I rescued 2 baby kittens. I am syringe feeding but don’t have a nipple for them. Any suggestions? Unfortunately the owner didn’t call for help until 8 pm tonight and I had to rush to the store to get KMR.
The black one is weak and may not make it. The owner said they haven’t been fed since 8 am this morning that she knows of.
I would go super slow pressing the syringe and feed them without the nipple. I’d use a little syringe, like a 3 cc so it doesn’t come out as fast and just go really slow.
I’m sure others will respond with better answers. I don’t have any personal experience with neonatal kittens.
Keep them warm but give them a place to get away from the heat if needed. Towels on a heating pad.
Jingles for the little ones!!!
I have no experience, but thank you for helping them!
The most important things are to keep them warm and to feed them frequently. If they are lethargic, again, make sure they’re warm and you can rub a drop of karo sugar or honey on their gums to get their blood sugar up (https://abandonedpetrescue.org/fading-kitten-syndrome/). Also, keep them clean and remember that they need help eliminating.
I like to bottle feed with the kitten on top of a heating pad (on low) with a washcloth draped over them to keep the warmth in. Personally, I find that they are at the perfect height for feeding comfortably if I lay the heating pad over their kennel with a towel on top of that, then set the kitten on their belly on the towel, then the washcloth draped over. I find that they eat better if they’re warm enough even while being fed. Oh, and clean off their faces with a warm wet washcloth after feeding - formula dries like glue.
Regarding syringe feeding, I find this to be the best nipple for that: https://miraclenipple.com/ (it’s sold on Amazon and other pet supply sites, too).
Good luck!
With Facebook’s help, I found someone with supplies and picked that up around midnight. Looks like we are set. So far the little black one that is weak seems to be doing okay. Looks like I won’t be getting much sleep. The healthier one cries non stop though. Even once fed.
I’m hoping I’m keeping them warm enough. It’s hard to tell.
How are you providing heat? Often, if they cry, it is because they’re not warm enough.
For the tiny babies, my initial setup is to keep them in a small pet carrier (cat or small dog size) with a heating pad under half of the carrier, so that they can move away or back to the heat as necessary. Be cautious with heating pads, of course - you can get heating pads specifically designed for pets. (I don’t recommend it but I use a regular heating pad without the auto shut-off; I’m very careful to make sure the kittens can get off of the pad if it gets too hot and that the crate is away from flammable stuff, just in case.)
I usually use cut-up fleece blankets for bedding (their claws grow quickly and will get caught in loops in towel fabric).
Glad the little black kitten is doing okay, and I hope they’re both healthy and start thriving quickly!
I put a space heater in the bathroom and have them on a heating pad. Any suggestions on keeping them in the nest (box)? One keeps climbing out.
Okay moved them to a higher box.
How old do you think they are? Kittens needs change pretty rapidly from one stage to the next.
If they’re very young (1-3 weeks) I find that it’s usually easiest to keep them warm in an enclosed space. A cat carrier with a towel over it that covers the door and some of the ventilation holes. Or maybe the box, but with a piece of towel-covered carboard over it that covers about three-quarters of the top (more or less, depending on the size of the box)? If I used a covered cardboard box, I’d also punch holes in the sides for some ventilation. But not too many - the idea is to create a warm den(but again, making sure that they have enough floor space to get off of the heating pad if they get too hot).
(Incidentally, I think it’s never too young to put a litter box with non-clumping litter in their carrier/box. I’ve been amazed at how early some of the kittens start using the litter pan. For the smallest kittens, I use the square cake tins that you can buy in the supermarket, then I gradually increase the cake tin size until they’re big enough to climb into a standard litter box. Their carrier/box needs to be big enough for the cake tin to fit in and still give them space to avoid the heating pad but it isn’t a problem if it’s sitting on part of the heated floor area.)
I start putting dry food in with the kittens at a pretty young age, too. They’ll start often playing with it and nibbling at it almost as soon as they have teeth. You’ll still have to go through the weaning process but sometimes I’ve gotten lucky and they’re eating both the dry food and their wet food relatively early.
Pics? 
They are probably 1 week? One has eyes open, the smaller weaker one does not. They are 3.6 ounces. I’m honestly surprised the black one made it through the night. The odds are definitely against them . Depending on exposure to viruses and infection, they still might not make it. But the strong one seems to eat well during feeding.
How often should they defecate? I’ve tried stimulating them without much success other than urination. Perhaps they don’t need to go yet?
They do need to go pretty often, but I don’t get too worried if they don’t poop at every feeding. My kittens have been just fine if they’ve only pooped once or twice a day, though it isn’t good if they go longer than 24 hours. At that point, you might want to add a drop of olive oil to the formula and possibly water it down slightly.
One caution about stimulating baby kittens - rubbing with wet fabric can/will lead to discomfort and rawness. A dab of Desitin can help keep them comfortable.
Lots of good information here: https://kittencoalition.org/resources/informational-sheets/
It has been a long time (1990) but I successfully hand-raised a day old kitten abandoned by her barn-cat mother (she still had an easily visible umbilical cord). She lived into her teens, but was never really sure if she was a cat or a human.
Under my vet’s instructions I used a milk jug filled with hot water to keep her warm. That is lower tech, but more work, than a heating pad.
Other than that, I can’t add much to what others have already said.
I just did this, so you’re getting great advice. At one week of age, remember, they need to eat every 2 hours, and clean them at that time. They will probably pee every time, but poop, maybe not.
To eliminate, I used Puffs Plus with lotion, and those pure cotton make-up remover pads. Even so, they still got diaper rash; I put some petroleum jelly-based diaper rash salve on them and that helped a lot.
To keep them warm - I put mine in a soft-sided travel crate, on top of a towel, and under that I had a heating pad set on the lowest setting. They also had a Hot Hands pack at one end of the crate they could snuggle up to if they got too cold.
If you find feeding with a syringe too hard (I can’t do it), use an eyedropper for now, until you get them on the bottle.
They are continuing to thrive. I reached out to the person who fostered my other cat Marvel when he was a baby. She said she can co-foster them. She has lots of experience with tiny kittens so I know they are in good hands. The black one is still weaker then I would like but does drink all her formula. I get them back on Monday. They have names now. Lucky and Charm.
I’m glad the black one is hanging in there and doing OK. Hopefully you and the co-foster person will get them through. Thanks for helping them!
Awe, that’s great news! You’ll be ready for sleep by Monday.
Wanted to say, Alex & Bodie’s Mom, you’re awesome too! People like the both of you make my heart happy. 
Just seconding miracle nipple, so much better than those bottle kits!
The black one unfortunately didn’t make it but the tabby is doing well. He or she is just approaching 240 grams in weight.
I’m sorry the little black one didn’t make it. 
I hope the tabby continues to do well.
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