Adventures in fostering
Discussion
Readers of the Caturday thread may remember that my wife and I lost our cat earlier in the year, and it knocked us sideways. We resolved not to get another one for at least six months, but after just six weeks without any feline contact the urge was very strong.
The solution we found was to volunteer at our local cat sanctuary. We did a couple of shifts of poop-scooping and washing food bowls, but it turned out that what they really needed was foster homes for the upcoming kitten season. Apparently they get dozens of calls each year from people who have found pregnant strays, or owners who let their cats get pregnant and then can't afford to deal with the consequences.
These isn't the staffing or space at the cat sanctuary to accommodate these, so they use short-term fostering until the kittens are old enough to be rehomed. We couldn't think of a good enough reason not to, so two weeks later I'm off to collect a stray from the other side of Bristol.
She'd wandered into someone's home a while before, and was being looked after by them until it became clear she was pregnant. This was more than that person was willing to deal with, so she came to us.
Meet Pudding (on account of being black, but I'm not convinced the name will stick long-term):
No-one had made enquiries about a lost cat where she turned up, and a scan failed to find an identity chip. She wasn't acting like a stray though - she settled in very quickly, and turned out to have a really sweet nature. When we picked her up she didn't look that pregnant, so initially we wondered if she might just be a bit porky. After a couple of weeks though, we were pretty sure:
We did all the preparation you're supposed to, setting aside a room, arranging a soft bed and a couple of suitable cardboard boxes, reading the books about what to expect. She showed very little interest in these, until suddenly on Tuesday morning we found she'd dug herself into a corner of the box and was looking a bit agitated.
Thirty minutes later it's obvious something's happening, but it's not the calm experience we'd been led to expect. The first kitten was a breech birth, and although it was delivered fairly quickly, it was obviously extremely uncomfortable for her - she ended up leaping out of the box dragging the half-emerged kitten behind her in an attempt to escape the pain. Thankfully she eventually made it to the towel-lined cat bed, and the kitten came out without assistance. At this point I'm on the phone to the cat sanctuary summoning help, but Pudding gets straight down to work, washing the kitten off, biting through the cord and eating everything that's left.
The sanctuary owner arrived within twenty minutes, which was just as well. Unbelievably, the remaining three were also breech, and without the calm voice of experience I'd have been lost. I also wouldn't have been confident about picking a newborn up in a towel and rubbing it surprisingly vigorously to get it breathing and dried off. This was needed because the last birth was so bad (I hope I never hear a cat make a noise like that again) that Pudding ran and hid in a corner rather than attending to the kitten. This one wasn't coming out without help, so once enough of it had appeared to get a hold of, the sanctuary owner had to gently ease it out.
Rather than the kittens latching on and feeding straight away, it was a good two hours before Pudding emerged and went over to them. It turns out this delay wasn't the issue I thought it was - huddled together and covered in a clean towel, they actually went to sleep. It was a huge relief when they did start feeding though - everything up to that point had gone so badly that I was already Googling what to do when a cat rejects her kittens.
As a demonstration of why you should get female cats spayed as early as possible it was very effective. I'm just glad that she'd known us long enough that we could provide some comfort and reassurance for her - the alternative of that happening to a stray with no support doesn't bear thinking about. Even if that last kitten had eventually made it out, without the rubbing in a towel to get it breathing I'd be amazed if it would have survived.
Thankfully though, things seem to have settled down - here's the family at 20 hours old:
They're with us now until the end of June, so I'm sure we have some fun times ahead. If there's interest I'll update this thread as we go.
The solution we found was to volunteer at our local cat sanctuary. We did a couple of shifts of poop-scooping and washing food bowls, but it turned out that what they really needed was foster homes for the upcoming kitten season. Apparently they get dozens of calls each year from people who have found pregnant strays, or owners who let their cats get pregnant and then can't afford to deal with the consequences.
These isn't the staffing or space at the cat sanctuary to accommodate these, so they use short-term fostering until the kittens are old enough to be rehomed. We couldn't think of a good enough reason not to, so two weeks later I'm off to collect a stray from the other side of Bristol.
She'd wandered into someone's home a while before, and was being looked after by them until it became clear she was pregnant. This was more than that person was willing to deal with, so she came to us.
Meet Pudding (on account of being black, but I'm not convinced the name will stick long-term):
No-one had made enquiries about a lost cat where she turned up, and a scan failed to find an identity chip. She wasn't acting like a stray though - she settled in very quickly, and turned out to have a really sweet nature. When we picked her up she didn't look that pregnant, so initially we wondered if she might just be a bit porky. After a couple of weeks though, we were pretty sure:
We did all the preparation you're supposed to, setting aside a room, arranging a soft bed and a couple of suitable cardboard boxes, reading the books about what to expect. She showed very little interest in these, until suddenly on Tuesday morning we found she'd dug herself into a corner of the box and was looking a bit agitated.
Thirty minutes later it's obvious something's happening, but it's not the calm experience we'd been led to expect. The first kitten was a breech birth, and although it was delivered fairly quickly, it was obviously extremely uncomfortable for her - she ended up leaping out of the box dragging the half-emerged kitten behind her in an attempt to escape the pain. Thankfully she eventually made it to the towel-lined cat bed, and the kitten came out without assistance. At this point I'm on the phone to the cat sanctuary summoning help, but Pudding gets straight down to work, washing the kitten off, biting through the cord and eating everything that's left.
The sanctuary owner arrived within twenty minutes, which was just as well. Unbelievably, the remaining three were also breech, and without the calm voice of experience I'd have been lost. I also wouldn't have been confident about picking a newborn up in a towel and rubbing it surprisingly vigorously to get it breathing and dried off. This was needed because the last birth was so bad (I hope I never hear a cat make a noise like that again) that Pudding ran and hid in a corner rather than attending to the kitten. This one wasn't coming out without help, so once enough of it had appeared to get a hold of, the sanctuary owner had to gently ease it out.
Rather than the kittens latching on and feeding straight away, it was a good two hours before Pudding emerged and went over to them. It turns out this delay wasn't the issue I thought it was - huddled together and covered in a clean towel, they actually went to sleep. It was a huge relief when they did start feeding though - everything up to that point had gone so badly that I was already Googling what to do when a cat rejects her kittens.
As a demonstration of why you should get female cats spayed as early as possible it was very effective. I'm just glad that she'd known us long enough that we could provide some comfort and reassurance for her - the alternative of that happening to a stray with no support doesn't bear thinking about. Even if that last kitten had eventually made it out, without the rubbing in a towel to get it breathing I'd be amazed if it would have survived.
Thankfully though, things seem to have settled down - here's the family at 20 hours old:
They're with us now until the end of June, so I'm sure we have some fun times ahead. If there's interest I'll update this thread as we go.
Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Thursday 28th April 03:36
We foster for CP and its a great experience, well done to you. Mrs Buzz does all the hard work, we've just experienced our second litter of kittens and it gets easier for you after the first time, its so amazing to watch them grow up and go on to their new homes. (its not too hard to let them go as you know they are going to good vetted homes and will be loved)
Aww!! I am surprised the rescue centre didn't give you a heads up of what could happen though!
ETA Just seen you read up on it yourself-missed that bit.
People are always so shocked when I warn them it doesn't always go smoothly and it can be a very traumatic time for the cat, especially if it her first litter and she is young.
I assume they will sort out getting her spayed when kitties are 6-7wks old, in the meantime I hope it is a smooth journey the rest of the way and obviously more pics over the weeks please
ETA Just seen you read up on it yourself-missed that bit.
People are always so shocked when I warn them it doesn't always go smoothly and it can be a very traumatic time for the cat, especially if it her first litter and she is young.
I assume they will sort out getting her spayed when kitties are 6-7wks old, in the meantime I hope it is a smooth journey the rest of the way and obviously more pics over the weeks please
Edited by bexVN on Thursday 28th April 17:29
Jasandjules said:
Aww so sweet. No idea how you can have the strength to do this, I'd have a fair few more cats....
But kudos to you sir.
But kudos to you sir.
After 4 cats taken through work and rescue (plus 2 dogs) I know what you mean. I havehad to become stronger in recent yrs to not cave though I almost did yesterday when I thought the vet said an owner was considering pts of a young cat with a foreign body. Turns out I had misheard but I was all ready to say, still operate and I'll take him on!!ali_kat said:
...has Pudding found her forever home? 
We have signed the forms acknowledging that we have no rights over her or the kittens, but she is lovely. If we get a cat of our own the fostering will have to stop though, so let's see how we get on.Buzz84 said:
...we've just experienced our second litter of kittens and it gets easier for you after the first time...)
Well, that's potentially good news. It's certainly been a steep learning curve so far.BexVN said:
People are always so shocked when I warn them it doesn't always go smoothly
I suspect the cat sanctuary have learnt to tell volunteers just enough, but not too much. They'll all be neutered / spayed before rehoming, so she won't have to go through it again.Last night I noticed that one of the kittens wasn't feeding like the others. This morning they had a go on the kitchen scales (and acquired temporary names so I can keep track of which is which), and there's an obvious issue:
Vince - 162g, Wendy - 150g, Bad Bob - 146g, Rex - 115g.
Observing them more carefully, the three bigger ones are hogging all the available space and instead of fighting his corner, Rex often seems just to want to crawl under Mum and hide away in the dark. Seeing how well the others were feeding it was clear I'd have to intervene - they're growing so fast that unless we do something Rex is going to get left behind in a potentially fatal way. It's apparently also critical that they feed in the first 72 hours, when the mother's milk contains antibodies that will make survival much more likely.
After the big three were finished, I popped a vinyl glove on and carefully placed Rex on a nipple. He didn't seem to know what to do at all, and started to crawl away. It took at least a dozen attempts to get him to latch on, and even then he didn't last long.
The next attempt this evening went a little better but was cut short by Pudding standing up abruptly, sending him flying. It wasn't until tonight that we managed anything encouraging - Bad Bob (always the first up at mealtimes) was sleeping, so there was a prime spot free for Rex. He wasn't going to find it himself though, so it took another five minutes of gently nudging and prodding to get him in position. This time, he finally got it - suckling properly (and noisily) for the first time that I'd seen.
Even with this breakthrough, I'm worried he's always going to be at a disadvantage because of the way he gets pushed aside by the bigger ones, so we're going to investigate supplementary feeding tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be possible to top him up with a bit of kitten formula between meals, at least until he catches up with the others and learns to stand up for himself a bit more.
Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Friday 29th April 01:24
Cleft - If the little one does suckle, it is probably all right. You see if they are very bad at suckling, the milk tends to run back through the nose... If you feel with your finger inside their mouth, the upper gum, you can feel a cleft, an opening into the nose hole there...
I may be remembering something incorrectly, but doesn't each kitten choose its own nipple for nursing from birth, and will continue to nurse there by seeking out its own scent?
It should nurse every two to three hours. A kitten that is thriving will quickly develop a fat tummy and will sleep peacefully. A kitten that is NOT getting enough milk or who may not be warm enough will make a lot of noise (mewing) and move around a lot more than one who is well fed. Kittens need to be warm; kittens can't regulate their own body temperature, so laying cuddled next to each other and the Mum-cat, supplies that warmth. A chilled kitten cannot metabolize the milk it drinks
IRC you can use goats milk as well as formula (Cimicat).
Good luck!!
I may be remembering something incorrectly, but doesn't each kitten choose its own nipple for nursing from birth, and will continue to nurse there by seeking out its own scent?
It should nurse every two to three hours. A kitten that is thriving will quickly develop a fat tummy and will sleep peacefully. A kitten that is NOT getting enough milk or who may not be warm enough will make a lot of noise (mewing) and move around a lot more than one who is well fed. Kittens need to be warm; kittens can't regulate their own body temperature, so laying cuddled next to each other and the Mum-cat, supplies that warmth. A chilled kitten cannot metabolize the milk it drinks
IRC you can use goats milk as well as formula (Cimicat).
Good luck!!
Edited by ali_kat on Friday 29th April 14:34
Another roller-coaster day. Rex weighed exactly the same this morning as the day before, so while he's not gaining like the others, at least he'd not actually lost anything - our attempts to get him latched on might have helped.
We tried to get him to feed at three points through the morning, repeatedly lifting him up and placing him where he needs to be while holding the others off. Unfortunately he resisted it today, struggling and moving his head away and then crawling off under Mum.
And then, after lunch I went in to check on them and Rex was there, feeding enthusiastically on his own. He appeared to be sucking hard - so much so that when Pudding stood up and moved a bit, he remained locked on and dangling in the air. I stayed until he'd finished, deterring the others from pushing him aside - the nipple he was on is Bad Bob's favourite, and he was getting a bit fighty until I moved him away. Rex is the one on the far left, Bad Bob on the far right:
A couple of hours later my wife got in from work, and when she checked he was doing the same thing again - feeding without our help.
It was really disappointing that he couldn't be persuaded to feed again for the rest of the day. It's pretty distressing watching the other three hoovering up the milk while Rex just seems to want to hide away.
The cat sanctuary advice is that feeding from the mother is always best and that using a replacement formula is very much the last resort. Those times when he eventually responded to being placed on the teat made me hope that it would be OK, but seeing the inconsistent behaviour today has made me less optimistic. If things go on as they are, in two more days his siblings will be twice his weight. I think I've decided that if he hasn't gained at all by the morning when we weigh them next, then we'll have to attempt hand-feeding.
The other three are absolutely thriving though - just over three days old, and they're really filling out:
We tried to get him to feed at three points through the morning, repeatedly lifting him up and placing him where he needs to be while holding the others off. Unfortunately he resisted it today, struggling and moving his head away and then crawling off under Mum.
And then, after lunch I went in to check on them and Rex was there, feeding enthusiastically on his own. He appeared to be sucking hard - so much so that when Pudding stood up and moved a bit, he remained locked on and dangling in the air. I stayed until he'd finished, deterring the others from pushing him aside - the nipple he was on is Bad Bob's favourite, and he was getting a bit fighty until I moved him away. Rex is the one on the far left, Bad Bob on the far right:
A couple of hours later my wife got in from work, and when she checked he was doing the same thing again - feeding without our help.
It was really disappointing that he couldn't be persuaded to feed again for the rest of the day. It's pretty distressing watching the other three hoovering up the milk while Rex just seems to want to hide away.
The cat sanctuary advice is that feeding from the mother is always best and that using a replacement formula is very much the last resort. Those times when he eventually responded to being placed on the teat made me hope that it would be OK, but seeing the inconsistent behaviour today has made me less optimistic. If things go on as they are, in two more days his siblings will be twice his weight. I think I've decided that if he hasn't gained at all by the morning when we weigh them next, then we'll have to attempt hand-feeding.
The other three are absolutely thriving though - just over three days old, and they're really filling out:
Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Saturday 30th April 09:03
We've made the decision to intervene. Despite apparently feeding, Rex has lost five grams from yesterday so I tracked down some kitten milk replacement. I also made up some rehydration solution - I understand that kittens can't absorb nutrients if they're cold or dehydrated, so getting a bit of fluid into him seemed like a worthwhile thing to try first.
He did OK with that and took a couple of tiny syringes worth, but he's not playing ball with the formula milk. He wouldn't suck a rubber teat on a bottle, so I've been trying to syringe drops of it into his cheek. He took the rehydration solution this way, but so far he stops swallowing the milk after the second or third drop.
His behaviour is such a contrast to the other three - seeing their determination to feed and the energy in the way they move makes me very pessimistic about Rex's chances. We're going to make sure we do the best we can, but if we can't get him to feed it's not going to end well.
We've set alarms to get up and attempt feeds at three hour intervals overnight, and will hope for the best.
He did OK with that and took a couple of tiny syringes worth, but he's not playing ball with the formula milk. He wouldn't suck a rubber teat on a bottle, so I've been trying to syringe drops of it into his cheek. He took the rehydration solution this way, but so far he stops swallowing the milk after the second or third drop.
His behaviour is such a contrast to the other three - seeing their determination to feed and the energy in the way they move makes me very pessimistic about Rex's chances. We're going to make sure we do the best we can, but if we can't get him to feed it's not going to end well.
We've set alarms to get up and attempt feeds at three hour intervals overnight, and will hope for the best.
And then there were three...
Sad day today - the overnight feeds didn't go well. Rex wouldn't take more than a few drops of formula each time, and appeared to be getting more distressed about feeding each time. I was feeling quite strongly that he had to take something, so I wonder if I actually hastened the end.
We found him this morning, stiff and cold with a very bloated stomach. My best guess would be a bowel obstruction or some other kind of digestive issue, and though it was never going to end well, would it have been kinder to let him fade away instead of forcing the issue?
We left him just outside the nest for the rest of the morning so Pudding could have some time to adjust. She was quite out of sorts for a while, but is feeding the others regularly - we'll keep an eye on her for a day or two.
He's in a quiet spot in the garden now.
Sad day today - the overnight feeds didn't go well. Rex wouldn't take more than a few drops of formula each time, and appeared to be getting more distressed about feeding each time. I was feeling quite strongly that he had to take something, so I wonder if I actually hastened the end.
We found him this morning, stiff and cold with a very bloated stomach. My best guess would be a bowel obstruction or some other kind of digestive issue, and though it was never going to end well, would it have been kinder to let him fade away instead of forcing the issue?
We left him just outside the nest for the rest of the morning so Pudding could have some time to adjust. She was quite out of sorts for a while, but is feeding the others regularly - we'll keep an eye on her for a day or two.
He's in a quiet spot in the garden now.
No it was absolutely right to try. There is no way you could know that he had a medical issue and you would be feeling just the same if you hadn't tried to help. Sometimes intervening works sometimes not but I believe it was right to try, though you will have learned better techniques if it ever happens again re: whether to keep trying a particular feeding session or when that is more stressful, it is never easy when they don't feed well 
.
.Edited by bexVN on Sunday 1st May 22:59
Ahh that's sad
I remember when our girl gave birth to her second litter, one came out not breathing and I was so upset, I sat for what felt like hours gently rubbing and hoping to coax it back to life. It's heartbreaking to see something so small and fragile go like that
Kudos to you for trying, you did what you could do. Even more Kudos for taking Pudding on and helping her and looking after her babies.
I remember when our girl gave birth to her second litter, one came out not breathing and I was so upset, I sat for what felt like hours gently rubbing and hoping to coax it back to life. It's heartbreaking to see something so small and fragile go like that
Kudos to you for trying, you did what you could do. Even more Kudos for taking Pudding on and helping her and looking after her babies.
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff