KITTIES!!!

Two weeks ago today, I was making dinner, and kept hearing this squeaking sound.  I couldn't find the source of it.  I kept thinking it was Ricky's movie he was watching... but he assured me it wasn't.  So I thought nothing of it and kept going about my business on dinner.  But that sound drove me nuts!!! I had to find where it was coming from.  I go outside, and listened for it, and thought it came from over the fence, but couldn't pinpoint the sound.  I then REALLY listened for it, and noticed it wasn't coming from over the fence, but down a ways at the side of our house.  I step closer and closer, and the squeaking sound was getting louder by the step.  I look and see 2 little baby kittens on the ground wailing!  
I immediately ran back inside the house, grabbed a flashlight / lantern, screamed at Ricky to come help me, and grabbed 2 little towels.  He has no idea what was going on, he just saw me panicked like the end of the world was coming, and he's frantically trying to put a t-shirt on and his shoes.  We go outside, and I flash the light towards the kittens, they looked like newborns that were crawling around.  I didn't see any momma cat around, I peered down closer, and noticed why the one kitty was screaming her head off: ants.  The kittens were dumped near a line of ants, and were crawling all over the tinier one.  The other tabby cat looking one was just kinda feeling around, but not really making a sound. 
I scooped them up in the towel, and noticed they still had part of their umbilical cord attached, which means they are less than 4 days old. 

I placed the babies in the bathtub with some warm blankets.  One was still crying, so I ran to the emergency vet hospital to pick up some Kitten Milk Replacement and a bottle.  I came back to feed them and noticed they had fleas all over them as well. I picked off all the fleas, warmed the babies, and then started feeding them.  The runt couldn't stop eating, but the bigger of the 2 wouldn't eat at all.  After giving them some milk, I wrapped the blankets all around them, put them in a box, stuck them outside with a plate of tuna for the mom so she could come back and claim her kitties, but she never did.  =(  So now I've been taking care of them.

Friday came, and sadly, the tabby cat one (the larger one) passed away.  The runt one, we call her Thalia, is thriving.  She still had her umbilical cord, part of the placenta on her (we washed that off), missing still some of her fur, and eyes closed shut w/ her ears tucked down. We took her to the vet and he said she was fine and healthy and about a week old on Wednesday the week after we found her, so I'm guessing she was dumped at about 1 - 2 days old.  She seems like the preemie though, she's about a week behind on everything I've looked at.  Her umbilical cord fell off at about 1.5 weeks (it should be 4 days after birth), and she's 2 weeks now, and her eyes are barely opening now.  Hopefully by this weekend, she should have it somewhat opened.  


I've been feeding her every 2 hours (nights too!) and stimulating her to go poop and pee before, during and after meals.  Then after she eats, I burp her, and then cradle her to sleep before putting her in her nest.  She is seriously spoiled.  Before she eats, we exercise her little legs by letting her crawl around.  She is seriously the cutest little thing.  

So, baby Thalia, please be healthy and strive =)  Momma needs you to be strong!