In need of general care tips for a 5-6 week old kitten

Hello everyone

This is my first post here and I'd like to say thank you in advance - this community is so helpful.

I've been rescuing and caring for senior cats with medical problems for the last ten years or so, but I find myself with 2 kittens now and feel like I'm starting from scratch. The one I really need help with is a little one I picked up today - he's 5 or 6 weeks old, was surrendered at a small rural shelter 3 days ago and no information is known about his mom.

Since we got home a few hours ago, I've observed him eating, drinking and playing. He's poked around the litter box and I've been told he uses it consistently (my hopes aren't super high, but this is an easy thing to work on). I offered him both KMR and wet food to see what he would take - KMR it is He didn't seem to know what to do with the wet food. I put some on my finger and rubbed it on his little nose, but he's not interested yet. I'm just really glad he dove right into the milk and water at this point. He fell asleep right afterward - I put one of my tshirts and a weighted plush toy for kittens in his bed and stayed with him til he fell asleep.

My concerns are:

1. I feel horrible leaving him alone tonight. Really horrible. He's so tiny. I have him set up in my guest room right now - it's fully kitten proof and I know he's safe, but do you think I should sleep in there with him? Or move him with me, maybe? He's so tiny.

2. How do you best balance time with each cat until the two meet each other? I feel like I should spend more time with the baby, but I don't want my 10 month kitten old to think I'm abandoning him or feel jealous.

3. Should I be doing anything different food-wise between now and when I can take him to the vet (which will be on Tuesday, most likely)? Next time he wakes up, I'm going to weigh him so I know how much to feed. Do I need to work on transitioning to wet food yet? How often should I feed him?

4. I have several bed warmers that are specifically made for cats. They're the kind that warm up when weight is applied. Should I put one in his bed (under the blanket)? How well do they regulate their own temps at this age? I'm nervous about using the heater in that room because it's a baseboard heater.

5. He definitely needs a good cleaning tomorrow. What's your experience with baths vs a good rub down with a soft cloth instead? For reference, I live in the PNW and it's running between 60-70 degrees F here during the day right now.

6. I feel like he's been separated from his mom way too early. Am I making that a bigger deal than it needs to be? Please feel free to be brutally honest, I have a tendency to worry My other kitten, Cooper, was 4 months old when I adopted him and I feel like he was pretty independent at that age. Much more than this new little guy.

Is there anything that I should be doing that I haven't covered?

thank you so much!

Thank you for helping this kitten, and welcome to TCS!

A 5-6 week old kitten is too young to be separated from mom if he had one. I think you should move him to your room so he has some company and you can babysit him through the night. Have you been leaving kitten milk and kitten chow down for him the past couple of nights? He does not need to go 8 hours without food at his age.

Kittens this age can regulate their body temperature, but they love to snuggle with something warm. I would add the warmer to his bed.

I would suggest that you clean him initially with a warm, damp cloth, and wait awhile on a full bath. Let him settle in a bit first.

You can try Gerber turkey or chicken baby food on your finger. I used it to wean my kittens. They loved it!

Has your 10-month-old kitten met him yet? Sometimes when kittens are younger they will adjust better during introductions than older resident cats. Try a supervised meeting tomorrow and see how it goes. Your kitten will quickly learn that he is not being abandoned, but the tiny new one needs company.

Continue using this thread for your questions, and post pictures of both your kittens when you can! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thank you for such a quick reply!

I left both wet food and some milk in shallow dishes in the room, along with water. I've literally only had him for about 4 hours at this point and stayed with him the whole time he was awake. I know the shelter left him with dry food the last couple of nights, but he had a lot of loose stool with it and wasn't eating consistently. I just can't imagine his GI system or his teeth are ready for that just yet. Great tip about baby food, I'll pick some up tomorrow.

I'm happy to hear it's ok to try an introduction tomorrow! My older one is such a snuggler and absolutely loves other cats. I am very hopeful that he will help take care of the baby, or at least offer some extra body warmth and company. He's very, very curious so far.

I did not know it was possible to care so intensely for something this tiny, this much, this soon. I tip my hat to all foster and adoptive kitten/puppy parents out there!

My phone just died, but I'll be back with pics asap

Yes, it's my hope the 2 kitties will get along, because it will really help the little guy. He needs to snuggle too!

Keep us posted as to how things are going. Have you weighed him? That will tell us his age and needs better. Does he have his baby teeth yet? Those come in at 4 weeks. He should weigh around a pound now. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

18 ounces on the dot! He does have some teeth, also.

He ate again, used the litter box and the three of us are camped out watching Friends together. There's a little bit of posturing going on, but mostly lots of sniffing and exploring. He keeps playing and then coming back for snuggles. I'm totally ok with doing this all weekend - what a little joy he is [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

So tonight (and every night), we will stay together, I'll add the heating pad to his bed and we will try baby food tomorrow. Monday will be the vet. I can't thank you enough!

Awesome! I'm so glad you are all 3 together! I hope he eats some baby food tomorrow. Since he has teeth and is 18 ounces, he's definitely going on 5 weeks. He'll be eating like a champ soon, and probably sleeping in bed with you at night, but he'll want his warmer to snuggle during his daytime naps. He should not get vaccines until he's 8 weeks. Hope it continues to go well with both kittens! [emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji]

Oh, golly, he is just gorgeous! So cute too! Enjoy him! Your other kitty looks very curious, and I'm betting will soon adore his new playmate! [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

sweeeetp

What a cutie! Is he all white? Or is he pointed?

It looks like his ears are a bit darker at the tips, that's why I'm curious

This is what I mean by Pointed, pointed cats have the "Siamese" patterning.


Also, all pointed cats are born white and slowly develop color on the cold points on their body (ears, face, paws and tail) since the pointed pattern is temperature dependant, the warmer parts of the body stay lighter.

Pointed cats can also be red/orange instead of brown or black

I had no idea the coloring is temperature dependent! How cool is that! Cats are just amazing.

He's definitely flame point - his tail is darkest, then his ears. I don't see much around his face yet, but I am so excited to see it develop. His eyes are just stunning.

Have you interacted with any Siamese cats? I've heard nothing but good things about them, but this is my first time meeting one.

You can see his coloring a little better here

sweeeetp

Oh my he is gorgeous! Yep! Definitely a flame point! And I believe flame points are much less common than brown/black pointed cats too! And you know his eyes will stay blue too since all pointed cats have blue eyes!

And yes, I had a semi-feral pointed cat a few years ago, he was very social and very vocal haha. He loved to be petted and snuggled (at least as long as you were outside, we tried to get him to come inside multiple times but every time he went completely BESERK and was in so much distress that we just settled for building him a nice cat house with a heating pad and heated water bowl in the winter).

Oh and the pointed patten is a modified form of albinism, because the distribution of pigment is limited by temperature. While obviously pointed cats are not full blown albinos since there is not a complete lack of pigment and they all have blue eyes, you'll notice that their eyes will glow red when you take a picture of them with the flash on (I wouldn't do that to your kitten but there are pictures online of the red glow I am talking about) whereas a normal cats eyes glow green or yellow when photographed with the flash on.

Pointed cat with the "red glow" in their eyes:


Normal cat with green/yellow glow:

I'm in loooove!!! Better not let my cat catch me cheating lol.

Good luck sleeping for the next few weeks! [emoji]128515[/emoji] Do you have a name yet? He sure does look healthy, which is a real break!

@Raina21  Oh, I hope he's vocal like that!

My very first rescue, as an adult, was a gorgeous Norwegian Forest Cat who talked to me all day, every day. It fosters such a sense of camaraderie - I heard that Siamese cats have a larger vocal range, too. It feels like I hit the jackpot all around, besides the fact that I wish he could've had more time with his momma. 

Those eye photos are crazy cool, I just saved them to show my fellow cat-lover nephew  

@misterwhiskers   haha, thanks! No luck sleeping yet, I cannot stop staring at him. They're both zonked out

He came with the name Sardine, which I immediately dismissed. Sardine?? It's kinda growing on me in a weird way, though. I figure I'll give it a few days and see what fits his personality.

I honestly am still getting used to the whole concept of healthy cats lol. My 10 month old, Cooper, is my first one with no major medical problems. I still panic every now and then, thinking I forgot someone's medicine or fed the wrong food. It's definitely made me appreciate the gift of good health!

sweeeetp

Yeah, siamese are known to be very vocal, but not every pointed cat is siamese.

The one that I took care of was EXTREMELY vocal. He'd meow and beg for pets constantly


The cat in my avatar is my Norwegian Forest Cat. He was dumped on the side of our busy road at 6 weeks old. He was most likely dumped by a backyard breeder (I live in a rural area where such things are common, unfortunately).

He had a few behavior problems, since he was separated from his mother and siblings so early. He had a major problem with biting (never learned bite inhibition) he had to be taught manners by my 2 adult cats and myself and my family (no physical punishments on our part, we just yelp or yell OUCH and he eventually learned what that meant. My cats would swat at him without their claws out).


And your little guy will 'tell' you his name in time, once you know his personality, it will be much easier to name him .

Just a little update...baby food was a hit. Cooper just allowed him onto his favorite chair a few minutes ago. It's working!!

Oh, that is just precious! Tickles my heart strings. I'm so happy the baby food is working. It usually does. A bit pricey, but worth it. Stock up on it for awhile. Mine were spoiled to it, but after awhile easily switched to Fancy Feast classic flavors. Gerber just smells good to them, tastes good, and is easy to lick and digest.

I had a feeling they would become fast friends! So sweet! They need each other! Thank you for the update! [emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji]