Kitten shipped overseas in a tool box. Help!

[sadie jane]

My father in law heard mewling in the plant where works two nights ago, and found a kitten in a box that had come in from Germany two days before that. We know came from there because the box was still closed up. She went at least five days without a momcat.

I'm assuming she's around two weeks old. Her eyes and ears are open and she can poop by herself (she went for the first time last night). FIL brought her to me to care for, so I'm hoping she lives.

Any advice on how to revive a kitten that has gone so long without food? I'm starting her off with small portions of formula every hour as opposed to larger feedings. She, also, has a grayish colored mucous secretion coming from both her eyes. What can I do to help that clear up? I've been keeping her quarantined from my cats as best as I can.

Note: I'm not taking her to the vet unless she lives long enough to start kibble. I don't have the money for vet bills on a kitten that's not mine and likely won't live.

Spelling errors are because my phone's autocorrect is drunk today.

 

[foxxycat]

you can wipe eyes off with wet rag but if its green or yellow gunk you will need antibiotic cat eye drops-most vets will prescribe if you call and talk to them. as long as you are an established patient I don't see an issue with this.

Constant feedings are good. If kiten is using the box its older than 2 weeks. normally they don't start litter training until 5 weeks at earliest.

Hopefully more experienced folks will pop on and help.

do you have a photo of sweet kitten and where are you located so we can help find low cost spuetering center when kitten is 2lbs.

 

[sadie jane]

She didn't go in the box. She went in the box she was sleeping in. I haven't had a chance to wash her this morning. I have a sick, teething 4mo daughter.

IMG_20160525_103936.jpg

• sadie jane
• May 25, 2016

 

[sadie jane]

I'm worried she doesn't have sight in this eye.

 

[StefanZ]

My father in law heard mewling in the plant where works two nights ago, and found a kitten in a box that had come in from Germany two days before that. We know came from there because the box was still closed up. She went at least five days without a momcat.

I'm assuming she's around two weeks old. Her eyes and ears are open and she can poop by herself (she went for the first time last night). FIL brought her to me to care for, so I'm hoping she lives.

Any advice on how to revive a kitten that has gone so long without food? I'm starting her off with small portions of formula every hour as opposed to larger feedings. She, also, has a grayish colored mucous secretion coming from both her eyes. What can I do to help that clear up? I've been keeping her quarantined from my cats as best as I can.

Note: I'm not taking her to the vet unless she lives long enough to start kibble. I don't have the money for vet bills on a kitten that's not mine and likely won't live.

Spelling errors are because my phone's autocorrect is drunk today.

She is at least 3 weeks, by that photo, possibly up to 5.  Which is good news.  She is thus not so sensible to being chilled either. Still, be sure she is warm and comfortable... Let her have a stuffed animal as company.  The feeding, small portions but often is excellent done.   I see you have liquid premade KMR. This is good to start with, but next batch you buy, its better the KMR in powder.   Or goats milk.

Use a cloth wetted in saline, lukewarm water to dry off the eyes.  The saline makes it somewhat antibacterial...

Re the costs.  Could you try and contact the shelters or rescue groups nearby, and ask if they can help? Explain the situation.   At least, if they can let you have access to their vet.    What is with the shelters, they almost never have places. But sometimes they have still some money. So what is sometimes possible to arrange, you the rescuer become their fostering home.  You do the work as earlier, they help you with the vet costs, sometimes even food costs, and usually - they also take responsibility to find an adoption home.

  Her fur seems funny.  Its some wrong with it, or its just dirt, or just another coloration?  (she seems a tortie)

please come back here with further reports and questions.

 

[sadie jane]

I've been keeping her in a cardboard box with blankets and a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel for a "mom". My tomcats' vet told me it was acceptable to use powder infant formula and double the strength. So that's what I'm doing as I have that on hand.

I've flushed her eyes a few times with warm black tea and use warm water on a wash rag, too.

I haven't considered a shelter to help with costs. I thought that was a dog only type thing. I'll look into that.

Her fur has poop in it right now. I washed her last night because she's covered in fleas and blood came out of her fur with it (more than typical flea infestation amount); I'm waiting on my SO to get home from work to clean her because my daughter picked up a stomach virus at the pediatrician. She is tortie,yes.

 

[Sarthur2]

Aww, poor baby!

She looks to be 4-5 weeks. Does she have her baby teeth yet?

The formula, even with some Gerber rice cereal mixed in, is great every 2 hours to start. How many mLs are you feeding each time?

Do you have a kitchen scale to weigh her? The amount she needs at each feeding goes by her weight.

If she's eating well, in the next day or two you can try giving her Gerber turkey or chicken baby food on your finger along with her bottles.

Can you post a picture of her eyes? Are they better since wiping with a warm, damp cloth? She may need terramycin ointment if it's infection.

Thank you for trying to save her while busy with your own baby!

 

[Willowy]

If she has teeth, try her on canned cat food (pate type) with formula mixed in to make a mush. She looks old enough but you never know until you see teeth . And, yeah, if you have some meat baby food around, you can offer that. She looks like she's a bit too old for just formula.

I can't see a picture of her eye you were worried about. If necessary, you can get terramycin OTC but it's not always easy to find :/. The vet may let you get some without seeing the kitty, the pharmacy may have some behind the counter. . .but I've only gotten it online so I can't say for sure.

 

[sadie jane]

I didn't think about her having teeth. Yes, she does. I have dry kitten food that I feed my 3mo kitten. Can I crush that to mix with formula? I'm trying to use what we have on hand because I cannot mentally handle going to walmart with a sick baby today.

Her eyes look much better cleaned up. And upon closer inspection I've decided that she does have sight in both it was just really clogged up.

My first rescue, Tux, came from a litter that had eye, heart, and neurological problems. One of his brothers died from a hole in the heart, he can't jump right and is blind in one eye, and his other brother has trouble walking and is almost completely blind. So I'm leary of gunky eyes.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Crushing the kitten food and mixing it with formula is a great idea!

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, if you crush it, mix it with formula, and let it sit, it should be mushy enough. But don't make a bunch of it all at once or let it sit too long---kibble tends to have a lot of surface bacteria (they spray it with animal digest and then it just sits in a bag, y'know?), which gets activated when the kibble gets wet, so crushed and soaked kibble will go bad quickly. You could crush a lot in advance and mix it with formula fresh for each meal, to save time.

 

[sadie jane]

Wait, what?? Animal digest?

 

[sadie jane]

Yeah, if you crush it, mix it with formula, and let it sit, it should be mushy enough. But don't make a bunch of it all at once or let it sit too long---kibble tends to have a lot of surface bacteria (they spray it with animal digest and then it just sits in a bag, y'know?), which gets activated when the kibble gets wet, so crushed and soaked kibble will go bad quickly. You could crush a lot in advance and mix it with formula fresh for each meal, to save time.

My phone hates me. The reply above was meant for you.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, you don't want to think too hard about what's in pet food . Just don't leave wet kibble out too long, that's all.

 

[sadie jane]

Oh, you don't want to think too hard about what's in pet food . Just don't leave wet kibble out too long, that's all.

You're making me want to buy meat rabbits and make my own food even more. I've heard a lot. Never heard about digest. I'm assuming you're talking about stomach acid???

 

[Willowy]

Not stomach acid. It's, um, well, here's the Wikipedia page on it, not sure I understand the exact process: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_digest

 

[sadie jane]

What's the best way to transition her over to solids? She still only eats out of the syringe

 

[newkitties]

It will take her time, she is very weak. If she has teeth she is about the age to try and eat solids, but with how weak she is, she probably can't. Five days without mama is a big percent of this little ones life!

Keep syringe feeding, try offering the KMR in a bowl, see if she will lap it up.

If you want to try and get her eating the crushed up kitten food mixed with KMR, make sure it is mushy enough that it can be lapped up with her tongue, she probably doesn't understand how to chew yet. So it would need to be mostly KMR to start, then slowly mix in more bits of mushy kibble when she gets better at it.

 

[Sarthur2]

I would try Gerber baby turkey or chicken on your finger or on a plate. Kitten may be more ready in a few days' time too. It's a process.

 

[sadie jane]

I've been mixing formula with a little cream of chicken soup and she's started eating it on her own. I know it's not ideal, but I haven't left the house yet because I now have a stomach virus, too.

She learned how to climb out of her box and spent a good chunk of time roaming the kitchen and living room today, and seems to have a ton more energy. I'm having to fight to keep my male kitten away from her because he decided that she's a new toy.

Since she fought me on her night feedings last night, I decided to feed her on demand. So when she cries I feed her, but I'm not setting an alarm anymore. Shes eating about an ounce of food per sitting about every 3 hrs.