Found a stray kitten- Help!

Hi guys. I live on a farm and this morning I was out near our barn and heard tiny mewing. I finally located the noise. A tiny white foot was stuck out from beneath the barn. My husband had  to rip the sheet metal off the wall to get to the kitty but we got her. I have no idea how old she is, I thought around 5 weeks, a friend thinks 6-8 weeks. If there is any way to post a photo I'd be glad to share.

I cannot find the mother, have no idea where she came from but she is all white and NOT dirty looking (it's been muddy here) so I assume the mother is living on the property somewhere, maybe in the barn. I considered just leaving her out for the mom to find her but no I cannot take that chance. What if the mother has died or doesn't find her. It is too cold right now to leave her out on her own.

Anyways the kitten is in a cat carrier with water and wet food. She has not touched either things that I can see. I had her curled up on my chest for hours and I was dabbing a bit of water at her mouth to try to get some liquids in her. She tries to suckle on me so I believe she has never eaten solid foods before. She is definitely over 5 weeks old, at this point I've been told she should be fine to eat the wet food. But if the mother cat never showed her how to eat real food, might she starve?

How can I get her interested in the food??

I also have some fish from dinner I am about to try to tempt her with. I tried to find kitten formula but neither of the grocery stores in our town carry it (grr).

Any advice is much appreciated.

Hi there and welcome!

It surely sounds like momma cat is caring for her, as well as others maybe.

Mom is very likely a feral and is not going to show herself to you, but she is there, no doubt about it.

She is going to get dehydrated very, very fast without being able to nurse.

Mom being feral she has not been able to teach her how to eat from a dish. This baby has no idea and would be close to starving before she 'gets' it and will then inhale the food.

Either put her back so she can nurse asap, or get to the store to find chicken only baby food, mix with water 50/50 and put a bit in a shallow dish, put her up to it and dip her chin area in it so she gets the taste.

Depending on her age/mental development, she may just start going for it right then and there. If not, she will need syringe feeding until she gets the hang of it.

I would put her back and start putting food out where you found her baby so mom will teach her to eat.

Then get her before she turns feral.

I think she is younger than what you are estimating simply because she is not acting frightened at all, and would be at 5 weeks. She really does need her mama. 

Hi and welcome to TCS

We would love to help you with your kitten.  They may be more kittens around so tomorrow I would start looking.  To post a photo you want to look at the icon bar when replying (see photo) and the 6th icon from the right, if you hover your mouse over it there will be a pop up that says insert image" click that and go from there. 
If she is very young she must be kept warm, that can be even more important than food as young kittens have trouble maintaining body temp.

To help age the kitten look at www.kitten-rescue.com and age is weight related so look at http://www.kitten-rescue.com/bottle_feeding_kitten.html which has a weight related age schedule.

If she isn't quite ready for canned food you can buy KMR replacement mild along with a feeding bottle that you can let her suck from.  Or if you dont have a pet store option you can make your own, recipes at http://www.kitten-rescue.com/what_to_feed.html but if she really is 5 weeks then she should be ready for wet food.

She won't starve if you can help her to eat.  If she is 4-5 weeks she should be ready for canned food, but you should add some water and make it soupy so she can lap it up.  If she is younger than that you may have to stimulate her to pee, if she is still at the bottle feeding stage.  Rub a wet paper towel on her vagina/penis and she will go!  If she is so young that she requires stimulation then failing to do this will kill her as her bladder will rupture if she isnt stimulated, but this is only an issue is she is about 2 weeks or less I think.

She doesn't need kitten formula right now, just tasty wet food that she likes.  if she isn't eating by tomorrow then she needs a vet visit asap.  If she is eating then the vet visit can wait slightly, but she will still need one for de-worming etc.

I would still look for mom cat and other kittens.  I am going to talk to the behavior, and feral cat forum advisors and see if they can chime in.

Also, I have looked at Catwoman707's post and she has great advice.  I'd try what she says first if possible.

You can dilute the wet food with water to make it thick like a slurry and then syringe feed her.  Tomorrow, get to the feed store or pet store and get some kitten milk replacer and mix that in with the food.  She's probably scared to death due to all the new things that she's not eating.  Whatever you do, she MUST eat and soon. 

Please let us know asap whether you are putting her back or not so we may advise further if needed.

If age factor is what decides this, tell me in detail, does she walk? Does she walk with her hind legs straight as a normal cat or does she have them slighly crouched? Is she stable on them, coordinated? Can she run at all? If so is she stable or clumsy-ish?

I very strongly agree with all catwoman707 has said but would add that I strongly suspect based on a variety of things that you have said that you have aged the kitten wrong and she is in fact under 4 weeks.  If older, she would probably be scared of you If she is under 4 weeks she is too young for solid food. (as a small caveat to this it is sometimes possible to introduce orphans to solid food a bit  earlier, but there is absolutely no reason a kitten with mom would be likely to be weaned by 4 weeks). It is absolutely crucial that you understand this, and that if you choose not to put her back that you are going to need to bottle feed her kitten milk replacer.

Please provide more details about the kitten as requested.  Are her eyes open? Does she stand up? Walk? If yes, is she walking well or still unsteady? Have you seen at all if she is receptive to play? How much does she weigh.

From the bottom of my heart, the best thing you can do for this kitten is to put her back where you found her.  I am extremely  concerned for her if you keep her.  I know that you meant well and it is clear that your husband and you both have big hearts, but you truly are not doing the kitten any favors.

If you absolutely cannot get kitten milk replacer in your town (have you tried Walmart? they nearly always have it) then goats milk can also work.

But yes, please come by and update us so we can further advise you.

If she really is at least 4 weeks old best thing I think would be to give warm KMR. Once she's drinking that well, start mixing in wet food. Small amounts first, so she can still lap her food up. And make it chunkier as she starts to try to eat.

If you can't get KMR right away, I think it's fine to give cow's milk for a couple days as long as it doesn't cause diarrhea. Anything to get water and calories in her right now.

My orphan 4 week old-ish kitty drank nothing but grocery store cow's milk for 4 days before my dad gave him to me, and he was just fine. But I got him the KMR and kitten food for him right away, cause it's very important they get the proper balanced nutrients for kittens.

You really should give cows milk only as an absolute last resort.  Goats milk is 100 times better.  While some cats can tolerate cows milk, the majority cannot.  At this kittens age it is not worth the risk.

Cow's milk is really NOT okay,kitten is unable to reserve fluids yet, and is quite likely already dehydrated, hasn't been fed/drank anything since this morning, feeding cow's milk will very likely give her diarrhea very quickly, then she will be even more dehydrated, which can and will kill her if it's not replaced fast. Their tiny bodies have very, very little amt of water, and it is absorbed and peed out so often, and when it's not being replenished often enough, because their bodies are unable to store food/water just yet, it will become dehydrated.

I sure wish we had an update on the kitten.

Homemade formula in case of urgent need and no kmr-

1 can of evaporated milk

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons Karo syrup

Will need syringe or a bottle. Fed on tummy with head up. Never syringe down the throat, always into the cheek in small amts at a time and allowed to swallow.

I don't believe it is too awfully young, but, 3-4 week olds are still very fragile.

Hopefully kitten was returned.

Hi guys! Thanks for all thereplies!

Last night after posting this I gave her chicken and fish and she LOVED IT. She ate it all very fast. So I'm guessing she just had no idea that the wet food is ...food. hehe.

I've been doing some research and I do think she is definitely over 6 weeks. My friend thinks she is even older than that. Let me figure out how to upload, thanks for showing me, StephenQ.

***Also**** (because a few people mentioned this as an indicator of age)- she is definitely scared of me. She hisses whenever I get near her. Once I have her held she is fine and falls right asleep but she always puts up that small hissy fit first.

I was going to get a syringe at the store today so I can dribble some water in her mouth that way? It does look like she has been drinking but I can't be 100% sure. Should I soak her fish with water to get her hydrated?

I'm really not sure about leaving her out for the mom, do you guys think that is the best option here? It is very cold here right now, if I hadn't found her yesterday she would have almost surely died in the night. I've gone out to the barn many times trying to listen for kittens or find a cat hide out with no luck. I know the momma is probably hiding but it is also possible that she died.

Oh- I dunno where the cows milk came from, I never said anything about giving her cows milk, I don't drink it myself and know how bad it is for kitties. SO don't worry about that guys.

I live in a very small town, and in fact to get to the grocery store is a 20 minute drive from me! A Walmart is an hour drive from me. I'm not sure if I should even pursue the KMR since she is eating now?  I'm going to start mixing fish with wet food to tempt her to the wet food.

Oh and someone asked, yes her eyes are fully open, she's definitely not under 4 weeks old. My parents didn't fix our house cat when I was young and I did see kittens grow up and I'm aware of the basics.

PLEASE pardon the dirty cat carrier. It has been sitting out for about a year, we only had her in it temporarily. She now has a very nice, clean, warm spot. I have her in a giant box in the laundry room and put a space heater in there to make sure she is warm.

What a cutie! Glad to hear she's eating!

The cow's milk was in reply to me, not you.

And a bonus picture

fluffybeard said:

What a cutie! Glad to hear she's eating!

The cow's milk was in reply to me, not you.

Click to expand...

ooooh okay gotcha!!! 

She is severely cute... I've nicknamed her Bunny because when we were prying off the barn walls to get to her  my husband kept saying "I really hope it's a bunny." (He is not a cat person)

Tulsoai and Catwoman, obviously kitten formula is necessary, but kmr itself has cow's milk powder in it. If it caused most unweaned kittens diarrhea, I'm sure they would make it with goat's milk powder or whatnot.

I can borrow a Hav a Heart trap from my father and try to catch the mother. I have no problem letting the kitten out if I know the mother is still alive and well but it's quite cold and wet now and I really worry that if I let the kitten out it will absolutely die if the mother is dead or gone. It's an unusually freezing April here. brrrr

If the mom is feral and as a result untouchable, the only point to trapping her would be to get her spayed and reunited with mom - in theory - but if she's older than we first thought and it looks like she is based on pics, behavior and eating solid food, then probably the best thing is to keep her and socialize her - any advisors not agree?

As far as socializing goes - the key to their heart is through their stomachs .  My friend Mike P. is the president of the Urban Cat League in NYC a Trap Neuter Return and advocacy Org and has a great technique for socializing.  The briefest of summaries: 1) never set food down and walk away.  Insist that the kitten eat in your presence.  2) Slowly sit closer and closer to the kitten while it eats. 3) when you are able to sit right next to the kitten, take the food away (human baby food chicken stage one is great) and then offer it only off your finger.  If the kitten won't eat she isn't hungry enough to overcome her fear. Be Patient, tough love time. 4) when she eats off your finger, start petting her gently.  5) when she completely accepts the petting while feeding, start petting without food.

Amazing instructions at:

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingFerals

And training videos at:

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

If she is eating wet food she will probably be hydrated and if you offer water in a bowl she will drink if thirsty.  A hydration test is to gently pinch the back of her neck between thumb and index finger.  Pull the skin away from the neck until fairly tight and let go.  If it snaps back like a rubber band then she is fine.  If it sinks back slowly, depending on the speed indicates how dehydrated, and if it doesn't sink back all the way she is in trouble.

And given her age I would recommend you feed her human baby food chicken stage one.  Very easy on the stomach, lots of water and unlikely to cause diarrhea.

Thank you Stephen. I believe I am going to keep her at this point. I am pretty sure she is a girl but I am not extremely good at sexing kittens. Last time I did it I was a kid, 20 years ago! Her anus and genital opening are very close, one right under the other. I believe that means she is definitely a girl which is good because I have two girl cats and I believe they would get used to her better if they're all girls.

I still have to work my husband over but if we can get Bunny socialized and house trained, I think I will end up keeping her. Divorce might be in the cards, we will see, lol!
 

I've been trying to feed her on while she is on my chest. I did it again this morning before I left for work. I did leave her wet food in her box in case she gets hungry. I will continue to do that.

She allows me to pet her without too much fuss and I've been able to rub her head and lull her back to sleep. Poor thing must be so confused, going from an outside existence with just other cats to living inside with weird humans!

I'm glad you think she is not too young. I am more confident after spending hours looking at white 6-8 week old kittens that she is definitely older than 5 weeks.

I will keep you all  updated. Thank you so much for the help and advice.

OK that's great and she is well on the road of socialization, so no special treatment, just keep doing what you're doing, and work o the husband.  Plop kitten on his chest at meal time :-)

A couple important things you will want to do and we can talk to you more about this as you need.

- Wellness exam as close to 8 weeks as possible with first round of FVRCP vaccine and dewormer and FIV/FeLV test.  Consider microchipping her.

- And sine you will want to do a very careful and slow intro with your resident cats so as not to piss them off to her, and to protect them from possible exposure to serious illnesses like FeLV (feline Leukemia) she should remain separated from them until she's been tested.

At this age, as much gentle wet food as she wants, later on you can do a slow transition to a nice mild wet food.

CONGRATS ON THE RESCUE AND THE ADOPTION!!   

Oh and maybe we should have a naming contest :-)

How about Snow?