Took In 3 Week Old Abandoned Kitty

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AC1819

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Thank you for bringing this kitten into your life!

There is a great Search feature for this site... I'd recommend spending time searching for anything you have questions on, including de-clawing, as there are a lot of articles and a lot of threads here on so many topics! A lot of the threads are ongoing, too, even if a few years old and you can ask extra questions to these threads and still get advice.




I want to also pitch in here with Kieka, that it is so important that everyone in the household is on board with teaching that human hands are not toys to kittens, and then the kitten will hopefully learn to do less and less biting and tussling-with-hands over time. If you have one person who really tries to consistently teach the kitten this lesson (as Kieka described so well), but another person ends up letting the kitten bite and scratch at human hands during even occasional playtimes, it almost puts you back at square one.
I've experienced this in my household. :thud:
I think my husband is finally on board, and our cat only nips at us rarely and only for things that breach her "cat boundaries", which they should be allowed to do!
Thanks, for your advise and words of wisdom.
 

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Peppermint is one of those debatable oils with just as many people saying it is safe as saying it is harmful. Personally, I don't use any oils on or around my cats because there just isn't enough research into safety and essential oils to make me comfortable. While I can monitor and am especially critical of my own reactions my cats can't tell me their reactions. Sadly, there is very little research into cats and chemicals and science is just now catching up that dogs and cats are different on a basic biological level.

Cats are just built differently.

I would stick with the Dawn not only for simplicity and safety but also because it is likely cheaper and easier to find.
 

kittychick

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Before I say anything else ----I want to echo AGAIN what everyone's saying and I want to shout from the rooftops - - -THANK YOU SO MUCH for saving this little one's life. Many - make that most - people would not have taken on this adorable bundle of fur. Everyone thinks "someone else will deal with it..." I'm glad you weren't afraid to be "someone else"!!!! :clap:

@PushPurrCatPaws the point about "everyone on board" with the "hands and toes and fingers aren't toys" being a tough thing to drive home with your hubby cracked me up! We foster ALOT Of kittens.....and I never used to have a problem with nipping the "body parts as toys" problem in the bud fairly quickly...until I got married to my second (and last, of course ;) ). He swore he understood - - - but he'd always been a "dog and dog only" person until we met and I brought him over to the light :). But one kitten I couldn't break of the "your finger makes the BEST toy" idea.....and then one day he didn't hear me come into the room and I caught him----trailing his fingers all through the carpet for her to jump and pounce on, then jumping with an "ouch" when she'd catch him, but only to start it over again in 2 seconds. Needless to say - - we had a "chat" that night, and now he gets it. (I wanted to say "what part of 'you think using your finger as a chew toy with a 2 month old kitten is funny but you won't when she's a 15 pound cat' was tough to understand? But I didn't). Now that HE gets it too --- we rarely have kittens we can't break of the finger/toe chew toy issue. Like i said earlier - - YOU'RE her entire teaching system now - - -but everyone in the house has to understand that. :)

I definitely am in the complete camp of stopping using the peppermint oil shampooing. I know how icky fleas are - and we've dealt alot with them. But the jury really seems out on peppermint-oil-based shampoos (even organic, etc), particularly on very small kittens. Often things that larger kittens/cats can handle simply are too much for tiny baby kittens. And you wouldn't want to hurt her when you're simply trying to help her! But as noted above - PLEASE don't go to the grocery/pet store and get any sort of "Hartz" flea powder/shampoo/dip/collar/spray etc. There have been alot of reports of extremely severe reactions - even deaths - associated with those products. I've personally witnessed and had several friends (before the internet was an easy place to go to find these things out) who almost lost kittens using these products. And I'm also VERY much in the camp against ANY sort of flea collar - - particularly with kittens. They tend to use the "Hartz" type chemicals....and kittens (and cats - but particularly kittens) seem amazingly agile and, when owners aren't looking or while they're gone, the kitties get their jaws under the collars and...well....you can imagine that doesn't go well at all. I've also seen kittens get their legs stuck into the flea collars as they panic to get them off (or even just scratch at the collar and get their leg caught).

For fleas - until you get her to your vet (which should definitely be a priority) - I think someone noted earlier about Dawn dish soap, but I'll note it again. (and you could bathe her without oil/soaps - - but at this point I'd worry about depleting her natural oils right away after all of that earlier bathing). Until I can get a kitten/Cat to go to a vet (which hopefully is soon) and really properly and safely rid them of the fleas, I'd handle them with a flea comb and Dawn (plain blue original) dishwashing liquid.......

Make a cup of warm water, add a few drops of Dawn to the water (you don't need to agitate the water up to make bubbles - better if you don't so that you can see what happens with the fleas), and sit down with her, the cup of "Dawn water," some white paper towels, and a flea comb (which you can get at any pet store or even a store like Target, Walmart, etc. I do this in a bathroom, so I'm not bothered by other cats, plus if a flea escapes, I at least have a shot of getting it on the tile, versus disappearing into carpet. So then dip the comb into the soapy water, and comb through her fur, gently, down to the skin. It may take a little practice to get her used to combing - but it's good to start that early anyway. Anyway - comb her gently, but make sure your comb reaches her skin. You'll need to do her whole body, but concentrate particularly on the areas around "opening" - - near her ears, her head, her mouth, her belly, and down her back particularly near her tail base/genitals (again - be gentle). After a few strokes of the comb - - look carefully at the comb. You might see actual fleas (if so - dunk them well below the surface of the soapy water IMMEDIATELY - and then I also crush them underwater between my thumbnails - I know, idk). You may also see little almost-black specks which is called "flea dirt." You can make 100% sure it's flea dirt - not "regular dirt"- by wiping it on the damp paper towel and/or crushing it between your fingernails - - - if it then looks like a dark burgundy - - - it's what's called "flea dirt." Which is basically flea feces, which is basically dried blood. Which is why when it's crushed or gotten wet, it no longer looks dark/black - - it looks like a deep red. Repeat the combing process as long as she'll let you - - or until you've gotten all you can.

Again - the best way to deal with fleas is to get her to the vet :) Being loaded with fleas can cause tons of problems - particularly on little ones - like anemia, etc. So the faster she gets to the vet the better! Plus you'll just plain feel better yourself - knowing she checks out healthy!

And I an't say it enough -- - - thank you for bringing this baby in!!! You've saved her sweet little life - - and once she's old enough to spay - -- you'll be saving hundreds of baby kittens being born into a world that's already overcrowded with unwanted little ones. So yeah for you!!

And did I miss it - does she have a name??????? Keep us posted on how things continue to go with you and your new little furry best buddy!
 
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AC1819

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Before I say anything else ----I want to echo AGAIN what everyone's saying and I want to shout from the rooftops - - -THANK YOU SO MUCH for saving this little one's life. Many - make that most - people would not have taken on this adorable bundle of fur. Everyone thinks "someone else will deal with it..." I'm glad you weren't afraid to be "someone else"!!!! :clap:

@PushPurrCatPaws the point about "everyone on board" with the "hands and toes and fingers aren't toys" being a tough thing to drive home with your hubby cracked me up! We foster ALOT Of kittens.....and I never used to have a problem with nipping the "body parts as toys" problem in the bud fairly quickly...until I got married to my second (and last, of course ;) ). He swore he understood - - - but he'd always been a "dog and dog only" person until we met and I brought him over to the light :). But one kitten I couldn't break of the "your finger makes the BEST toy" idea.....and then one day he didn't hear me come into the room and I caught him----trailing his fingers all through the carpet for her to jump and pounce on, then jumping with an "ouch" when she'd catch him, but only to start it over again in 2 seconds. Needless to say - - we had a "chat" that night, and now he gets it. (I wanted to say "what part of 'you think using your finger as a chew toy with a 2 month old kitten is funny but you won't when she's a 15 pound cat' was tough to understand? But I didn't). Now that HE gets it too --- we rarely have kittens we can't break of the finger/toe chew toy issue. Like i said earlier - - YOU'RE her entire teaching system now - - -but everyone in the house has to understand that. :)

I definitely am in the complete camp of stopping using the peppermint oil shampooing. I know how icky fleas are - and we've dealt alot with them. But the jury really seems out on peppermint-oil-based shampoos (even organic, etc), particularly on very small kittens. Often things that larger kittens/cats can handle simply are too much for tiny baby kittens. And you wouldn't want to hurt her when you're simply trying to help her! But as noted above - PLEASE don't go to the grocery/pet store and get any sort of "Hartz" flea powder/shampoo/dip/collar/spray etc. There have been alot of reports of extremely severe reactions - even deaths - associated with those products. I've personally witnessed and had several friends (before the internet was an easy place to go to find these things out) who almost lost kittens using these products. And I'm also VERY much in the camp against ANY sort of flea collar - - particularly with kittens. They tend to use the "Hartz" type chemicals....and kittens (and cats - but particularly kittens) seem amazingly agile and, when owners aren't looking or while they're gone, the kitties get their jaws under the collars and...well....you can imagine that doesn't go well at all. I've also seen kittens get their legs stuck into the flea collars as they panic to get them off (or even just scratch at the collar and get their leg caught).

For fleas - until you get her to your vet (which should definitely be a priority) - I think someone noted earlier about Dawn dish soap, but I'll note it again. (and you could bathe her without oil/soaps - - but at this point I'd worry about depleting her natural oils right away after all of that earlier bathing). Until I can get a kitten/Cat to go to a vet (which hopefully is soon) and really properly and safely rid them of the fleas, I'd handle them with a flea comb and Dawn (plain blue original) dishwashing liquid.......

Make a cup of warm water, add a few drops of Dawn to the water (you don't need to agitate the water up to make bubbles - better if you don't so that you can see what happens with the fleas), and sit down with her, the cup of "Dawn water," some white paper towels, and a flea comb (which you can get at any pet store or even a store like Target, Walmart, etc. I do this in a bathroom, so I'm not bothered by other cats, plus if a flea escapes, I at least have a shot of getting it on the tile, versus disappearing into carpet. So then dip the comb into the soapy water, and comb through her fur, gently, down to the skin. It may take a little practice to get her used to combing - but it's good to start that early anyway. Anyway - comb her gently, but make sure your comb reaches her skin. You'll need to do her whole body, but concentrate particularly on the areas around "opening" - - near her ears, her head, her mouth, her belly, and down her back particularly near her tail base/genitals (again - be gentle). After a few strokes of the comb - - look carefully at the comb. You might see actual fleas (if so - dunk them well below the surface of the soapy water IMMEDIATELY - and then I also crush them underwater between my thumbnails - I know, idk). You may also see little almost-black specks which is called "flea dirt." You can make 100% sure it's flea dirt - not "regular dirt"- by wiping it on the damp paper towel and/or crushing it between your fingernails - - - if it then looks like a dark burgundy - - - it's what's called "flea dirt." Which is basically flea feces, which is basically dried blood. Which is why when it's crushed or gotten wet, it no longer looks dark/black - - it looks like a deep red. Repeat the combing process as long as she'll let you - - or until you've gotten all you can.

Again - the best way to deal with fleas is to get her to the vet :) Being loaded with fleas can cause tons of problems - particularly on little ones - like anemia, etc. So the faster she gets to the vet the better! Plus you'll just plain feel better yourself - knowing she checks out healthy!

And I an't say it enough -- - - thank you for bringing this baby in!!! You've saved her sweet little life - - and once she's old enough to spay - -- you'll be saving hundreds of baby kittens being born into a world that's already overcrowded with unwanted little ones. So yeah for you!!

And did I miss it - does she have a name??????? Keep us posted on how things continue to go with you and your new little furry best buddy!
Thank you, kittychick for all the tips and tricks on how to get rid of those nasty little fleas. And yes. Her name is Chloe! (We're really hoping she's a girl but can't quite tell. We've watched several sexing kitten videos on YouTube and we're pretty sure she's a girl but you never know when they're this little) maybe someone on here could help me figure it out? If you go to my forum on Describing Cats-What Does My Cat Look Like, I was going to attach some pics to help others help me figure out her gender. I really appreciate your help with my little Chloe ❤
 

kittychick

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As icky and intrusive as it sounds - - if you post a fairly tight picture of her little behind (tail up - her "area" very visible) - Guarantee you someone will be able to tell which gender she is. Keep pics coming!!!!!!
 
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AC1819

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As icky and intrusive as it sounds - - if you post a fairly tight picture of her little behind (tail up - her "area" very visible) - Guarantee you someone will be able to tell which gender she is. Keep pics coming!!!!!!
Looks like a girl to me from what I've seen on YouTube but you never know!
 

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Welcome to your new forever home, little Chloe, filled with love and people who care enough to find out just what needs to be done to help you grow up big, strong, and a real lady!!

Yes - it's hardest to tell when they're teeny. At a week or less - it's VERY tough (it's easier at all ages when you have a number of them to compare to each other, since in a litter you inevitably have at least one of each sex - and it's easier to tell when you're holding them up side-by-side what's different in placement, size, etc.). Luckily yours is a tad older - so even without a "comparison kitten" - I think I can be pretty sure.

I feel pretty confident saying she can keep the name Chloe, bc she is indeed female (someone let me know if you think I'm off!!!!

The image below may help (hope you can see it). Note that it's two things on little kittens (again - comparison with another kitten helps, but these do help): it's shape and size of the male/female organ that help deter. If she's a girl, the little "opening" (her vulva) below her anus is more of a very small vertical (up and down) slit, and is pretty close to her anus. If she were a boy, that little opening for her boy parts below the anus would be more of a little tiny circle, and there's a little more distance between the peices and parts.

KittenDiagram.jpg

So everyone agree - - girl?
 
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Thank for your help!! Looking at that picture, I agree. Girl.
 

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My story is pretty similar, except mine was actually about 2 and a half weeks old when I got her (She's 8.5 weeks now). I'm having the same problem, including a husband who I constantly have to get on to using his fingers to play with her.

Any one have any more advice on how to break her of thinking petting is play? I yelp, I say no and I put her in time out and while she doesn't hurt, I'd still like to pet her. If I can break the husband, will she stop as she gets older? I've been having regular play sessions with her with a sting on a feather wand (she likes the sting more than the feather) or a catnip kick pillow. It doesn't have much affect, she still goes after my hand sometimes.

Also, is there a point when kittens become more affectionate? Right now, I can only really pet or hold when she's tired/asleep, or when she's eating. She really loves food.
 

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She does not want petting at her age. She wants and needs to play. You can pet her when she is older and more settled. :)
 

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Thank you Sarthur2. She's my first bottle baby and first tiny baby kitten in a very long time. I have little basis for comparison and since she has no siblings (not counting the dog that wrestles with her) I'm terrified I've done something wrong.
 
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AC1819

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My story is pretty similar, except mine was actually about 2 and a half weeks old when I got her (She's 8.5 weeks now). I'm having the same problem, including a husband who I constantly have to get on to using his fingers to play with her.

Any one have any more advice on how to break her of thinking petting is play? I yelp, I say no and I put her in time out and while she doesn't hurt, I'd still like to pet her. If I can break the husband, will she stop as she gets older? I've been having regular play sessions with her with a sting on a feather wand (she likes the sting more than the feather) or a catnip kick pillow. It doesn't have much affect, she still goes after my hand sometimes.

Also, is there a point when kittens become more affectionate? Right now, I can only really pet or hold when she's tired/asleep, or when she's eating. She really loves food.
This is the SAME EXACT THING as me!!!!
And it seems like the loud noises don't work for my kitty. They just don't. And when I put her somewhere else, she thinks it's a game so she'll run back to me and start playing again!!! It's annoying. I've been afraid that she's just always going to be like this and she'll never be affectionate.

Also, it's the same thing for me. The only way I can pet her is when she's sleeping or eating. Have you seen a little bit of a difference in her behavior at 8 weeks compared to about 5?
 
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Hey everybody! I need some help. Chloe (who is now thriving and growing up so fast) has ingested some string. I had watch her chew on it but I didn't think that she would swallow it. When I went to pick her up I saw that only half of the toy was there (so she had eaten half of it) she ingested about 4-5 inches of it. What do I do?!
 

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Oh dear. Take the rest of the string toy away from her.

That's quite a bit of string to swallow.

Is she she able to eat and swallow? Can she pass stool? How many hours has it been?

You'll need to watch her carefully.

It's possible the string will pass, but then again it may not.

It can get caught up in her intestines and cause big problems. In fact, cats swallowing string can be very dangerous.

Here is a vet discussing it:

Ask a Vet: My Cat Ate String -- What Should I Do? | Catster

Bottom line: See a vet for an x-ray to see where the string is. Do not pull on it from the mouth or anus until a vet is sure it's not wrapped on something internally.

Please let us know what happens.
 
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Oh dear. Take the rest of the string toy away from her.

That's quite a bit of string to swallow.

Is she she able to eat and swallow? Can she pass stool? How many hours has it been?

You'll need to watch her carefully.

It's possible the string will pass, but then again it may not.

It can get caught up in her intestines and cause big problems. In fact, cats swallowing string can be very dangerous.

Here is a vet discussing it:

Ask a Vet: My Cat Ate String -- What Should I Do? | Catster

Bottom line: See a vet for an x-ray to see where the string is. Do not pull on it from the mouth or anus until a vet is sure it's not wrapped on something internally.

Please let us know what happens.
Oh dear!!! Yes she can swallow and chew. She's now onto soft kitten food from a can. She last went to the bathroom about 2 hrs ago.
 
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Hey everybody... Chloe has gotten so big and is doing well. Besides the fact that she’s actually gotten aggressive. She’s biting every time you try and touch her, and is always pouncing and biting your ankles. It HURTS. We have tried everything. The noises, the spray bottle, yelling, just about everything. We love her so very much but we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking for me and the kids. She’s about 6ish months old now, and she’s had her shots and been spaid. The hardest part is her longing to be outside. She spends hours in the window watching outside. We can tell she wants to be outside and hunt (it’s her nature, she was born outside). She recently has gotten into the garage and we can’t seem to get her out or keep her away. We want her to be an indoor cat because of a couple reasons. 1) There’s coyotes in the neighborhood that have killed other pets. 2) Fleas and bugs. 3) Were terrified of her running away. We’re very scared that someday she’s going to get out of the house and never come back. Summer is coming up and we’re not sure if having a cat that wants to go outside is going to work. Is there a way home to tame her, and have her be okay with staying inside? Would taking her on walks help? or make her want to go outdoors even more? She hasn’t been outside since she was about 2 weeks old. Also is she going to mellow down as she gets older? Looking back, when I said she was aggressive when we first got her, she wasn’t. She was just playful. She really is aggressive now. What do we do? We have tried everything and she’s just so stubborn that nothing seems to work. Please help!!! Because we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking (like I said) Because we love her so much. We would be so heartbroken if we had to rehire her but if that is the best thing to do, I guess we will just have to consider it.
 
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Here are the most recent pictures of her!
 
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