Kitten help needed ASAP

[Sherri]

dd found a kitten without any other kittens or without the Mom, the kitten was in a bush. DD sat at a far enough away distance for the mother to come back for over two hours. No Mom cat.
After calling and pleading with me to take the kitten, I told her yes for one week only. We already have three cats. So this week we are looking for a home for her. I know I will grow attatched.
I have some questions about taking care of her for a week.
I bought cat milk which said on the box that it is good for kittens. I also bought kitten chow and a small litter box. The kittens eyes are open dd said, but the kitten is very tiny. How do I know if she is old enough to eat on her own? How old are they when they open their eyes.
Can anyone give me advice?

 

[amid chaos]

It sounds like you may need a kitten bottle and some kitten milk replacment (KMR). call your vet in the morning...they should be able to help and maybe supply you with the necessities.

Check out this link

http://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

 

[Jacova]

First and most important - take the kitten to the vet. They will check her our for any diseases, etc. They will know what to do.

 

[horseshowmom]

If you need to get the bottle, kitten milk, etc., you can usually get that stuff at Wal-Mart or Pet Smart.

If it's 3 or 4 weeks old, it can probably eat if you'll take the kitten chow and add some of the kitten milk or you might even try just plain water (we did the water). I wouldn't make it really soupy, but maybe just a little bit. If you'll gently push it's mouth (chin) into the kitten milk, it will probably start licking and eat some of the soft stuff.

Having had quite a bit of experience with this type of thing (abandoned animals), it's worked for us. One of ours was really tiny. The vet didn't think he was more than 3 weeks old, and that's what he had us do.

 

[VegasMonarch]

keep the kitten separate from your other cats and wash your hands as soon as you are done doing anything with the kitten. try to keep it off of your clothing as well (maybe use old clothes and change right after). at least until you know it is free of any infectious diseases. i have to go along with the other posters on the other things, kitten milk replacement and the like.

 

[themarquis]

You will know whether its old enough to eat "real" food -- just give it a try (use canned food or mash up dried food w/ water or kitten milk). Stick the kitten's face in it so they know what it is (or if you want to feed with a spoon, just push the spoon onto kitty's nose so some gets on her face). She will lick it off and if she's capable of eating on her own, will probably start chowing down (might need to feed with a spoon or repeat the face shoving thing a few times).

If she doesn't seem to "get it" after all that, you should definitely move onto a bottle. A pet store, or (maybe) a big grocery store will have kitten/puppy feeding bottles. If you can't find one, look for a small baby bottle. She will need a larger hole poked in it than a baby would (use a thumbtack and move it around a bunch). Squeeze some of the (warmed) milk out onto her nose and she will probably start sucking/biting on the nipple to get the milk. It is a messy and violent process, so you will want to wrap her in a towel.

Tomorrow or the day after, you will definitely need to take her to the vet so they can check her out, see how old she is, and how best to proceed with the feeding process. Good luck!

 

[allblue]

My DH found a litter of 6 kittens abandoned in an apartment (he works for an apartment complex). He brought them home and we went straight to the vet. Come to find out they were a day old (they just turned 3yrs old this summer). I bottle fed them until they were several weeks old, round the clock every few hours. Once they started on kitten chow we mixed it with water. I want to say their eyes opened around 10 days of age or so and their ears were up around the same time. I need to find the calendar that I saved from then, because I can't remember exactly. I have it all documented including when each took their first steps. LOL. When they were 8 weeks old 4 of them were adopted. The other two remained with me.

I agree with everyone else, call the vet. Oh, and I bought all my supplies for them at pet smart.

 

[disneygal33]

What color are the eyes? That is a good indicator of kitten age. All kittens eyes are blue when they first open and then change color over the next few weeks. I agree take it to the vet and find out exactly what you are dealing with. Good luck!!!

 

[doxdogy]

I have never bottle fed kittens only puppies. I made up my own formula. It was a combination of evaporated milk, honey and a few other ingredients that I can't remember. I used an eye dropper to feed them with and it worked perfectly. Agree wtih others that a trip to the vet is in order.

 

[Simba's Mom]

dd found a kitten without any other kittens or without the Mom, the kitten was in a bush. DD sat at a far enough away distance for the mother to come back for over two hours. No Mom cat.
After calling and pleading with me to take the kitten, I told her yes for one week only. We already have three cats. So this week we are looking for a home for her. I know I will grow attatched.
I have some questions about taking care of her for a week.
I bought cat milk which said on the box that it is good for kittens. I also bought kitten chow and a small litter box. The kittens eyes are open dd said, but the kitten is very tiny. How do I know if she is old enough to eat on her own? How old are they when they open their eyes.
Can anyone give me advice?

Sounds like you're exactly where we were 3 years ago, when DH found Tigger in a bush. The eyes open at about 1 week-10 days. Does he/she have its eyes open? I took Tigger to the vet the first day. Sometimes the mother cat delibrately abandons a kitten it senses has problems. Oh, I just rememberd-keep it warm. Very young kittens aren't good at keeping their body heat. When I first brought Tigger in, his temp wouldn't register. After that, we put him to bed in a carrier every night with a warmed water bottle wrapped in a towel for him to cuddle against. Good luck being emotionally able to give it away-Tigger was just supposed to stay 'til he was weaned (about 4-5 weeks) and we could bring him to the Humane Society. Yeah, right! And it's possible the kitten will always be attached to your DD, the "rescuer". Tigger is very attached to DH. He was 5 ounces at his first vet check. Now-

18 pounds and spoiled rotten. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help/support. I was at a loss when DH walked in with this tiny kitten with its eyes closed.

 

[Sherri]

Thank you everyone for the advice. Thank you Admid chaos for the website on feeding.
Francis (the name came to me in the middle of the night after thinking about the book Bed Time For Francis), is doing just fine.
Very content, cried nonstop when dd called me from the bush where she found him. But once we did the feedings, made the warm bed with blankets, stuffed animals and the warm water bottle, Francis seemed to adjust to the routine.
Well of course you all probably predicted correctly, I am very attatched already. I wish I could make it work, but Jaggy my handsome jealous cat won't have any of it. Best I can do is to find a good home for the sweet baby.
Thanks again for everything.

 

[N.Bailey]

My husband once took a stray dog to the vet (a beautiful Lab). The dog had mange, worms, and its teeth were ground down in a way that the vet thought he'd been chewing on rocks.

He gave hubby all the medicine free of charge and never charged him a dime for the visit. We then found the dog a good home. My husband just had to get involved.

Maybe it's just our vet, but something similar might happen at your vet's office.

 

[Tazicket]

Sounds like you're exactly where we were 3 years ago, when DH found Tigger in a bush. The eyes open at about 1 week-10 days. Does he/she have its eyes open? I took Tigger to the vet the first day. Sometimes the mother cat delibrately abandons a kitten it senses has problems. Oh, I just rememberd-keep it warm. Very young kittens aren't good at keeping their body heat. When I first brought Tigger in, his temp wouldn't register. After that, we put him to bed in a carrier every night with a warmed water bottle wrapped in a towel for him to cuddle against. Good luck being emotionally able to give it away-Tigger was just supposed to stay 'til he was weaned (about 4-5 weeks) and we could bring him to the Humane Society. Yeah, right! And it's possible the kitten will always be attached to your DD, the "rescuer". Tigger is very attached to DH. He was 5 ounces at his first vet check. Now-

18 pounds and spoiled rotten. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help/support. I was at a loss when DH walked in with this tiny kitten with its eyes closed.

Off topic, I know, but Tigger is beautiful!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

There's a good chance that your jealous cat would adjust over time, especially since you'd be keeping them apart until the kitten is older, anyway. Four isn't such a bad number of cats. Regardless of whether you keep the kitten or not, I was told that bottle kittens tend to make good lap cats because they are so used to being held as kittens. My two younger cats (the one in my signature and her brother) are very sweet, but are not lap cats at all. Only one of my 4 are, much to my dismay.

You'll need to post a picture when you have a chance.

 

[Sherri]

All morning at work I thought about the little baby. How quickly I fell for the sweet little kitty. A rescue group responded to my e-mail. I will call and see what they say about maybe having a permanant home for the baby.
I want whats best.
My Moms neighbor was the best cat parent ever. No children it was just her and her cat for fourteen years, that cat the best of any luxery a cat could ever want. He recently died a few months back. She swore no more cats.
My Mom called and asked her if she might reconsider and take this ktten. In my heart of hearts, I know that would be the best home for him.
She didn't say no, she said she would think about it.
I know I can't put all of my eggs in one basket, so I better call back the rescue group.
Once I find the cords to the camera I will post a picture.
As far as Jaggy ever adjusting, by the vengence he put in his bite while I was holding the kitten told me that he just won't ever accept another cat. I wish it could be different.