[ia7medde]

I found these 2 kittens this afternoon under a car covered in dust and millions of fleas, and the car was about to walk over them. That neighborhood I found them in is really bad, for humans before animals, and their mother wasn't around so I decided I will foster them.
I did wait for an hour waiting for mama cat to show up but she didn't, and by how they looked I figured they were abandoned.
This is my first experience, let alone with this very young age, I think they are 14 days old.

I took them straight to a vet who was clearly ignorant since he advised that I feed them "dry food" (they barely open their eyes) but I wanted him to clean them because they were looking terrible and I'm too afraid to clean these kittens myself.
I took them home with a kitten formula and started cleaning them again when I found that vet was one of the most incompetent person I've ever met since they were still covered in fleas. The fleas was all over their eyes and mouths, they utterly refused to even taste the formula and I'm sure they didn't eat the whole day and maybe more than a day. I freaked out (after trying to clean and feed them for an hour) and decided to go for another vet.
The other vet advised to keep them warm, and cleaned them again (they still have fleas but less than before) and said when they regulate their temperature they will eat.
Up until now they are refusing to eat, by holding them they seem to be warm. I wrapped them in a towel and tried to force the milk drops to their mouths but they kept looking away from the milk.
They are a sleep all the time and barely make any sound.
The other vet said if they didn't eat after they regulate their temperature try to look for a mother cat and she will look after them. I don't know any mother cats here but I know there are a lot of female ferals in my street that I feed everyday.

I'm very exhausted and mentally devastated to see two little kittens that way and I can't help, and if they died I can't imagine how the rest of my year will be depressing.
Please, if you know any advice please comment and tell me what to do. I do not trust these vets around me and I'm not a kitten expert. All I needed is just help them.
Should I let the kittens in front of the house hoping for a mother cat to adopt them and feed them in case they kept refusing the kitten formula?
They are asleep all the time. They don't make much noises unless they are held. They don't eat. They were cleaned 3 times and still have fleas.
Please share your experience.
I feel guilty for taking them home to be honest with you. I thought I was a better shot for them.

 

[Kiki's Mom]

I have no advice but your post made my eyes water and i admire you for helping these kittens and for being smart enough to realize they needed yet a 2nd vet trip. OH my goodness what was that first vet thinking? Thank goodness you were smarter than that first vet!!

It sounds like you are doing everything right--keeping them warm and trying to get them to take a drop of milk, but hopefully, someone smarter than me will be by soon to help you. And do keep pulling some fleas off as you can. Poor babies.

If you wanted to sit outdoors near where you found the kittens while still holding the kittens to keep them warm and continuing your efforts to feed them
and Watch for the mom cat to come by, that "might" be okay,,(?) and maybe play youtube sounds of baby kittens calling their mothers? to try to lure the mom back over?
but i can not imagine just setting these helpless, medically fragile babies outdoors alone on their own. That seems risky. I would not get too much hope up for the mom's return though...

YOu might be able to google "cat rescues near me" and find if there is an organization near you to help you out? As i have heard, getting up every few hours
all day and night long
to give baby kittens feedings is part of the deal... such an organization might know of a nursing momcat that might allow 2 more...i don't know.
You are good person to help these babies. Hope someone smarter than me shows up soon to help you.

 

[MistWolf]

Go to YouTube and look up Kitten Lady. She does a lot of rescues of kittens abandoned by their mother.

 

[ia7medde]

Go to YouTube and look up Kitten Lady. She does a lot of rescues of kittens abandoned by their mother.

Thank you. I've seen bunch of videos of her and she stresses that when kittens are not eating you should to go to the vet because it's usually serious issue, which is the problem here.
You have reliable vets in the US but that's not the case in other countries especially mine. I have gone to 2 different vets and by their advices and reading their faces I know they were confused and just giving me general info, they weren't cheap either.

The best advice I got on this is to find any mother cat that would accept to feed them. I'm in the process of trying to find that cat but I'm not sure I will succeed. I don't know what should I do in case I didn't find any mama cat to accept them and feed them.

I feel extremely guilty about the following; when they weren't eating a thing until the dawn (for about 11 hours) I've read that newborn kittens can't go this long without eating and they are going to die.
I put them in a box with blankets and warm bottle of water and kept them outside the house hoping for a feral female passing by to see them, adopts them and feeds them (there is a lot of feral here, i know that for a fact because I interact daily with them).

One of the neighbors saw them in the afternoon, took them home, tried to feed them (with failure) and called me. She later knew I'm the one who left them out. I took them home again with me.

Updates since I wrote this post:
1 kitten has SLIGHTLY, BARELY accepted to have some kitten formula. I think about 5 ml or less the past 6 hours. They just don't want to take the milk and keep pushing it away as much as they can, I'm kinda forcing them to drink it.
S/he is a bit more active than yesterday. Trying to get out of the box and meowing for some time, and weirdly licking the box.

The other kittsn is tearing me. S/he doesn't look more active than its sibling. Barely eating (about 2-3 ml today) and looks so weak.
They are both pooping after feeding but the weak kitten pooped a solid poop and later water poop while the other one only water. I'm not sure if this means anything.

 

[ia7medde]

View attachment 130324

 

[MistWolf]

If your vet cannot help you, you must become mama to them. A feral cat will not come along and take care of them. You have to do that. Kitten Lady has videos that talk about how to be a mama to abandoned kittens- how to feed, stimulate them through grooming e.t.c.

You are their only hope of survival. They're very fragile and you can only do your best.