HELP, Dying kitten!

I'm currently in China on an exchange, and we just found a dying kitten outside the dormitory this morning (about 3 hours ago). It's relatively cool today, so I brought him into my room, wrapped him in a towel, and placed a big bottle of hot water near his back to keep him warm (not too close though so it won't burn him). When we found him he literally could not move, we prodded him just a little bit to see if he would react but he seemed like he was on the verge of death. His condition has since improved a bit, he stood up by himself a little bit ago, but then went right back down. We tried giving him water with a tiny plastic spoon, but he won't drink. My friend said she got him to drink a bit while I was out of the room, but now he won't drink again, he just moves his head away.

His eyes aren't open, and she said he has a little bit of crust on his eyes. She estimates he's only about a month old. He's very tiny, he hasn't meowed or anything, and I don't know where he came from, but I want to get him back to his mother if possible.

I've just been watching him sleep for the past couple hours, when I wake him up (to give him water or sth) he sometimes changes the position of his body, so at least I know he still has some energy in him.

There are no places here that will help me take care of a stray animal, I don't know what I should do, please give me advice.

Oh no.... Poor little darling....thank you for bringing him in. It is possible that the mom cat left him if he is sick and dying. So sad but true. I would not put him back out, he will not make it then. He needs nutrients and fast. I am trying to get up a link for you and my computer is not working well. :frown2: Will keep trying...

Keep the baby warm and see if you can get some KMR. I will get that link.... Working on it!

For some reason the website is not coming up :dk: But here is an article that has the website listed. Kitten-Rescue.com. See if you can get it up on your computer. The kitten needs that kitten glop on that website! http://www.thecatsite.com/a/hand-rearing-kittens

http://www.kitten-rescue.com

It's not opening for me either.

Keep him warm. If you can find a dropper or small syringe, you can get nutrients into him. Here are a number of kitten glop recipes:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm

Here are home-made "pedialyte" recipes: http://www.ourlittlemonkeys.net/2010/01/26/homemade-pedialyte/

The pedialyte helps hydrate and provides electrolytes.

Here is a quick and easy kitten glop recipe:

goats milk + unflavoured pedialite (50/50)
I usually mix it up one cup to one cup
Add one egg and 1/2 to 3/4 of a tablespoon of white corn syrup (to sweeten it up a little)
Mix well and store in the fridge.
Warm it up in a small bottle in hot water (always check the temperature of course on your wrist first) Just like with any other baby bottle!



If goat's milk is readily available, you can use that in any recipe instead of evaporated milk. You can also add an egg yolk for extra nutrition.

If the glop is too thick to go through a syringe or dropper, water it down with the home-made (or purchased) pedialyte.

Because he hasn't eaten for some time, feed a little bit at first -a few droppers full at first (he doesn't know how to lick yet most likely). Gradually increase it, but ultimately feed him as much as he'll eat. This is usually a few tablespoons of food. His belly will get big.

After he eats, you must stimulate him to go to the bathroom. Use a cotton ball that's wet with warm water, or a warm towel - something to simulate what his mother would do (lick his abdomen).

Instructions on feeding/stimulating from a friend, just the other night:

At that age feeding should be done every 4 - 5 hours until about 8 to 10 days old. Then you can reduce it down to 6 hours with no feeding overnight. They can eat anywhere from 2 - 3 tablespoons or more per feeding.

Always stimulate with a warm wet cloth immediately after feeding. This will ensure (to about 98%) that there will be no accidents between feedings, but as with any little there will be. This will also help you see if there are any health issues.

Gently massage the tummy and genitle area with the warm cloth (best if the baby is upright - if on its back the pee can get everywhere

and continue until they are done.....usually doesn't take long and you will know when they are done pooping. Trust me.

Click to expand...

When she said "at that age," she was referring to a kitten just several days old. Your kitty should be able to eat more, less frequently, if a month old.

Here's a video on how to stimulate the kitten:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

Personally, I think that looks a little agressive. You might want to be more gentle than that. And the mess will be easier to clean up if the kitty is upright, not upside down.

But keeping him warm and getting nutrition into him are the two main things. :heart3:

If you have a microwave, fill a sock with rice and heat that up. I think it only needs like 30 seconds, but you'll see. I don't know, maybe someone else will. :cross:

The kitten glop recipe from http://www.kitten-rescue.com

8 ounces water (boiled then cooled)
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
8 ounces whole evaporated milk (not skim)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (not low fat)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 large or 2 small eggs yolks (raw)
1 teaspoon clear Karo syrup

* 1-3 drops liquid pet vitamins
* 1 capsule acidophilus
* 1 drop Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)
* Optional, though very beneficial.

Boil the water, add the gelatin and mix well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:

1/2 of the canned milk, Mayonnaise, and Yogurt, Rest of the milk, All other ingredients

LDG said:

The kitten glop recipe from http://www.kitten-rescue.com
8 ounces water (boiled then cooled)
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
8 ounces whole evaporated milk (not skim)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (not low fat)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 large or 2 small eggs yolks (raw)
1 teaspoon clear Karo syrup
* 1-3 drops liquid pet vitamins
* 1 capsule acidophilus
* 1 drop Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)
* Optional, though very beneficial.
Boil the water, add the gelatin and mix well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:
1/2 of the canned milk, Mayonnaise, and Yogurt, Rest of the milk, All other ingredients

Click to expand...

The above recipe lasts about 4 days in the refrigerator, or you can also freeze it by putting into ice cube trays.
Before serving it, just run the bottle under hot water, or put the mixture in a little plastic bag and run under warm water. ***Always test the temperature on your wrist before serving it.
When cold it will be quite thick, but it will thin out as you warm it up.

Sorry, I haven't read through all your replies yet, I just wanted to update that he seems in much better condition now. I went out to eat lunch quickly just in the cafeteria and when I came back he was sitting on top of my bed! (which is about half a metre off the ground, no idea how he managed to jump that high). He was meowing a lot at me and walking around, so I tried giving him more water, he still doesn't want it, he probably wants food. I don't have any right now and I'm too afraid to leave him alone, so my friends went to the store to get food. He's stopped meowing now, I put a towel in a little bin for him, and he's sitting in there right now, but he's not lying down, he's just kinda sitting and I think he fell asleep like that.

Also, one of his eyes seems to be in pretty bad shape. When he was awake and roaming around the room, his eyes were both open, but one of them was only half open, almost as if it was bruised. The fur near that eye is a little dirty, and a little bit of a yellowish fluid seemed to be in the fur. This makes me fear it may be infected, but I have absolutely no resources to deal with this kind of thing. The dormitory security guards are gonna find out soon enough too and make me throw him outside.

On another note, there is a cat who lives just outside this dormitory, which is orange, black, and white. She gave birth to a kitten about 2 or 3 months ago, and they've been living around here. The cat who we believe is the father is black and white, but we don't see him around much anymore. This kitten is also black and white, and if u look closely at the top of his head there is some orange in there as well. This leads me to believe that the mother may be the one outside, but do cats normally give birth to single kittens over a span of a few months? I thought they just give birth to a bunch at once?

Moreover, there is an autistic student here at the school who said that he was the one who brought this kitten back from a street just outside the school gates, so if that's true, and if it is that orange cat's kitten, would it be possible that this little kitten roamed all the way out of the school gates by himself? That autistic student has been known to randomly lie OCCASIONALLY, but when I spoke to him he seemed to be telling the truth, so I believe him. He said it was on the street by itself and seemed like it was gonna get run over so he brought it back to the front of the dorm.

Is there a way I can find out if the mother outside is the real mother? Should I bring the kitten to her to see if she reacts? Also, what should I do about the eye? I dipped a piece of tissue in warm water and tried dabbing his eye a bit, but he was refusing to let me touch it, so I just used it to scrub that dirty fur a bit, which he didn't mind.

Awe that baby needs some food! So wonderful of you and your friends to help. Although he resists, you should try to put a warm wet compress on the kittens eye and getting any goop off, that will help a lot. Try wrapping him firmly in a towel to keep him in control while you do it. He may not like it now, but he will thank you later. People have also used black tea instead of water [NOTHING like sugar or cream added to it, just the tea] or making a simple salt solution. I believe it's a teaspoon of salt to one cup of boiling water to help dissolve, then allow to cool and use a cotton ball to gently cleanse the eye.

Cats can produce litters anywhere from 1 to.. I think the record is 14 or 15. Average is usually 3-5 kittens, singulars are rare but possible. But just the coloring does not determine the parent, cats can produce many colors- I recently helped a rescue momma where not one of her 5 babies looked like her. It is possible he roamed away by himself, but if he did it once he'd be likely to do it again and putting him outside just doesn't seem like a safe bet at all. Is there anyone you know who can keep him, since you are in dorms and it is not allowed? Or are there any rescues in the area? (I don't know how things are in China..)

Again, thank you for saving him (or her, if the coat is black, white, and orange. Male calico's are pretty rare, about 1 in 3,000)

Goat milk is OK by itself.

Good luck!

There really is no way for you to know IF that cat is the mother. I would make sure you read the post above about the kitten glop and get that baby to start eating :cross: The eye is probably from a virus and would need to be seen by a vet. I am sorry about this situation with the cats. Poor little darlings need to all be spayed/neutered.

LDG said:

The kitten glop recipe from http://www.kitten-rescue.com
8 ounces water (boiled then cooled)
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
8 ounces whole evaporated milk (not skim)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (not low fat)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 large or 2 small eggs yolks (raw)
1 teaspoon clear Karo syrup
* 1-3 drops liquid pet vitamins
* 1 capsule acidophilus
* 1 drop Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)
* Optional, though very beneficial.
Boil the water, add the gelatin and mix well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:
1/2 of the canned milk, Mayonnaise, and Yogurt, Rest of the milk, All other ingredients

Click to expand...

Carolina said:

The above recipe lasts about 4 days in the refrigerator, or you can also freeze it by putting into ice cube trays.
Before serving it, just run the bottle under hot water, or put the mixture in a little plastic bag and run under warm water. ***Always test the temperature on your wrist before serving it.
When cold it will be quite thick, but it will thin out as you warm it up.

Click to expand...

Thank you both!! I could not get on the site to get the OP this info. Much appreciated!!!

For the little one

It sounds like kitty is older than one month, may be able to eat solid food and go to the bathroom by him/herself? :dk: Hard to tell.

Vibes for kitty!!!