What should I do next?

My husband rescued a kitten from a feral litter in which the tom cat killed the littermates. He brought "Jasper" home and said if he left him, he would be killed because the mom didn't protect the others. We believe he was only about 2 to 2.5 weeks old.  I bottle fed him with kitten formula night and day every time he cried, kept him warm next to me, and slept with him on my neck at night. Last week, I started feeding him moistened kitten kibble (Nutro) mixed with the kitten formula. Its now 25 days later, and Jasper weighs 2.6 lbs. He is gaining about an ounce a day.  He seems to be doing ok: litter trained, knows name, comes when called, plays with toys, is very affectionate. But, even though he's jumping and climbing now, he still hasn't learned stairs and can't jump up or down very far yet, so I always lift him.

What should I be doing next? He still is sleeping next to me, stays in our bedroom unless supervised, and hasn't gone to the vet yet. How big does he have to be to get his first check-up & shots? What about neutering? Does he need to sleep in his own bed? Roam the house?

Also, in the past week, his ears got really big (looks foxlike) and his legs/paws pretty large too. No signs of health issues at all.

Any advice will be welcomed. Thank you!

8-12 weeks first set of shots 13-14 weeks second set of shots 6 months rabies vac. Also I know you have been bottle feeding him but the vet will also give them a dewormer, I would probably schedule the first set like I mentioned above since he is at the right age right now. I would also let him explore your whole upstairs area without any other doors open other than the one for the one he has been in the most.  For the bed thing it is a personal choice, I sleep with all 5 of my cats and one of my dogs, it just depends on allergies. 

What sweethearts you both are! He is going to grow up a special cat. I would schedule a vet visit soon. He may very well have worms and you want to have him checked for other things.

His big ears and feet may be an indication that he's going to be a big cat. What a beautiful kitten he is!

We play "Petris" every night with our cats, trying to fit everyone on the bed. As he grows, he may choose to sleep elsewhere but i wouldn't bet on it.

I would start feeding him some wet kitten food. You can mix it with the kitten milk in a slurry. Be prepared for clean up - it will be sloppy!

Thank you, Sparkymema and Odine for helping me make decisions.  I have never raised such a young kitten before and don't want to hurt him. He was just 12.5 ounces when hubby brought him home, covered in filth, eyes stuck closed with goo. Jasper has come a long way since then, but I haven't realized how young he still is - all those weeks of care, whew!

In the past 2 days,  when I came home from work, he was so hungry he was crying. It appears that I cannot keep him full enough as he gets bigger and more active.  Today, I left him with a bowl of each:  dry kitten kibble, kibble/formula slurry, wet canned kitten food, and a bowl of water. 

I contacted our local animal shelter where they do low cost spay/neuter and vaccines.  They said he has to be 12 weeks old and that most people wait until then before getting shots.  The guy at the pet store told me pretty much what you have, that he should go in during the next week or two for a check up and worming. 

Are there any specific questions I should ask the vet other than how old he is and if he's healthy?  Since I've never raised a kitten this young, it helps to know what to do.   Thanks 

It depends on the vet honestly, some vets say as young as 6 weeks even, and some say as old as 16-24 weeks in my experience. I would try to find a vet that will do shots and deworm same day or else you will need to pay for two visits. My vet told me a lot of vets just tell you 12 weeks so you will need to make more appointments, so they get more money.

Be reminded he won't starve in the time you are at work. He will be hungry but he won't starve. We tend to feed our cats on demand and that too often leads to obesity. I would feed him well before you leave and leave some kibble and water out for the day.

I had small kittens that we were able to have fixed once they weighed five pounds. That was about 12 to 16 weeks, I think. His shots can wait until then but I would ask the vet about worming him. If he has worms, that would make him hungrier than usual.

Try not to stress too much. Remember, whatever you do for him is way more than he had before he met you!

Since he's an indoor only cat, you don't need to rush with the neuter, especially if he's small and not very strong yet. It's fine to wait until he's 4-6 months old to neuter, and in my area, most vets don't do neuter/spay surgeries on cats younger than that age. 

Can you leave a free-standing bowl of kitten chow out so he doesn't get hungry? Kittens need to eat every few hours because their blood sugar goes low very easily. I keep free-standing dry food available for all my cats, including my outdoor feral, so there are no anxiety issues concerning availability of good. If your kitty has parasites, that will cause increased hunger, too, so a vet trip would be helpful about now.