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Kitten sold too young

post #1 of 34
5/5/09 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
Hi, I don't know if I'm posting this in the right section. I saw an ad for a kitten, I called the lady, she said her kittens are 9 weeks, litter box trained. I went to get the kitten. They were being kept in a cage, without their momma, no food or water in the cage. There was a litter box but all that was in it was a shovel full of dirt and rocks. I got the kitten I came for and took him home, after spending more time with him I believe he is only about 6 weeks old, at the most, and he hadn't been weaned at all. He feels very light and delicate, his tail is still the tiny short baby tail. He hadn't been given kibble, soft food, or water. He is eating the kibble and water I put out for him but he tries to nurse from my lips and also from our adult female cat. He seeks out human attention and is a real sweetheart. Is there anything I should be doing to help him through this? I though about getting a bottle and letting him wean off that but I don't think he would accept it at this age?
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post #2 of 34
5/5/09 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
Hi, I don't know if I'm posting this in the right section. I saw an ad for a kitten, I called the lady, she said her kittens are 9 weeks, litter box trained. I went to get the kitten. They were being kept in a cage, without their momma, no food or water in the cage. There was a litter box but all that was in it was a shovel full of dirt and rocks. I got the kitten I came for and took him home, after spending more time with him I believe he is only about 6 weeks old, at the most, and he hadn't been weaned at all. He feels very light and delicate, his tail is still the tiny short baby tail. He hadn't been given kibble, soft food, or water. He is eating the kibble and water I put out for him but he tries to nurse from my lips and also from our adult female cat. He seeks out human attention and is a real sweetheart. Is there anything I should be doing to help him through this? I though about getting a bottle and letting him wean off that but I don't think he would accept it at this age?
If he's about 6 wks, he'll probably just chew on a bottle. Just make sure he's getting enough food. Wet the dry food or give him wet kitten food so it's easier for his developing teeth. I'd take him to the vet to make sure he's a healthy little baby. As far as health wise, that's all you can do. The behavior part hopefully your adult female can help a lot with. If she's tolerant of him trying to nurse she'll probably have no qualms about teaching him cat manners, .
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post #3 of 34
5/5/09 at 9:32am
If he is eating the kitten food it is OK, you dont need to bottle feed him.
Very good he is apparently accepted by your older resident cat. This will help him much.
Kittens sucking on other cats or humans isnt that unusual, and by itself it is not harmful.

Although here we KNOW he was taken way too early and it IS contributing to his sucking....

Proceed as you are doing: be his Ma - you will get the effort back with plus.
Let him be friendly with your older cat, and encourage her to accept him.


Good luck!
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post #4 of 34
5/5/09 at 9:35am
I would mix up a very good quality canned kitten food rather then dry. It will help him a lot more nutrition wise then what he's been given. I'm glad you have an older cat to help teach him what he needs to know. That will help you in the long run.

I'm willing to bet that person pulled them off mom as early as 4 weeks old if they looked like they were interested in eating. Was he the only kitten?
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post #5 of 34
5/5/09 at 9:49am
Thread Starter 
Thank you for the advice. Yes he is getting along nicely with my older cat (I say adult but she is 8 months old so technically a kitten, I adopted her when she was 11 days old and abandoned by mom, I got to bottle fee her). They play and stuff too.
I was worried that not being allowed to wean might damage him mentally for life, but from your responses it sounds like he is going to be okay.
I will do the soft food, I was also thinking about adding some plain yogurt to it, I've heard that helps.
He was not the only kitten there, there were 2 others left besides him, at least one other had already been sold.
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post #6 of 34
5/5/09 at 10:06am
Maybe give him KMR in a bowel.
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post #7 of 34
5/5/09 at 10:48am
I can't believe thta kittens being kept in the condition you describe are being "sold" but they are surely better off with who ever is taking them than where they are. Even if they are too young.

You raised you other cat froma young age and she turned out fine. I'm sure this little guy will be ok too. We'd love to see pics!
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post #8 of 34
5/5/09 at 1:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by twstychik View Post
I can't believe thta kittens being kept in the condition you describe are being "sold" but they are surely better off with who ever is taking them than where they are. Even if they are too young.

You raised you other cat froma young age and she turned out fine. I'm sure this little guy will be ok too. We'd love to see pics!
Yeah she sells them for $20, supposedly to get money to spay the mother cat, but then she admitted this isn't the first litter she's sold. I know some people will think I shouldn't have gotten the kitten after seeing the conditions but I did, it was a personal decision, I also gave the lady a phone number of a woman in the county who will come and pick up your cat from your home, take it to a vet to get spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and flea treatment applied, and deliver your cat back to you the next day, all for free, no questions asked. So hopefully she will really get her cat fixed.

Yes, my other cat I got at a young age but I allowed her time to wean off the bottle, my concern was that this new kitten was not allowed any amount of time to wean, I feel more confident now that I've gotten advice. Here is a picture of the cutie, his name is Oscar.

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post #9 of 34
5/5/09 at 1:19pm
Oh my heart! He's precious! I think I'm in love... so, if you ever change your mind about not wanting him, my door is open.

I personally feel that the conditions were all the more reason to bring him home. Actually, I probably would have been tempted to take all of them. Not only have you gotten great advice but you also have an older kitten too and they will help socialize one another. How do they get along?
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post #10 of 34
5/5/09 at 2:24pm
What a horrible person! I hope she does get her cat spayed, and never puts kittens through that again!
You did an awesome thing saving the kitten
for you and Oscar!
PS soooooooo adorable
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post #11 of 34
5/5/09 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
You should see his little fluffy butt waddle when he runs

They get along, they both like to play, I don't break it up when the kitten makes little whiney noises as they are playing because I know thats how he learns, but sometimes my older cat does seem to be playing TOO rough and is really hurting him so in those instances I have stopped it. Is that the right thing to do?

Thanks for all the positive vibes

Hes diggin the canned kitten food.
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post #12 of 34
5/5/09 at 3:55pm
Yeeahhh.... he doesn't look 9 weeks old... maybe more like 6. And it is good thing you saved him. People like that woman make me sick!!

It's really a catch-22. If you don't take the kitten, who knows who would get him and for what purpose. On the other hand, buying from her only encourages her to continue to breed her cat to make money.
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post #13 of 34
5/5/09 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
Yeah she sells them for $20, supposedly to get money to spay the mother cat, but then she admitted this isn't the first litter she's sold. I know some people will think I shouldn't have gotten the kitten after seeing the conditions but I did, it was a personal decision, I also gave the lady a phone number of a woman in the county who will come and pick up your cat from your home, take it to a vet to get spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and flea treatment applied, and deliver your cat back to you the next day, all for free, no questions asked. So hopefully she will really get her cat fixed.

Yes, my other cat I got at a young age but I allowed her time to wean off the bottle, my concern was that this new kitten was not allowed any amount of time to wean, I feel more confident now that I've gotten advice. Here is a picture of the cutie, his name is Oscar.
Oscar is a cutie. Do you have any pics of his face? Don't feel bad for taking the kitten he will better off with you. I do think it sounds fishy that she has a sold previous litter she could be letting her cat get pregnant to sell kittens for extra money. I have known people who stuff like that. This guy that used to live next to my grandma had two female cats and one male cat that he kept locked up in a storage shed. He would sell kittens for $10-$20 dollars each. Often he would go to county fairs or festivals to sell the kittens. He did this for years until he was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. I'm not sure about what happened to the cats. But this woman could be doing the same thing. I think Oscar will do fine because he is around your older cat and will learn skills from her.
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post #14 of 34
5/5/09 at 4:54pm
OHHH he is adorable - lovely little cream/white longhair boy. When he's a little older (like a month or two from now), start combing him every day. He will be used to being combed as an adult if you start when they are only a few months old.

The vet can tell you exactly how old he is when you take him (since he will need his shots started in the next week or two).
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post #15 of 34
5/5/09 at 5:16pm
Thread Starter 
Here is a picture of his face. He is actually almost a week older now than when I first got him, I got him 5 days ago.



I tried to get a better picture of his face earlier when he was playing but he wouldn't hold it still p

Yes, I'm going to start his vaccines and wormings in a couple weeks.
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post #16 of 34
5/5/09 at 10:55pm
Hi Jaycee!!

Your kitten looks a similiar size to my two who I believe are six weeks but I was told they were nine weeks by the pet shop. Doesn't it make you sick how some people will lie to make money without considering the care of a living creature. When I brought my kittens home last week they kept falling around every where (not very steady on their feet)! plus the kitten food gave them a runny tum. They didn't even seem to know what a litter tray was. And seemed very unsure of human attention. How I've handled it is I've just tret them as I would any kitten, carried on with the kitten food, kept talking to them letting them know I am around and keep my eye on them and they seem to be getting stronger and braver (perhaps a little too brave lol lol) each day!! I think it might be a good idea to worm and flea your little one you never know what he might have picked up from there
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post #17 of 34
5/6/09 at 6:29am
Most pet shop kittens are gotten thru brokers/kitten mills where they live their first weeks in a cage, never socialized and have a lot of medical problems.

That's why your kitten was acting that way. Kittens handled from birth are much more socialized and in better health.
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post #18 of 34
5/6/09 at 9:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
Here is a picture of his face. He is actually almost a week older now than when I first got him, I got him 5 days ago.



I tried to get a better picture of his face earlier when he was playing but he wouldn't hold it still p

Yes, I'm going to start his vaccines and wormings in a couple weeks.
I love his little face.
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post #19 of 34
5/13/09 at 2:51am


He looks like a Red & White to me, rather than a cream
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post #20 of 34
5/13/09 at 8:18am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, his coloring comes through darker in the pictures. He isn't really orange.
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post #21 of 34
5/13/09 at 8:24am
Oh my goodness! Look at that precious little fluffball! He is SO cute!!
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post #22 of 34
5/13/09 at 9:33am
Sometimes pictures fool you. Or you wind up with a borderline color - hot cream or light red....lol
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post #23 of 34
5/13/09 at 7:57pm
I still think he's red Maybe another picture can help me decide
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post #24 of 34
5/13/09 at 10:14pm
Thread Starter 
Ah well, you can think he's red. But I've seen him in person and I know he isn't red I specifially chose him because of his coloring
I don't care for red cats haha.

What kind of brush should I use to brush him with?
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post #25 of 34
5/14/09 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
Ah well, you can think he's red. But I've seen him in person and I know he isn't red I specifially chose him because of his coloring
I don't care for red cats haha.

What kind of brush should I use to brush him with?
Yes but there are many different shades of red - and when it's long fur it's often a lot paler I've never seen a cream kitten look so red in photos, so it would be a first...


Cream babies (of mine):



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post #26 of 34
5/14/09 at 6:06am
Long hair cats need to be combed - not brushed. Get a fine and medium toothed comb and start the routine when he is a kitten.

Like I mentioned - you can have a "hot" cream or a light red - depends on the color of the mother/father and if they are dilute carriers.

If all the kittens are the same basic shade of cream, then I would suspect they all are cream; not red. If some were red, you could tell the difference in cream and red.
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post #27 of 34
5/14/09 at 6:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Long hair cats need to be combed - not brushed. Get a fine and medium toothed comb and start the routine when he is a kitten.

Like I mentioned - you can have a "hot" cream or a light red - depends on the color of the mother/father and if they are dilute carriers.

If all the kittens are the same basic shade of cream, then I would suspect they all are cream; not red. If some were red, you could tell the difference in cream and red.
Re: combing longhaired cats... I started using a man's pocket comb on some of the longhaired rescue cats who were shedding like the dickens. It helps, as does those brushes with the "pins" in them... This one grey cat ... man.. I wear him after I hold him.. and he loves my lap!

ETA: won't the creamy colored kitten darken up a bit with age?
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post #28 of 34
5/14/09 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Wellingtoncats, he is the same color as the kitten in your first picture. Much lighter than in your 2nd picture (I would have called that one red) Is it the same cat in both pics?

Sorry my camera is so crappy. The flash often turns things completely different colors.


Thanks for the advice on combing!
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post #29 of 34
5/14/09 at 8:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Long hair cats need to be combed - not brushed. Get a fine and medium toothed comb and start the routine when he is a kitten.

Like I mentioned - you can have a "hot" cream or a light red - depends on the color of the mother/father and if they are dilute carriers.

If all the kittens are the same basic shade of cream, then I would suspect they all are cream; not red. If some were red, you could tell the difference in cream and red.
The mother is a red (although I prefer to say orange cause I'm silly like that) tabby. The father, unknown. Another boy kitten from the litter, also a red tabby. Two girls from the litter, red and black tortoiseshells. I never saw the rest. Mine, I would not even say a light red, definately cream, actually I was using the word "peach" to describe him before someone said cream. I can try to get some pictures of him without using the flash, but so far they always come out too fuzzy.
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post #30 of 34
5/14/09 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
Okay here are pics without the flash. He wasn't moving around when I took the pictures, my camera is just that bad.



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