Please speak to a vet when trying to hand raise orphaned kittens. Many of the suggestions she offers are counter to the things that many vets will tell you. You should also be certain that the kittens are truely orphans; cats may move their kittens from one place to another or be out finding food. Cats will also accept back kittens that have been handled by humans, so you can put them back with their siblings if they manage to get out while mom isn't around. If they are truely orphaned, then you should take them to the vet to be sure that they aren't dehydrated.
1. Placing a box or cat carrier partially on a heating pad will allow the orphans to move if they get too hot. Remember to clean out the box frequently.
2. There are bottles and nipples specifically designed for kittens. These allow the kitten to "nurse" more naturally and get the amount that they want with less risk of aspiration.
3. Don't make your own formula unless it is an emergency and you can't get to the vet or the pet store (late at night, snow storm). Raw eggs are just as dangerous for kittens as they are for people, and these recipes don't provide optimum nutrition.
4. Very small kittens SHOULD be fed every few hours to prevent dehydration. Whenever they wake up and act hungry, feed them. Would you limit your human infant to only eating three times per day? Their stomachs are not very big, hence the need for several feedings throughout the day. Kittens will also need to be gently burped after a feeding, same as you would a human infant: resting against your shoulder, pat or rub the kitten.
5. Wet cotton balls work well for stimulation. You shouldn't need more than one wash cloth or cotton ball to stimulate elimination, unless the kitten is improperly positioned and you have to clean off their legs. Wipe the food off the kittens after each feeding to prevent them from developing skin irritations and attracting flies to themselves and their environment.
6. Provide a litter box as soon as the kittens begin eliminating on their own. Pie plates or shallow plastic containers (like the tossable Ziploc containers) are perfect and can usually be placed with the kittens in their carrier.
7. Formula can be offered in a bowl as early as four weeks, but the kittens may spend more time playing in it than lapping it; have a wet washcloth handy. As the kittens get older, start mixing the formula with canned food or ground dry kitten food to make a slurry. As long as the kittens are growing and thriving, begin making the slurry thicker until the kittens are eating dry food by 8 weeks.
If you need help raising orphaned kittens, speak to a small animal vet or someone at the local animal shelter. Or try these web sites:
Sprinkle meat tenderizer on the food. Most vets agree that this is NOT due to a nutritional deficiency. Do a search on coprophagia and dogs. This is usually a behavior developed from living in an unclean environment (even if that environment was some time ago), being punished for eliminating in the house or pure boredom and experimentation. The dog believes that the stool itself is the reason for being punished, not the act of eliminating in the house, so he tries to clean it up to prevent getting punished. Walk the dog on a leash, praise him when he goes, then take him straight into the house. Don't give him the chance to eat any stool. If he makes a mess in the house, shoo him outside and quietly clean it up. Punishing him after the fact won't help with housetraining. Providing him with plenty of appropriate toys and exercise, along with a proper amount of quality food and the training and tenderizer will help him out of this habit. ... View related article.
It is a violation of state law in every state that requires rabies, for anyone other than a veterinarian to give the vaccine. In other states, it would not be recognized by the health department if your dog bit someone and s/he would have to be quarantined as if there had never been a vaccination. Rabies vaccines usually have to be given in the muscle in the thigh; if you don't do it right, you could hit the nerve and paralyze your pet. When giving any vaccine yourself, there may be a diagram to show you where, but will you always remember to draw back before the injection to ensure that you don't inject air into a blood vessel? And when you give the vaccine, since you only get one needle, you will be injecting your pet using a dull needle. Then what do you do with the needle to make sure that no-one gets hurt with it? Can you be totally sure that you are mixing the vaccine right? Even pets that have been given the vaccine from the same company before can develop a severe allergic response and die. What would you do if your pet went into shock from reacting to the vaccination? Save money by skipping your morning coffee, protect your pets very life, and have a veterinarian see your pet yearly. If you want to be frugal, go to PetSmart or PetCo or another vaccination clinic. You'll be able to save money and protect you pet at the same time. ... View related article.
Don't ever use clumping or clay cat litter for rabbits!!! The dust can cause severe upper respiratory infection, and rabbits have to eat a special stool that they produce. If they are sitting in the litter box when they eat the stool, they may consume some of the litter and end up with a blockage that may kill them. Rabbits also shouldn't be placed in enclosures with wire bottoms, they are very bad for their feet, they can actually break their own back if their toe gets caught in between the wires (pet stores sell tham because they make money, not because they are the best thing). Birch or aspen shavings are fine, as are litters made from recycled paper. We use wood stove pellets for our own and our foster rabbits. Less than $5 (US) for a 40 pound bag and it lasts quite a while. Great for compost too, it just breaks down to sawdust. Go to www.rabbit.org for the best information on how to live with a pet rabbit. ... View related article.
Please don't thump kitty in the nose, especially when she is already worked up, you may end up getting bit when she learns that hands aren't always nice. Squirt bottles only work when you are right there, they don't teach the cat not to be aggressive, just not to do it when you are there.
You don't say if all of the cats are spayed/neutered and how long they have lived together or if the problem has always existed between these two cats. The first thing to do is a trip to the vet to make sure that the oldest cat is healthy. What you see as fear of the other cat may be discomfort from any number of conditions. Cats are very good at hiding pain, and the other cat may sense that your oldest is unwell. If the cat is healthy and everyone is spayed/neutered, then you have to think if the problem has always existed. If these two cats have never gotten along, then it may be simply a personality conflict; just like people, animals don't always like everyone that they meet. If the conflict is something new, when did it start? Did the older cat go to the vet and therefore smell different when he came home? Did it start when the new kitten came home, changing the dynamic? Sometimes one event can cause a friendship to crumble. If there was a frienship, it can be rebuilt. If they have lived together a long time and never gotten along, you may need to separate them or possibly find one a new home. If they have only been together a short time, you can help them build a positive relationship.
1. Baths work well. Each cat will smell like the other and will be more worried about getting dry than the other cat. They may even move to mutual grooming.
2. A dab of canned food on top of each cat's head may distract enough to encourage mutual grooming.
3. In extreme cases, you may need to start with each cat in a different room. After a few days, switch rooms. Then a few days later, one cat roams the house while the other stays in the room. A few more days and switch again. Once the anxiety has been reduced a little in this fashion, each cats gets placed in a plastic carrier on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Place a blanket and some of their favorite canned food in there with them and leave them for 15 to 30 minutes, then put them back in their rooms (note: this works best if you have trained your cat to enjoy the carrier and they are both hungry). Next day, move the carriers closer. Don't try to rush any of these steps, if the older cat gets anxious, move back to where he felt safe (even back to both cats in separate rooms). When the carriers can be placed face to face and touching without any fear or aggression, start again on opposite sides of the room, feeding the cats their special treats outside of the carrier. Each day, move a little closer, then put them back in their own rooms. Eventually they may eat from the same plate. This training may take months, be patient if you are committed to keeping them both and keeping them happy.
4. Plenty of play and interaction for both cats, alone and when the other is in the room. Try not to show any favoritism, but let them know they are loved.
5. Plenty of litter boxes (three cats should have at least four litter boxes) and one litter box on each level of the house. Plenty of hiding places and window perches.
Good luck. Feel free to contact me if this isn't totally clear.
Not all herbal remedies are beneficial either (belladonna anyone?). Garlic is toxic to cats (it causes anemia), cedar should never be used near rabbits or other small pets (long term exposure causes irreparable liver and kidney damage) and there are questions about the safety of d-limonine. Keep up on grooming and vacuuming; sweep Borax into the carpet a few hours before vacuuming (don't use salt, it absorbs moisture which may rot your carpet or encourage mildew growth). Any pet shampoo will drown the fleas, they just don't leave a residue to prevent new fleas from taking up residence. When you give your pet a bath, put a "collar" of soap around the neck before you get your pet wet to prevent the fleas from gathering on the head. Plant marigolds, chrysanthemums and fennel in your yard as natural flea barriers, and try to eliminate moist warm places (piles of leaves). Products that use pyrethrins come from specific chrysanthemums and are generally safe. Beware of acidifying your cat's water supply, this can change the acidity of the urine and lead to bladder stones. If you want to go all natural, speak to a homeopathic vet before trying some concoction at home. ... View related article.
Wood stove pellets also work well for small animal bedding and as litter box filler for rabbits. Usually less than $5 for a 40 pound bag. Great for compost too, it just breaks down to saw dust when wet. I've found that some small animals are more prone to eating the paper than the wood stove pellets, not the best for their digestive system. ... View related article.
Hundreds of animals suffer from vaccination reactions every year, ranging from fever and pain at the vaccination site to anaphylactic shock and death. Even animals that have never had a reaction before, may suffer one this time. Cats can also get vaccination site sarcoma, a malignant form of cancer. The vet does more than just give the vaccine, they also make sure that there are no other problems (physical or behavioral) that need to be attended to. If you want to save money on vaccinations, look for a vaccination clinic that will provide them inexpensively (along with an exam). Or at the very least, have the vet do a general health exam, then give the vaccines at home that same day. If you can't afford a vet visit, what are you going to do if the pet becomes sick or injured? How do you know if your pet is over weight? How would you know if they start to develop dental, vision or heart problems before it is too late? I have seen dogs who had such bad teeth that their jaw was broken and no-one knew!! If you have dogs, you can't get a prescription for heartworm preventative without the vet doing a test. Save money by measuring and feeding a high quality food (less food per feeding means the bag lasts longer, and less "junk" in the food means fewer health problems). Find out how to groom and trim your pet yourself if they need specific grooming. Set aside a couple dollars every week just for yearly vaccinations. A vet that sees your pet even just once a year will have a relationship with you and your pet and a complete medical history if anything happens. Proof of vaccination by a veterinarian is required for boarding, going to most dog parks, or traveling through many states.
The diagram in the package may explain how to mix the vaccine and where to give it, but will you be totally sure that you are doing it right? Can you be certain that the vaccine is mixed correctly? Will you always remember to draw back on the plunger to be sure that you don't inject any air into a blood vessel?
There has, however, been a lot of research showing that vaccinations aren't needed every year, and your pet may not need all of the vaccines that your vet is trying to sell you. Cats that live stricktly indoors may be able to get away with boosters every other year (just in case they escape), most dogs don't need Lyme vaccinations, etc. Ask your vet directly about this. Vaccination manufacturers recommend yearly vaccinations mostly to make money, and most vets follow those recommendations to protect themselves from lawsuits if your pet develops a disease. Lastly, research has proven that people who don't take their pets to the vet, are the group most likely to dump their pet at the animal shelter. ... View related article.
Good article about the dangers of leaving your pet in the car, but the picture of a dog with it's head out the car window is also a big no-no. Many dogs are injured or killed every year when they are struck by debris or fall from a moving vehicle. Same thing for riding in the bed of a truck. If you must take your pet traveling with you, treat them like the rest of the family and make sure that they can't move about (or be thrown about) the vehicle. Many pet carriers can be buckled in (similar to buckling in a carseat) and there are special dog harnesses that buckle in as well. Help prevent traffic accidents by keeping your pet safely in the back seat, not standing in your lap (potentially blocking your view or distracting you from traffic) or interfering with the use of the brake pedal. They really will survive much better waiting at home for you instead of being left in the car while you run errands. Are the few extra minutes you spend with them on the way to the store really worth the risk to their lives and the heartache if they die from heatstroke or a car accident? ... View related article.
