Health Care

                                            

FELINES are fragile and sensitive to disease and infections. This is particularly true for kittens that did not get any milk from their mother. During the first few days after the birth, the mother-cat secrets a special condensed milk called colostrum. The colostrum contains vital antibodies that provide the kitten with passive immunity to many different kinds of disease. Without the colostrum, kittens are more susceptible to disease. In some areas you can obtain colostrum from your vet or the larger pet food chains.

It is important to keep your kitten isolated from other pets and people until he is older. Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling your kitten. His bedding material will also become soiled and wet and should be changed frequently. Avoid handling your kitten too roughly and if you have younger children, keep them from handling the newcomer if at all possible.

All items used for feeding your kitten must be washed in hot, soapy water, rinsed well and then sterilized by immersing in boiling water. This does not apply to the feeding syringes; simply rinsing them out with hot water right after feeding, and storing in an airtight container helps keep away the germs. Using dishwashing soap will corrode the rubber inside and make feeding virtually impossible after a few washes. Do not boil these plastic syringes as they will melt quickly. Keep all your supplies together in one place so you can find them easily. ( I store mine in a shoebox in the refrigerator). When you wake up at 1:00 a.m. / 4:00 a.m and 7:00 a.m. for a feedings, it is nice to know that your items needed are right on hand. Simply run hot water over the syringes and bottles to warm up the items prior to use

Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) is a common illness in orphaned kittens, mainly because they did not receive the all-important colostrum they needed from mother-cat. Also, depending on how long they were exposed to the elements, they could have become chilled and now their nose may be plugged up, or you will see tell-tale bubbles coming from their nostrils and they could be in some distress. A blocked nose means the kitten can't smell their food and if they can't smell, they may not eat. Kittens with URI need vet intervention and the proper medication to help them over it. URI's are very contagious so expect if one kitten has it, the rest will soon follow suit.

You can take the kitten into the bathroom with you, place him in a secure location and turn on the hot water until steam fills the room to help break up the mucous in his nose and lungs. You can also use saline drops in the kitten's nose to clear it, but first check with your vet and do not use any human medications on kittens. Adding one drop of Grapefruit Seed Extract to their formula will help as well.

When a kitten has diarrhea or vomiting, your first priority is to take him to the vet. The loss of body fluids at a rapid rate will dehydrate your kitten quickly and he could die. Both of these symptoms can be part of a larger health concern and a vet should be sought promptly for guidance and proper medication. If your kitten's bottom becomes sore and red, a small amount of olive oil on the cleaned area will soothe it without an adverse reaction, or your vet will prescribe an ointment called Panalog. You can give your kitten some canned pumpkin in their formula or food to help make formed stool. If there is blood in the stool, this is always a sign of a health issue. Coccidia and Giardia are sadly common illnesses in health compromised kittens.

Constipation

If your kitten has not passed a stool in 24 hours, you can dilute his formula or add 2 drops of vegetable oil to his bottle. Alternatively, you can give him a little dab (about the size of a match head) of Laxatone. If he does not pass a stool in 48 hours, take your kitten to a vet. Never attempt to give a kitten an enema and never give anything like store bought Fleets enema to your kitten. The phosphorus inside is deadly for cats. Your vet can help you with the problem of constipation best.

When a kitten has diarrhea or vomiting, your first priority is to take him to the vet. The loss of body fluids at a rapid rate will dehydrate your kitten quickly and he could die. Both of these symptoms can be part of a larger health concern and a vet should be sought promptly for guidance and proper medication. If your kitten's bottom becomes sore and red, a small amount of olive oil on the cleaned area will soothe it without an adverse reaction, or your vet will prescribe an ointment called Panalog. You can give your kitten some canned pumpkin in their formula or food to help make formed stool. If there is blood in the stool, this is always a sign of a health issue. Coccidia and Giardia are sadly common illnesses in health compromised kittens.

In kittens younger than about two weeks, it is often difficult to tell their sex. Even competent rescuers and vets can be fooled! A female kitten will have what looks like an upside-down exclamation mark, whereas a male will look more like a colon. Also, the male's urinary opening is lower than the female's and he will also have a little lump between his anus and this opening. This will later become his testicles. Another way to tell is gently squeeze the urinary opening. If the tip of the penis appears, there's your answer!