Feral kitten- help??

Three days ago my boyfriend & I were in our yard picking up sticks from a recent storm and a tiny little kitten came running up to us. Over the past few weeks, a mother who gave birth to a litter of three has been occupying our yard so we have been feeding her, her 3 kittens and their dad. This kitten is not one of their clan. She is much younger and seems to be alone. After another 24 hours of her being in our yard and no mother in site, we decided to take her in. Currently I have her secluded in the bathroom. A crate lined with blankets is in there with her, in case she wants to hide. We've also included a shoe-box top as a litter tray. We bought KMR (kitten milk replacement) as well as some wet kitten food and she seems to enjoy both, although she runs to the KMR first. We did initially buy a nursing bottle but she seems to drink/eat fine out of the dish. We have only had her inside for about 24 hours, she has urinated once and had diarrhea about 4 times. She will crawl on us, come near us, play but she is obviously frightened and slightly skittish. When she escaped from the bathroom, I was easily able to catch her but now that she has escaped and seen that there is more than the bathroom, she will not stop trying to escape. I've read that it's better I keep her confined until she trusts us more. Based on my research I am guessing she's about 4-5 weeks old. I almost feel like I'm doing something wrong by keeping her because she seems so scared of me sometimes. We have a vet appointment set for next week. Any advice, suggestions or general comments would be greatly appreciated.

You are doing fine.  Keeping her secluded until she feels more secure is the right thing to do.  She is overwhelmed and very young.  Think of it from her point of view... You'd be freaked out too!  Something might have happened to momma or else she could have been dumped.  Right now she will want the KMR more but I would leave some dry kitten food out all the time, just in case.  That way, she has both. 

The diarrhea could be from stress or she could have worms or giardia.  I would take her to the vet to rule these out or at least get her treated. 

Best of luck and so wonderful of you to take this poor baby in!

I foster kittens on a regular basis. I own three females of my own. They were all rescues as well. Right now I have 3-6 week old kittens that I just took in this past Sunday. They are all underweight and not very socialized being that they were stuck in a building wall for days before being rescued. Generally what I do is keep them in my bathroom for a week or two (if I have them that long) and get them used to their surrounding and routine of being fed and the litter box. To get them used to being handled, I generally associate feeding time with slowly petting them or putting my hands around them to gain their trust. They are babies remember and to them, we must look like aliens. Usually within a few days I can get them used to being touched and taking food from my hand. I then sit on the floor with them and get them used to me being close to them and try using cat treats or a toy to see I am no threat. I have learned after fostering many, that once they see that trust is there, and you are ok...they become the biggest mush balls. I figure if I have these little guys for awhile, generally in a week or two, I will start letting them explore into my kitchen with my other three. One of my cats Madison, already visits in the bathroom to check them out and hangs out with them. My other two get annoyed and hiss, but usually after a few days they give in and I tend to have sometimes 7 cats at once running around my house. You just need to give them time to adjust and know your routine and your intent to be the "mommy" who will take care of them. Good luck and I think you will do fine.
 

Welcome, Peanut and NewGiant!

Peanut, you are doing OK, and after the vet visit you will know more (Im thinking about the diarrhea, the only here which really concern me - every other is like is should be).

You have this little additional story about this family group, the Clan.    Sweet.

Are you trying to socialize these kittens? Or planning of finding them adoption homes / fosterers?

Please dont forget to plan on spaying the parents... If you cant do it yourself there is surely some TNR group nearby...  Some shelters are also willing to help with contacts with their vet, as long as you do the practical detals.

Good luck!   *vibes*  to both of you!

Great job   I have nothing to add to whats already been said, other than a month from now that kitty wont leave your side

Christine

Mom to 1 domestic & 7 ferals

Welcome, Peanut!!!!!!!!! Yes, keep her confined as the others suggest above. She must fully trust you and accept you as her new mommie before you allow her access to the house. Each day more that goes by is another day she will be looking forward to seeing you. In no time at all, she will come around as she is very young. The vet visit will be good as I am sure she has some intestinal parasites - most all kittens do and that is what causes the diarrhea. Hopefully you can trap the female and the male for neutering. Otherwise, more kittens to come. Much luck!!!!