This is the story of a very special little kitten, Laila. Her angel, Julie, found her abandoned, a premature newborn. With her love and devotion, help from vets and orphaned kitten experts, and a lot of vibes and prayers from TCS members, Laila not only survived, but thrived. This is the beginning of her journey. Unfortunately, the rest of the journey, all of the poopie dances and amazing triumphs of will of both Laila and Julie, were lost in the great TCS crash of December 2004.
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She's
taking about 2ml per feed? Drop some youghurt - a blob about the size
of a match head - into 5ml in her bottle. The easiest way to do this is
to take a clean toothpick, scoop up the yoghurt with the blunt end of
the toothpick and tap it on the top of the bottle so it drops in. Shake
well.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
i'm still not sure she's ok. her belly is really big. it's pear shaped,
but big. looks swollen. she hasn't had a BM since the vet. i'm trying
to stimulate her using my finger, as you've suggested. i see that she
likes it more, but nothing is happening. i'm sure there is still a lot
that needs to come out.
otherwise she's fine. she's calmed down a lot. She's eating normally. even wants more than i'm giving her. should i be worried?
i've been corresponding with Jeri from www.safehavenforcats.com
since the first day i've found the baby. she suggested that, if she
doesn't have a BM in 24 hours, to take her to the vet for another
enema. do you agree with her?
Also, i would like to thank you all for your help and support. It means
so much to me and the little one. Thanks, from all my heart!
Jeri
is a very good contact to have. If you're woried, certainly take her
off to the vet. If it were me, I would wait another 24 hours just to
see if things settle down. If her bottom isn't sore or raw, go back to
using the cotton ball to stimulate her, as the extra little bit of
roughness may help her to have a BM. You said she wants more formula
than you're giving her. It's safe to let her have as much as she wants
at the moment. As I said in my e-mail, let her suckle until she spits
the nipple out. It's a good sign that she's eager to feed and otherwise
well.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
Tania, can you help me figure out how many days premature is she?
i'm not sure of her actual weight on the 1st day because i was using an
old kitchen scale that's not very accurate. she was about 65 grams.
the 3rd day in, i bought a digital scale, and she was 67 grams.
today is her 10th day with me, and she is 80 grams. (she gained the
extra 13g in the last 2days). her fur has grown in a lot. except for
the chest.
Reading
your description of her in your first post, I would estimate her to be
about 10 days prem, so it would be her Birthday today.
Congratulations, little one.
It might be time to give her a name. Have a look at this thread,it might give you some ideas as to a sweet name for her.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
Excellent
names! I love Laila. Did you have a look at the 'Sexing your kitten'
link on kitten-rescue? That might be of some help but with preemies,
it's often difficult to tell until they are a little older.
And yes, this little one is a real fighter. Sending health and growth vibes.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
Those
names are lovely and I love the name Atlas! Seeing you have dogs, and
if they're healthy and flea and worm free, sometimes they'll lick and
snuggle with kittens. Tread carefully and supervise closely, but you
could give it a try.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
I
can't trust Mila with a small kitten because she was a street dog.
Luka, on the other hand, is very well trained and very gentle, but also
really big and he's TOO playful. He might hurt her accidentally. I know
that once Laila gets a little bigger, it won't be a problem. He loves
cats.
Laila still hasn't had a BM, since the enema. I am taking her to the
vet again for another one. Otherwise she's fine. She eats well, sleeps
all the time, and is getting really spoiled. She doesn't like it when I
put her in the nest anymore. She cries until I pick her up, and falls
asleep as soon as I put her next to my heart. She’s been purring for a
few days now, and the purrs are starting to get stronger. Short purrs
but nice and loud.
I don't know why she can't have a BM. I've tried all the suggestions
everyone's given me, but nothing. Do you think, perhaps, that she can't
digest the formula I'm giving her? Should I change the formula? There
is only one brand that they sell here, and if I have to switch it'll
have to be a homemade one. What do you think?
No,
I don't think it's the formula. I suspect that her digestive system
hadn't finished developing when she was born, so it doesn't know how to
process food properly or have a good peristaltic (wave-like) motion to
move the food through. Perhaps have the vet teach you how to do an
enema, so you don't have to take her to the vet every time. Get him/her
to show you how in detail and how often you need to do it. If you have
any doubts or are not confident, continue to take her to the vet for
her enemas. I think this will resolve once her digestive system kicks
in.
__________________ Tania
-----------------------------------------
"When you believe there is no love in the world,
just gaze into the eyes of the cat in your lap."
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