New Kitten Crying at night

Hello. We got a new kitten last night and she is only 8 weeks old. I don't know what happened to her mama, I got her from a friend who found her and two teeny litter mates alone in the alley behind her house. Mom was nowhere to be found. My kitten is teeny tiny so she may have been abandoned because she was the runt. She cried all night long. We have her shut in a room at night and for parts of the day so our child doesn't overwhelm her. What can I do? She seems so young to be away from mama but I don't know how to help her. Ideas? This is my first kitten. I've only ever adopted cats that were 5+ years.

The kitten is lonely and possibly hungry.  Kittens eat a lot.  Can you put a small stuffed animal in the bed for it.  Where is the kitten sleeping?

A teeny tiny kitten should not be shut away by itself.

This kitten cannot possibly be 8 weeks old.

This kitten sounds as though it is starving! A kitten with a full tummy does not cry all night long.

What are you feeding it? Is it able to eat wet food by itself, or does it need to drink kitten formula from a bottle? If this kitten is tiny it probably needs a bottle of formula every 3-4 hours.

If you can post a picture of the kitten I can tell you how old it is.

How old is your child?

Is the kitten warm enough? You can put a heating pad on low under a blanket for the kitten and give it a soft toy. You need to put the kitten in a nest and keep it near you.

You need to give the kitten formula called KMR by PetAg in a dish to lap or from a kitten bottle. KMR is kitten milk replacement and is sold at pet stores. It contains vitamins and minerals that kittens need. Cats are lactose intolerant and cannot digest cow's milk.

You need to buy kitten chow and Fancy Feast wet food. Kittens need to eat around the clock. Kittens need love, warmth, comfort, and toys.

Is this kitten using a litter box yet?

If you cannot provide what this kitten needs, please consider finding a new home for it with someone who can devote more time to it.

If the kitten is starving and cannot eat on its own and you have no formula or bottle tonight, I can tell you how to make kitten glop that you can feed with a dropper or a syringe tonight. Please let me know!

A kitten who is not eating will go downhill very quickly and can easily die.

A ajb48293

Please take all the advice here to heart... And consider putting this kitten in the room with you. If you do not, it could traumatize the kitten. There's no way I'd ever leave a kitten in a closed room for what sounds like 20 hours a day. There's no way a kitten could survive that. Please do as the advisors all say, and yes, please post a picture.

Have you made an appointment with a vet yet?

I was told she was 8 weeks. Not sure if she is or not. We got Frisky Cats wet food and she is eating that, though she doesn't like the tuna flavor. She seems to prefer the salmon. She is using the litter box regularly. We had one little accident near the box. Where can she sleep so she's safe in our room? When I called the vet they recommended her being in a separate room for 20 minute increments to give her a break from my toddler (about 2 and already knows gentle touch from our previous cat) and overnight. The kitten has her first appointment next Monday with the vet where they're going to go over everything. She has toys but favors playing in paper bags, little crinkle balls and a feather on a stick.

Okay! Thanks for the update and picture. I was imagining a very tiny kitten from your description, but the cat does look close to eight weeks.

It sounds like your toddler is well-supervised and is learning how to treat the kitten, so I don't see why the kitten shouldn't be out with the family. The kitten will seek a quiet spot on its own for naps, such as on or under your bed.

Especially since the kitten has no litter mate to play with, he needs company and comfort. He will probably not cry if allowed to sleep in your bedroom with you.

Although your kitten may want to play some at night, it will eventually wind up in or under your bed to sleep and won't cry if it has access to you. It's lonely!

If you put a cat tree in the family room the kitten will be able to move out of the toddlers reach when it wants a break.

It does look like  a good sized kitten and obviously has been socialized.  Have you placed any found kitten ads in case it just got out.

Should I be giving her kitten formula or should she be okay with the wet food she's eating? We have the house baby proofed, but is there anything we should do to kitten proof? She loves our old cat highway. Is it okay to let her play on it or is she too little?

She does not need kitten formula necessarily, but she would probably love drinking it! The powdered formula in the can is mixed into a delicious milk. I like to use it the first few months for a boost - and for the calcium.

A cat tree is a wonderful idea!

Any babyproofing you've done will work for the kitten .

You need to look for small spaces she can get stuck in.  My biggest concern was the kitten getting under the dishwasher.  Other problem areas are the stove, someone had a piano they were concerned with the kitten getting stuck in.  Also look for cords that the kitten might chew on.  Here is an article on kitten proofing.

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I think the kitten will be fine on the cat highway.  Supervise until he gets the hang of it.