Urgent help needed! Found a small kitten!

[Shawna87]

Hey everyone, my sister in law told me she found a kitten at her work. She said there was no mom to be found but they did find another kitten that has sadly already passed away. I told her to bring him to my house. He’s got goo in his eyes but seems quite lively. I don’t know how old he is or if he still needs kitten formula. I can tell he’s a boy. I had some high calorie squeezable treats that are for newborn kittens and some wet kitten food that I gave him. I put him in a crate inside our warm shed with a blanket, food, water, and a litter box. I have two cats in my house and I’m not sure if he has fleas or anything so I dont feel comfortable bringing him in yet. Can anyone help me determine his age? He can walk but it’s sorta a crawl walk and his ears are up but still a little floppy. His eyes are open and he can fit in one of my hands. I have a picture below. Does he need kitten formula? Any help would be great right now! I want to help him but have never cared for a kitten this little.

 

[Margot Lane]

Am sure someone expert will be getting to you soon! What a sweetie and thanks for taking him in. meantime, there are many many kitten threads to pore over on this site which will be helpful. Best of luck, he looks like a little fighter.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, I think he does still need formula. My guess would be he is 3-4 weeks old but he could be a bit older but very malnourished. You can pick up bottles and formula at a pet store, and watch an Kittenxlady Video on YouTube on how to bottle feed a kitten. I would try to have a vet check him out tomorrow or as soon as you can get him in.

 

[CyberTiger]

Poor little fella. I'm no expert, but yeah, formula is probably a good idea. A hard transition to solids might be hard on his tummy if he wasn't really having any yet.

Mom not being in human sight doesn't mean she abandoned them. It's usually a good idea to try to watch kittens for a bit if you can to see if Mom comes and what shape she's in, but it is concerning that one kitten had passed away. Still, might be a good idea for your sister-in-law and any helpful coworkers to keep an eye out for Mom. She might not be happy that her babies are all gone, but if anything, she might be struggling herself and need help, too.

 

[StefanZ]

Hey everyone, my sister in law told me she found a kitten at her work. She said there was no mom to be found but they did find another kitten that has sadly already passed away. I told her to bring him to my house. He’s got goo in his eyes but seems quite lively. I don’t know how old he is or if he still needs kitten formula. I can tell he’s a boy. I had some high calorie squeezable treats that are for newborn kittens and some wet kitten food that I gave him. I put him in a crate inside our warm shed with a blanket, food, water, and a litter box. I have two cats in my house and I’m not sure if he has fleas or anything so I dont feel comfortable bringing him in yet. Can anyone help me determine his age? He can walk but it’s sorta a crawl walk and his ears are up but still a little floppy. His eyes are open and he can fit in one of my hands. I have a picture below. Does he need kitten formula? Any help would be great right now! I want to help him but have never cared for a kitten this little.

I think kitten is around 4 weeks, perhaps even 5. So if necessary, he can eat solids, but its wise to give kmr or goats milk. (goats milk is also cheaper than kmr, and better than a so so kmr). Raw goats milk is prob best, but pricey.
You did gave him some solid food, did he eat it?? IF so, you know it will work...

Bottle is nice and easy, but as he had an alive momma, he may refuse bottle.... If so, it may be easier with a syringe or even a dropper...

Eyes... You can try to gentle wash them with tea water. One eye at a time; if he has some problem with ONE eye, you dont want to smear on the other eye too. If it dont goes better, he will prob need some antibiotica ointment...

Whom are your residents? Its wise of you to quarantine him some till you are sure he is healthy and flea free, but this depends also on whom they are.
Are they too rescued ex homeless; you can presume they have excellent immune system.
If they are healthy and fully vaccinated - perhaps used to go outside?? You can hope for the best.
If not; be extra careful.

He is old enough to be dewormed with some mild preparate containing pyrantel; its anti round worms...
If he has fleas, he should also be dewormed against tapeworms (fleas are inbetween host for tapeworms).
If you can get Milbomax, you can deworm with this, its a mild allround preparate.
If not; you can deworm roundworms with pyrantel-preparate, but should wait a couple of weeeks for an all round dewormer...

IF you go to a vet, its of course easiest to let the vet check him up, and let decide which dewormer to give... Vaccinations later on...

 

[Shawna87]

Poor little fella. I'm no expert, but yeah, formula is probably a good idea. A hard transition to solids might be hard on his tummy if he wasn't really having any yet.

Mom not being in human sight doesn't mean she abandoned them. It's usually a good idea to try to watch kittens for a bit if you can to see if Mom comes and what shape she's in, but it is concerning that one kitten had passed away. Still, might be a good idea for your sister-in-law and any helpful coworkers to keep an eye out for Mom. She might not be happy that her babies are all gone, but if anything, she might be struggling herself and need help, too.

Yes I completely agree. My sister in law waited and watched all day for the mom to come get him but she didn’t come. She said at one point she had seen an adult cat around here work and she looked like the mom. However the past couple days she stopped seeing the adult cat. With one of them already passed away I was afraid to wait any longer for her. I am having her and the coworkers keep an eye out for her in case she does come back or need medical attention. I hope I’m doing what’s best. Thank you for reaching out. It’s important for everyone to understand what you said.

 

[Sarthur2]

How is the kitten today? Have you tried formula yet? Has the kitten eaten yet?

You can bathe the kitten using Dawn dish soap. Any fleas will come off. Then flea comb after drying. Then you can bring the kitten inside your home instead of being in a shed alone.
Shawna87

 

[Shawna87]

How is the kitten today? Have you tried formula yet? Has the kitten eaten yet?

You can bathe the kitten using Dawn dish soap. Any fleas will come off. Then flea comb after drying. Then you can bring the kitten inside your home instead of being in a shed alone.
Shawna87

He’s doing pretty good! I got him formula and I’ve been feeding him every 3-4 hours. I washed him and did a flea comb and saw no fleas so he’s now inside with me. I’m currently bringing him to work with me though because he needs to fed so often. I’ve looked into rescues and shelters to bring him too but it seems they’re all full or don’t accept kittens this young. I will keep looking but maybe he was just meant to stay with me. He’s perked up a lot since I’ve been feeding him formula. Do you happen to know at what age their nails need to be trimmed? They seem to be getting long but he’s also so small.

 

[Sarthur2]

Use tiny scissors or baby nail clippers to gently trim the very tips of his claws. It’s amazing how fast those little claws grow AND how sharp they are!

I’m so glad he’s inside and at work with you. He already thinks you are his mom, and he needs you. What a little sweet pea!

 

[Shawna87]

Does anyone know how often a three week old kitten should be fed? He’s 11oz and drinks about 15ml each feeding. I’ve been doing every 3-4 hours but when researching it online some places says 2-3 hours and other days 4-6. Also I’ve been waking up at night with him to feed. I saw online that some people say this is necessary and others say not to wake him up to feed him. Any advice would be great!

 

[Sarthur2]

He needs feeding every 3-4 hours right now, and he needs a feeding through the night. His weight indicates he is close to 3 weeks old. Have you noticed if he has cut any baby teeth yet?

As he gets a little bigger and can hold more, you can go 6 hours at night.

 

[Shawna87]

He needs feeding every 3-4 hours right now, and he needs a feeding through the night. His weight indicates he is close to 3 weeks old. Have you noticed if he has cut any baby teeth yet?

As he gets a little bigger and can hold more, you can go 6 hours at night.

He has his incisors, his canines, and I see some of his premolars starting to poke through. After he’s finished his 15ml he seems to still want more but the formula says to only give 5ml for every 4oz of weight.

 

[susanm9006]

I would start introducing a good quality wet food and maybe try putting some formula in a dish to see if he will lap it.

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s difficult to over feed a growing kitten.

Since he’s got teeth, definitely mix pate wet food into a mush with formula and see if he’s ready to eat. If not, you can give him as much formula milk as he wants.

 

[Shawna87]

It’s difficult to over feed a growing kitten.

Since he’s got teeth, definitely mix pate wet food into a mush with formula and see if he’s ready to eat. If not, you can give him as much formula milk as he wants.

Thank you so much for all your help! The little man is doing good! He loves the pate mixed with his formula and seems much happier since it keeps him fuller. He’s 13oz and has seemed to be settling in well! I’m working on trying to get my other two cats use to him slowly.

 

[Shawna87]

Hey everyone! I just found a flea on the kitten. I only found one and I haven’t seen any since I got him till today. I checked my other cats but don’t see any. I did a flea and tick treatment on both the cats and washed him with Dawn. I also washed his bedding him hot water since he spends most of his time in box I’m hoping it didn’t spread off him. I’ve let him in my bed a couple times and on the sofa but not too often. I’m worried crazy that I have a flea infestation. I only saw one flea this whole week I’ve had him so could it just be it got on him yesterday when he was spending sometime outside with me? Do I need to flea clean my whole house or anything? Any help or would be appreciated? I have bad anxiety as it is and just need some reassurance and help.

 

[Sarthur2]

Don’t take him outside! It sounds like you’ve got things under control and there’s no flea infestation.

 

[Shawna87]

Baby boy is getting big! He weighs 18oz and has been loving play lately. He likes his big brother especially when he plays with him but is a little unsure about his sister. He loves his soft pate food and formula together. He does great at work with me and my preschoolers have even gave him the nickname sunshine. I think it’s a fitting name for my little ray of sunshine!