Now, to prepare the hot water gloves....
Surgical gloves.
Here is a piece.
Fill them with water, tie them securely. Make sure there are no leaks.
Winnie had brought these water-proof bags, which are really useful!
Winnie used plastic bags and poured hot water inside, which is also an option. These are double-layered - Winnie put the plastic bags into another plastic as added measures in case of leaking. The plastic bags are secured with rubberbands first, then rafia strings. I doubt it can get more secured than this. Then, she placed three layers of soft cloth on top of these.
I've put my hot gloves inside the water-proof bag now, so I'll put them into the carrier in a little while. They are still very hot now. Should there be any tear, you would notice it within 10-15 minutes, so it pays to observe carefully if there is a leak or a tear.
Earlier on...while the blueys were sleeping....
Cleo visits...
What's all these things....she wonders. Well, she had never needed these because Pole looked after her and her two brothers.
She even peeped from the side...it was so cute!
Cleo decides to go out.
Cleo went out, and Tiger came in...
Tiger stayed for half an hour, or more...
I think Cow doesn't know yet...or does he?
Cleo decides she'll sleep on the piano since the room is "occupied" by the little new ones.
Bunny sulks in a corner...did he tear up some paper too?
I rang our panel vets and they don't have Pets Own Milk anymore. It's out of stock. So I contacted a friend who was previously hand-feeding puppies. He has two packs left and he'll give them to me tomorrow. Coincidentally, this is the very friend who has vast experience in looking after animals and he was the one who taught me how to hand-raise Cow, Bunny and Pole five years back. I told him about Bagheera, possibly being the neglected one (by the mum) and he said from his experience, these neglected babies normally will not make it. Sigh...never mind. I'll do the best I can. I also called Winnie and she said Baloo and Bagheera were found inside a drain. Poor things.... After Winnie had picked them up and put them inside a box, the mum came by to look but didn't want to feed them at all.
The vets used to tell me that while it is true that being with the mother (or a foster-mother) is the best for tiny kittens, sometimes, if the mother is not responsible, they may be better off with a human.
I learnt a hard lesson with Babykit. Someone offered his mother-cat, we brought Babykit over for just one night, and the next day, we took Babykit back because things did not look good at all. Babykit passed away after that.
So, sometimes, we have to play by ear and do the needful...ourselves.
Must have been all tired out from the car ride.
Shh...quietly open the door and put the hot water bag inside...
There...it's covered with a cloth.
Warm up the milk now...with a hot water bath.
Oh, they're awake....
Bagheera on top of Baloo (the bigger one).
Bagheera...looking much better now.
Fed both. Bagheera had to be coaxed...managed to feed him 0.5ml. Baloo...no issues with milk. He drank quite a bit. I used a smaller syringe this time.
Nice straw-coloured urine.
I think Bagheera needs a lot of warmth. A monk once taught me that if all else fails, hold the animal close to your heart. Your body warmth and the sound of your heartbeat can be very comforting and reassuring.
They love sitting on my lap.
And they want to play, too.
This is Bagheera. He's active now...phew!
They want to explore a bit.
We don't like the carrier...we want to come out!
Tiger has migrated out to the living room. How magnanimous of our feline Gandhi.
My son, Jia-Wen, brings Bunny in to visit.
Just a quick courtesy hello, and off he runs.
More later...
3 comments:
Bagheera... reminds me of Tazmania a kitten one of my friends found when he was a tiny 5 day old. None of them could take care of him so i took him in. Black kitten somemore but luckily, my parents were ok with it. Took him to the vet and got instructions on how to care for kittens. I normally use a heating bag. Taz was a good boy, neglected by his mom too. So when i read the part that your friend says normally kitten that gets neglected doesn't make it. I do hope that little one makes it though. I have pictures of little taz too and got a tattoo of him on my ankle when he passed away 4 months later. The medical bills weekly were high but i didnt mind. Only the final stage of TIV, yes Taz had cat aids. I had to pay RM149 per day and that i didnt mind though i was already feeling the pinch. I think Taz knew it too, he slept by my bed one day and the next morning, he passed away, the same day i was suppose to take him to the clinic. He was one good boy that you can take to Starbucks, he would sit by your ice blended coffee and behave himself. It is sad that TIV was discovered after he was 4 months old, just wish it was done earlier, perhaps... is there a cure? Anyway I wish the little ones grow up into a handsome and pretty cat one day.
The plastic bags tied up with raffia strings are no good, water can still leak out, wet the kittens and give them a chill. You need to use rubber bands, then put each plastic bag of very warm water into another plastic bag and tie up again with rubber band for double protection against leakage.
Better to then roll and wrap the plastic bags of very warm water together in a thick towel and place in the carrier. The thick towel will prevent to close contact with the heat from the water and distributes the heat better, which at the same time prevents the water from getting cold too quickly especially if in an air con room. The towel softness provides the kittens with the comforting feel of their missing mum's warm furry body.
Good luck!
Thank you very much, Anon. Winnie's plastic bags are double-layered, ie. she put the plastic bag of water into another plastic bag, then it is put into the water-proof tote bag and on top of that, are three layers of soft towels. She used rubberbands first, then the rafia strings, which you may not have noticed in the photograph. I untied everything and found rubberbands underneath. You advice is duly noted and much appreciated. Thank you very much.
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