Hi everyone!
I will try to keep this short. I could use some advice from those who have raised kittens.
Last Sunday, 7/13, I was sitting in my parents back yard when their dog came out, ran to the shed, and had a scuffle with a cat. We pulled the dog away and moved him inside and went to check on the cat and found 4 brand new kitties in there. I know they were born that day because my dad was in the shed earlier that morning and they weren't in there. They were, of course, tiny adorable little things. I checked on them everyday for the next four days. The mama cat was around, I would see her in the shed and when she was there, I left them alone. I figured they would be okay in there because the mom was around to feed them. They were very active as far as climbing and burrowing over each other. Thursday, 7/18, I went to check on them and 3 were dead. They were very active the day before. So I took the one remaining living cat out of there and brought him home with me. I have no idea if the 3 died because they had some kind of issue or if mama wasn't feeding them or what.
Now, I have never raised a kitten before. I had never even seen one so tiny. I googled like a madwoman and gave it a go. He/she was not very good at bottle feeding so I have been using a syringe. The first day or two, I fed him the wrong way because I didn't know how to do it. So I did feed him like I would a human baby, on his back. I learned quickly that was not the way to do it and now I know how. I initially fed every 2-3 hours around the clock. I know how to stimulate the kitty and do it after every feeding. The first day his pee was dark yellow, a day later it turned a light yellow and has remained so. He poops several times a day, about every other feeding.
I did not have a scale when I brought him home and was not able to get him until Sunday. So from birth to 7 days I have no idea how much he weighed and if he gained or not. He looks plumper since I brought him inside. Come Sunday, 7 days old, I weighed him and he was 2.9 oz. before a feeding and 3.0 oz. after. It was at that time that I realized this is a really small kitten. I assumed he was full-term because all the kitten websites I found said that preemies have sparse fur in areas, are very weak, lethargic, etc. This kitty ate like a champ right away, poops and pees plenty, and is extremely active. From the very beginning, he moved around a lot. He is very strong. If I am sitting down and put him on my lap, he climbs all the way up my chest and nestles in my neck. It's adorable!
Yesterday, at 10 days old, I took him to the vet. Vet says heart and lungs sound fine, his fur is fine, skin is fine, coloring is fine, poop is fine, no fleas, and he's hydrated. He does have a very irritated bum. The first day I brought him in his bum was bright red and raw, when I stimulated to poop, streaks of blood from his anus were on the cotton. I have been using Preparation H and it is much, much better. Still a little red and swollen, but nothing like it was. I am still using the Prep H and vet said that's fine.
I am keeping him in a high cardboard box, the kind that office paper comes in. I have a heating pad on one side, kept on low, and a towel on the other side in case he gets overheated. He has never left the heated side.
This is getting very long, I apologize. Vet weighed him at 10 days old and he was 90 grams, about 3.2 oz. I know that is really, really small. Sunday he weighed 2.9, Monday 3.2, and Tuesday also 3.2. At one point on Monday I got a reading on the scale of 3.5 but I am not sure if that was accurate. I am wondering if I bought a crummy scale or maybe his weight fluctuates throughout the day. The weights I just gave were all taken at about the same time every day.
So anyway, at 10 days old, he is about the size of a normal kitten at birth. I have no idea if he was premie or if mama didn't feed him much his first few days. Mama WAS around, I never would have left them in the shed if she wasn't. However, the few times I have seen mama cats and kittens outside somewhere, the kitties were at least a few weeks old. Since that is all I had to go by, I didn't know that newborn kitties are fed by mama nearly round the clock. The ones I am used to have mama in and out all day, probably nursing a few times a day only. I feel terrible; if I had known that something was wrong and mama wasn't feeding enough, I would have taken them to a shelter.
My main question here is, does anyone have experience with a kitten this tiny? Vet says he's healthy, keep doing what I am doing and barring something unforeseen, he should be fine. But I am really concerned with his size. As I said, I don't know how much he gained the first 4 days I had him since I didn't have a scale, but he definitely looks plumper. But from what I am reading, he should have doubled in size by now and that definitely didn't happen. Maybe those first few days, he was gaining what he lost when mama didn't feed him enough? The past 1 or 2 days, since I weighed him, I have increased the feeding from every 2-3 hours to every 1-2 hours during the day. He definitely eats less at a time since doing that. He eats anywhere from 2-4 mL per feeding. His appetite seems to be better during the day than at night. I don't need to consider tube feeding to fatten him up, do I? I am extremely intimidated by the process. Vet didn't even mention it. Should I expect him to lag a week or two behind as far as milestones and development? His cord just fell off 2 days ago. Eyes still closed. Ears seem to be perking up a bit the past two days.
I am trying my best here but I am worried. I told myself when I brought him in not to get too attached just in case he doesn't make it. However, I am absolutely in love with the little guy 6 days later. He is definitely a fighter.
FYI - He is a calico and vet and I both see a penis though obviously it's too soon to be certain. He is the cutest kitty on the planet.
I will try to keep this short. I could use some advice from those who have raised kittens.
Last Sunday, 7/13, I was sitting in my parents back yard when their dog came out, ran to the shed, and had a scuffle with a cat. We pulled the dog away and moved him inside and went to check on the cat and found 4 brand new kitties in there. I know they were born that day because my dad was in the shed earlier that morning and they weren't in there. They were, of course, tiny adorable little things. I checked on them everyday for the next four days. The mama cat was around, I would see her in the shed and when she was there, I left them alone. I figured they would be okay in there because the mom was around to feed them. They were very active as far as climbing and burrowing over each other. Thursday, 7/18, I went to check on them and 3 were dead. They were very active the day before. So I took the one remaining living cat out of there and brought him home with me. I have no idea if the 3 died because they had some kind of issue or if mama wasn't feeding them or what.
Now, I have never raised a kitten before. I had never even seen one so tiny. I googled like a madwoman and gave it a go. He/she was not very good at bottle feeding so I have been using a syringe. The first day or two, I fed him the wrong way because I didn't know how to do it. So I did feed him like I would a human baby, on his back. I learned quickly that was not the way to do it and now I know how. I initially fed every 2-3 hours around the clock. I know how to stimulate the kitty and do it after every feeding. The first day his pee was dark yellow, a day later it turned a light yellow and has remained so. He poops several times a day, about every other feeding.
I did not have a scale when I brought him home and was not able to get him until Sunday. So from birth to 7 days I have no idea how much he weighed and if he gained or not. He looks plumper since I brought him inside. Come Sunday, 7 days old, I weighed him and he was 2.9 oz. before a feeding and 3.0 oz. after. It was at that time that I realized this is a really small kitten. I assumed he was full-term because all the kitten websites I found said that preemies have sparse fur in areas, are very weak, lethargic, etc. This kitty ate like a champ right away, poops and pees plenty, and is extremely active. From the very beginning, he moved around a lot. He is very strong. If I am sitting down and put him on my lap, he climbs all the way up my chest and nestles in my neck. It's adorable!
Yesterday, at 10 days old, I took him to the vet. Vet says heart and lungs sound fine, his fur is fine, skin is fine, coloring is fine, poop is fine, no fleas, and he's hydrated. He does have a very irritated bum. The first day I brought him in his bum was bright red and raw, when I stimulated to poop, streaks of blood from his anus were on the cotton. I have been using Preparation H and it is much, much better. Still a little red and swollen, but nothing like it was. I am still using the Prep H and vet said that's fine.
I am keeping him in a high cardboard box, the kind that office paper comes in. I have a heating pad on one side, kept on low, and a towel on the other side in case he gets overheated. He has never left the heated side.
This is getting very long, I apologize. Vet weighed him at 10 days old and he was 90 grams, about 3.2 oz. I know that is really, really small. Sunday he weighed 2.9, Monday 3.2, and Tuesday also 3.2. At one point on Monday I got a reading on the scale of 3.5 but I am not sure if that was accurate. I am wondering if I bought a crummy scale or maybe his weight fluctuates throughout the day. The weights I just gave were all taken at about the same time every day.
So anyway, at 10 days old, he is about the size of a normal kitten at birth. I have no idea if he was premie or if mama didn't feed him much his first few days. Mama WAS around, I never would have left them in the shed if she wasn't. However, the few times I have seen mama cats and kittens outside somewhere, the kitties were at least a few weeks old. Since that is all I had to go by, I didn't know that newborn kitties are fed by mama nearly round the clock. The ones I am used to have mama in and out all day, probably nursing a few times a day only. I feel terrible; if I had known that something was wrong and mama wasn't feeding enough, I would have taken them to a shelter.
My main question here is, does anyone have experience with a kitten this tiny? Vet says he's healthy, keep doing what I am doing and barring something unforeseen, he should be fine. But I am really concerned with his size. As I said, I don't know how much he gained the first 4 days I had him since I didn't have a scale, but he definitely looks plumper. But from what I am reading, he should have doubled in size by now and that definitely didn't happen. Maybe those first few days, he was gaining what he lost when mama didn't feed him enough? The past 1 or 2 days, since I weighed him, I have increased the feeding from every 2-3 hours to every 1-2 hours during the day. He definitely eats less at a time since doing that. He eats anywhere from 2-4 mL per feeding. His appetite seems to be better during the day than at night. I don't need to consider tube feeding to fatten him up, do I? I am extremely intimidated by the process. Vet didn't even mention it. Should I expect him to lag a week or two behind as far as milestones and development? His cord just fell off 2 days ago. Eyes still closed. Ears seem to be perking up a bit the past two days.
I am trying my best here but I am worried. I told myself when I brought him in not to get too attached just in case he doesn't make it. However, I am absolutely in love with the little guy 6 days later. He is definitely a fighter.
FYI - He is a calico and vet and I both see a penis though obviously it's too soon to be certain. He is the cutest kitty on the planet.
