With limited sleep (I got about 2 hours last night) I had to go to work for a full day. My friend Hailey took the kittens and bottlefed them for me and after work, I went and picked them up.
They are doing well. Someone emailed me and asked me how I fed these young ones. I kneel on the floor near the box, and wrap one kitten in a towel (like a burrito with the head sticking out). Then, I prop the kitten against my stomach so it is sitting up (prevents aspiration) I feed them one at a time and if after they are done sucking on the bottle, they start sucking on the towel, I feed them more. You know they are done when the milk runs out of their mouth in small bubbles. But sometimes, if you pause a few minutes and let their tummy rest, they will take more. They are currently taking about a teaspoon of formula in one sitting.
Once they are done eating, I unwrap the lower part of the towel and expose their bums. Using cotton balls and tepid water, I stimulate them while they are still in the sitting position and catch the waste in another towel. Then I clean them up and put them in their bed.
I had my first bottle baby in December. I used the towel wrap method. It was the best way to hold onto a tiny wiggly kitten. When Little Edie was old enough to walk around, all I had to do was get the towel and say “taco up”. She would climb straight up into my lap and onto the towel. Yes, this did last a bit longer than usual, but she was my first bottle baby.