Hello! I have a new kitten, it is my uncles. My uncles cats usually are infected with a skin disease and don't live after its 5th week.So i took it in and now im doing everything i can to make it grow healthy :} It is 3 weeks old. I know its to young to be separated from its mother but i do not want to risk its life. I bought a cage and placed a thick towel to keep it warm and the litter box next to it. Like the other forums i read, i noticed that they have trouble pooping too, so please I am in need of help. Its my FIRST time with a kitten.. I'm just 15 and am raising it with the help of my mother. We bought the litter, kitten milk formula (I think that's what it's called) and we are feeding it using the bottle for kittens. I need tips on how to feed it properly... the kitten drinks but it's only for a few minutes then he/she lets go of it. Help please?? Thank you so much.. Will post pictures if possible :)
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat
3 week old kitten, PLEASE READ!
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Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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There are many here who know far more than I do. Someone came by and added a few tags to your post already. I know keeping them warm is very important, and most say a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel works well. Just make sure the baby has enough room to crawl away from it if he gets too warm.
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Welcome to TDK! About the kitty and the amount of milk he's drinking - a kitten that age is supposed to drink about 10ml with every feed. I find that some kittens struggle to drink that much in the beginning, usually because they are still weak and in bad physical shape, and also because they arent used to drinking from a bottle. So I'm happy if they get at least 5ml of milk (a teaspoon full) with every feed. My rule in that case is always little=often, which means giving the kitten a bottle every 2-3 hours.
As for litterbox training, his age is at the point where he can start learning to use a box, but he still needs to be stimulated to go with a moist cotton ball. Its not fun, but there's no other way around it.
You say your uncle's cats dont live past 5 weeks - may i ask why? Is it because they get sick?
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Hi, there, AlistarPur, bless you for taking in this kitten. I'm going to give you some kitten-rearing sites which should help tell you everything you need to know. The first site in particular, messybeast, is very good but they are all full of good information:
http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm
http://www.kittenrescue.org/pages.php?pageid=15
http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/orphans.shtml
http://www.feralcat.com/raising.htmlI also added the pink tage 'orphans' to the right hand top side, if you click on that, you will see many previous threads from people also bottle-raising kittens and getting good advice.
First of all, kittens can't digest KMR properly if they're cold, so make sure your little one is warm enough, as Jourdan said. Don't hold it on its back like a baby, make sure it has all four feet pointing down at the floor -- this is how it would nurse from its mum. You don't want the milk to go down the wrong way. Kittens this age only have very tiny tummies and can't hold a lot, so feed every two hours -- through the night as well, I'm afraid. If he was still with his mum, he would be feeding off and on all the time, basically when he felt like it, going to sleep with the nipple in his mouth, etc. So s/he's not going to feed for long. For the right amount at each feed check on the websites and on the formula instructions.
If you have any other questions, come right back, there are loads of experienced kitty foster mums on here and though we are not vets, we will do all we can to help.
But I have to say, I am worried about what you say about your uncle's cats skin disease. Do you know what disease it is? If it is mange, that is a burrowing creature that gets under the skin and needs vet treatment to get better -- your kitten may already have it. If it is ringworm, that's a fungus and again needs vet treatment, and it can spread to humans very easily. If it is something viral, then taking your kitten away from its mother means that it's no longer getting her antibodies against the virus with her milk, so again, your kitten may well already have the virus. If it is bacterial, she will need antibiotics. In all these cases, she will need a vet check to stay healthy. If it is something like ringworm or mange, you or your other animals could also pick it up.
I hope one day you can persuade your uncle to get his cats spayed and neutered. It is not fair to bring kittens into this world to die, and you're obviously really concerned about this. See if you can get him to do the right thing. :-)
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Thank you JCAT,Skyron and Jourdan :) It has start litter box training, its very clever. But sadly today i found that it had worms inside the tiny poops :'( But took it to the vet and we got the medicine, its still a bit tired, but its starting to drink its milk properly again! :) Your tips were all so helpful! :D
About the disease, its this skin disease. I'm not sure what it is but it looks like rocks around its eyes & body and it starts to lose fur.. when their kittens, usually at the age of 5 weeks, those things would grow on its paws first and they get this HUGE fleas.My aunt in law tried helping it by using bathing it but they don't make it :'( So my mother and I wanted to save one. Right now we are persuading others to adopt his little brothers/sisters.My mother did advice him since it is such a cruel thing to do to his pets, but he is stubborn and he didn't respond and would usually ignore the advice we give him.
Oh and now my kittens name is Booboo. It's responding really well to that name, he is so smart. He's sleeping now,still recovering.
Thankyou SO SO SO SO SO MUCH,
♥ :)P/S: Is it okay if you tell me normal things to expect from a kitten? Or your experiences with your first cat/kitten? :)
Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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Oh and how does mange look like?
And i took my kitten to the vet but it says it has to be 2 months old to be spayed or neutered. And how do i 'wean' the kittens.You know the one where you start introducing it to normal cat food? Sorry for double posting. :PPosted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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You've got a few weeks before you need to think about weaning. That means changing the emphasis from mother's milk to dry food. There are wonderful dry kitten foods out there when Booboo is ready.
Google on 'mange' and click on the 'photos' link. You may need to search "mange in cats" in quotes to get exactly what you're looking for.
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AlistarPur, I'm just off to bed (I'm up very late) but I'll try and answer some of your questions tomorrow :-) When your kitten starts to chew the teat on the bottle more than sucking (about four weeks), then you can start weaning Booboo by putting some wet kitten food on a flat dish, drizzling it with formula and trying him on it (he will probably walk in it, lol). Some like to start eating wet food at four weeks, some don't till six or eight weeks but don't worry about it, he'll start eating wet food when it's the right time for him.
The skin disease sounds awful. Did you alert your vet about it? You need to keep a watch out in case it starts in your kitten.
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Some sites on mange:
http://www.cat-health-guide.org/catmange.html
http://www.vetinfo.com/diagnosing-demodectic-mange-cats.htmlIt could also be that those enormous fleas are causing an allergic reaction in the cats, which makes them itch and the fur fall out, and causes the 'rocks' or bumps and flea infestation will kill kittens, the kittens die of anaemia. You would need a vet to tell you exactly what the disease is and he would do that by taking skin samples and looking at them under the microscope.
I am very worried about your uncle's cats, they must be in a lot of pain and distress. He is not allowed to ignore this problem, he could get into a lot of trouble for not taking care of his animals properly.
I am very glad and proud of you and your mum and your aunt in law that you are trying to help. You are a champion!
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Hmm, I'm not sure about the skin issue, but I am raising a litter of four kittens myself about the same age. It is super tiring, but it sounds like you are trying really hard! I commend you for taking on this challenge and being so young. My kittens are starting to get their milk teeth, going tinkle on their own, and playing. My kittens also will pull away from the nipple, play with it, etc. Usually if they aren't getting enough milk from the nipple, it frustrates them, so I had to increase the size of the hole so that is flowed a little faster. He should also be putting on around .3 oz a day. Some days its a little less some days its a little more in my kittens. Also, formula and when you do add kitten food, can constipate them, I came here for help. So, you just have to watch and make sure he's going potty everyday. Oh, and one more thing. Kittens need to be burped when fed, I noticed that if they sucked down too much air while feeding they would stop, but once I burped them they finished eating.
Posted 1 year ago by MizzCupnCake #
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@JCAT and @Siobhan Yes!!! that is the exact same skin issue the cats have! But theirs are so critical. Only 2 of them are perfectly healthy because I think that they don't spend much time with the ones that are infected. You are more of a champion than I am for helping me figure out what might cause the skin issue! :D Once again, thank you so much!
@Mizzcupncake how can you manage 4 kittens? I have one kitten and i feel like passing out. HAHAHAH:P He is a very playful kitty, runnning here and there. he is so spoiled always following people around asking for snuggles and always sleeping on peoples laps. He is so adorable. He looks like Leo, the cat on the website a few days ago, the whitish gold one.
Thank you so much for telling me its normal for a cat to poop everyday :P got a bit worried about that.. Im aware that you can't use the clumping kind because of digestive problems. Right? hehe,
I had the same problem with the nipple so I had the vet cut it for me when I took him for his worm problem. But, how do you burp a kitten and does it sound like a person burping? Should I start giving him normal water? How do i teach him to drink from its bowl?
LOL, your kitten is so cute.. I hope you wouldn't mind posting a pic of all for of 'em :DThank you once again,
♥OHHHHHH YAH!! GREAT NEWS EVERYONE! MY AUNT IN LAW AND A FAMILY FRIEND ADOPTED BOOBOO'S SIBLINGS. SO THEY ARE SAVED :D WE ARE ALL PLANNING TO GET THEM NEUTERED NEXT MONTH! :) yes they are all handsome boys ;) Heee
Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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Alistar, that is wonderful news! I'm so glad for the kittens! That's brilliant!
I don't think your kitten needs water while he's still drinking formula. I will see if I can find how to burp a kitten...
Okay, you burp kittens just like a human baby, patting them very lightly. This is from the messybeast.com website:
After feeding, gently tilt its head up and use your other hand to rub its back towards the tail - kitten-burping to get rid of swallowed air. -
Yeah, I pat their little back ends to make them burp, or stroke their sides, that always does the trick. I do need to post pics! I just found out that the one in the pic, who I had named Princess, is actually a Prince, lol, so I need to find a new name! It doesn't really feel like that much more work then one kitten, I just have to buy more food!
Posted 1 year ago by MizzCupnCake #
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Sorry for the late reply guys!!!!!!!!!! :D
Hahahahah, @MizzCupNCake, i didn't know Booboo's gender either before this, until we went to the vet because of his worms :S how about you rename HIM Duke? Or anything related to royalty, that's what we planned :p Boo boo is doing- 0gret888888888888888888-[[433333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333z- he typed that, he says hiiiiiiiiii :P LOL. So as i was saying, he is doing great! :D His getting bigger and bigger :) He loves sleeping with me on my bed and in my mums arms :} I tried burping him, i was quite confused at first cus i personally have never heard a cat burp, LOL. so it was exciting the first time. And my aunts kitten(His brother) came that day and they had so much fun playing together. He has such a big appetite :O And he loves catching peoples feet :D So adorable. I know im trying to take a pic but he usually never stand still :P HAHAH, hold on I will take a pic of him. :) THANK YOU GUYS! OH and you still haven't told me about your first experience with your kitties :) I can't wait to read it all, do reply soon! Oh and what are the names of your gorgeous cats?
Love,Allia
Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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My first experiences are lack of sleep, lol. They are starting to become so much fun now. They are playing and learning to run, jump, and climb. My year old, Binx, loves playing with them now. He rolls around with them and he'll get on the desk chair and wait for them to walk by and he bops them so they try to get at him in the chair. They climb all over me now when I come into the room.
Posted 1 year ago by MizzCupnCake #
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my cat blue got that trouble just got it call hot spot you to shave your cat to let them dry up and also, you to the vet to get cream for it.. so back to this okay
Posted 1 year ago by momkitten2 #
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Hello guys,sorry I've been missing! I had a huge test and I wasn't allowed to go on the laptop/computer -.- So updates:
Booboo is now 6 months old! He's already neutered and he is such a big boy! His really chubby. Heres the picture of him I've been promising for months and I am terribly sorry to keep you guys waiting!!!!!
Picture one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36132708@N03/5254226927/#/photos/36132708@N03/5254226927/lightbox/Picture two:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36132708@N03/5254824772/#/photos/36132708@N03/5254824772/lightbox/Quick question from my feline loving family here in TDK, how do I get rid of ear mites? :S I bathe them but I can still see them deep inside Booboo's ears and I'm too scared to use a cotton bud to clean it out. HELP :S
Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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Wow, he has grown so much. I love his fluffy tail. You did a good job raising him.
Ear mites are hard to get rid of without proper meds. Call the vet and see if he will prescribe some ointment to get rid of the mites. You are right not to poke anything into BooBoo's ears - cat ears have lots of folds and creases and it's really easy to damage them.
Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #
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Haha, yes he has. I had A LOT of help from everyone here! Thank you guys so much. I'll never forget how worried I was at first and how much everyone here has been so welcoming and wonderful :D
Ohh. How about tear stains? My other two cats are persians and they are always tearing. I wipe the stains everyday but is there anyway to make it stop?
Posted 1 year ago by AlistarPur #
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The ear mites definitely needs meds. It's usually drops that you put in and then repeat (I think at three weeks but the v-e-t will tell you for sure).
As for the tearing - Persians that is a part of the breed (thanks Cats 101 on Animal Planet!) and you can't do anything other than wipe them out every day. For other breeds, check with the vet to make sure there isn't something going on if it's heavy tearing. Otherwise, a little tearing is kinda normal.
Welcome back. Hope you did great on your exam!
Posted 1 year ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #
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