Kitten on side of road

tea cake

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Well this morning my boyfriend found a kitten on the side of the road while on his way to work. He said he was alone and he didn't see any other kittens or a mama. So he brought the little guy home.

I've never cared for such a young kitten before and I'm not sure what I need to do for him. I think he is about 6-8 weeks but we won't know for sure till we get him into the vet. We are keeping him in our spare bedroom and have a spare little box set up for him. I put down some kibble and water and he took to that right away. I'll need to get him some kitten chow later this evening but I was wondering if I should get him some cat formula too?

He has been walking around the bedroom and meowing a lot. Could he be scared or distressed? Is there any way to give him comfort?

Sorry for the silly questions but the youngest cat I've ever cared for was 7 months old. He is just the sweetest little thing. Very affectionate and will climb all over you when you go into the room. We have two older females in the house and we plan on keeping him in his spare bedroom untill he is ready to meet them and he gets a clean bill of health from the vet.

Like I said, he is just the most darling little thing and I wanna do all I can to help him. Anyones advice would be great and most appreciated! Thanks for your time everyone!

One last thing! He looks like he was born with out a tail. He just has a little nub where his tail should be. Is this a warning sign concerning his health? Could he have some sort of birth defect?
 

sk_pacer

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He's probably lonesome - spend time wth him. Get some kitten food for him too - higher protein and calcium, you shouldn't need milk replacer at his age, but you could offer him Cat Milk as a treat daily to make you both feel better.

Tailless, not a problem, maybe some Manx in him somewhere down the line and as long as he is using the litter box and not dribbling anything, he is just fine. I had a roommate with a tailless colourpoint years ago, and he was just fine.

Now we need pics
 

stephanietx

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Congratulations on your new addition! He is most likely crying because he's scared and he's been separated from his siblings and/or mom and he's looking for them. You can get him a small stuffed animal to snuggle with and be his "friend". You can also play the radio for him to help soothe and comfort him. Sometimes an old towel wadded up on the floor will help comfort him as well.

As for food, you do want to get him a kitten formula. He probably should be fine without any milk replacement (KMR), but ask your vet. Definitely feed him some canned and dry. I have a little 18 week old boy who we've had for about 8 weeks and we feed him mainly wet, but supplement with dry food.

Provide him with lots of chewable toys since that's what he'll be doing, A LOT! Also balls to bat around and things to chase and something to scratch on. Visit him frequently, but remember to wash your hands with soap and water after every visit just in case he has some kind of communicable disease. Keep us updated on what the vet says and be sure to post pics!!
 
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tea cake

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He is starting to settle down now. He has not used the litter box yet but I'll keep checking on him. I did put him in the litter box just to show him that it's there but he did not use it.

I've got plenty of toys for him and a extra scratch post for him to use but no stuffed animals. I do have a super soft and super fuzzy throw blanket he an use to snuggle on but it needs to be washed first since one of my other cats used to love to snuggle on it when we first got it. She has since lost interest in it, so she won't miss it.

I did notice that he is scratching his ears and shaking his head a lot. On closer inspection I saw that he has the blackish brown dirty stuff in his ears that normally comes with ear mites. I've already been hand washing after interacting with him for just that very reason.

I'm gonna be getting him some kitten food this evening. I don't think we can keep him but my bf and I have already agreed that he will not go to a kill shelter no matter what. We'll drive several hours to take him to a no kill shelter if we have to.

I was gonna post a picture of him with my first post but my computer is have issues connecting to my camera so I can't pull the picture off. And it's giving me trouble about installing the driver for the camera. I can probably get a picture up later with my boy friends computer. He's just the cutest thing!
 

stephanietx

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Actually, if you plan to keep him and integrate him into your home with your girls, the used blanket with the scent on it is a good thing to use for pre-introduction stuff, so don't wash it! Regarding the litter box, once he calms down enough, he should start using it, but it's not uncommon for them to go for a longer period of time without using it. Keep an eye on him and make sure he's not using the floor somewhere.


You're off to a good start!
 

catsknowme

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Bless you for taking in your new little treasure
How wonderful your boyfriend and you are

Right now, he's probably being clingy from the trauma of being separated from his family - Lord knows what has happened to his mom & littermates
If he's got Manx, then you're in for a real treat - Joey was clingy as a little one, but he grew up incredibly socialized (as did JC) and was just the most confident, intelligent soul-cat that I could have ever wished for.
If your boy isn't using the box, and also, to imitate mom, you could try wiping his bum with a moist towel or soft tissue. Also, wiping his eyes and ears will give him that "mom attention" that they resist, but makes them associate you as being the new "meowmy".
I can scarcely wait for pix (along with the rest of TCS World )...we want pix
 
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tea cake

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Well we got him into the vet today and got a treatment for ear mites. The vet is pretty sure hes got some manx in him. Also we have decided to keep him!

Our vet says hes in good health other then the ear mites and he is due back in 2 weeks for shots and tests. He also told us that he thinks he is about 8 weeks old.

And here is a picture of our new little stinker!
 

krz

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I am so happy to hear that you are keeping him. Bless you and your boyfriend for caring for him.
 

gingersmom

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Oh, he's adorable!


I'm looking forward to watching him grow with you - we'll need plenty of updates!
 

stephanietx

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Woohoo!! A healthy kitty and a forever home!! Hooray for you and your new kitty! Now then, does he have a name?
 
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tea cake

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So like I said, I took him to the vet yesterday and had him treated for ear mites.

The doctor cleaned his ears and gave him the treatment. He told me this was a one dose treatment and that his ears don't need to be cleaned. This evening though I noticed that the ear dirt is coming back. I've never dealt with a kitty with ear mites before and I'm wondering if this is normal or should he go back to see the vet?
 

catlover73

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I would call your vet and ask. I am not sure how long a one time treatment would work for. When my Starbuck was a kitten she had a nasty case of ear mites and that one time treatment stuff did not work for her. I had to get an ear wash, ear drops and clean out her ears. It took almost a month to get rid of them. Your ktty may need further treatment. Ear mites can be a pain to deal with but they are very treatable. Have the vet show you how to clean her ears out.
 
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