Special kitten. No really...

Aren't they all special? But mine, who is almost 8 weeks old now, has been and is still going through some tough medical stuff.
I found her at around 4 months old around my backyard, but she was so small i took care of her only till her mama came looking for her. She seemed to get lost a lot, or her mama couldn't care for her.
I had just put my old dog to sleep so i was not at all interested in a kitten or any other animal. But on a cold rainy evening, i found her alone again, sneezing and so was her mother. So i took her in 'for the night'.
Next day i took her to the vet who confirmed she had a nasty URI, and parasites just by looking at her distended belly. She also had mouth sores.
Long story short, i have spent the next 2 weeks force feeding her every 3 hours, giving her all kinds of meds for her flu, and picking up diarrhea who sometimes contained live roundworms. She became very thin, heavily infested, congested to the point of not smelling her food, lethargic, dehydrated, wouldn't eat on her own, etc. My vet was kind enough not to charge me for a bunch of stuff, like when i had to go twice a day so she could get fluid therapy.
She has been eating on her own for that past week, and has been playing and torturing my feet at night. She has a flu flare up, but that is clearing. I found out yesterday she has fleas, and most likely lungworms. I'm keeping a close eye on her for any pneumonia symptoms.
This has been one heck of a ride, and she is not out of the woods yet.

She has been on so many meds (antibiotics, basic wormer, more aggressive wormer, eye drops, probiotics, lysine, more antibiotics for her digestive system, and more recently, Revolution.
She has not had her shots yet. Her immune system is quite deficient.

My dogs (who i am still grieving for...) used to eat raw. And since i want the best for my tough little survivor kitten,  want her to eat real food too. She is now on fancy grain-free high protein canned food cause i've been so very busy with her health issues i have had no time to do research. She also has "good quality"kibble for overnight. But i am baffled as to how something so small can crush and eat bones.
I used to give whole chicken backs to my dogs no problem. What to give a kitten? It is my understanding that whole meat and bones are best as opposed to ground who require a taurine supplement.
But i have read so many opinions on that...Some say NEVER ground bones as some nutrients evaporate into thin air in the process, but i cant believe such a wee little thing could eat even just a chicken wing.
Are kittens with their baby teeth able to eat meat and bones?
Also, i am not sure how to proceed, gradually or not, since she once had bad digestive system problems du to parasites and all the meds she had to take. She is ok now, but licks and bites at her paws a lot.
So, where do i start?

**Found her at 4 WEEKS old, took her in at 5 weeks of age. She is now 8 weeks old.

Originally Posted by Pixies Ma  

But i am baffled as to how something so small can crush and eat bones.

I used to give whole chicken backs to my dogs no problem. What to give a kitten? It is my understanding that whole meat and bones are best as opposed to ground who require a taurine supplement.
But i have read so many opinions on that...Some say NEVER ground bones as some nutrients evaporate into thin air in the process, but i cant believe such a wee little thing could eat even just a chicken wing.
Are kittens with their baby teeth able to eat meat and bones?
Also, i am not sure how to proceed, gradually or not, since she once had bad digestive system problems du to parasites and all the meds she had to take. She is ok now, but licks and bites at her paws a lot.
So, where do i start?

Click to expand...

Kittens are too small to crunch on bones. You can offer a small raw chicken wing once in awhile for the kitten to lick and gum on but don't expect the kitten to do much of anything else. You can fed a raw diet that uses ground bone or a calcium supplement and then later offer real bones as the kitten is older.

It sounds like you are interested in frankenprey or prey model which uses real bone. Maybe for now give commerical raw pet food a try or raw meat with a pre-mix or a recipie to get your kitten started on raw. Commerical raw pet food is easy for kittens to eat. The frozen raw come in nugget or medallion shapes that you can smush up with a spoon to make it easier to eat. My Aby was started on Nature's Variety Instnct frozen raw food by the breeder. If you want to make your own raw, try ground raw meat with a pre-mix such as TC Feline or Alnutrin. You can use either ground meat or ground meat with bone. A recipie such as the one at Catinfo.org uses finely ground meat and supplements which are easy for a kitten to eat.

Independent pet store sells rolls of ground meat for pet food use. Hare-Today.com is a popular online place to get all sorts of raw meats for pet food use. You can also use raw meats from the supermarket or butcher shop but only buy whole cuts of meat and grind or chop it up yourself at home. Pre-ground meat may harbor bacteria (which is killed when Humans cook the meat) and there is sme loss of nutrients.

Here are some article to read for more info:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

Thank you so much LTS3! I'll look into it.
The independent pet food store near my place does carry some frozen patties, but i am worried about bacteria indeed. 

I was also going to suggest a ground raw diet for the baby.

When you do start introducing her to some bone-in meals, try quail. It is very similar to chicken but has a smaller frame so the bones are more manageable for little mouths    At my local Asian Market, they have a 6 pack (26oz total) of frozen quail for $8.99. A bit pricey but could be perfect for a kitten.

Cornish hen are smaller than chicken too (and cheaper than quail). 

Thank you

I just bought some boneless chicken thighs that i will mash up in my food processor to freeze for when we are both ready to switch.
Still ignorant about how much taurine and bone meal supplements she will need at her young age.
But now that she is feeling better, i have more time to educate myself and prep.

Pixies Ma said:

 
Thank you

I just bought some boneless chicken thighs that i will mash up in my food processor to freeze for when we are both ready to switch.
Still ignorant about how much taurine and bone meal supplements she will need at her young age.
But now that she is feeling better, i have more time to educate myself and prep.

Click to expand...

You can't go wrong with a recipie such as the one at Catinfo.org or the one at Catnutrition.org or using the appropirate pre-mix for the type of meat you have (some are for boneless organless meats, others are for maet with bone and organs). Here's a web site with more details about raw feeding: http://feline-nutrition.org/index.php The Answers section is helpful. Here's one about kittens and meaty bones: http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-kittens-go-through-teething-too

Thank you!

I ordered the supplements.
I feel i need to hurry up and give this baby real food, as her immune system is shot. Still has the sniffles, and i noticed some light yellow crust in her ear on the same side of her (now infected again) problematic eye.
I know my ex dog's crhonic ear infections cleared up within 2 weeks of him being fed BARF, so im hopefull it'll help her too.
She cant even get her first shots yet...

I hope everything is going well with your baby.

I found out that even when we don't think we want another pet to love, somehow those who have gone across the Rainbow Bridge sends another one to us who needs us as much as we need them. That's what happened to me with Zander. I believe that's what happened to you with your beloved dog, she sent this precious little baby to you because you needed her to help you heal.

I wish you all the luck with her and can't wait to see your health happy little girl.

@kntrygrl256  The day i first met her, i was on my balcony and had just cracked open a new book called The craggy hole in my heart and the cat who fixed it. That book is often unavailable cause it's so old, but i found it. I was mostly reading it cause, being on sick leave and having just put my dog to sleep, i was very stressed and i could see my emo eating getting the better of me.Also knew there was a poem about pet euthnansia in there and i needed to read it again. Anywho, i had just read the first paragraph where the author tells the story of her friend offering her a kitten cause she was so heartbroken about a dude, and she refused, saying she would not risk loving something that would leave or die before her. I thought, i hear that. I lifted my eyes, cried, then looked down in the yard. And that's when i saw her, in a ball in the middle of the lawn with flies buzzing around her. So i went and saw...The rest is history. 
It's true she has taken the attention away from my own grief. Up to the point i took her in for good, i was looking for material to make a shrine-in-a-frame for both my dogs to put their locks of hair and paw prints in. Could not find the perfect background for it, kept crying in art stores. She has kept me so busy i have not even had time or thought of finishing it. But i reckon autumn is a more appropriate moment to have a private memorial ceremony. I'll be a hell of a lot less emotional too. I'm to release some of their fur in a river where i used to take them.

Pixie is on the mend, though there is a possibility she has feline AIDS or leukemia. Pretty sure she had both FHV and FCV at the same time. She was so very ill. The worms really took a toll on her. But she is ok with her growth, the vet tells me.
She got sick again after her first set of shots, and is still a bit congested after a month...Looooog flare up. No one can tell me why, hence my worry about Aids and leukemia. She has cost me more money that i didn't have than i care to mention. Sometimes i look at her and think...this is why i can't have nice things. 
I'm much more of a dog person. I thought of maybe having an adult rescue cat next year, but not a kitten cause they are demons. I also wanted a healthy cat cause i'm broke, and the last couple years with my dog were costly and sometimes scary. So i got a sick kitten. Makes total sens!
She needed me, that's all that matters. And i love her madly.

@Pixies Ma  That's such a sweet story. You both can help each other heal.

I don't know if you have it available in your area but we have CareCredit and it can be used for vet care. I have one and I use it for my cats. It has been a blessing because I would not have been able to afford the procedures for Zander any other way.  Here is the website if you want to check it out. The payment is low so it won't be too bad on your finances plus if your charge is over $200 it's interest free for 6 months. http://www.carecredit.com/

Good luck with PIxie.

@kntrygrl256  We have similar options her, but i was actually declined in June when i needed to have my dog Xrayed. That's why my vet offered to run a bill for me. So embarrassing, but it worked out in the end.
If Pixie can keep getting better and not need to constantly go to the vet's, i should be ok in a few months.

I wish you all the luck with your kitten!

However I have not heard any mention what-so-ever about her poor momma cat who was also sneezing.

Have you thought about trapping her and getting her helped/fixed?

I left 2-3 messages at my local SPCA to get a cage to trap-fix-released, but they never called me back. I thought she was dead cause i stopped seeing her around. But turns out she moved a little further (there was construction all summer at the back neighbor's place and it got noisy) with the colony and saw her eating about two weeks ago. She is pregnant...I'm guessing if they aren't born already, they should be very soon.
My SPCA has 10 cages for most of the city of Montreal. I'm guessing they have been swamped and could not return my call\lend me a cage. She is very feral. No one can approach her, not even the lady who feeds the colony.