PAWS Foster Intermediate Skills

and Bottle-Feeders Workshop28 April 2019 4 May 2019

PAWS Grays Ferry Clinic PAWS Northeast Clinic

Who is here?

Staff (Adoptions, Foster, Medical)

Current/Previous PAWS Foster Parents

Hospice foster parents

Kitten Relay foster parents

Community Members! Welcome!

Foster parents with other rescues

Prospective foster parents

Staff Members!

PAC GrantGFGFGF

Overview of this session:

Review basic knowledge related to

fostering sick animals/kittens

Workshop format with our vet techs and

staff members

Learn intermediate skills like giving fluids,

identifying dehydration, or syringe feeding.

Learn about the special needs of bottle-

feeding kittens

After the presentation…

Staff will be around the last 30 minutes to

answer any and all questions, or just to say hi!

Sign up sheet for electronic copies of this

presentation

Fostering applications also available!

Knowledge SkillsFostering basics

How to encourage a sick cat to eat (kittens vs adults)

Soft stool, parasites, and fecal samples

What is a fostering emergency?

Hospice fostering

What is fostering with

PAWS?

Donation of your time, love, and resources to help sick or scared animals, and open up cage space in the shelter so we can save another life

PAWS is a no-kill shelter; we can only take animals when a space opens up

High adoption turnover, high senior and medical population

Two parts:

1. Getting them medically cleared for adoption (spay/neuter, surgery recovery, long or short term medical issues)

2. Getting them adopted (promotion with PAWS, answering adopter questions, meeting adopters, sending them to their new home!)

Foster parents can do both, or just one part, depending on your preference.

We recommend first timers complete both to get the full experience

What is fostering with

PAWS?

What do you provide?

Disposables (cat litter, cat food)

Basics (litter box, scoops, cat carrier, beds, bowls)

Travel to and from our clinic and adoption centers

Photos and a bio for adoption!

What does PAWS provide?

Medical treatment for FREE! Including vaccines, dewormers, and flea treatment

Any donated supplies we may have from the public (litter boxes, cat carriers, bowls)

Let’s dive right in with a special

population: sick cats!

How to Encourage a Sick Cat to Eat

Bottle-Feeding Kittens

Can gently “force” them to eat with staff OK

not more than a few drops at a time to prevent choking

baby kittens do not have the ability to vomit at this age

Try different bottle temperatures

Still test on your wrist to prevent burning hot or freezing cold!

Humidifier

Can try weaning if appropriate age

A/D food or KMR slurry if appropriate

Pedialyte mix-in if appropriate

Try different latching techniques or different bottle nipples

Licking off a clean spoon or finger

Weaned Kittens / Adults

Should not be force fed, unless directed by staff

Variety of foods, both wet and dry

Wet food + water + 5-7 seconds in the microwave

“Stinky” foods like Tiki Cat, BFF, or Meowmix

A/D food or KMR mix-in if appropriate

Steam from humidifier or shower

Social eater

Look for signs of nausea, as we have medications that can help

Licking lips/salivating, but not eating

Spoon-feeding

Tiny bit of food/Nutrical on gums/tongue

Human baby food

HEADS UP!

The next three slides contain pictures of actual stool, worms, and parasites

How to Discuss Stool with Vet Staff

Video

**Always take a clear photo of strange vomit or stool!**Email to your foster coordinator. We may ask for a fecal sample

Tapeworms

Giardia and Coccidia parasites as seen under microscopes

What Is an Emergency?

Consult your Foster Manual for symptoms of

illness to identify the level of urgency:

1. Non-urgent, but requires attention (ex:

worms in stool, nails are too long)

2. Urgent, but Stable (ex: the beginning of a

URI, conjunctivitis; still eating normally)

3. Urgent, not Stable (ex: not eating for 24

hours, vomiting once or twice, constant

diarrhea (stool 7), mouth ulcers)

4. Rapidly declining/at risk for death (ex:

lethargic, unable to hold up their head,

seizures, pale gums)

Come to walk-in hours for #1

Email your foster coordinator and copy your

closest clinic for #2 and #3

Contact the emergency phone for #4

Tongue ulcers from calici virus (below) exemplify ‘urgent, not stable’

Pale gums especially can indicate a ‘risk of death’ emergency

BEFORE Contacting the Emergency Phone….

1. Is this a “Fading Kitten”? If yes, follow Fading Kitten Protocol

FIRST to stabilize the kitten at a crucial time, before calling

the phone.

“Fading kittens” are those that display: extreme lethargy, low

body temp, pale gums, breathing issues, painful cries

IMMEDIATELY:

1. Get them WARM (external heat source with towel, don’t unwrap)

2. Get their BLOOD SUGAR up (NutriCal, Karo)

3. THEN call us (don’t rush to a vet or call before stabilizing)

2. Is there threat of death or is a bone broken?

(A reminder worms are not an emergency ☺ Always take photo!)

If My Foster Animal Has a

True Emergency

Contact the PAWS Foster Emergency Phone

A reminder this service is for PAWS foster animals only, not

resident animals or other rescues’ animals

Emergencies only (please leave a voicemail or

send a text)

Grays Ferry - 267-258-8510

Grant Ave - 215-617-3669

Neonatal (bottle-feeding) kittens should use the Grant

Ave emergency phone

Danica (hospice cat who was adopted, above) and Loretta (beautiful senior kitty, below)

What is a Hospice

Animal? A hospice animal is one who

will pass away sooner then

their average life expectancy,

usually due to medical illness.

A hospice foster parent is an exceptionally brave foster

parent who takes a hospice

animal into their home so they

do not have to spend their last

moments in a cage at the

shelter.

Lauren Campagnini

Does PAWS have

hospice animals? Yes! Because…

We have a large population of older animals as a no-kill shelter

PAWS focuses on medical cases

Some seemingly healthy animals can become hospice animals

Kittens can have congenital issues or can ‘fail to thrive’, regardless of how much love and care we give

Any animal can develop cancer, kidney disease, or heart problems

Medical and hospice fostering is very important work, and PAWS takes great pride in having a foster program that supports these missions.

Lauren Campagnini

Physical SkillsSigns of Illness (ears, eyes, nose, mouth/breathing, change in behavior, litter box straining)

Checking for dehydration

How to give fluids

Signs of Illness

Physical skill

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Mouth/Breathing

Gum Color

Lethargy

Change in behavior

Litter Box Straining

Checking for

Dehydration

Physical skill

How to Give Fluids

Physical skill

Kitten-Specific Skills(SKILL) Kitten daily full body scan

(SKILL) How to bottle-feed / syringe feed

What supplies you will need

Charting Kitten Growth (food, weight, day-to-day)

Vaccination Schedule and Combo Test

Common Kitten Issues

Kitten Daily Full Body

Scan

Kitten-Specific Skill

How to Bottle-feed /

Syringe feed

Kitten-Specific Skill

What Supplies You’ll Need for Bottle-

Feeding Kittens

Kitten formula like KMR (once open it needs to go in the fridge and it's only good for about a month- but you will go through it QUICKLY)

Heating pads or snuggle disks (in addition to drinking so frequently, tiny babes can't regulate their body temperature and must stay warm. Not boiling hot, but nice and toasty

A small easy-to-transport soft carrier that can fit said heating implements

Standard bottle feeding supplies- a couple bottles, lots of nipples, lots of kits come with a little bottle scrubber

https://www.henryspets.com/miracle-nipple/ was highly recommended by the Kitten Lady

Some syringes without needles- 1ml, 3ml, 5ml as needed (in case you want to try syringe vs bottle)

Some kind of container to keep them in. small is okay, most people use a plastic tub

A food scale if you have one or can borrow/find a cheap one- VERY useful, since kittens weigh in grams and fluctuate slightly here and there; their weight will register better on standard vet/small animal scales closer to a month old

Kitten Age

Chart, with photosCourtesy of “The Kitten

Lady”

Charting

Kitten Growth

Kitten-Specific Skill

PAWS Kitten Relay

It is a lot of ask of one person

to feed a kitten every few

hours for 6 weeks…

…PAWS Kitten Relay!

Katrin Ferge, coordinator

Foster parents take turns bottle-feeding

kittens

Saves time-stamped and fragile lives that

would otherwise be lost

PAWS offers daycare and medical care

drop-offs at our clinic locations

Weaning bottle-

feeders

Litter box usage around 3-4 weeks of age

Baby teeth will emerge around 4-5 weeks

Introduce slurry (kitten pate wet food mixed with formula)

Slightly larger nipple opening

Syringes if they are shredding the nipples

“Graduation” at 6-7 weeks

Mom’s and Babies

You feed mom, mom feeds babies

Leave out food all the time

Babies tend to be well-socialized and

adoptable

Moms get spayed once the kittens are

weaned

Large litters may need supplemental

bottle feedings and extra close

monitoring

Make sure you socialize every kitten in

the litter to humans!

Vaccination Schedule & Combo Test

All kittens must have the following before they can go for adoption:

Spayed/Neutered

Microchip

Combo Test aka FeLV/FIV blood test

Vaccination timetable and 2-3 kitten FVRCP boosters

**Kawaii Kitty Café requires Rabies vax and 3-4 FVRCP boosters**

Kittens get vaccinations every 3 weeks starting at age 6-8 weeks

Common Kitten Issues

Help! My kitten won’t latch!

1) Keep trying! 2) Change nipples 3) Feed other kittens and then come back to the fussy one 4) rub their heads/backs like mom would lick them

For unhealthy fussy kittens, can syringe feed .1ml at a time and rub their throats to get them to swallow

Help! My kittens are nursing on each other!

1) Distract with toys, etc. 2) Put baby socks on them 3) Separate them in different bins/playpens

KITTENS CAN INJURY EACH OTHER IF THEY NURSE ON ONE ANOTHER

Help! My kittens are playing too rough!

1) Cat-friendly adult cats can help put them in their place/keep them entertained 2) Increase playtime (wand toys especially) 3) Let kittens beat up one another until tired

Courtesy of Shelby from @fosterkittenlove

How to bring your foster cat/kittens to an adoption eventVolunteer Coordinator: Allison Lamond

Questions?

Thanks for your time!

Email foster@phillypaws.org

and keep an eye on the Philly

PAWS Fosters Facebook Page

to find your next foster cat or

kitten!

Email Lauren@phillypaws.org

if you are interested in hospice

fostering!

2018 Bottle-feeder Graduation Party (25 lives saved!)

Format of this Session:

Knowledge Skills – led by PAWS Foster Coordinators

Physical Skills – led by PAWS Veterinarian Technicians

Kitten-Specific Skills – led by PAWS Adoption Staff

Does my cat have parasites?

Important facts

These parasites and their eggs are microscopic

•Infectious components live in fecal material

•This includes even the tiniest “poop stain” on a litter box

•We recommend NOT letting your foster cats use the same litter box as your owned cats to prevent transmission of parasites

They often present as diarrhea or vomiting

•Fecal samples help rule out parasites and tell us what to deworm for

Diarrhea and vomiting can indicate a variety of problems, including worms

•Even “healthy” kittens and cats can still be carriers of parasites

•Disinfection between fosters can keep everyone safe!

•Disinfection Protocol video

These parasites can live undetected in a cat for 6 months – TWO YEARS!!

Does my cat have parasites?

What do I do?

If your cat has diarrhea, take a fecal sample to Clinic

How to Take a Fecal Sample Video

Dewormer medications are SPECIFIC to each parasite; here are a few:

Pyrantel – roundworms (most common; we use this with every kitten/cat)

Praziquantel – Tapeworms (come from ingesting a flea)

Ponazuril – Coccidia (parasite, not worm)

Metronidazole – Giardia (parasite, not worm)

Pictures of stool/vomit are ESSENTIAL, especially if a worm is passed!

Be vigilant in cleaning poop stains

Keep a close eye on litter box contents every day