New Kitten

I was out walking my dog and heard a kitten crying. Next thing I knew the little cutie was following me. She followed me about a 1/2 mile home. I brought her into the sun room and the rest is history. My wife had all the cat paraphernalia within the next hour. And she is in the house.
As close as I can tell the cat is about 2-3 weeks old and weighs approx. one lb. She tries to nurse the dog.
Ive had her for 10 days now and she is definitely gaining weight.
My concern is she eats quite a lot. Dog food, hard and soft, cat food and milk.
Should I regulate the amount she eats?
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
My first cat.
Thank you,
John Turner

First off - congrats on the new baby. ***PLEASE**** Do not give the kitten cow's milk. That is a myth. It can give her diarrhea as most cats are lactose intolerant.!!!!!!!

If she is eating all that food on her own... followed you home, etc - she is much more than 2-3 weeks old. Maybe 4-5 wks at a minimum. I would get her to the vet pronto and get her checked for parasites, etc.... anything she might spread to your dog... and to get a more accurate age on her.

Get her on a good kitten food regimen. Soft and hard food. Try not to let her eat the dog's food... not long term as the nutrient values are different.

Also for her benefit, start brushing her teeth. Does she have teeth? If she does than she is more like 6 weeks. Get a PET enzymatic toothpaste and a tiny pet toothbrush. I have all adult rescues and I am having to do dentals which are costly!!

Your kitten is well older than 2-3 weeks if she was able to walk with you that far. If you also weighed her and she is 1 pound, I'm guessing she is around 5-6 weeks old.

Present her with kitten food, see if she eats some. My guess is she can be weaned now, as they start eating solids around 1 month old. Schedule a vet visit right away too--the vet will know much more than you would and definitely more than we can tell you, having never seen this baby.

Congrats!! I love having kittens...miss having one around.

Thanks so much for your advice.
We are taking her to the Vet tomorrow. It's our first kitten and since she is soooo tiny we thought she was only 2-3 weeks old. I'm not sure if she has teeth or razor blades(haha) they sure are sharp.
She seems to be doing great and getting along fantastically with the dog. She likes sleeping on the dogs back. She slept with us in the bed last night for the first time.
Kitty has found herself a permanent home.
Thanks again

John

If she's a stray and/or somehow got separated from her mom who's a stray, poor nutrition might account for why she looks so tiny. I'm SOOOO glad you are taking her in and are taking her to the vet! What a great person you are! I hope you're ready for some activity in your house! I also hope that the cat and the dog form a wonderful friendship.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they're dumb. The only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked. Cats are different from dogs and if you've never owned a cat before, there's much to learn.

I would caution you to not let her eat the dog's food. Also, don't let the dog eat the cat's food either. You'll probably have to go to scheduled feedings for them to prevent sharing of food. She's probably so hungry because she's starving and/or she's got parasites. I would go with all wet if you can do it. A good quality wet food will be great for her. You can always supplement with some dry.

Don't forget to have multiple litter boxes for her, especially since she's so young. As she gets older and becomes better at knowing when she needs to go potty (instead of NOW!!!), you can reduce the number of boxes you have. Get something with a low side so she can easily get over it into the box. Don't fill it too full or she'll end up with a wet bottom from her legs sinking into the litter. (Don't ask me how I know this!) I use cake pans or aluminum cake pans that can be discarded when I'm finished using them.

Keep us posted on her trip to the vet!

Oh, good for you and your wife - you are heroes for opening your home to this baby.

Whatever question you have, it surely can't be any worse than the million I had when I first got my cats - and they were adults!

In addition to the info you'll get here, and from your vet, there are books out there like 'kittens for dummies', etc. I would bet your local librarian would be more than happy to dig up some books for you, and your vet may suggest some titles as well.

I bet you will enjoy learning the differences between kitties and dogs, but it sounds like she's settling in and knows she's got a loving forever home. What a lucky girl! What's her name?