How to care for an Abandoned kitten

amrithanair268

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Hello
I found an abandoned kitten below my apartment. It looks very bony and malnourished. I can't take it home as I already have a cat and am unable to afford the care of another one.
How can I keep it safe? What should it be fed? I don't have access to kitten formula anywhere nearby and the climate is very hot!
PLEASE HELP!
 

Sarthur2

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This is quite sad. How old is the kitten? Can it eat wet food yet?

Please bring it inside and provide food until you can get it to a cat rescue shelter or friend who can care for it properly. It may die otherwise.

Can you post a picture of the kitten?
 

FeebysOwner

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If there is any way at all to bring the kitten inside and perhaps keep it in a separate room with a door away from your cat, please do so. You can't get KMR (kitten milk replacer) to feed it if it is so small that it can't eat kitten/cat canned food? Pedialyte is good too for hydration and electrolyte balancing.

Don't know where you are located, but I do know some Walmart's carry KMR, as do most pet stores. You might find goat's milk in Walmart too, if you can't find the KMR.

Maybe this site will help while you find a new home for this kitten -
Kitten Care - Home — Kitten Lady
 

StefanZ

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Hello
I found an abandoned kitten below my apartment. It looks very bony and malnourished. I can't take it home as I already have a cat and am unable to afford the care of another one.
How can I keep it safe? What should it be fed? I don't have access to kitten formula anywhere nearby and the climate is very hot!
PLEASE HELP!
If you can get goats milk in any form, it should be OK. Better than a so so kmr.
Sheep milk is probably OK too. RAW cow milk may be useful, but not that pasteurized for human use from shops.

Human baby milk is OK for a shorter usage, but dilute it less...

One desperate forumite used once nutrition drops for small baby birds (fledgings), and it was OK...

But if you can get real kmr, its the easiest.

If you dont have real room, you can perhaps have the kitten in a cage? A cage for dogs works nice.
 
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amrithanair268

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Hello! Thank you so much for all the advice. I have kept him indoors in a cardboard crate as of now. I live in an interior part of Oman (middle Eastern country) where unfortunately there are no animal shelters, neither is replacement milk or goat milk available and definitely no Walmart. I have been feeding canned cat food which the kitten has been eating.
It walks around and even climbs stairs. Not able to determine the age too. I'm very new to this kitten business.
Hope the baby makes it through! Trying my best.
 

FeebysOwner

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Thank you for taking him in!!! Bless you!!! If he is eating cat food from a dish on his own, that is great! If he can manage to easily eat the food, he is probably at least 5-6 weeks old - if not older. If he is having any trouble with that, you can add some water to make it 'soupier'. Kittens' eyes will change from baby blue to the eye color they will keep permanently; most of the time, kittens with grey, green, or yellow eyes are likely 7 weeks or older. So, one thing you could check to try to help determine age.

I don't know what kind of cat food you get, but if it says 'for all stages', that is just fine for a kitten or an adult cat. Feed him all he is willing to eat for now. Make sure to provide a water dish at all times too.

Is he peeing and pooping, OK? Using a litter box? Do you know the gender? If not, use the link I provided above to see if that would help you any.

Since you don't seem to have access to any kind of pet shelter or rescue, the only thing you can do it start reaching out to friends/family/neighbors/co-workers to see if someone would like to adopt this baby.
 
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amrithanair268

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This is how he looks now. I think his eyes have become black. I only get one kind of food called Whiskas. It says 1+ years old but I can't find any other option available. How do I clean the eyes and ears of the kitten? Do you think it is infected or just crusty and can be cleaned?
I'm not sure if the kitten has popped or peed yet.
He is so malnourished, every time I go to see him I have to say all the prayers I possibly know.
I've tried reaching out for adoption, bit the chances of that happening are very slim.
 

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StefanZ

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Canned whiskas isnt too bad. Probably too little fat thought. You could melt down a little butter and mix in, or a dropp of olive oil.
Small portions, but often. He seems very emaciated... Age may be 5-6w.

You can use full fat flavorless yoghurt too as extra.


Sure you cant find goats milk or sheeps milk?
Here in Sweden this is easiest to find in shops owned by arab immigrants..
 

StefanZ

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Canned whiskas isnt too bad. Probably too little fat thought. You could melt down a little butter and mix in, or a dropp of olive oil.
Small portions, but often. He seems very emaciated... Age may be 5-6w.

You can use full fat flavorless yoghurt too as extra.


Sure you cant find goats milk or sheeps milk?
Here in Sweden this is easiest to find in shops owned by arab immigrantsk
 

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Ps. No poop or pee? Add more drops of olive oil. It helps with loosening of poo.

Also be sure to give mire fluids.
 

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Use a warm damp cloth to clean eyes and ears. Feed often. Do search for goats milk - even powdered to mix with water. It will help this poor baby.
 

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Follow all the advice you can from the members above - I totally respect their knowledge and guidance.

That poor kitty!! But it would appear he is a 'fighter' and has a strong will to live!!! Keep taking care of him for as long as you can, and don't lose hope in finding someone for him - as he grows stronger through your loving care, his chances for adoption will most likely increase. If there are any people who might be interested, maybe they would help you take care of him by donating some money for the cause? You can tell them that is their 'adoption' fee - your services to nurture him back to health for them. Long shot, but well worth pursuing!
 
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amrithanair268

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Hello everyone
Thank you so much for all the advice. The baby is still eating the canned wet food. Will now try the yoghurt and cleaning with a cloth.
Unfortunately, Oman is not very friendly towards adoption of stray kittens and very difficult to find fosters. Almost next to impossible. My hope is to be able to bring it back to health and slowly get him independent. Will definitely try to see whether it can be taken up by someone, but I don't want to keep any high hopes. I just want him to survive.
 

StefanZ

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Some nice vitamine paste would be good as supplement... If you cant get a vitamine paste specialized for cats and dogs, you can perhaps try with such a nourishing fluid for baby birds? As one forumite found, this is OK to give to kittens...
I suppose there ARE Zoo-shops for pet animals?

Otherwise, look if you can find something for human babies.

But again, mix in some melted butter into this whiskas wet cat food so he gets more fat. AND give more fluids. If he doesnt pee nor poo, he is probably also dehydrated.

Ps. Whiskas dry food is very widely spread, but hasnt good reputation among cat fanciers.
But their wet cat food is better, is even OK... How come? Its easier to make a good wet food, than a good dry food...
 
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