Found very young kitten - need help

[catminionjess]

Last night my sister and brother-in-law found a tiny kitten in their yard. Brother-in-law heard it crying earlier in the day. He kept watching for momma cat, but she never came back for it. Their dogs and neighbor dogs have been going crazy for a few days so they probably scared her away. So my sister called and asked if I could take it in or they'd try to get it to the shelter. Besides the dogs, she's also allergic to cats so can't take it in. So I went to check on the kitten. The kitten is a grey tabby, eyes aren't open yet and it's too small for me to really tell if it's a male or female. I went to the pet store and picked up milk replacer and a bottle and pet wipes. But I have no idea what I'm doing really. I have 2 senior cats that are not happy about this tiny crying thing and they hate other cats in general. They were both weened when I got them as kittens at 5 and 6 weeks 13 and 14 years ago so this is all new territory. I'm keeping the kitten in my bathroom in a big box with an old t-shirt and fleece blanket and some packing paper under the blanket. I fed it twice last night and once this morning, but I'm very bad at it. I was told at that age you have to stimulate their pee and poo. I've tried that several times and only pee has managed to come out. The kitten did seem to pee in the box as the bedding stuff was wet this morning. I asked my parents to kitten-sit while I was at work so it can get fed every 3-4 hours. I maybe made a mistake taking this on, because if it makes it, I can't keep it with my grumpy old cats and I don't know anyone who wants a cat of any age. I just want to keep it alive. I'll try to post a picture in a bit.

 

[Ruby3440]

I haven't been on this site for long, but I can give you a few tips to keep this kitten alive.

By the way it sounds the kitten you found is maybe a week old at most. Check to see if they have an umbilical cord that would tell you it's about 3-4 days old. The best way to tell an approximate age is by their weight so if you have a scale that measures in grams you can weight them. You should also weight then daily to make sure they are growing. Eyes will open at about 7-10 days old although it could be slightly different depending on the kitten, but when you see the Tues start to open that means that they are about at that one week of age.

The 3 most crucial thing you have to keep this kitten alive is warmth, feeding, and pottying them.

Warmth - Keep a heated disk in with the kitten and make sure that there is a towel or 2 covering it so the kitten isn't on direct heat. Or if you have a heat pad put that in, but make sure there is an area where the kitten can get off it. Otherwise they could overheat. Also make sure there is a towel or blanket over it so they aren't on direct heat.

Feedings - A kitten this small should be fed every 2-3 hours and the temperature should be maybe a little warmer then your wrist. Making it too cold or too hot could harm the kitten. At this age the kitten should be eating about 6 ml every feeding. If they eat more that's fine however if they to less then that you need to feed them more. Normally they will wake up when they are hungry, but for me I liked to wake them up during the first week with me to make sure they are definitely eating enough, so I would wake them up between the 2-3 hour mark. I have always used the KMR powder formula for feeding, but I am sure other could suggest something else. Just beware the powder KMR can make them constipated at first.

Pottying - The kitten should be pottied after every feeding. Even if they only eat an hour after their previous feeding. I have always used a warm damp paper towel or a warm damp towel to potty. Like I said in feeding KMR might constipated them at first so they might not poop in the first day or 2. Kittens also will go to the bathroom themselves sometimes, but even still you need to potty them.

Suggestions - Put a little stuff animal in with them. It will feel similar to another kitten or their mother to snuggle up to and once a little older and they start to play they will play with it. Maybe even suckle on it for comfort at any age.

If you cannot keep this kitten and can only raise it for a little while start looking online for shelter and or rescues that take cats and kittens. Look for non kill shelters as there are some that would instead just put the other guy down because it's too much with to raise and then adopt them. Hopefully eventually you can find a rescue or shelter relatively close that would be willing to take him in and provide what he needs. If you are comfortable with it I am sure others wouldn't mind you sharing your general locations and then they could possibly suggest shelters and re

Sorry for any typos! I am on my phone. Hope this helps. Also feel free to ask any questions. I may not have covered some in depth stuff. Only what is needed to keep the age this kitten is at alive.

catminionjess

 

[catminionjess]

Here's my little one.

 

[Ruby3440]

He is very cute! Hopefully you can keep this little one alive.
Even if he doesn't make it dont feel bad. Little ones this age can be pretty tough even if they seem healthy. The one employee at the shelter we fostered for tried raising like 12 bottle baby kittens throughout a year and all of them ended up dying sadly. Kittens this small have a high mortality rate.

Also have your sister keep a lookout for anymore kittens and a mom. As they could possibly still be close (could never hurt to keep a lookout even if they are no where near there anymore). It would be best to capture them and reunite them as it's much easier to take care of them and keep them alive with a mother. Especially one in a house and has plenty of food and water.

 

[catminionjess]

I think it might be a boy, but still not sure yet. The umbilical cord is gone, but I can feel the nub on his belly. I would love to keep it, but I'll have to see how it goes. I have to do what's best for my OG cats. If they weren't so anti-all-other cats keeping it wouldn't be an issue. A few years ago, I added a 3rd (rescued, injured stray close to their ages) and it was rough until he passed. I'm going to tell her to put feelers out to her friends and co-workers. Some of them are cat lovers. Funnily enough, my male OG is one that her old boss found at her old job 13 years ago. Would a catnip kicker pillow work for the stuffed animal? Other than that, right now I only have your typical cat toys that he's too small for.

 

[Ruby3440]

I don't believe you can tell age from the umbilical cord stub. Our little one had it for at least 3 weeks.
Hopefully with this little guy being a kitten they can adjust to his smell for awhile. Feel free to let them see him just carefully watch what they do. Or you could take one of the dirty towels he is laying on after you change it and just let them smell it for awhile so they don't see him,but smell him. That ways they can smell him and can't interact with him. You could also rub a clean towel on the older cats and then use it as the bedding for the kitten to maybe make him smell more like him. (Haven't tried it before, but thats what we did once when introducing 2 kittens to a mom and 3 to see if she would take them in)

I wouldn't use anything catnip related stuff just yet. I like to give it to my family's foster kittens when they are a little older. If you have a fuzzy/stuffed cat toy yes he may be too small to play with it, but feel free to try and put it in with him. He will still snuggle up to it. What you could even do is put a smallef balled up blanket in for him as well.
For our latest bottle baby kitten (that is now about 7 weeks old) we used a duck dog toy for him so that could work as well if you have any. Or even kids stuffed animals would work.

Also definitely try coworkers and family members who aren't allergic to cats. You never know who may fall in love with him or who wants a kitten.

 

[vince]

Something that ticks to simulate mom's heartbeat is often helpful. Either a ticking clock or a kitten toy that simulates a heartbeat will work. I have a mechanical clock in the room where the new ones go, but still give them a toy. Usually, a dirty old sweat sock, tied in a few knots, will work if you don't want to pop for a toy just yet.

I also keep a radio playing very softly in the introduction room, set to a talk station, so the new arrival gets used to human voices.

 

[catminionjess]

Ruby3440 , Sorry, I meant I couldn't tell from its bottom (not the umbilical nub) if it's a male or female.
V vince , unfortunately the bathroom doesn't have a plug near where I could put a radio. You can hear the TV though so maybe can leave that on.

 

[Ruby3440]

I know I was referring to it because you can't tell there a age from the stub. It's also really hard to tell at this age what gender they are. One of the employees at the shelter first called our little one a girl and named him Eevee, but then my mother and I looked while pottying him and saw that he was a boy so we named him Drax. We did wait like a week before officially changing his name just to make sure.

 

[Sarthur2]

How much and how often is he eating? Are you using the powdered KMR?

 

[catminionjess]

I'm using powdered milk replacer from GNC Pet that I got at PetSmart. Kitten is eating about every 3 hours. Trying to get 1 tbs (15 ml) each feeding, but not successful each time. I think my mom tried every 2 hours during the day yesterday. It was close to 60 ml for all of yesterday.

Is it too early to try to saucer feed if eyes aren't open yet? The last few feedings, the kitten was licking on my hand and kneeding between bottle sips. I don't want to waste formula if it's too early for that.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, it is way too early if eyes are not open. Are the eyes open yet? Even then, kittens are not able to wean until about 5-6 weeks old after they cut their baby teeth.

Gently wipe across the kitten’s eyes with a warm damp cloth to make sure they stay clean and not goopy. Eyes open between 7 and 14 days normally.

Have you seen any goopy stuff or crust or tears? Sometimes a kitten’s eyes get “glued” shut if they leak. But do not force the eyes open! It can cause damage if they are not ready to open.

 

[catminionjess]

No I haven't noticed any goop or wetness around the eyes. I've pet wipes around the face a few times to clean up milk mess from feeding. I think the eyes are fine, just waiting for them to open. I guess that might be by end of next week or middle of the following week. Since taking it in Tuesday night, the kitten has peed a lot with stimulation and on its own, but hasn't pooped. How often should it be pooping?

 

[Sarthur2]

Let us know when the eyes open. They normally open no later than 2 weeks after birth.

Kittens do not have to poop every day. They can skip a day. You can add 2-3 drops of olive oil to the milk to help soften the stool and prevent constipation.

 

[catminionjess]

I did find an old plush dog toy that I had for some reason (I never had a dog) and put it in the box for the kitten to snuggle. That's the only plush toy I have that doesn't have catnip since it's too young for that. And I just ordered a food scale for $7 from Amazon so I can start tracking its weight. I'll keep everyone updated when the eyes open.

 

[jefferd18]

Have you put a heating pad in the box yet? This is very important because very young kittens can not regulate their temperatures yet.

 

[catminionjess]

I don't have a heating pad. I have 2 blankets and a t-shirt in the box with the kitten.

 

[catapault]

Take a cotton crew length sock. Fill it loosely with dry beans or rice. Tie the open end into a knot. Microwave the sock for 60 seconds, then place it in the box with the kitten. You should be able to hold the sock in your hand, it feels pleasantly warm but not uncomfortably hot. It will need to be re-microwaved every couple of hours.

 

[jefferd18]

To get baby to eat more.

Turn the bottle upside down and allow a drop of formula to come out. Place the bottle nipple in the kitten's mouth and gently move it back and forth, holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle to keep air from getting into the kitten's stomach. This movement should encourage the kitten to start eating.

 

[jefferd18]

Take a cotton crew length sock. Fill it loosely with dry beans or rice. Tie the open end into a knot. Microwave the sock for 60 seconds, then place it in the box with the kitten. You should be able to hold the sock in your hand, it feels pleasantly warm but not uncomfortably hot. It will need to be re-microwaved every couple of hours.

In-genius idea!

Hot water bottle can help too.