Louie: 3 week old abandoned kitten

Well, I got some more background info on the newly named Louie.

He was born on June 12th and momma cat wanted nothing to do with him. He was a little smaller than the other kittens in the litter, maybe the runt, but otherwise appears healthy. The cats owner has been bottlefeeding him and apparently took him to the vet, but she just cant deal with caring for him anymore. She told a friend she was just going to "let nature takes its course" and that friend called me. I called the woman and told her I would take him in and I picked him up an hour later.

So, since noon, he has taken 60cc's of KMR formula and has wet three or four times. His bottom looks sore (red and irritated) and had quite a bit of dried feces on it, but he hasn't poo'd for me yet. I cleaned him up with a diaper wipe (only thing I had at the time!) and dried him off. He is a grey color with some brownish smudges. It almost looks like he is dirty, but he isn't. He has some striping on his legs and on his head/ears.

He moves around great and his eyes are wide open and very clear. Ears are sorta standing up and he seems to respond to sound and light stimulation.

I plan on taking him to the vet on Tues (my vet is now closed for the 4 day weekend except for emergencies) so until then, I am not sure what he weights. No signs of fleas or anything. My only concern is that he seems to shake a bit when he walks....almost like hard shivering. That is the only time he appears to do it, otherwise he is calm when he is held and/or sleeping.

Sorry that is so long....LOL

I will try to post some pics here soon. Gotta figure out how to upload them!!

Thank all!!

Awww, he sounds adorable. They are very wobbley when they first start moving around, he just may not have much muscle control yet. Your vet will be able to tell if there may be more to it. I can't wait to see his picture!

If his head wobbles and his rear legs shake, he could have wobbly kitten syndrome. If he starts falling over as well, it is almost certain he has it. Not trying to alarm you, just want to make you aware of this possibility. They get this when they are exposed to feline distemper in utero. If he has these symptoms, please tell the vet and have him advise you as what best to do.


Good luck

Well, I have attempted to follow the FAQ thread on how to post pics, but the button that I am suppose to click on does not exist on my page!!

Louie is doing good...he is eating well and is starting to get more and more curious about his surroundings. His shakiness seems to have gotten a bit better too..

Hopefully I will be able to figure out this pic thing!!

Amanda Im sending you a PM on uploading pics.

Here is a shot of his coloring on his back.....very different from what I have seen before.

TY so much!!!! I thought I was gonna go mad trying to figure it out!! LOL

He is an usual color. I am glad you are taking this little guy in.

Louie is doing GREAT!!!! He will be 5 weeks tomorrow and he eats like a pig and is now running all over the place when he has his roaming time!!! Our boxer and boxer mix adore him, but Mollie (6 year old kitty) is not to happy with me for bringing him home.

We are working on the litter box training and it is going ok....he still fusses quite a bit and won't go in on his own yet, but he eventually gives up when we put him in and stimulate him to go!!

The shaking has completely stopped!!! His muscle tone and strength have dramatically improved...he is starting to play now when you cuddle him and is really getting some life in him!!!

I do have a couple questions...any tips on weaning?? He has bitten through one nipple on his bottle already and I think he is gonna go through another here soon and I would like to start the weaning process.

Second, how well cat a 5 week old kitten see?? Sometimes it seems as if Louie can't see very far and relies more on his hearing to find us.....not sure when kittens really develop good sight??

Thanks for all the help so far!!

Amanda

Great questions Amanda. I will need to know those answers as well when Jax reaches that age.

I didn't even realize he might bite through the nipple. He bites it now so I guess it's to be expected.

Have you started mixing wet food with his milk and trying to get him to eat it?