cold kitten

I have a 2 week old kitten that has been fostered by anotger cat that has 2 other 4 week old kittens, it was all going well untill the past few days he hasnt been getting much attention and i havent personally seen him feeding today, he is also cold to touch
I have him in a blanket on a hot water bottle that is warm not hot just to warm him up a bit, how do i know if he is being fed enough? And what should i do? I dont have alot of money after christmas to pay for a vet

Keeping him warm is good but you will need to feed him as well if he hasn't been eating.
Can you get some powdered KMR or goat milk and some needleless syringes just to get a little bit of nourishment in him? For now, try rubbing some honey or karo syrup on his gums. When you do have the KMR or goat's milk, you feed him on his stomach tilting his head up like he nurses. Put the warm milk drop by drop in his cheeks. You want to do this slowly as if it gets in his lungs, he will get pneumonia.

Ideally you want him to at least nurse a little. Can you move the other kittens out of the way to give the little guy a chance?

Unfortunately what I know about kitten care comes from reading, not experience. Hopefully one of our experts in this will be able to give you more info.

Good luck.

kaybellee said:

I have a 2 week old kitten that has been fostered by anotger cat that has 2 other 4 week old kittens, it was all going well untill the past few days he hasnt been getting much attention and i havent personally seen him feeding today, he is also cold to touch
I have him in a blanket on a hot water bottle that is warm not hot just to warm him up a bit, how do i know if he is being fed enough? And what should i do? I dont have alot of money after christmas to pay for a vet

Click to expand...

You had got good advices.  Good you are actively warming him up, not just wrapping in a blanket.  Carrying at the chest is too useful.

He must be warm before he gets food - they cant digest properly if cold.   Use this smearing of syrup or honey on gum, it perks in some energy - the glucose sugar contend in there, doenst need to be digested, it goes into blood already from the mouth.

Its difficult to know how much is enough,

you essentially weigh him.

a) its 8ml of kmr or goat milk / ounce.  If he is, say a smallish 2week kitten on 150g = 5ounces, he shall 5x8=40 ml of fluid nourishment during the full day.

As he is weak, you will give him little but often, say every 2hours, say at least 10 times a day.  it will give roughly 4ml a time.

b) he shall add minimum 6grammes a day if he is smallish, preferably 10+  

Most vets arent very good at helping weak kittens, so for now spare the money.

But if you can get advices from some seasoned rescuers, or even breeder, this coudl be good.

The problem is, if the foster mom abandoned him, it may be she felt something is wrong.  Such kittens may often be saved by a vigilant human rescuer, but be aware it may be fight uphill.

Please continue to report!

Good luck!

So after feeding him every 3 hours through the night and re heating the hot water bottle he has finally gotten strenth back and this morning i got the mumma cat and layed her down and got him to take to her teat finally!! Its the most energy ive seen him have the past few days

This is such wonderful news! It would be a good idea to keep track of his weight to make sure he is gaining enough weight every day and doesn't need supplementing. But it's just terrific he's nursing again. You saved this little guy's life! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

You may wish to continue supplementing him until he's a bit more stable. This is a great improvement, though!!

Glad to hear!

I agree on weighing him..it can be vital! You can pick up a small kitchen scale and even put him.in a little bowl or tupperware container on the scale.

Make sure to keep tracking his eating...a little one can go down fast. Its a lot of work but so worth it.

Are you keeping him?

Im glad  me too, to hear the kitten survived, tx to your efforts and vigilancy, and Gods help.  I second the proposals you got.   I want to stress, the kittens margins are very small or none, and its tight.   the yellow alert flag is on!!!  You must proceed to be vigilant, and keep close watch.  Weigh daily and see the kitten is gaining properly.   Be sure the kitten gets its share of mommys milk and care.  Be ready to supplement feeding.  Etc...  @kaybellee

If necessary, put the kitten forward when the bigger kittens are asleep.  Or even, when the bigger kittens are asleep, take them aside a little, to their own little comfortable nest, so the little weak one gets a real quality time with mom.

I have had to start caring for the kitten again as her babies are getting ready to leave the nest and go to their forever homes
It seems she is confused that he isnt as big or active as the older two
As the older two are being fed kitten food and given water they arent needimh her so she isnt really paying attention to the baby, his started getting black on his nose and claws i was curious to what this is? And also if i should be bathinh him or just using wipes or something?

Hi,

I am new on here - but I have fostered many babies.

Please do NOT bathe the kitten! Just "Spot Clean" with a warm, damp cloth. Even healthy it is much too young to bathe!  Cats are very sensitive to chills and it can kill them.

Do you have a heating pad? I use one under a box, with lots of toweling. If you can find a small sturdy cardboard or wooded box, I Velcro or nail a large towel or sheet all around the top - so it forms a loose hanging hammock - ALL the babies are in the middle for warmth and mom does not step on them turning around, etc. Most importantly - One does NOT get pushed out, tangled and cold!    Use your hand, or a thermometer to test the temperature in the box (feel mom's belly - then the bottom of the bed That will give you a good idea of the right temperature).  Too warm and kittens have "FEBRILE SEIZURES.. This will give a more steady temperature as water bottles cool, are warmed and cool again. This stresses  an already a weak kitten.

To help with better feedings - lovingly give a soft massage, rub, pet and cuddle the baby with a warm, soft terry or microfiber towel  carefully breathe your breath in his face. This will condition it to better feedings if it does not want to eat as much at some feedings. This will wake them up and calm them, to be ready to eat and digest food better. Then, spot clean, after feeding with a warm, moist cloth, stimulating them to potty last. Then, tuck them in for more sleep with a full belly., in a warm bed. (Yep.  I sound crazy - but watch mom as she does this ritual before feedings. I am just trying to teach cat behavior to a human.  I use my dry lips to stroke the babies head, simulating mom licking them. It is very comforting to a baby kitty when you smell and act like a mother cat.  Yes, and crazy is what gets the baby to calmly take a bottle and digest it's food better without tummy upset!

Last year a litter of newborn kittens was found - outside in 63 degree weather! There was a Police Officer here and he gave ME "custody". It embarrassed him when I started shoving icy cold babies into my cleavage to start warming them! It was the best I could do until the box and heating pad got going and some warm sugar water with a drop of brandy stimulated their systems.  (They were cold to the touch and not moving much and had had NO nourishment for about 24 hours They did not make it. I lost all four., but they died warm and in my loving arms - instead of cold and alone outside..)

Sweetie, you also might prepare for some bad news...  If not now, sometime in the future.

I raised and adopted a kitten the mom abandoned after about 24 hours old.  She moved ALL her babies - but one.

Later, he was "Vet Certified ~ RETARDED". I gave him a loving home for 18 years, as an INDOOR only cat. (he would get lost in the hallway and cry - I would call him and he followed my voice.)  Mom will not waste time, energy or milk on a baby that will not make it on it's own now, or as an adult cat. It seems cruel, but nature is rough.  So, it is possible your tiny one has "something" wrong with it. I hope he is just a "runt" and with your love and extra care will grow into a handsome cat.

Good Luck,

Cindy

Clean him with a warm, damp cloth every day 2-3 times a day. The mom cat should be cleaning him. Since she is not, you will have to.

He and the other kittens are still too young to be re-homed. Kittens should not go to new homes before they are 8 weeks old.

When the two older kittens nurse, please put the baby to her nipples also. He is not weaned, so if she isn't feeding him then you will need to feed him with kitten formula and a bottle or syringe. He must eat every 3-4 hours still around the clock.

Do you know how to feed? How much formula and how often? We're happy to tell you.

The two older kittens are 6 weeks old now and im starting to wein them so they arent dependent on mumma cat so much, drinking water and eating kitten food ect.
The vet has given me a bottle and powdered milk for the baby but he didnt say how much to give him, i dont have a scale to weigh him at the moment but his just over 3 weeks old but his still quite small the vet said he might be premiture, as i got the cat when she was already pregnant.
At the moment in just using a hot water bottle and a blanket in a cat bed, he wont sleep unless he is wrapped in his blanket
But it would be great to know how much to feed him
Sorry for all of the questions guys and thankyou all so much for helping

He should be getting 8ml for every ounce he weighs during a 24 hour period.  Since you don't know his weight, feed him until he is done every 3 to 4 hours.  If he isn't eating a lot, you may need to feed every 2 hours.  If he is nursing from mom, he may not take a bottle.  You will need to feed with a needleless syringe, 1 -2 ml (small).  Tummy down, head up like he is feeding at mom.  Put a drop or two in the side of his mouth, wait for him to swallow and take a breath and repeat.  It will take time and patience until you both get the hang of it.  The food must be warm so the kitten can digest it.  You also need to burp the kitten after feeding and helping with potty duty if mom is not.

Can you get a small kitchen scale from a neighbor or store?  One that measures in grams or 1/10 ounces is best.  Weigh at the same time everyday so you can see if the kitten is gaining.  6 - 10 grams (.2 -.4 ounces) minimum is what the kitten needs to gain so it can thrive and not just survive.

It's possible mom is going into heat and that is why she is not paying attention to her kittens.  Make sure she doesn't get out.

The mumma is still feeling all of them but the kitten isnt getting enough food from her she will feed him maybe once or twice a day so im just trying to keep his feeds up so he can stay strong

A 3-week-old kitten should ideally weigh about 12 ounces. Based on that number, your kitten needs 96 mL each 24 hours. If you feed every four hours, you will give the kitten 16 mL of formula at each feeding 6 times a day. That is a minimum. The kitten can have more than 16 mL at each feeding if he's still hungry.

Your goal is for the kitten to weigh about 16 ounces, which is one pound, at a month old. All kittens should gain about a pound per month after that, for at least the first 6 months.

You will need a scale to begin weighing the kitten so you know he is getting enough food and growing. Somewhere between 4-6 weeks you can begin to offer kitten chow and pate-style wet food in addition to the bottles. Fancy Feast kitten or classic pate is good. Sometimes a slurry of pate mixed with formula is easier for the kitten to lap up initially. When you begin to wean you also will begin litter box training.

For the next week, try to feed the kitten every four hours even through the night to help him reach his milestone. It will get easier as he weans.

Let us know how he's doing!

He was doing great, up and running around started playing and putting himself to sleep and then we hit a rough patch again :/
He has woken up twice this week and been floppy like he hasnt wanted to wake up
Ive been putting him onto the mummas teat to get her to feed him when his like this i thought it might make a difference so she has stared feeding him a bit more but his still not back to himself yet

He's 5 weeks old? He should be starting to wean and eat kitten mush. Have you started introducing any of that?

How often and how much is he eating?

Ive tried giving him food multiple times but he isnt intrested at all,
His being fed around every 4 hours im trying to get mum to feed him for most of those which is finally working,
His just so small for his age and no matter how hard i try he keeps hitting rough patches

when we first got Opie after 3 swallows from a straw he went sound asleep. all we had was one egg and about 2 ounces of soy milk. we took the egg yolk, stirred it in an ounce of the soymilk. he ate that night, we fed him same following morning, then I came down the mountain, got a bottle, formula, and advice from PetSmart , plus appt. for the following day. we  wrapped him in a warmed hand towel. he is now 17.5 pounds and 7 years old.found out here I fed Opie all wrong and he still made it.Lots of good advice here,

If he's struggling he should eat more often. Because he's so young and small too he doesn't have anything to lose. Hopefully you can build him up so things like this don't slow him down in the future!