These four kittens were in dire straits when we got them. Cold to the touch with bladders on the verge of bursting. Someone (we don’t know who and ultimately, it doesn’t matter) had tried to feed these newborns cow’s milk…kittens aren’t cows and their nutritional requirements are different.
They also fed them said cow’s milk that morning and then…nothing all day, so they were starving.
The Vet Techs got them warmed up but hadn’t tried feeding them when they came into our care. We were told upfront that none of them were likely to survive the night and if the worst happened, not to blame ourselves – they had just gone too long without proper care.
Jennifer and I were up all night, watching these babies like a hawk. They were incredibly mobile for kittens that didn’t even have their eyes open and every time we tried to feed them the first night, they went BERSERK, attacking the bottle, frantic to get the KMR (Kitten Replacement Milk) inside.
After 3 feedings, they finally calmed down, realizing that the bottles wouldn’t stop coming. As much as they wanted to eat – they’d get it. Even if we had to feed them in four or five little rounds, a sip at a time.
They got warm, they got full bellies, we got their urinary tracts functioning and by the next morning – we still had four kittens. All credit goes to the Vet techs! Without their help getting them back on their feet before we got them, it’s doubtful they would have lived.
Day by day, we watched them grow stronger and by the morning they left us for their freedom ride, tiny Ozzy (the run) and Dipstick (named for the bit of white on his otherwise black tail) both had an eye open, with Clem (orange) and Blue (grey) not far behind.
