Orphaned kitten came into my life and I need some feeding advice.

So I guess I am now the official cat lady in my little neighborhood.  We have a small community market a few blocks away, and someone there found a kitten in an alley.  I'm guessing it was from a feral litter and that if the kitty was left alone, Mama would have come back, but the people who picked it up meant well I know.  I didn't get all the details, except that I plan to ask where exactly it was found, and do some investigating and see if there are other kittens.

In the meantime, I've got this sweet little guy.  I'm estimating he's between 2 and 3 weeks old.  He can crawl around fairly well.  His baby teeth seem to be in (mostly) and his eyes haven't changed color.  He weighs 370 grams.

The problem is I'm having trouble getting him to eat. I've tried KMR with a kitten bottle and he just doesn't want it.  I've tried putting some on my finger and rubbing it on his mouth.  I am now diluting it with water and using a tiny syringe to give it to him so that he won't get dehydrated.  He is not behaving listlessly or like he's ill.  He cries loudly when picked up, and when I held him against me, he tried to nurse on my neck.

Anyone have any feeding advice for this little one?

Can you get goat milk?  I suppose in France(?) it is easier than in Sweden.

Goat milk, preferably raw is good, but bottled or frozen also OK.  One of the advantages is it is possible he will easier recognize goat milk as food, than kmr.

You know about the stimulation etc? Does he do empty as he should? If not emptied he prob wont have appetite.  Humans dont.

And 1. He must be warm. If not warm, he wont eat properly, nor digest properly.

2. Held him tummy down, head up at eating. Seems akward, but this is how they do with mom.

Continue to weigh him every day, so you know if he gets enough.

You know articles about taking care of orphans?  One good is here above this subforum.

Another big good site is www.kitten-rescue.com

Good luck!

Thanks for your reply.  I actually live in the US (the town I live in is called Boise--it is from a French word, though, le bois).  I am not sure I can get raw goats milk here.  I can check with my food coop when they open tomorrow.

Anyway,  I have tried stimulating the kitten to urinate and he peed a little but he hasn't defecated yet. I have had him for about 18 hours now, and he still doesn't really want to eat.  I have been giving him KMR with a syringe, a few ml at a time, and then burping him.

I am have actually been keeping him in my shirt while I'm lying in bed or just sitting.  I know that sounds crazy, but it keeps him warm, and it seems to comfort him.  I think he is actually big enough to keep himself warm, but I enjoy keeping him close to me.

He purrs some, and cries when I wake him and move him around. He isn't acting lethargic, and I've had kittens that were sick before.  He's not behaving like he's sick, but he's starting to worry me.  I plan to call the vet in the morning.

I am wondering if I should try to introduce watered down solid food.  With his weight and size, I don't think his mama rejected him for not eating, or he obviously would not have made it this far.   For a kitten weighing 370 grams, how much formula should he drink in a day?  Should I try to give him water separately with a syringe or dropper.

I'm begging this little guy not to break my heart.

If he after all eats formula with syringe, it is OK.  You dont need to bother with the bottle.

Does he gain in weight every day?  10+ grammes, 0,4Oz+ ?

Possibly, you can try and make the hole a little bigger, so it is easier to suck.

Or using a dropper is also easier for them then bottle.

If he eats formula, he prob dont need extra water.  You could try with extra water, or better still, some home made pedialyte, if he seems to be dehydrated. But as it is, you dont want to risk he takes water to fill up his little tummy with, instead of kmr / goat milk.

One tip from one forumite was, to held your other hand over him, while you are giving him the bottle /syringe.  I presume he feels more comfort.  

Your carrying him in you skirt is actually a good idea. Often used with new born orphans, both human and cats.  You can also try to get him a stuffed pal, like a teddy bear. If you can get a stuffed teddy cat, even better.

If enough desperate, you could try and use watered canned food. But it is no big point with it, as you DO have kmr.  If you can get goat milk, use this, as said, as your reinforcement.

Good luck!

My first rescue was a very young kitten, and she did not like the bottle either.

Here's what I ended up doing...

Put a bit of the KMR in a baggie & tied it off tightly.  Positioned the baggie so milk was in a corner... as if you were making a bag for cake icing.  Wrapped the baggie in a thick terry washcloth, making sure there is a suckle point.  Poke a small hole in the baggie through the washcloth.  Let the kitten grab ahold and suckle. 

Thing was, as kitten grabbed the "boobie" and started kneading, her little claws would poke more holes in the baggie.  The washcloth would get soaked with milk, but if held just right, it would run down to the point where she was suckling.  I also learned to limit the amount of milk in the baggie to whatever the washcloth could absorb.  It wasn't what most folks would call a perfect solution, but it worked for a while.

Maybe this is a little advanced for your little one, but maybe you could try a variation of the idea to adapt to his needs.

Furmonster Mom said:

My first rescue was a very young kitten, and she did not like the bottle either.

Here's what I ended up doing...

Put a bit of the KMR in a baggie & tied it off tightly.  Positioned the baggie so milk was in a corner... as if you were making a bag for cake icing.  Wrapped the baggie in a thick terry washcloth, making sure there is a suckle point.  Poke a small hole in the baggie through the washcloth.  Let the kitten grab ahold and suckle. 

Thing was, as kitten grabbed the "boobie" and started kneading, her little claws would poke more holes in the baggie.  The washcloth would get soaked with milk, but if held just right, it would run down to the point where she was suckling.  I also learned to limit the amount of milk in the baggie to whatever the washcloth could absorb.  It wasn't what most folks would call a perfect solution, but it worked for a while.

Maybe this is a little advanced for your little one, but maybe you could try a variation of the idea to adapt to his needs.

Click to expand...

That was a creative solution FurmonsterMom!  Tx for the tip!  

Good luck!