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I heard some kittens meowing yesterday and I went to investigate the source and found a litter of 4 kittens in a bush. I figured that their mom would come back so I let them be.

I checked on them several times between that time and this morning and still no mom in sight.

This morning, we decided to take them in, so we put them into a little box lined with a towel and put them in a bathroom.

I'm trying to bottle-feed them with KMR but they just aren't suckling. I watched videos on YouTube and they make it seem so effortless, but it's not.

I tried dipping my finger in KMR and letting them take it from my finger, but they're not taking it.

I tried sticking the nipple into their mouth and squeezing the bottle gently (so as to drop the liquid) but the kitten moves away from the nipple.

I really have no idea what to do. I know that the SPCA/pet shelter will euthanize the kittens if I surrender them there, and that's not what I want. I put an ad on CL but I'm not sure if I can get the kittens to them fast enough to be worthwhile. I guess here are my options:

  1. put them back in the bush in hopes that the mom will come back
  2. Continue trying to feed them
  3. surrender them to SPCA

Thanks for any input.

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  • What makes you so sure that the "SPCA/pet shelter will euthanize the kittens"? – James Jenkins♦ Sep 22 '14 at 11:28
  • I went to Pet Smart and they said that local policy is that kittens under a pound would be put down since they have so many. Other than that, I'm not so sure. It didn't help that they were not answering calls yesterday. – abustamam Sep 22 '14 at 17:30
  • I would not put to much faith in what you hear from an employee at a pet store about the policy of your local shelter. There are many variables, the two biggest are going to be number of kittens vs available resources (people and money). These can change daily, while I don't have any first hand knowledge about the current conditions at your local shelter, I would recommend talking to them about volunteer activities, clearly your care about kittens and are willing to help, if you care to spend the time you could save the lives of more than these four kittens this year – James Jenkins♦ Sep 22 '14 at 18:01
  • I would love to help these kittens but I am not in the position (time-wise) to help them at this moment. I was able to get in touch with a foster volunteer who would like to care for these kittens though. Thanks for your input! – abustamam Sep 22 '14 at 18:08
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    How much did they weigh when you first discovered them? – Geremia May 2 '17 at 21:15
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Rescues/shelters have folks experienced in bottle-feeding kittens. However, if you are willing to learn to bottle-feed, they may be willing to teach you, since they are always in need of fosters to take care of cats until homes can be found for them.

If you are willing to foster these cats and just need help with the bottle feeding, I would suggest looking for some local rescues (a shelter will not likely be staffed at this day/time if you're in the western hemisphere, and the kittens cannot wait until Monday morning). Call them and explain your situation and that you're willing to foster them, but that you're having problems feeding.

I've never bottle fed kittens, but hopefully someone who has will check the site tonight and can give some more advice on how to feed them.

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