Kitten Help

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Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • #12164
    KweeN
    Participant

    Just last night a friend of mine Natalie came over and gave my sister and me a kitten. Thing is we don’t know anything about kittens. Natalie told me its 2 weeks old and that they found him at her mother’s job and that the brothers and sisters were road kill… and today I just so happened to find this website and was wondering if anyone can give any advice, tips, on how to take care of our new kitty.

    #88093
    KYKAT 12 23
    Participant

    The kitten will need special kitten milk and not cows milk. They sell it at Petsmart or you could get it at a vets office. Kittens that small need very special care. They need to be fed often, they need to be kept warm and held a lot. You will need to do the things their mama does for them. Keep them clean, and rub their tummies after they eat to stimulate digestion, and rub their bottoms with a cotton ball and some warmed baby oil to stimulate them to eliminate.

    Anceterea! Help here!

    #88094
    paulajeanne
    Participant

    KweeN, they also sell the special kitten milk at WalMart along with bottles, etc.

    #88095
    Catwoman
    Participant

    Where does kitten milk come from, anyway? Is someone milking a poor cat somewhere?

    #88096
    Catlover
    Participant

    Oh my..now that is not a visual I want to imagine. Thanks a lot Catwoman. hee hee

    #88097
    GreatDane
    Participant

    Anncetera, where are you?

    #88098
    anncetera2
    Participant

    KweeN, you definitely want to get some KMR (kitten milk replacer), and a small nursing bottle designed for small puppies & kittens. (The nipples usually have to be pierced or sliced open on the end.) The KMR formula is available both wet and dry; if dry, mix it up according to the instructions, and no more than 1 bottle’s worth at a time.

    IMPORTANT: Before the kitten nurses, take a warm, damp washcloth, and gently rub the kitten’s genitals. This will stimulate the bladder and bowels to release their contents. It’s what the mama kitty would do, if she were there. Gently rub until you get pee & poop, and then wipe that up.

    (This MUST be done at this age; if you don’t, the nursing probably won’t go well, and the kitten’s health could go downhill quickly. Trust me, it’s just pee & poop, it’ll wash off.)

    Keep the kitten comfortably warm. At so young, they don’t have a lot of ability to keep themselves warm or cool themselves off. A hot water bottle, filled every couple of hours and wrapped in a towel, works well. So does finding a box or container that’s big enough, but not too big.

    Feed the KMR close to body temperature; warm, but not hot. Feed frequently, every 3 hours or so. The kitten will need to eat during the day, so if you have classes or work, you have to figure out how the kitten will get fed if you’re away.

    #88099
    anncetera2
    Participant
    #88100
    anncetera2
    Participant

    KweeN, please don’t hesitate to ask any more questions! If the kitten shows signs of illness (watery eyes, leaking nose, refusing to nurse, not peeing & pooping when stimulated), definitely take it to a veterinarian.

    #88101
    anncetera2
    Participant

    KweeN, please keep us updated on the kitten. How is it doing? And how are you doing?

    #88102
    caroline
    Participant

    anncetera2 gave great advice. If you can’t find a hot water bottle a heating pad set on low is good. place it UNDER the box “half and half” so the kitten can crawl off it if he gets too warm. I’ve always put a stuffed animal in with orphan kittens so they can snuggle.

    Please keep us updated!

    #88103
    MerD
    Participant

    Great advice Anncetera. Good luck with the baby, Kween!

    Here is another good site.

    http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm

    #88104
    Jo in Blairsville
    Participant

    bump — this was KweeN’s previous post.

    #88105
    ailuromaniac
    Participant

    trying to keep KweeN’s posts together to let us know this is not play.

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