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  #1  
Old October 7th, 2007, 01:08 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Hi folks

Hello All,
I just joined this forum after stumbling across it while trying to find out the best way of cleaning a 4-6 week old kitten who is without it's Mum ( she died ). I rescued 2 brothers one of which is white with grey spots. He is a very messy eater and ends up with food all over his face. They came back to me yesterday after a few days at an animal rescue centre where they were treated for a really bad worm infestation but his face and neck is so dirty and crusty and I have tried unsuccessfully to clean him with soft damp cloths. Any suggestions would be gratefully received. I'm not sure if I should be posting this here on in another part of the forum so please forgive my ignorance. Thanks in advance for any tips.
Sue :-)
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  #2  
Old October 7th, 2007, 02:09 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Hi, Suecav! Welcome to the board.

Since I know nothing about kitten care, I decided to just say "hi" here and leave your other thread to the experts! Sounds like you have your hands full with your new additions!

When you get a moment, if you have any pictures to post of your furbabies, we'd be very appreciative! We looooove pet pictures!
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Old October 7th, 2007, 04:15 PM
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Suecav,when my white kitty gets poop left behind in his fur,I wait until it dries and then brush it out.
Maybe you could try that on the kitten,very carefully of course.
Yes,we LOVE kitten-pics,even if they are dirty
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Old October 7th, 2007, 06:58 PM
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Hi,
When my little Manx was that tiny, he used to have a horrible time with the litter getting stuck to his little butt. I'd moisten the area with a wet rag but it would pull too much. I finally tucked him under my arm and put his backside under some warmish running water until it loosened up enough to wipe off without chafing him too much. After a few times of this I got smart and changed the style of litter.

I know you can't hold his head under water, but maybe just close enough to get it wet; or a sink sprayer if you have one - they're a bit less forceful than a shower sprayer.

Sounds like an adorable little one. Best of luck with him!
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Ben - Black Lab mix, 12 years
Chip - Australian Shepherd/Collie mix, 10 years
Charlie - Golden/Lab mix, 2 years
Roscoe - PittyPoo mix, 20 months
Honey Bear - Manx, 6 months
Buddy & Ebony, & Lil Bear, waiting patiently at the Rainbow Bridge
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  #5  
Old October 8th, 2007, 02:58 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
Hi, Suecav! Welcome to the board.

Since I know nothing about kitten care, I decided to just say "hi" here and leave your other thread to the experts! Sounds like you have your hands full with your new additions!

When you get a moment, if you have any pictures to post of your furbabies, we'd be very appreciative! We looooove pet pictures!
Hi,
Not sure whether to reply to all of you in one post or individually so I'm going to do it individually as in another forum I belong to.
Thanks for stopping by even if just to say Hi. It's nice to get a warm welcome :-) Yes, I do have my hands full but it's getting easier by the day and I have 3 kids ranging in age from 12 to 19 and they are all so good with the kittens. Of course all the messy jobs are left to Mum :-)
I would love to post some pics for you all. How does that work on this forum? Do I copy/paste the IMG code from Photobucket?
Sue.
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  #6  
Old October 8th, 2007, 03:28 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chico2 View Post
Suecav,when my white kitty gets poop left behind in his fur,I wait until it dries and then brush it out.
Maybe you could try that on the kitten,very carefully of course.
Yes,we LOVE kitten-pics,even if they are dirty

Hi Chico,

His butt and feet aren't really the problem. The main problem was his face. He has such a tiny face and trying to clean him while avoiding his eyes was hard but he is slowly cleaning up a bit. The brown stain from the cat food is still there but hopefully this should fade as he becomes a less enthusiastic eater right?
I will try and post a pic here as I would do on another forum and see if it works .....


Hey! It worked :-) This pic was taken 10 days ago, the day after their mother died so they don't look too bad. I couldn't take them until a week ago as I had to make arrangements for my old epileptic cat to be put to sleep. He was deteriorating as a quite rapid rate despite 2 different meds and as I was having THE chat with my youngest 2 about him my eldest came through the door with these kittens. It was like fate. Well I wished I had taken them sooner because by the time they came to me a week ago they were in a dreadful state....cold, starving and caked in their own mess. There were 2 other siblings and with the benefit of hindsight and if I'd had the facilities I have now ( a proper cage big enough to accomodate but with small enough bars that they can't escape through ) I would have considered taking them too, even if only temporarily. The thing is I was a bit ( okay, a lot ) of a state on that Monday as my old cat had been put to sleep and buried in the garden the same day these 2 half dead kitties arrived. I rang around cat friendly friends but no-one would take them :sad: After a sleepless night with the kittens escaping from their first crate and producing diarrhea every hour or so I started ringing around animal rescue places to see if anyone could take the other 2 kittens. I found a lady from Cat Action Trust who said she would take all 4 (mine included) and get them seen by a vet because the diarrhea was probably worms, and she'd take care of them until they were around 8weeks and then return my 2 to me. Well we were too late for the other 2. They were both dead by that morning :sad: but I take comfort in the fact that mine would have been dead too if I hadn't had them when I did. As a side note I reported the owner of these kittens, who were left in a cold conservatory on their own overnight, to the RSPCA for neglect. This woman used to be a friend of mine and she has a history of this kind of thing. She also has at least 3 other unspayed female cats living there. My eldest daughter and her daughter are best friends having grown up together which is how we came by the kittens in the first place. Well anyway, after a few days at the Cat Action Trust the lady there said she was quite happy for me to have them home. The weaker one (the white one again) had been knocked sideways by the worm meds but was on the way up again and now he is absolutely fine. They both still have a touch of diarhhea which I am keeping a close eye on and they need to go back to the vet in about 10 days for a further worm treatment.
Well I've gone on a bit here haven't I? Just thought you all might like to know some background :-)
Have a lovely day,
Sue.
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  #7  
Old October 8th, 2007, 03:37 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roscoe's Mom View Post
Hi,
When my little Manx was that tiny, he used to have a horrible time with the litter getting stuck to his little butt. I'd moisten the area with a wet rag but it would pull too much. I finally tucked him under my arm and put his backside under some warmish running water until it loosened up enough to wipe off without chafing him too much. After a few times of this I got smart and changed the style of litter.

I know you can't hold his head under water, but maybe just close enough to get it wet; or a sink sprayer if you have one - they're a bit less forceful than a shower sprayer.

Sounds like an adorable little one. Best of luck with him!
Hi SuzyQ,
Thanks for the response :-) He is actually cleaning up quite well now. Most of the crustiness is gone through damp ragging and brushing through and all that remains now is the unsightly brown stain from him shoving his whole face (and half his body, lol) in his food bowl. He is adorable, they both are, especially when they snuggle up against my skin under my t-shirt :-)
As a side note my name on another forum is SuzieQ :-)
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Old October 8th, 2007, 09:47 AM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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The picture worked great, Suecav! Cute kittens! They look very affectionate.

Sorry for the loss of your old kitty. :sad: It's always so hard.

Sounds like it's been a rough go. I hope everything is smooth sailing from here on out!
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"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

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  #9  
Old October 8th, 2007, 11:02 AM
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Roscoe's Mom Roscoe's Mom is offline
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From one SuzyQ to another SuzieQ! )

The babies are precious; just precious! And so sorry for your loss of your older kitty; it is so hard to make that decision. And glad you have not beat yourself up over the loss of the other two kittens - after all, it would have been all four if not for your intervention. I lost Honey Bear's little brother when he was very tiny; it wasn't my fault, but I still grieve for him, and so I just give Honey Bear double snuggles to make up for the ones Lil Bear can't get.

Keep posting those pics - it will be fun watching them grow up!
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SuzyQ
Owned by:
Ben - Black Lab mix, 12 years
Chip - Australian Shepherd/Collie mix, 10 years
Charlie - Golden/Lab mix, 2 years
Roscoe - PittyPoo mix, 20 months
Honey Bear - Manx, 6 months
Buddy & Ebony, & Lil Bear, waiting patiently at the Rainbow Bridge
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"A great place to just sit and let your soul ease back in..."
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  #10  
Old October 8th, 2007, 02:15 PM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
The picture worked great, Suecav! Cute kittens! They look very affectionate.

Sorry for the loss of your old kitty. :sad: It's always so hard.

Sounds like it's been a rough go. I hope everything is smooth sailing from here on out!
Oh they are SO affectionate and SO playful and I'm such a worrywart I keep thinking they will hurt each other with their play fighting. They really go for it biting and clawing.
It has been a rough week, a very rough week. Here's a pic of my old kitty Mr. Chips or Chippy as we called him. We adopted him about 6 years ago and he developed epilepsy 18 months ago we think as a result of a brain tumour tho that was never confirmed officially. It was very difficult making the decision to let him go. I kept backing out for a long time but it got to the point where he was having episodes every day even on increased meds. The kittens came along at just the right time and gave me the push I needed. Even tho they are running me ragged I still miss Chippy every single day tho :sad: and see his grave whenever I look out of the kitchen window.



Thanks for your kind words Hazel :-)
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Old October 8th, 2007, 02:28 PM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roscoe's Mom View Post
From one SuzyQ to another SuzieQ! )

The babies are precious; just precious! And so sorry for your loss of your older kitty; it is so hard to make that decision. And glad you have not beat yourself up over the loss of the other two kittens - after all, it would have been all four if not for your intervention. I lost Honey Bear's little brother when he was very tiny; it wasn't my fault, but I still grieve for him, and so I just give Honey Bear double snuggles to make up for the ones Lil Bear can't get.

Keep posting those pics - it will be fun watching them grow up!
Thanks for your kind words over the loss of Mr Chips. It was on the cards for such a long time but that doesn't make it any easier does it?
I was heartbroken at the senseless and preventable loss of the other 2 kittens but tried not to dwell on it too much. There was so much else going on and I needed time to grieve for my old boy too.
I'm sorry you lost a little kitty. Your Honey Bear is lucky to have you giving him double portions of snugs
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Old October 8th, 2007, 07:37 PM
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Roscoe's Mom Roscoe's Mom is offline
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No, our losses are never easy, whether sudden or expected. Mr. Chip was certainly a nice looking kitty and bet he's made lots of friends at the Bridge! Thanks for posting his pix! And be sure to send in more of the babies when you have 2 seconds to spare! LOL!
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Owned by:
Ben - Black Lab mix, 12 years
Chip - Australian Shepherd/Collie mix, 10 years
Charlie - Golden/Lab mix, 2 years
Roscoe - PittyPoo mix, 20 months
Honey Bear - Manx, 6 months
Buddy & Ebony, & Lil Bear, waiting patiently at the Rainbow Bridge
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"A great place to just sit and let your soul ease back in..."
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  #13  
Old October 9th, 2007, 11:41 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Originally Posted by Roscoe's Mom View Post
No, our losses are never easy, whether sudden or expected. Mr. Chip was certainly a nice looking kitty and bet he's made lots of friends at the Bridge! Thanks for posting his pix! And be sure to send in more of the babies when you have 2 seconds to spare! LOL!
Yes, he had a wonderful temperament too. He used to snuggle in under my arm when I was on the computer like in this pic with my son.....




Here's Paolo face first in his dinner ....






and here's Oscar having a nap ....


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Old October 9th, 2007, 03:55 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Awww those kittens
Mr Chips is smiling down on you for rescuing these little lives
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Old October 10th, 2007, 12:12 PM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Originally Posted by chico2 View Post
Awww those kittens
Mr Chips is smiling down on you for rescuing these little lives
Oh I hope so Chico

More pics cos I know you all love them as much as I love showing them

This pic shows Paolo's crusty face although it isn't so bad now. I had a good go at it earlier and he's looking much better



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Old October 10th, 2007, 03:39 PM
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Sigh...they are just too sweet and I am sure as they get a little bigger,no more messy faces
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Old October 10th, 2007, 04:07 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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He sure was a messy little guy! And he sure did seem to enjoy his first meal with you!

Great pictures, Suecav!

Mr Chips looks like he knows exactly what he's looking at on that computer screen! He was a beautiful cat!

Mr Chips
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Old October 11th, 2007, 07:59 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
He sure was a messy little guy! And he sure did seem to enjoy his first meal with you!

Great pictures, Suecav!

Mr Chips looks like he knows exactly what he's looking at on that computer screen! He was a beautiful cat!

Mr Chips
He enjoys every meal He can't walk past his food bowl without having a munch. A breeder friend told me about an evaporated milk, egg and butter concoction which her sphinx and siamese kittens loved so I made that earlier and it was a great success. Both kitties are now sleeping it off
Mr Chips would sit for hours tucked under my arm when I was on the computer just purring away quite happily. I miss his presence there but I'm sure one or both of these kitties will be happy to fill the gap when they are older. There are both very people friendly and love lots of cuddles and kisses
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Old October 29th, 2007, 08:58 AM
Suecav Suecav is offline
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Here's a little update for you kind folks that helped me with some tips. Paolo is now a very clean kitty apart from a little yellow staining of his fur which I'm sure will fade with time. Here is a pic of his sweet little face



And here is his brother Oscar



The vet put an age of 8weeks on them last week but said that size wise they are a little stunted. They will be having their first vaccinations later this week and I will enquire about microchipping while I'm there as I don't want them wearing collars.

Thanks again to all who answered when I had a very mucky kitten to clean up
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Old October 30th, 2007, 07:07 AM
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I am sure it will be clear sailing from now on,no more messy kittens...they are just adorable
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