Bringing up Bottle Babies
Bringing up Bottle Babies Orphans. Few words can evoke such a universally strong emotion. Unfortunately for feral cats or domesticated pets left on the streets by inconvenienced families, sometimes abandoning a litter is a matter of life and death— literally. It’s not always a choice that such a mother gets to make for herself or her kittens. So what of the children, you ask? A fortunate few are picked up by passers-by and make their way into the shelters and rescues. But this is far from the end of their struggles; and it is just the beginning of a long haul for the brave foster parent who is willing to become encumbered with a litter whose little team members may last a day, a week, or even months before succumbing to the challenges of life outside of their mother’s warmth. Foster mother Shelley Mayfield knows the ins and outs of this rough endeavor well. “Well, not much thought is given to them, unless you are a bottle baby foster mom associated with a shelter or rescue program… Dedication is required, for the long haul, and also the strength to let them go when it’s time. Like any mother, we become attached. “ Shelley has held the post for many orphans; from Clover, Dexter, Conan, Haro, Jack, Sherry, Daniel, Max, Ruby, Bixby and Molly; to tiny Bea, Ariel, Chance, and Devan. For the brave few who take on the task of fostering these lives that hang on by the mere thread of a warm touch and committed human, the decision to foster bottle babies is no decision at all. Without a foster parent, they have zero chance of survival. Some kittens come to their human caretakers with their eyes and ears open, but the majority have yet to see the world around them. They live, learn, and blossom by the touch and smell of their surroundings. This means that 24-hour care, grooming, feeding, and nurturing to mimic a natural mother’s attention is required to keep them alive and growing. Many of these tiny tots are too young, weak, or sick to suckle. This means they must be tube-fed, which can be harrowing and frequently unsuccessful. Often they are lost despite the rescue effort.
Kitten Fact: Kittens open their eyes at 9-14 days old. Their ears open at around two weeks.
Once they gain their strength, they graduate to syringe, and then to bottle. Just as a normal feline mother grooms her babies, each charge requires frequent massage and handling to help their small digestive systems function properly.
Shelley knows the emotional commitment, joys, and struggles of bringing up these little tykes very well. Her recent batch of bottle babies came in the form of four beautiful kittens: Chance, Devan, Ariel, and Bea.
Kitten Fact: Over the course of 5 weeks, the average bottle baby will drink 3 liters of milk replacement formula before they are weaned. They will use 1000 baby wipes each for grooming and elimination. And that’s to say nothing of the amount of laundry to be done!
With loving care and many hours of attention, these bottle babies were fed, soothed, and dutifully cared for. But along with Jack, Sherry, Daniel, Conan, and many others, some bottle babies often come with just one small paw in between this world and the next. For fragile neonates such as Bea, sometimes the best a foster mother can do is simply ensure that they don’t spend their few short days out in the cold. Through her dutiful updates to the rest of the rescue team, on September 29, 2013, Shelley broke the latest news on her little bundle of bottle babies and in no uncertain terms communicated just exactly what a foster mother means to an orphan. “Nestled on my chest, in a mound of warm blankets, at 7:07 am Bea crossed the rainbow bridge. I can’t help but think she is running off to find her mommy. I am certain in the 8 days she was with us that she knew love lived here.” After Bea’s departure, the team held strong. But then suddenly at a lengthy 19 days later, Devan also showed signs of slipping away. Bottle babies can be touch-and-go at a moment’s notice, and Devan was no exception. Within three hours’ time he had become limp and lethargic, needing constant monitoring, special attention, and of course no shortage of fretting from his doting foster mom. After much care and a trip to the vet, Devan stabilized and began again to grow healthfully along with his siblings. Kittens who are without a feline mother and the nutrition her milk provides may experience enlarged kidneys, ‘fading kitten’ syndrome, and other physical insults that can take them down within hours. For this little man, luck prevailed and he began again to thrive.
Kitten Fact: Kittens without their mother’s milk may experience ailments that affect their major organs such as their liver and kidneys.
Fortunately just as some must be let go, many are also saved and grow up to be healthy and happy balls of affection that go on to forever homes and live long and well-loved lives. For Chance, Devan, and Ariel, the future looks as bright as their playful blue eyes, and the work of fostering orphans has paid off in full with the gift of three new leases on life.
Kitten Fact: Two sleeping kittens are better than one.
Kitten Fact: Two sleeping kittens are better than one.
In San Diego, kitten ‘season’ is a misnomer, as it never ends. And therefore, orphans are a recurring part of this unyielding cycle. This means that help is always in short supply for these precious, fragile souls left to fend for themselves in a world that is not prepared to hold them gently, feed them delicately, and dedicate to them the love that was—for whatever unfortunate reason—unjustly stolen from them. There are more than enough homes, resources, and loving hearts to take in these infant whiskered kittens left behind. Foster mothers like Shelley have no additional resources that surpass any other passers-by on the street. She has only tasked herself to answer the following questions and has found those answers to be—undeniably— yes.
Do I have the room in my big heart to help a small living being firmly plant its tiny feet and thrive? Can I make a temporary commitment to bring a small, fading life into a permanent existence? Can I volunteer at my local shelter or rescue and donate my time, supplies, skills, or dollars to help?
Participating in rescues, shelters, and other efforts can be daunting at first glance. Many are afraid that it will be too emotionally draining, too time-consuming, too expensive, or too large of a commitment. But the truth is that
giving anything is a good thing, and no one is ever judged for putting forth whatever they feel they can. There is only room in the rescue community for gratitude and teamwork. It’s the only currency that these networks can run on; it’s what keeps their efforts afloat.
Kitten Fact: Orphaned kittens gain expert practice in learning the value of teamwork.
Until the way we breed, care for, and value our pets as a society changes, the urgent need to help them remains the same. Contact a local rescue animal today. If you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, donate. If you can’t donate, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, spread the word and share. As Shelley says, “We can’t do everything, but we do everything we can.”
Kitten Fact: Kittens open their eyes at 9-14 days old. Their ears open at around two weeks.
Once they gain their strength, they graduate to syringe, and then to bottle. Just as a normal feline mother grooms her babies, each charge requires frequent massage and handling to help their small digestive systems function properly.
Shelley knows the emotional commitment, joys, and struggles of bringing up these little tykes very well. Her recent batch of bottle babies came in the form of four beautiful kittens: Chance, Devan, Ariel, and Bea.
Kitten Fact: Over the course of 5 weeks, the average bottle baby will drink 3 liters of milk replacement formula before they are weaned. They will use 1000 baby wipes each for grooming and elimination. And that’s to say nothing of the amount of laundry to be done!
With loving care and many hours of attention, these bottle babies were fed, soothed, and dutifully cared for. But along with Jack, Sherry, Daniel, Conan, and many others, some bottle babies often come with just one small paw in between this world and the next. For fragile neonates such as Bea, sometimes the best a foster mother can do is simply ensure that they don’t spend their few short days out in the cold. Through her dutiful updates to the rest of the rescue team, on September 29, 2013, Shelley broke the latest news on her little bundle of bottle babies and in no uncertain terms communicated just exactly what a foster mother means to an orphan. “Nestled on my chest, in a mound of warm blankets, at 7:07 am Bea crossed the rainbow bridge. I can’t help but think she is running off to find her mommy. I am certain in the 8 days she was with us that she knew love lived here.” After Bea’s departure, the team held strong. But then suddenly at a lengthy 19 days later, Devan also showed signs of slipping away. Bottle babies can be touch-and-go at a moment’s notice, and Devan was no exception. Within three hours’ time he had become limp and lethargic, needing constant monitoring, special attention, and of course no shortage of fretting from his doting foster mom. After much care and a trip to the vet, Devan stabilized and began again to grow healthfully along with his siblings. Kittens who are without a feline mother and the nutrition her milk provides may experience enlarged kidneys, ‘fading kitten’ syndrome, and other physical insults that can take them down within hours. For this little man, luck prevailed and he began again to thrive.
Kitten Fact: Kittens without their mother’s milk may experience ailments that affect their major organs such as their liver and kidneys.
Fortunately just as some must be let go, many are also saved and grow up to be healthy and happy balls of affection that go on to forever homes and live long and well-loved lives. For Chance, Devan, and Ariel, the future looks as bright as their playful blue eyes, and the work of fostering orphans has paid off in full with the gift of three new leases on life.
Kitten Fact: Two sleeping kittens are better than one.
Kitten Fact: Two sleeping kittens are better than one.
In San Diego, kitten ‘season’ is a misnomer, as it never ends. And therefore, orphans are a recurring part of this unyielding cycle. This means that help is always in short supply for these precious, fragile souls left to fend for themselves in a world that is not prepared to hold them gently, feed them delicately, and dedicate to them the love that was—for whatever unfortunate reason—unjustly stolen from them. There are more than enough homes, resources, and loving hearts to take in these infant whiskered kittens left behind. Foster mothers like Shelley have no additional resources that surpass any other passers-by on the street. She has only tasked herself to answer the following questions and has found those answers to be—undeniably— yes.
Do I have the room in my big heart to help a small living being firmly plant its tiny feet and thrive? Can I make a temporary commitment to bring a small, fading life into a permanent existence? Can I volunteer at my local shelter or rescue and donate my time, supplies, skills, or dollars to help?
Participating in rescues, shelters, and other efforts can be daunting at first glance. Many are afraid that it will be too emotionally draining, too time-consuming, too expensive, or too large of a commitment. But the truth is that
giving anything is a good thing, and no one is ever judged for putting forth whatever they feel they can. There is only room in the rescue community for gratitude and teamwork. It’s the only currency that these networks can run on; it’s what keeps their efforts afloat.
Kitten Fact: Orphaned kittens gain expert practice in learning the value of teamwork.
Until the way we breed, care for, and value our pets as a society changes, the urgent need to help them remains the same. Contact a local rescue animal today. If you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, donate. If you can’t donate, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, spread the word and share. As Shelley says, “We can’t do everything, but we do everything we can.”
