Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hi, I'm Niki and although I have 5 cats, a dog, and a rabbit; I've never had a baby kitten to take care of.
   I'm not sure how old he is, but we're guessing 3-4 weeks. His name is Charles McButtons the Third (there's no 1st or 2nd lol)
   Well he stayed at my friend's house for a couple days before I saw him and fell in love. My mom says I'll probably have to find him a home, because she doesn't want to fork out all the money needed for a baby, but I'm going to push her as hard as i can! lol

   Alright well he was sneezing the night I took him, and now his eyes are runny when he sleeps. It's Sunday so I can't get him to the vet yet. Also, when we call tomorrow for an appointment, there's a good chance we won't get in right away. He's eating and pooping/peeing so I don't think it's major enough to spend the emergency fees at the hospital.
   But I was wondering if the sneezing, runny eyes, and the fact he sleeps a lot could be a sign of a URI or maybe just a cold?? When he's not sleeping he's either crying to me, eating, or walking around the bed/area where I sit with him.

   Also, he whines the very moment I put him down. (he's sleeping on a blanket in my lap right now) Even if I'm carrying him he'll whine and whine. My brother is against the thought of another animal so he has no idea Charlie's been here for the past day, and carrying Charles past his room is the scariest thing, I have to make noises and pretend to be talking to imaginary cats in the hall.
   He's eaten Wellness Kitten Formula and KMR. I give him a little bit of both a few times a day.
   Should I cut back on the Wellness and do more of the milk, or is he okay eating the wet food? Charlie weighs 11.45-.60 ounces. Is there an amount of food I should go for each day?

   One more thing, tomorrow I have to go to school and I have to get up to get ready at 7, and leave by 8. I don't finish my last class til 2, so I usually don't get home til 2:30-3pm. What's the best setup I can make for him so he'll be comfortable for around 7 hours three days a week. It's only Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I'm gone this long. Luckily Tuesday and Thursday are over very quickly!

   Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

2. 

   Hi Niki and welcome! I don't know much about kittens but there are others wiser than me. They are probably on tomorrow so I try to keep this bumped up on the first page.

   Posted 3 years ago by miu #

3. 

   Has this kitten been to the vet at all? I suggest bringing him in for a checkup so he doesn't make your other cats sick. Please keep him confined away from the other kitties. It sounds like he has a cold (URI). I would normally say that it's not very serious and it will have to run its course. You have the option of getting antibiotics from the vet so he doesn't develop a secondary infection.

   But since he is so young and small, it could be serious for him. I would take him into the vet as soon as possible. Waiting until tomorrow is fine because he is eating and drinking...and going to the bathroom. It does concern me a bit that you say he is lethargic.

   There are other people on TDK that are much more experienced than I am so you should also wait to hear from them too.

   Good luck!! And please keep us posted on your new baby's progress...

   Posted 3 years ago by summerjean #

4. 

   Hi Nikki, welcome to TDK - I love the name Charles McButtons!! Hope we get to see a picture sometime.

   If he's as young as 3-4 weeks, the constant crying may be down to his missing his littermates. You might try a small cuddly toy - beanie babies are excellent - for him to cuddle up to.

   Apart from keeping him isolated until you can see the vet, sounds like you're doing just fine :-)

   Posted 3 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

5. 

   Oh also it should be okay to leave him for that length of time. I would just set him up in a small room where there is nothing that can hurt him and nothing he can swallow. Preferrably a bathroom. Just leave him a blanket for him to sleep on, litter box, enough water and food... Make sure it's not too cold in the room and he is able to get some warmth since he is sick.

   Normally a cold will last about 7-10 days. I would also take a washcloth and run it under warm water...squeeze the excess water out...then gently clean run them across his eyes. You do not want his eyes to get gunky. My kitten had really bad runny eyes and I had to clean them about 2-3 times a day for 10 days.

   Posted 3 years ago by summerjean #

6. 

   When I first adopted my babies years ago they came home with "kennel cough" aka cold/URI. Jetta had it the worst and the ER vets (I could've waited for the regular vet but didn't know better at the time and was worried) told me to take her once an hour into the bathroom, shut the door and run a very hot shower for the steam for about 10 minutes to help clear her nasal passages. She loved it! To this day she loves to be in the bathroom when I'm showering! She thinks it's her "me" time with mommy, but she is alone with me right now so all her time is "me" time! Anyway, that might help the little guy some. Keep him warm afterward if you decide to give that a try. Bless you for taking care of him. And hey, after 6 cats, what is one more? smile

   Welcome to TDK!

   Posted 3 years ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #

7. 

   Thanks so much for the great information.
   He hasn't been to the vet yet because the people who found him can't afford to take care of their own cat, so I took him late friday night, and my vet's closed on weekends.
   I just don't understand how people can not spay/neuter their pets then when they do have babies they are able to just toss it out like garbage. I get so mad sometimes, I could hurt people!! I call Charlie my little angel because he's the sweetest little lover and he just deserves better than what he's had to go through.
   But anyways,
   I have a little area next to my bed for Charlie. (he isn't able to go under it because it's a waterbed so there's no openings) Bit I did let him sleep with me for a few hours last night, then I put him in a cat carrier which has blankets and his stuffed brothers. I took the door off of the carrier so he can still get to the other two bed/blanket areas and water/litter.
   I read that they're better off with a smaller area, rather than a large one. So the area's pretty much large enough for me to sit in so I can give him his food and make sure he poops.
   I had to go eat dinner and this is the first time today he's slept without me having to be with him! it's so freeing and strange because I keep looking to see if he's next to me.
   I do the warm rag on his eyes when he wakes up because they get really bad.
   I'll upload some pics (although they don't do him justice) and get them on here as soon as I go get my cord for the camera.

   Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

8. 

   Hi Niki! Seems like you're pretty knowledgeable about kittens and tomorrow should be OK to wait for him to see a vet just keep him separate from your other animals.Also wash your hands carefully before you pet your other animals. I agree with the wet washcloth and steam,that worked well for my babies as they had gunky eyes and noses when I first got them. As long as he's eating on his own it should be OK to leave him when you go to school. Welcome! :)

   Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

9. 

   That's a good idea Laney! I'll try that tonight!

   I forgot to add that he was covered in fleas, so I used Dawn Dishsoap(the blue kind) yesterday, but I couldn't get all the fleas out. (I didn't want him to be wet very long) So is it okay to give him another bath since it's been a day? I don't want to traumatize the little booger!
   Or should I wait longer? I didn't want to buy the Flea pills because I'm not 100% sure he's 4 weeks.

   I forgot to ask, Does he need dry food? I'm kinda more for wet food because of the health factors. I give him the wet food only along with the milk supplement. I'm not sure if kitten teeth need the dry to help their teeth, or if it's too hard for them anyways.

   Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

10. 

    Dawn is an excellent way to get rid of fleas on kittens too young for other methods,just be sure to get him warm and dry fast,like you did. Wet food is fine,he actually needs the extra fluid from the wet food.

    Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

11. 

    Alright thanks buttercup! (I love that movie lol) I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site while looking for answers!
    You've all been so helpful!!

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

12. 

    If you have a heating pad you can leave on low while you're gone, it will help keep him warm. You'll need to wrap it in a couple of layers of toweling and make sure he can't get that covering off because the heating pad by itself will be too hot for him.

    Why doesn't your brother want animals to join the family? Can you have your mother tell him it's temporary (even if it turns out to be permanent) so your brother doesn't get upset?

    Posted 3 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

13. 

    Oh boy cheetah's mommy, I wish it were that simple. My mom loves animals, she is mostly a cat person. My first dog was her first dog lol. But she's more of the "three is the perfect number" type of cat lover. We had three til last year when I brought home my two boys panda and mylo. My brother threw a cow! He is more of a dog person. And he's just a mean person who will throw a hugeHUGEhuge cow when he finds out there's a baby angel in my room!
    But, I downloaded some pictures of Charlie.
    All my nice photos are on my cell, and it's a pain in the bum to upload so they're just from when he was sleeping in my lap from my first post.

    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2278.jpg
    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2282.jpg
    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2287.jpg
    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2283.jpg
    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2280.jpg

    I tried to get a pic of me and him but I didn't want to risk waking him, so this is the best I could do.
    http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/blnk182chc14/IMG_2279.jpg

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

14. 

    Well, let your brother have a cow if he wants. Just as long as he's just vocal and not physical, don't let it bother you.

    Charlie is a cutie. He'll be a gorgeous boy when he grows up.

    Posted 3 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

15. 

    Ah thanks! I'm hoping that I'll get to keep him forever! As of right now my mom's in her "he's going to cost... bla bla bla"
    Hopefully once he's a little older and healthy enough to interact with the other kittehs, she'll fall in love with him!
    My mom just wants to keep him a secret from my brother as long as possible. We don't want to deal with him at all.

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

16. 

    I just saw this post! Hi and Welcome Niki!! Charlie is so adorable! He is a perfect orangie!!! I am so glad you are taking care of him. He needs a good mommy and lots of love!
    Just smack your brother and tell him to grow up and get a life. :)
    Please let us know how Charlie is doing. He is just such a precious angel.!!!!

    Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #

17. 

    LOL@CM!! If he gets too out of hand we will just send in Auntie Emma! Welcome to TDK Niki--you have a beautiful baby there, I can see why you want to keep him!

    Posted 3 years ago by Shelley #

18. 

    OH he is sooooooo cute!!!!! He is so lucky to have found you.

    Posted 3 years ago by summerjean #

19. 

    Oh my! What a sweet faced little orangie! He is lucky that he has you.

    Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

20. 

    Niki, Charlie looks beautiful! He should be okay on wet food only for now; be sure to clean off his gunk around eyes & nose several times a day. As far as crying goes, make sure when you're carrying him that his feet are in solid contact with you. (It will make him feel much more secure if none of his feet are dangling.) He may be crying because he's lonely; remember, up until now he's been pretty much in continuous contact with his mama and littermates. Make sure he's got a stuffed animal and cuddly blankie surface to snuggle, when you're not there.

    As far as your brother goes... when the kitten is made apparent to him, I hope your mother firmly says the kitten will stay, and your brother is not to tease or torment him. Will your mother make sure he leaves the kitten alone, when you're not there?

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

21. 

    Thanks so much everyone! Anncetera2, when my brother finds out it will most likely be him complaining to my mom and me whenever he sees us. I think he's 16, and he isn't mean to any of our pets. He pretty much only likes my cat tiger because he's so laid back he'll pretty much let you hold him upside down and fall asleep.
    Charlie has blankies and we can't find a heating pad, so I am using one of those microwaveable neck things. I put it in for a few seconds til it's warm, but not hot and put it under a blanket for him.

    My mom and I gave him another bath with Dawn and picked out more fleas than yesterday! We didn't want to get his head wet, so a lot of the fleas crawled up and they were easier to pick out. Hopefully we got them all, but I know we most likely didn't. We noticed a lot of scabs behind his ears, and when they got wet, they smeared onto the towel. I feel so bad for the little guy! I hope he's at least a little more comfy with the majority of the fleas off!

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

22. 

    Niki, you're doing a great job getting the fleas off! Fleas can be a serious problem for small kittens; if they have a bad infestation, they can become anemic, severely weakened & much more prone to infection or disease.

    There's something that might help you, though. There is a substance called diatomaceous earth (pronounced dye-uh-tome-ace-ish) that does a great job of killing all crawling insects, not just fleas. It's non-toxic, looks and handles a lot like flour, and it's safe to apply to both pets and their environment (carpets, upholstered furniture, floorboards, etc.). It acts mechanically to control fleas. Rather than acting to poison their nervous system, it acts like tiny little razor blades to insects like fleas; kind of like getting a thousand little cuts with tiny little razor blades.

    There are several different kinds of diatomaceous earth. The kind to use on pets is food grade. The kind made for swimming pool filters will not work, and horticultural grade DE sometimes has other insecticide added. I picked up 4 pounds for $10, and that's enough to treat my entire 1200 sq ft house and all of my cats about 3 times.

    If you can, consider this as an alternative to other methods. It's about the most harmless way I can think of to eliminate fleas and prevent re-infestation. It also works for ants, cockroaches, etc. Leftover dust in carpeting, floorboards, etc. will help eliminate any fleas that hatch out after initial treatment. (Just try not to inhale the stuff, like any fine dusty substance.)

    More general information can be found at:

    http://www.richsoil.com/flea-control.jsp

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

23. 

    Charlie is adorable! Try a flea comb on him. You can get a fine tooth comb at pet supply shops.
    :)

    Posted 3 years ago by caroline #

24. 

    Charlie is adorable!! and you are being a good meowmy! Welcome to the family!

    Posted 3 years ago by BCAMflorida227 #

25. 

    Just seen picture of young Charles McButtons - SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! :-)

    Posted 3 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

26. 

    Charles McButtons is ADORABLE!!!!!
    Welcome to tdk Niki. You've chosen the best web site in the world!
    Sounds like Charlie has upper respiratory, and, I agree, keep him isolated. Also sounds like you are doing the right thing and get him to a vet asap. If it is URI, it will have to run it's course. Antibiotics are used only for bacterial infections, and URI is viral.
    Good luck with that precious baby, and tell your pain-in-the-butt brother to chill!!!!
    Peace, hugs and purrs.

    Posted 3 years ago by artistabobbi TX 1/17 #

27. 

    How is Charlie doing today? Able to get to the vet?

    Posted 3 years ago by summerjean #

28. 

    Oh Boy I have Super News!
    Today my brother didn't have school thanks to Huricane Ike's insane wind gusts traveling through Ohio. Well while I was at my classes today, my brother and his friend heard charlie meowing! He called my mom and was like "did you know niki has a baby kitten in her room? It's so small it looks like it just popped out of the mom" My mom pretended not to know, but when I got home I had to take my brother to the store and buy him lunch so he "wouldn't tell mom."

    Right now Charlie's in my brother's room. Nate calls him Evil after Evil Canevil (idk how to spell it lol) Because Charlie actually jumped onto the top of the cat carrier when they walked into the room! Right now I'm in the process of barganing with my brother so he'll tell my mom that he likes him. Although when i went in to feed him, they were calling him Bojangles...

    I guess Charlie is a little angel because he actually got Nate to ask if he could play in his room.

    We didn't get him to the vet today. We gotta wait a few days til he can get in, unless they get an opening. Oh well, til then he's gonna have to be a trooper and deal with the warm cloth on his eyes. (he doesn't like it at all!)

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

29. 

    Oh! and Thanks Anccetera for that information! I'm going to look into it and see where I can buy it!
    Also, we do have a flea comb, but it was so difficult to get those little suckers off of him! we had to end up using tweezers and my mom's nails. (I held him and she picked em off)

    Posted 3 years ago by Niki and Charlie #

30. 

    Wow, Hurricane Ike affected you all the way up in Ohio?! That is crazy. I live in South Florida and we missed getting hit all together. It was aiming for us in the beginning.

    I'm glad to hear he is doing well and your brother is accepting him. A vet appt would be best to make sure all is well with him.

    Posted 3 years ago by summerjean #

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