Need Advice For Stray 2 Wk Old

So I found a kitten living under my outdoor stairs today. I didn't want to interfere and scare it's mother off so I stayed inside for several hours listening to its heartbreaking mewls. When I finally decided to check on the baby it had crawled out from his dry nest under the stairs and was out in a storm, sopping wet. I could no longer allow nature to take its course so I brought the kitten inside, but I'm out of my depth here. I have no experience raising an orphaned animal this young. I believe the kitten is between 2-3 weeks old. He can kind of crawl, his legs aren't quite working fully yet. His eyes are open and ears mostly unfurled. I'm bottle feeding him kitten formula every 4 hrs and helping him pee after each feeding. I gave him a bath as he was filthy and I was concerned about his skin becoming infected. I've set him up in a box in my bathroom, which is the warmest room in the house, probably between 75-80 degrees. I put a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel in his box, which I'm refilling with hot water every 4 hours when I feed him. So that's all the info on what I should be doing that I could find online. What else do I need to do? When can I start sleeping through the night, just feeding him right before bed and right when I wake up (and of course every 4 hours after)? How often is it okay to bathe him? He's a very messy eater. He isn't latching onto the bottle's nipple like the kittens I watched on youtube. He just chews on it while I slowly dribble milk in his mouth (and on his face and chest and paws). Is there a trick to get him to latch? How much time should he spend outside his box so ensure he's exercising his muscles? How long should I keep him locked in the bathroom away from my adult cats and dogs? Basically any additional info about caring for this tiny creature would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Thanks for caring for this little kitten! It sounds like you’re doing a great job already!

Since he’s having trouble latching onto the bottle, you can try feeding him with a needleless syringe. That might be easier for him. Also, be sure to weigh him daily, to make sure that he’s growing at an adequate rate.

Weighing Newborn Kittens (and How This Could Save Their Lives)

If he doesnt add weigh daily 10+ grammes give him more often when you are awake. Perhaps every second hour daytime and wvery 4 nights.

Thank you StefanZ. Feeding every 2 hours during the day was a good suggestion. He's finishing a tablespoon of formula every 2 hours, so the little guy must need it!

Thank you adyeb for the advice and link. I will go buy a scale and syringe today :-)

milk should be room temperature. Test it on your wrist as you would for a human baby, it shouldn't feel cold or hot. Don't forget to burp the baby after each feeding - stroke his back neck to tail, it happens fairly quick. You can rinse the drip off his face with a damp cloth. Be sure to keep him warm.

You are a good person and will have a totally loyal companion forever. When he's older he will treat your feet as his litter mates. A hiss will stop the biting and clawing. He doesn't hate you, he adores you above all other beings.

Kitten is much more lively today, which I'm taking as a good sign that he's acclimating to his new home. He's stopped crying for his missing mother (that was just so sad!) and seems to accept that I'm what passes for his mother now. He's eating and peeing well, but I'm started to become concerned that he hasn't pooped yet. He's been with me 30 hours now and no BMs, though he does pass gas when I massage his rear with a damp washcloth. At what point should I really worry and take him to the vet? I was going to wait till he was a month to take him for his first worming and check up, but I'm starting to wonder if I should take him in sooner. At what point is constipation considered dangerous for the kitten?

You can add a couple deops of coldpressed olive oil or similiar into his bottle each meal.

I have had kittens that young go days without a BM. My vet advised me to add a few drops of olive oil to the bottle, the same advice that StedanZ recommended. K Kflowers has excellent tips, especially about the burping. If your kitten still is gassy, you can give it 2-3 drops of liquid simethicone for infants. I use old socks filled with rice or cornmeal for warming packs, for both the nest as well as to keep the bottle warm during feeding sessions. I will pray for the mother cat - they do not willingly abandon their babies. And thank you for taking on the challenge!!
I don't know where you are but if you can get a mini Miracle Nipple, they work very well. Some of the other nipples are made of plastic that irritates the kitten's tiny mouth (look for swelling and redness) and that can cause the chewing instead of suckling.

If you have other Cats, especially if any are female and have previously had a litter of their own, you could try bringing them in the room with you one at a time when you feed the Kitten and see how they react. If any decide they want to be a foster mom or dad that will really help you raising this Kitten. Obviously they won't be able to provide milk, but they will at least be able to offer companionship and warmth especially at night when you are asleep.

Talien said:

If you have other Cats, especially if any are female and have previously had a litter of their own, you could try bringing them in the room with you one at a time when you feed the Kitten and see how they react. If any decide they want to be a foster mom or dad that will really help you raising this Kitten. Obviously they won't be able to provide milk, but they will at least be able to offer companionship and warmth especially at night when you are asleep.

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I would caution against this at first. You will want to quarantine the kitten for two weeks or so and make sure that it is healthy before introducing to any resident cats.

I confess I did try introducing a female who was a truly superb mother to him on day 1. Probably not super responsible exposing my cat to an unknown entity, but at the time I was just panicked knowing I needed to get this kitten warm, clean and fed quickly or he would die. She hissed at him, which shocked me as she's extremely maternal and sweet tempered. I took her in when she was a pregnant stray back in 2012. I kept all her babies and she still dotes on them, cuddling and grooming them though they are now full grown cats. Since she has already been exposed to the kitten, would it be worth trying another introduction? Now that the kitten has been bathed and trusts me, she may have a more positive reaction, particularly if she sees me nursing him. If she took to him her help would be invaluable in keeping him clean and warm. What do you all think?

Introducing her to the new kitten is a completely reasonable compassionate response. She's had her shots, right? Since her kittens are still living with you she probably feels she has to put them first before all others. Some cats are like that. The one we had whose kits we kept was like that. Doesn't make them bad cats, just totally focused on the ones they raised. Others dote on every kitten that comes their way no matter how many they've raised that are still living with them.

You are doing good.

I agree with K Kflowers about trying another introduction. Your resident cat is more than likely to have been exposed to any local illnesses common to your area - the greater danger would have been to the tiny kitten. Also, airborne illness would be present in the home regardless of hand-washing and clothing changes. My vet is a country vet & advised me against being too sterile; she said that kittens with a mother are routinely exposed to more germs from all the different "projects" that are performed by the mother cat's tongue. I am not saying to abandon commonsense hygienic practices, just trying to reassure you that you were fine in trying to get your cat to foster the tiny.