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Sickly litter of kittens w/ former feral mom
Well, I have a feeling I really can't do much to help, but just in case...
We are gradually taming and catching a feral cat colony in our backyard. Our latest "catch" is almost two years old and only warmed up to us just recently. She had a litter of kittens last July, only two of which we ever saw. I have no idea if there were more, because we didn't see the two until they were around six weeks old. We just last week coaxed her into our basement, along with one of her litter from last year. They've been actually very calm and not too crazy about trying to get out (unlike her two siblings we rescued last year who bounced off the walls!) So anyway, the mom cat was pregnant, and we believe they were conceived around March 20th because we had a strange male cat hanging around at that time. I wasn't expecting kittens for another week at least, partly because of the timing, and partly because she hasn't gotten very big. Today we came home to find her with two dead kittens, and one scrawny live one. By evening, she had another still born and another scrawny one. I haven't seen kittens born in years (I believe in neutering,) but these definitely appear underweight and maybe even underdeveloped. (Two of the dead kittens had no fur.) I have a feeling they won't make it, but they are crying a little and trying desperately to get milk. One of them did manage to suckle, but I couldn't really tell with the other. The mother doesn't seem as interested as she should. She shifts around and lays on them without noticing, and while she is curled around them, she doesn't seem to be prodding them to nurse or bathing them. She hasn't had another in several hours, and isn't acting upset, but her stomach still feels full. She is just laying there and purring. I have tried to feed the kittens with a little syringe and cat milk. They are eager to eat, but really don't seem to know how. One lapped a little off the syringe. Instinct tells me she is apathetic because she know they are going to die, but is there anything I can do to improve their chances? Also, even if we lose the kittens, I want to make sure the mother is okay. She is the sibling of two of our indoor rescues, and I have been trying to befriend her for two years. After I was able to sneakily pet her once, she caught on, and has been sweet ever since. Are there any warning signs I should look for? Thanks in advance, Mjoann |
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