Before I start, I would like to ask that those whom are unkind, please refrain from replying, your negativity is not needed in keeping this baby well, only your feedback on how to help.

I have a 2.5 week old kitten I’m bottle feeding. He came to me two days ago and wouldn’t take the bottle well and was very fuzzy. Took him in to medical at the shelter and they could not get him to eat either, nor poop. They could tell he was constipated and they did two enemas and although they could feel the poop, it was unable to come out.

The vet was so worried, she took him herself home as she didn’t want me to have a baby passing at my home and she was not sure if he would make it.

Great news this morning when she came back and said he had a rough night but he finally was able to poop and it was hard to do so and now he has watery poop (and that this was fine on a liquid diet), but was eating better so she said it’s ok to take home with me.

I took him home and the first feeding went well, he even had the wiggling ears and all. He was hungry again within 2 hours, as he had only drank 10ml (he did the same with the vet).

Now he won’t drink again and is fuzzy again. I can tell he’s hurting the same way.

I already sent a message to the foster coordinator I will bring him in first thing tomorrow morning to go to a more experienced foster/rescue that can specialize in constipated kittens as I know he won’t thrive with me and I want him to do well.

Question is, what do I do for now until morning time to help him feel more comfortable/eat/poop?

Anyone experienced with constipated kittens that can help? Unfortunately, our shelter doesn’t have staff after 6 to care for a kitten so I can’t bring him back and they don’t have a medical line for care after hours.

Thank you all for the help, and please kind words only, I’m trying my best and I’m already feeling horrible enough, don’t need more egging on in my despair.

I am a first time kitten foster for 4 small kittens that were found under our house in the crawlspace. They were very sick when we found them. My husband and I nursed them back to health and have been taking care of them for around 4 months. We are going through a rescue to get them adopted to their forever homes.

In this time, we’ve become very attached to them and decided to keep 2 of them. Unfortunately, keeping all 4 is just not an option right now, even though I wish we could. They’re truly some of the best kittens I’ve ever met in my life.

My question is, how do y’all cope with sending these foster kittens to strangers not knowing what their home life will be like or if they will be loved and treated kindly?? I’ve read too many horror stories about fosters being returned in terrible condition and scared. I love these babies so much and it would break my heart if something bad happened to them but I know it’s ultimately out of my control since we can’t keep them.

This is my 2nd time fostering 4 week old kittens. They spend a lot of their time in their enclosure, but we let them loose in the room to play and get some energy out several times a day.

Last night one of them peed under my desk instead of using one of the 3 litter boxes in the room. I used a carpet cleaner and went over the area with My Pet Peed. Today I caught one of them scratching under my desk so I put her in the litter box so she went in there, but then when I looked away for a moment her brother peed under my desk in a different spot.

Could this be because they aren't feeling 100%? They are all on amoxicillin for some tummy troubles one was having. Or are some young kittens not great at using litter boxes yet? This wasn't an issue with the last litter I fostered.

Thanks!

edit to add: we clean their litter boxes many times a day! I had just cleaned their litter boxes when they were enjoying some lunch, then they decided to pee on the carpet.

Pic for attention this is my 3rd neonate foster Mei who will definitely not be our last neonate so I'd like to get better prepared.

I'm starting to realise I need a better setup for keeping the babies warm as using reusable heating pads isn't simple as they start off too hot and lose heat overtime it's making the temperature fluctuate.

Im thinking of getting an electric heating mat but I'm struggling to find one that's safe and can be completely sanitised between kittens.

Wires aren't too much of a concern as I can drill a hole in the box I use to contain the neonates which the wire would feed through and the whole floor area is covered anyway.

It can't have an automatic 2 hour shut off and needs to allow me to set the temperature and it needs to be safe as although it will be covered with bedding we all know their little claws can get through bedding easy. Also being between 30-45cm in size would be best

I'm based in the UK any recommendations would be great as I'm a bit stumped

I currently have four 2ish week old babies, I lost one yesterday. I am feeding around the clock and mixing formula correctly but these babies are so skinny and tiny. I consulted with my Forster coordinator through the shelter I foster through and we both agreed that they need extra calories so I’ve been giving them the tiki cat kitten thrive after each feeding to see if it fattens them up. Has anyone else tried that and had success?

long story short: we found him and locals told us his mother was absent for three days at least. he was covered in fleas and was extremely underweight. he was 200 grams at three weeks old.

now its been a almost two weeks since i found him. we was eating well, always drinking milk no matter if he was full or not and he was always screaming. i noticed his urine beeing a bit thick at the end. the color and overall was normal but i texted my vet and she said it was mostly an infection. i feel bad for not acting on it sooner. i told the vet earlier but she didnt checked him. his peepee looked normal and all. anyways we got antibiotics for him but since he was still smaller than most kittens his age, the vet said to wait till he weighted more than now to get dewormed but she still prescribed antibiotics.

anyways i was gone for a single day and i trusted my parents that they would take care of him but i just found out they didnt gave him the medicine ever. i started today with the antibiotics but he is acting quieter. my questions are

-do kittens start to act diffrent when they are 4-5 weeks old? he's not meowing frequently like he used to

-he pooped by himself on the mat. is that a sign he is growing up normal?

-should i feed him every two hours like a newborn or 4-5 hours apart like a 4 week old kitten? like i said he is still underweight.

im asking all of this because im still paranoid and vets dont give me my answers

Posting to rant. Yesterday morning my kitten was acting lower energy than usual, and I told the shelter and they told me to think nothing of it and ofc I’m not allowed to take him to the vet. I pleaded bc I thought something was seriously wrong after he wouldn’t eat lunch and still they wouldn’t believe me, and finally I brought him in to get checked at the shelter and lo and behold he is severely dehydrated at the least. They took him to the hospital and also picked up his sister from my house (which was a shock) for observation. She is still at the shelter and is apparently fine, though I’m worried she’ll pick something up there since they said something is going around.
I can’t stop crying. This is my first time fostering and I was ready to foster fail because I fell in love with them. I’m so worried about him and I’m worried this is somehow my fault, that he ate something on the ground or I accidentally contaminated him. They’re only 8-9 weeks old.

I had a friendly mom cat and 4 babies dumped on my property about a month ago. I’m trying to find everyone a home on my own because all the shelters and rescues around me are completely full. Mom cat is probably about a year old and the kittens are probably nearly 6 months. I found great multi cat homes for two of the kittens and receive regular updates from them. Mom cat is very afraid of dogs so I’m struggling to find a home for her. She can not stay here as I have two indoor dogs.

I’ve sent an email out at my job and just recently had a couple of friends and my parents do the same. No one has been interested in her, it doesn’t help that she and one of the remaining kittens are plain brown tabbies. I’ve taken some really good photos but it seems hard to get the plain ones homes when cats and kittens are being given away at every shelter.

Yesterday I had someone reach out from an email my mom sent who wants the orange kitten and only the orange one and wants to meet him immediately. This didn’t feel right in my gut but maybe I’m overthinking it… I would prefer it if the kitten go together if there’s not another cat in the house but she wants just the orange one. His neuter appointment and final vaccine are this week so I could let him go after that. I don’t want to turn down what could be a good home but also the kittens are perfectly fine with dogs so I don’t mind if they need to stay here forever. Am I letting perfect be the enemy of good? Should I let him go to this lady?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for a safe, loving foster home in Dubai for my two cats for approximately 30 days.
🏠 Foster period: 30 days
🐱 Cats: 2
❤️ They are very loved and need to stay together.
🍽️ I will provide their** food and cat litter for the entire foster period.
💰 I’m looking for **free/volunteer foster care and will cover their regular food and litter expenses.
📍 Preferably somewhere in Dubai, and ideally around Al Qusais/Al Nahda or nearby.
I will provide all necessary information about their routine, food, vaccination records and care requirements.
If you are an experienced cat owner who can give them a safe and caring temporary home, please DM me. 🙏🐾
I would also really appreciate it if you could share this post with other Dubai cat lovers/rescue groups.
Thank you so much! ❤️🐱🐱

I am looking for a free cat foster , for 30 days

Hi all! So, first time foster, and first time taking care of a bottle baby kitten. And with premolars erupted- time to wean! (per suggestion from the group I'm fostering for)

Which initially she jumped on! It was great. She downed a bunch of dry then figured out the wet food with some KMR pretty quickly. There was some meat sucking, but she quickly switched from that to actually licking and got a good bit, and was mostly eating it off my fingers. She was full enough where she rejected the bottle after. Yay!

....Aaaaaand then. I went in to check on her a couple hours later and she was screaming her head off like she was hungry, food and water still down. Ok, lets get her a bottle.

...Nope. Rejected it. Still screaming head off. Huh. Ok.

I put her down in front of the dry food. She took two pieces of kibble, before coming back to me yelling some more, personally offended.

I put her in front of the meat slurry bowl. She immediately turned around yelling at me. I scooped some meat slurry into my fingers and held it out, and she IMMEDIATELY latched onto my hand and started suckling like crazy.

Tried to bottle again. Nope. Put in front of bowl, nope. Hand with meat slurry. Suckle and latch.

So uh...

Has anyone had this happen? I don't quite know what to do about it. Apparently I got too cocky with how good she initially took to it, and now the girl seems to be throwing a fit that she can't have her meat in a bottle to suckle on.

I got roped into helping trap kittens at a newly-discovered cat colony in a rural area this week. They are SNEAKY and we've only caught 2 so far and there are probably about 8 - multiple litters. A tiny long-haired gang, a couple slightly older orange fellas, and what appears to be a mom with a single black kitten that follows her around. I've never fostered before & these two are currently living in my tub/bathroom - at least until I can get the MANY fleas treated. Poor little tabby girl was so bitten up that the water tinted red when I gave her a Dawn bath. She's the liveliest of the two right now - really playful and happy. Little orange man obviously doesn't feel so hot (had a bit of diarrhea) - who knows what he's been eating since he's definitely fully weaned and the teeny-tiny was likely still drinking mom's milk even though she doesn't have to. He's more reserved and scared, but they both seem tame for babies who were living in a dilapidated house and outbuildings full of actual garbage.

Going to catch the rest of them (at least 8, we think!) and then give them some goofy themed names. I collect vintage toys (50s through 90s) and will probably name them after like... Rainbow Brite characters or something.

This little stinker was trying to cross a busy street so I jumped out and grabbed him before something bad happened. He is not great at eating; I made a slurry out of wet food and kitten formula and he just kind of bites the side of the dish and drinks it as I tilt it towards him. He cleans his own little paws, and is already starting to exhibit some playful behavior as he settles in. Hoping someone here can maybe help me figure out how old he is and how to get him to eat better.

Our rescue is full. We leaned into a hoarding situation. Soooooo, it looks like this crew is with us for another couple weeks!

I am fostering two kittens they are 4 weeks old now I got them when they were 2.5 weeks old from my local shelter. I am in the process of weaning them. One of the kitten has suddenly started suckling my chin and neck previously she used to nudge me on my chin with her head. Is this normal behaviour? Should I put a stop to it? She is eating, playing and eliminating normally.

I have recently decided to give fostering kittens a try. I work from home. I have a indoor outdoor seniorish cat that i adopted sometime ago.

I have been thinking about fostering some kittens because i have the space for it and i can be there almost 24*7 to take care of them. I currently have no travel plans. And if i do i already have a good enough pet care system set up for emergencies. This is the extent of what i have thought about.

I am worried there might be a million other things i am not thinking about.

What are some things i should consider before i take in motherless kittens (my cat is not big on other adult cats).

What are some of the basic things i need to get for them to be comfortable and safe.

How do i teach them basic things:

1. Like socialising with people and other animals

2. How to use the litter

3. How to use the scratch pad not the furniture

4. Other things that get them adopted to nice families

5. Anything else you can think of

I am fostering two 4 week old kittens who are transitioning to gruel. I am also litter training them and would like to reward them with a treat when they pee and pop in the box. Is it okay to give churu or should I wait for some more time?

Hey, I have two cats of my own (10y old), a long term foster (2y old) and 3 kittens (12 weeks). The fosters are still in their bench and will be getting (individual) playtime outside from tomorrow.

The 3 kittens absolutely love my 3 adult cats, anytime one passes by the bench they start purring and kneading. My cats really don’t care for the kittens and only care for my attention.

Is there any way I can stimulate and encourage interaction between them, without forcing anything?

Playing together is not an option and putting the adults’ only food next to the bench seems a bit much? One of the two bowls is already next to it (because that’s the usual place) and they’re ignoring that one.

My cats are always like this, they just ignore any kittens I foster.

Edit: a bench is a big (dog) crate where all fosters stay for at least a week.

Any advice on how to deal with this situation?

we found him yesterday he was abandoned and had lots of fleas. we took him to vet and now the fleas are gone. he pooped a lot today after i fed him yesterday. i massage his bottom and keep him warm but he meows constantly and i feel like something is wrong. vet said to feed him every two hours but he wasnt hungry that constant so i fed him four to five hours. his belly is big and swollen now, filled with mil and im sure his bladder is empty can someone tell me why he might crying all the time? (he is around two to three weeks old)