I took in a kitten (advice please)

[mewichigo]

Hello

today I found a tiny black kitten wandering our street and accidentally scared it into climbing into under the hood of a car. after spending like an hour trying to get it out we succeeded and then it climbed into ANOTHER neighbor's car hood and by that point I was scared to leave it be.

I'm not really sure how to handle this. its old enough to be eating chicken from a can and grooming itself, but its TINY. I've never taken care of one this small. its finally warmed up to me enough to where I can get it to lay down with me and purr (but its still scared around my family members) but if I leave it be too long itll go hiding in a corner. I also have two other cats who don't like it but I've been keeping it seperated from them anyways.

and it meows A LOT. which makes me feel bad. its most likely missing its mommy and I'm not even sure if it was abandoned but its below freezing outside and it took me forever to get the poor thing to warm up when I first brought it in. if I let it go how will I know it won't go climbing up someone's car hood again?

I'm going to be trying to contact the local vet in a few hours but I'm nervous they won't be able to help due to covid19.

Since I'm not even sure if its abandoned, am I just being cruel by keeping it and not letting it out? Would it be okay in this freezing weather? Or would it be best to keep it for now?

And also, I've only had it for maybe 12 hours, but I haven't seen it pee or poop yet. Should I be concerned? I also read that if its young enough it still needs help from its mom using the bathtroom. if it can run around and eat food from a can do you think its old enough to poop on its own?

thank you

 

[di and bob]

I would definitely put it in a litter box and see what it does. maybe it hasn't ate or drank in a while and is empty. even older kittens have a hard time regulating their temperatures, so putting it out in freezing weather would kill it. someone most likely dumped it, or somehow it got separated from it's mother. Poor little mite! Feed it wet food maybe mixed with a little water, and keep it warm. A picture would help us determine the age if you can post one. you are a good person for taking it in, I pray everything goes well, please keep us informed!

 

[mewichigo]

thank you..

I've been placing it in a litter box every few hours but it only jumps out.

here's a photo

 

[Sarthur2]

What a beautiful kitten! It probably has nothing to pee or poop yet, and it may take a couple of days to poop once it has eaten and digested enough.

Do not put it back out. It cannot fend for itself.

How much wet food has it eaten in the 12 hours? It needs to eat every 3-4 hours right now. Also leave out dry kitten chow and water, and do not let it wander the whole house while it is this little.

In the meantime, add a couple of drops of olive oil and a teaspoon of water to each wet food meal. The oil will help soften and bring on a poop eventually, and the extra water will help hydrate the kitten.

 

[di and bob]

She's old enough to go in a box, she most likely never has. Just keep doing like you are and she'll get the point. Sometimes it takes a while. Put some of her poop in the box and get some puppy training pads.

 

[mewichigo]

thank you for your responses. I was able to schedule a walk in visit with a vet and they said shes probably around 8 weeks. she had worms (that I got her treated for) and they said otherwise she seemed healthy.

within those first 12 hours she ate a whole 5.5 ounce can of chicken and a bit more wet food after that, now though she hasn't eaten in around 7 hours. Should I be worried or do you think its because she already ate a lot? (I imagine she also might not have an appetite now after deworming)

 

[mewichigo]

nvm I finally got her to eat! she refused until I put a little bit on my hand for her to eat off of and then she ate every else on the dish lol

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for rescuing her. She is adjusting to you and seems to be acting more or less normally under the circumstances. I love the look on her face...she is very engaged with you and seems as if she will be a good pet. She cannot fend on her own outside, even if it were not freezing and she is lucky you found her.

 

[di and bob]

Feed her at least 3-4 times a day, a kitten should eat often and as much as they want until a year old. If you are unable to feed often leave kitten kibble out. That deworming could make her not want to eat for a while, sounds like she is doing good! She is a cutie, I can see she is bonding with you by the way she is looking at you. Keep us informed!

 

[ArchyCat]

If you can find it, Kitten Milk Replacement, not the Hertz brand, would be a good supplement.Buy the p[odered form, then mix a saucer or two per day for her. It will provide extra fat, protein, and minerals she needs.

Thanks for the rescue! Keep us updated!

 

[Elemteacherjoy]

Thank you for rescuing her! You definitely did the right thing. It didn't sound like it was a good time to "wait and see" if she had a mom around as she was in danger from the cold and climbing under cars. She's definitely old enough to not need stimulated to use the bathroom. I agree with the others about having food readily available (even with leaving dry food out all the time). I don't think (no expert though) that going 7 hours without eating is a huge concern at 8 weeks. Glad she finally ate though! Will you be keeping her?

 

[Sylvia Jones]

What beautiful eyes! You most certainly saved her by bring her in I hope she had found a home with you You are obviously a caring person