Litter of kittens found..paging experts please!

[Cailleach]

Whilst out and about this afternoon I have found a litter of six kittens in a clump of ivy in the garden of a derelict house.

I estimate them to be about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks old. Their eyes are all open and they look in good shape, other than being totally filthy and riddled with fleas.

Being the soft stupid sod devoted cat lover I am I sat in the garden for three hours at a discreet distance from the nest and waited for the mother to return. Nada. So I packed them into my rucksack, brought them home via the vet (who kindly checked them over), gave them a bath (they were black-bright and stank of urine) and settled them in a box with a hot water bottle / towel.

I have kitten formula from the vet and have fed them about 3-4ml each from a syringe. They all fed well and promptly piddled all over me, which was encouraging, if a bit grim-smelling.

I know to feed them about that much every two hours, to rub their bellies to stimulate their bowels, to keep them warm etc etc. Is there anything else I need to do?

Yours, in anticipation of precious little sleep over the next few weeks,

C
x

Well folks, I'm down to two kittens now: TheOne and SoftKitty turned up today and took Minx, Harvey and Angus away...

But seriously, they seem very nice people and I'm so pleased that three of the little nibblers have found homes with fellow Mumsnetters.

Managed to get lots of goodbye photos of the kittens, including some good shots of Fudge, even, who being black is a nightmare to photograph! You can find those here:

Kittens - The Finale

Thank you - to Cozie in particular - for all messages of support and advice which have really helped during a pretty hectic two months.

I will update the thread one more time, when Fudge goes to her new home.

Now: does anyone want a little black kitten?!

xxx

C

Dear Goodness. How could anyone not just adore Fudge.

Not looking.

Cailleach they are all still so lovely. Poor Fudgie! Is there a chance that you might be able to keep her as a playmate for Ivy?

Fudge is completely fab: I'm not just saying this because I'm her mum, either. She's cheeky and hilarious and likes to give you kisses (and love-nibbles.)

She has just kicked BigFatPatchyCailleachCat out of her bed...!

Timtam we are pushing it keeping Ivy tbh... three cats in a tiny terrace is a bit much, four IS too much!

Oh, they are so gorgeous. It must do your heart good to see how they've thrived because of your tlc! Thank goodness you were out and about the day you found them.

Bet the house seems much quieter now .....

Fwiw, I vote Fudge should stay - Ivy needs a partner in crime

Oops - sorry, posted without seeing your reply to timtam

I feel your pain Cailleach, I would love to say I'd have Ivy but we also have a tiny terrace and took in a very young stray kitten a few months ago (for a few weeks we were running at 3 cats too but the oldest one then died which was upsetting but did give us some breathing space)
Good luck with finding a forever home for Fudge

What a sight of terrible loveliness! You have done such an amazing job, each tiny treasure is beyond adorable.

Thank you Cory and Jane; and yes, all is a little quieter now, plus the litter tray cleaning has reduced somewhat! I miss them though...

timtam so sorry to hear about your cat :( Good of you to take on the little stray, not everyone would..

Sparkling oh go on, you know you want to!

Fudge is beautiful. I'd love another cat but mine would harm her.

I'm still waiting for all the photos to load.

You'll weep when you see them.

Thank you so much Cailleach for doing such an amazing job with all the kittens. I left Angus sitting curled up on my mum's knee earlier this afternoon and will catch up with him in the next day or so. Harvey is settling in nicely here - as soon as we got home he had a good sniff around then went straight to use his litter tray. He's since had a play, a lovely long sleep in his bed, some food, and is now having another play with DS. He's already part of the family. .

Soft - I was so concerned this morning when he left - he's so little and I was worried he'd be scared and miss his siblings and me.

Obviously not! That's cats for you, they know when they have landed on their paws

Angus is the big scaredy cat of the group, so I hope he'll be OK. I think your Mum is going to spoil him rotten isn't she? She looked pretty smitten with him from the word go!

Lovely to meet you and your DS and DM today. Thanks so much for giving the boys lovely new homes.

x
C

You really did do an unbelievable job, Cailleach

Minx snuggled down in the carrier & slept all the way home (2 hours!) & then as soon as we were here she came straight out & started playing, full of confidence, purring almost immediately. She has eaten half a pouch but hasn't used her tray yet

We all love her to bits & are so grateful to you for the way you raised them. Thank you

Hoping sweet Fudge finds her forever home soon!

Yay! TheOne I am sooo glad she's ok! She is such a lovely, confident little cat; she will give you years of fun, I'm sure :) Has she met the big cats yet? She was very good with my two...

Don't forget to put the loo seats down though 'cos she can't half jump!

We haven't done a formal introduction yet - maybe tomorrow...

Loo seats all firmly down & everybody told

I know - I do witter on, Over-Protective Mummy Mode is still on I'm afraid!

Love to Minx,

x

C

You are the best cats' mummy in the world! I can't believe how calm & gentle & loving she is

She is scoffing masses of food too & using her tray - she is a very well-raised young lady!

Absolutely. When you think that they were found in a bush, riddled and dirty with fleas? Cailleach saved those lives.

TheOne oh I'm so glad that she's settling in OK! I did worry...but then she's quite an outgoing little soul, not much fazes her!

They have had a LOT of handling from several people so they should be well socialised - if she can survive our house then I'm sure she'll be fine in life

Cozie I don't think they'd have made it to be honest... I'm glad I took them on.

Oh I would love a little black kitten, I love them all, being a mad cat lady but black kittens are my favourites..... tiny panthers with huge eyes set off brilliantly by the darkness of their fur.

I had my old black boy from when he was a month old (mum slipped out of house and was run over which was why such a young adoption) until his death at 19 last summer and he was the most beautiful cat in the world.

Sadly I am unemployed at the moment so cannot adopt. Not for want of wanting though.

Cailleach you did an amazing job rescuing and nurturing that litter!

Sorry to hear about your cat, Buns. I am also unemployed at the moment so can relate :(

Let me know if your situation changes though!

x

C