talked about above had four litter that I'm aware of. I don't know how old she was, but I had her for at least eight years. I met her when she had a litter in our front yard. Tamed the kittens, and it took YEARS to tame her. But I got her there. Lot of work, but it was worth it. She was a darling. I knew her for seven years before she showed me she was a lap cat. She was so scared, acted as if I was going to hurt her when she climbed into my lap. I'm guessing whoever had her before me abused her. I slowly reached for her and gave her a pet, and it was instant purring like she knew this was me saying, go ahead make yourself comfortable here.

I once took in a feral who was days away from birthing. The lady who was supposed to release her after weaning the kits crapped out on me. She ended living under my sofa until she passed years later. She had the run of the house with a couple of her kids (very well socialized pets) while we were out or sleeping. If we were home and awake, she was under the sofa.

Poor thing!!

As for fleas:

During the 1970’s I had 6 indoor cats. One liked to talk to a stray thru the screen. Yup, fleas jumped in. The house became infested. I bombed the house, bathed each cat while sitting in the tub wearing jeans (protection!) and bombed again the next week to get any newly hatched fleas. All for naught, the infestation was back in full force. I had avoided flea collars (popular back then before the invention of Frontline type products) because I’d heard they could cause irritation.

I decided to try the collars but instead of putting them on the cats, I put one in the bed where most of them curled up together to sleep. Fleas do not live on the animals; they jump on to eat and then jump off to live and lay eggs in the carpets and furniture.

Did not know this.

Eventually every flea must have made it to the bed area because that one collar killed every freakin’ flea in the house!

I don’t know if they collars around today are as effective since that was back in the 70’s.

Amazing!!!

I also had a bad flea problem last year. I took in a kitten and had her in our cabin (my cat in the house will not tolerate any other cats). We bathed her, and she was adopted by my vet's assistant. After the kitten was gone, fleas were everywhere. I didn't want to use a bomb. A friend told me to get a bowl of boiling water, mix Dawn in it, and put that on the floor in the middle of the room because fleas are attracted to heat even if it would fry them. It worked! All the fleas jumped in the boiling water and drowned themselves. The Dawn also kills fleas and it prevented the fleas from jumping back out of the bowl. It took three bowls over a week period to get rid of all the newer hatched ones.

Now we have Revolution and Frontline Plus, bot effective and they do much more than just kill fleas! Some flea collars are more toxic than others, I think that the newer products are a lot safer, for us.
Mary

Definitely safer for us. I can't imagine putting a collar on my cat. I might lose an arm.

My idea with the collars is that they don't have to be put on the cats. It would be difficult to catch the feral to use the Frontline on (and expensive) which also only lasts a limited time. A collar could possibly be placed in an area that the ferals hang out/sleep in.

That's a good idea!! I'll have to try this.

I have a question for the OP. How did the mother cat get in the attic?

I figured someone might ask. We had storm damage a few years back, and my dad was/is still too ill to fix it. They can get in through the wall of the attic by entering through where a tree hit the back of the house. This isn't the first time a cat has had kittens up there...

We hope to get it fixed soon. We patched it up enough that the raccoons and opossums can't get in, but cats can still hop/jump in with ease.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Oh yeah that makes sense. I'm sure this powered stuff doesn't taste like mother's milk.


Three of them are taking milk and kitten food from a saucer now. The fourth, little black one I'm calling Panther, is still not trying to eat from the dish and refuses food in any form. But is drinking milk just fine with a syringe.

If you offer them a little formula in the water, how do you keep them clean?? They walk in it, and the runt, Dinah, likes to crawl into the dish and dunk her whole face and chest in it as she "pumps" the dish and sucks up the milk. They make quite a mess!

It makes me happy to see them doing so well, and know they may have a chance now to be loved.


What??? I've never heard this before. I'm definitely going to make sure they know the importance of spaying / neutering. But this about must have one litter before spaying... blows my mind. Wonder how that even got started.

Oh I've seen the horror of what brother and sister can do. One cat I took in back in 2009 had conjoined triplets (and a fourth who was stillborn).

We think these are all siblings, but I've also seen some cats care for kittens who were not theirs. We are wondering if the black one is possibly from a different litter, and is younger. It might explain why he won't even try to eat. However, his teeth look the same as the others, and he is about the same size as the runt...


I thought it was six months, and because I stalled in getting them fixed, ended up with three pregnant cats from that mistake. I knew it was younger than six months, but not that young! How old do they need to be before getting them fixed?

I had several young mother cats over the years, and they all did fine.


We did this for several days (the vet said to squirt it but we were afraid to to that), and now Panther is sucking on the syringe, so we just let it go in the front of her mouth.


Oh wow, I had no idea!


That's cool.

Honestly you can’t really keep them clean all the time at this age. We would just give them a good wipe down with a damp cloth or baby wipe after every meal. Despite that we usually have to give them a water bath at least once every week or two since sometimes they just get covered in stuff.

You can get a cat fixed as early as 8 weeks but generally you want to wait until 5-6 months of age or there’s a risk of stunted growth. In an ideal world you can keep them completely separate until they are done growing and then get them fixed. But the world isn’t ideal so it’s just a matter of weighing risks for your particular situation.

EDIT: I don’t use flea collars on our cats since cats can get a collar caught on objects much easier than a dog. Any collar a cat wears should be a breakaway style collar so they can’t accidentally hang themselves.

 

[Folly's place]

Kittens need to have clean skin, and mama cats are washing them all the time. Don't be afraid to wash them as needed, just make sure they aren't chilled in the process. If that damp wipe isn't enough, go with a partial or full bath.
Mary

 

[BesideStillWaters]

Sorry for the lack of updates; here are some updates:

Dinah learning how to use a bottle. Shortly after, her brother almost chewed the nipple off, so no more bottles for them.

I swapped to each kitten gets their own dish after this to help with mealtime messiness. But Dinah still puts her paws in it and her face... had to give full baths after this.

Panther drinks from a syringe. I think he might be a boy now, but I'm not sure. Been calling Panther a him sometimes and a her sometimes.

And Dinah thinks I'm a tree.

Panther this morning! He's doing really well. He still is the only one who won't eat or drink from a saucer.