found kitten - first day in a home with multiple cats and dogs

[flybear]

yesterday I found a kitten ... poor thing was likely dumped on the parking lot I found him. The vet thinks he is probably only around 5 weeks old. He is now residing on a large playpen with a heating pad, litter box , tunnel and blankets in the bathroom adjoining our upstairs cat room. We have 3 adult cats about 2 years old that were raised together and get along great. "Smudge" - as we named the kitten seems in good health and eats well - but he is tiny and it breaks my heart how someone could just get rid of him ... he needs his mom but ... it looks like he is stuck with us until he can get vaccinated, neutered and find a hopefully forever home.
He is terrified of our dogs and cats ( no direct interaction - but he has seen them from a good distance ) - hissing, spitting, growing - no surprise there...
My plan is to keep him in the bathroom for the next few weeks as his safe place with a pheromone diffusor and see if he gets used to our cats on the other side of the door. At this point he needs to eat, grow and of course get plenty of love but I feel bad for him being this young and essentially alone .... he cries for us and loves people ... not feral but definitely scared with the occasional insecurity hiss.
Any ideas as far as dog introduction goes? I am thankful for any advice as far as such a young kitten goes ... I would have loved to find him a foster home with other kittens but it is kitten season and all shelters and rescues I called are at capacity and with the virus - they won't take a single kitten into an existing group. I am torn between wanting to comfort the crying kitten non stop and teaching him to sleep/be on his own occasionally lol ...

 

[bella.cat]

Hi.
He is so adorable. Make sure he's getting all the right nutrition, it might be worth getting some special milk supplement but its most likely your vet would have suggested one if he needed it.
The main thing is to introduce their scents first, as animals strongly rely on scents to identify each other.
Here are some helpful links:
Play between kittens and dogs
Introducing cats and dogs
However I would wait a little longer before introducing the kitten and dog face to face; but I think you can start by introducing their scents now.

 

[ArtNJ]

You don't have to use that bathroom in the middle of the night do you? Because that works out real poorly in my experience.

 

[flybear]

;-) we have another bathroom for night use ... luckily! ... disturbing a sleeping kitten- not if we can help it lol ... he was crying on and off at night but had good periods of sleep in between- hopefully he'll settle in soon .... those kitten cries are heartbreaking ... He is getting kitten milk replacer in his wet food twice a day, and another wet food meal mid day and kibble available at all times ( which he eats as well). We think he is a it under weight as his weight was equivalent to 4-5 weeks but overall development seems closer to 6-7 weeks so he is a bit on a weight gain diet - he sure loves his food. For now we are just giving him time to get used to smells and sounds and keep all other pets away but within smelling distance - he likes hanging out on my shoulder and he was able to see and smell the dogs while I was working on the computer from a safe distance.

 

[susanm9006]

Introducing him to your cats may not be that difficult. They are still relatively young and young cats usually accept a kitten better than an older one and most cats have a built in instinct not to hurt a baby. They may also be able to provide him with the cat comfort he needs as well as teach him cat rules. In a couple weeks when he is older and stronger I would do a intro with one of the cats and see how it goes.

As far as the dog, introductions really depend on how calm your dog can be. If he knows the commands to sit, stay and leave it their introduction will be much easier. You kittens are also very adaptable to dogs but of course you have to make sure the dog isn’t rough or aggressive.

When it comes to comforting a scared crying kitten I believe that you do whatever you need to do. Tucking him in your shirt and carry him around might make him feel better and help get his presence and scent out there for your cats and dog.

 

[Furballsmom]

I am torn between wanting to comfort the crying kitten non stop and teaching him to sleep/be on his own occasionally lol ...

Try a heartbeat toy or a muffled ticking clock - he's working to adjust to being without siblings, and it's hard for a baby. What a darling!!

 

[fionasmom]

So kind of you to help this baby. I found Jamie in a similar circumstance and carried him around in my shirt all day. Kittens love to feel skin and it comforts them. I have a very well behaved German shepherd who adores cats, so after a couple of hisses Jamie figured out that the dog was not going to hurt him. However, I would either not include the dog or go very slowly if your dog will not be on board with this. I assume that since you have cats, your dog likes them. Make sure the kitten feels very protected if you try a dog introduction or he will associate panic with the dog. You can see Orlando and Jamie getting acquainted in the pic.

 

[flybear]

we actually have 4 dogs that are all smaller than our cats ... but ... are way too excitable to be calm around kitten - they are in no way aggressive - just too happy to see someone new to play with ... they don't play rough but still ... I wouldn't let any cat or kitten loose without some high safety perches and an escape- our dogs are more annoying them than presenting a danger ... Two of my cats do well with the dogs - another prefers to avoid them. My cats seem very interested in the little guy and have been sitting at the door- ... My male - loves other cats- and cannot seem to understand why kitten is hissing at him though the door ... the hurt/confused expression is hilarious ...My two. girls are not thrilled about kitten and occasionally hiss at him. After two days the kitten eats well and now sleeps without crying, he is a bundle of energy and climbs the play tree and is super playful. This morning he would have climbed the gate that separates him and the bathroom from the cat room if I had not plucked him down. He is ready to conquer the world ... I doubt my cats are quite ready for him so we'll keep at at short and supervised interactions and explorations for now ... He is a great kitten: affectionate, curious, playful , use the litterbox reliably so far - he'll make someone an awesome pet ..

 

[Furballsmom]

After two days the kitten eats well and now sleeps without crying, he is a bundle of energy and climbs the play tree and is super playful.

I'm so glad to hear this, what a great update and good for you!!

 

[flybear]

we are very relieved that he seems to have settled in ... he gets lots of attention from my kids and me but he also seems ok on his own now ... he didn't purr at first but now ... we get plenty of mini kitten purrs as soon as he sees us - he loves to lay on his back in our arms getting belly rubs and he wrestles with play mice ... there is about nothing cuter than a 1lb kitten bunny kicking a mouse about 1/3 of his size
...

 

[bella.cat]

we are very relieved that he seems to have settled in ... he gets lots of attention from my kids and me but he also seems ok on his own now ... he didn't purr at first but now ... we get plenty of mini kitten purrs as soon as he sees us - he loves to lay on his back in our arms getting belly rubs and he wrestles with play mice ... there is about nothing cuter than a 1lb kitten bunny kicking a mouse about 1/3 of his size
...

I'm so glad everything is good now!
Thanks so much for helping the kitten out! Are you keeping him?

 

[flybear]

I have 4 dogs, 3 cats and a bunch of birds - essentially I run a zoo and foster when I have room - primarily mill dogs ... I hope we can find the little dude a wonderful home with good cat people. We'll see how things work out between him and the cats ... our house has dogs downstairs and the cats have their main domaine upstairs ... I don't want to cause stress for anyone nor am I keen to have more pets long term but we have been foster failures many times over in the past. I tend to keep the problem animals that are hard to find homes for ... this little kitten doesn't seem like a hard case and would do well with anyone- it is always hard not to get attached.

 

[bella.cat]

I have 4 dogs, 3 cats and a bunch of birds - essentially I run a zoo and foster when I have room - primarily mill dogs ... I hope we can find the little dude a wonderful home with good cat people. We'll see how things work out between him and the cats ... our house has dogs downstairs and the cats have their main domaine upstairs ... I don't want to cause stress for anyone nor am I keen to have more pets long term but we have been foster failures many times over in the past. I tend to keep the problem animals that are hard to find homes for ... this little kitten doesn't seem like a hard case and would do well with anyone- it is always hard not to get attached.

Great! Y
es, I understand you...we have a home of currently a cat, 5 kittens, 2 rabbits, 3 chickens, 2 mice, and tens of fish.
I'm sure he'll find a great home.

 

[flybear]

well ... our adult male cat managed to break out his new foster kitten - we have not figured out how but he can open the bathroom door even with gates in front of it ( doorknob - go figure) ... he is a Houdini ... two years ago he learned to open zippers to get his then foster sisters out of a play-yard. We found the kitten in the cat room sleeping ... Kitten seems very happy with the arrangement ... he plays non stop, loves the ball tracks - he is a very independent and energetic little guy who now only snuggles when tired ( there is just so much to do ! ). The adults body language seems relaxed - they are cautiously engaging in play with him - our male threw him on his back with play bites when kitten got too crazy but ... all that very controlled and gentle . It looks like I will have help raising this baby. This makes me so very happy! It isn't healthy for a 5 week old to grow up without family and I don't speak cat .. they taught him how to drink water in minutes. My kids are a bit sad that kitten is no longer snuggling for hours but we have more than enough pets who need attention and are happy this baby will grow up learning to be a cat ( not human) ...

 

[susanm9006]

That is so great!

 

[Furballsmom]

I love this!!