Help!

Today I found a tiny little kitten...about 3 0r 4 weeks old. We took him to the vet...he has a nasty case of conjunctivitis and an upper respiratory infection that he is being treated for. other than that he is in pretty good shape for a 10 ounce lost kitten. He has not been weened, yet, and we are trying to bottle feed him. Please, I would appreciate any help or advice you can give me about caring for such a tiny little one. We are not yet sure if we are going to keep him, but we want to give him the best chance at life possible.

You guys are great!! It's a job, but so rewarding. You just need to make sure he is getting the milk replacer every 2 hours or so and keep him warm. If he isnt going to the bathroom by himself them stimulate him after meals and such. It is easier to think like a mom cat. What would his mom do. A few times a day wipe him and his face with a warm cloth. Interact with him when he's feeling a little better. I am sorry I am all over the place here!! It's late and I am very tired. I can't think of anything else to add at the moment. I just know you guys will do a great job!!! If you have any specific questions..shoot.

Thank you for your helpful reply. It is truely a wonderful experience. He is the sweetest little creature...and loves to eat!! We are having trouble trying to get him to pee and poo, though. we have been rubbing the areas with a warmwet cloth, but don`t see any results, yet. He wants to be held constantly, and we are usually eager to complythanks, again

Tiggeytoes...sounds like when I found my baby Bagpuss in the dumpster when she was 4 weeks old - she was put in there to die. She had conjunctivitus and cat flu and tghe vet wanted to put her to sleep.

I also had to bottle feed, this is how I did it - don't know if it will work for you but it is worth a try......

She was in the kitchen so small and would get lost in the corners of the kitchen. I got some special kitten milk from the pet store and a tiny little bottle and I tried feeding her - the first day she only took a little because she was so ill and I think ready to give up she tookm more the second day and by the 4th and 5th day she could not get enought. I would suggest that you put some milk on the teet and let her smell it and lick it evetually she will take the teet into her mouth and suckle.

I only bottle fed for 1 week then weened her off which took only about 2 days.

Also because Bagpuss was so small I got a really soft peice of material which was also to keep her warm and I left that in the kitchen for her to sleep on - I think she liked that becuse not only are the tiles in there hard but they are also rather cold.

I think when you have such a little one like that who has had a rough start in life a lot of lovin' and cuddles and kisses are needed.

Wish you loads of luck and let us know what happens

Thank you for your helpful ideas, Amanda. Rocky is healing quickly and loves to eat! We will probably ween him in about a week...we are enjoying the btttle feeding and the cuddles. If he had it his way we would be holding him 24/7.

The only thing better than a baby sleeping on your chest,..is a kitten in your arms.

We had a bad experience with a vet....We couldn`t take Rocky to our regular vet because he was closed, so we brought him to the only one open. They were very nice, but didn`t give him antibiotics for upper resp. infection...just eye drops for the conjunctivitis and canned milk replacement. Well, after a couple days the kitten developed diahrea and I looked at the can of milk....it was for puppies, not kittens. When we called the vet to question them about whether it could have caused the diahrea they told us they would get back to us, and never did. Well, we brought him to our vet, today, and now he is on antibiotics and has been tested for leukemia, neg! They de wormed him, too. He has turned into a real snuggle-bunny! He bottle feeds well. The other vet told us to ween him this week-end, and my regular vet wants us to offer him food, but keep bottle feeding him some for a couple weeks. It seems the continued bottle feeding would be more like if he was being cared for by his mother...and we love the bonding we are having feeding him. What do you think is the best for weening?

Oh I am so sorry you went through that!! I am glad he is much better now!! If you don't mind telling me...which vet...as I am in the area and would like to know

The vet was at New London Vetrinaary Hospital in Waterford

I will have to remember that vet. I forgot to answer the weaning question though. You can try some regular old wet food first. If the baby does not take to it after a few days, I would mix the milk substitute with some dry food and make a mush. Just keep trying to get the wee one to taste it. Once they taste it, they are usually good to go.

Sandie, in conscience I must tell you that the vet I had the bad experience with has somewhat reddeemed themselves in my eyes. Although they gave us the wrong milk...which may or may not have caused a problem, I must say that they stayed open a little late that night to see Rocky, and they have called 2 times to ask how Rocky is doing. I told them how we felt about them not answering the phone call we gave them inquiring about the dog milk, and I found out that the person we spoke to did look onto it, but failed to call back with the answer, which I chaulk up to human error. I am impressed with them calling back 2 times to inquire, though. The good news is that Rocky is thriving. He uses the litterbox almost all of the time. He is still using KMR, but is also eating canned kitten food. Tomorrow we are going to make the milk/dry kitten food gruel to see if he does better with that than the canned food.

I am glad Rocky is doing much better. I am glad he fell into your lap. I am sure you guys are responsible for his quick recovery. There are a few vets here in town I know are bad news. Like the vet that just declawed a kitten at 4 months old and didnt bother to spay or MAKE the person get vaccines. There are just a few, but I am glad these vets made it up to you. I am not too worried. I already have 2 backup vets in an emergency.

Rocky is about 6 weeks old, now, and is getting fat and sassy. He is a little pistol, and sooooo alert...he doesn`t miss a trick. He has been eating canned food for some time, now, but only from a syringe..we can`t get him to eat from a plate or bowl. He has done it a couple of times, but then refuses to other times. He would rather we feed him! As much as we love bottle feeding him, we know it it time to wean him from the bottle, but it just isn`t happening. Is this unusual? Do you think he will do so in his own time? Do you have any suggestions for encouraging him to use the bowl?

Don't worry just yet. 6 weeks is just about old enough for them to start figuring out the whole thing. Just keep steering him twards a plate of food. Put some on his lips so he licks it and see's where it's coming from. Maybe even try a different type rather than the same you use in the syringe. My last litter all had gotten the idea by about 8 weeks. I am glad to hear he is doing so well now. Keep up the great work

Your story is so similar to mine w/ Hardy and Homer! We bottle-fed for a week or so and then gradually added some canned food to the milk mixture to get them acclimated to the taste. Eventually, we put the canned food w/ a little milk on our fingers and they would lick it off. Next, we would spoon feed them. Finally, we put the food in a bowl. Eventually, we went to dry food totally...SUCCESS! Good luck--it sounds like you're on your way!

Hooray! Rocky has made a transition! He now gobbles food from a plate, and has even eater a few dry morsels. This morning, after eating a spoon of food from a dish, he refused his bottle! So, I think he is starting to prefer the solid stuff. As much as we are going to miss bottle feeding him we know it is a good thing