New to cats with abandoned infant

Hello, all! I've never had, nor have I wanted, a cat. I always considered myself a dog person, but two days ago my mother's dog found a litter of kittens whose feral/stray mother had left them in a storage building on their property. The mother had been found dead approximately two days prior, and no one knew about the kittens until the dog found them. Three were killed, and one remains. I've become attached to him and want to keep him, but there's SO much I don't know about cats. First of all, he had a small nick on his back when the dog's teeth grazed him but didn't puncture. I bathed him with blue dawn dish soap to try to prevent infection. He was very dehydrated and hadn't eaten in a few days, so I got some kitten formula from a friend and got calories in him. I took him to the vet today (where I first learned it was a male kitten and is been calling it female so excuse me if I mix pronouns). He has an eye infection, for which the vet gave me an ointment. She said he should be eating pate type of food as he has some teeth, and she said he was three or maybe four weeks old. He took to the pate immediately. She said due to him already being the runt in his litter and then dehydrated and malnourished, I should feed him as much as possible. How much is that? Haha. How many times daily should I feed him? He's definitely less than a pound. I just feed him when he mews and let him eat until he stops. Is this the right thing to do? He's bonded with me, and he gets a lot of separation anxiety. I don't want him to sleep with me because I toss and turn a lot. I'm so scared I'll roll over on top of him. Last night he slept fine in a crate, but he was also with his brother who has since passed away. Before I could get him to the vet, a friend suggested I bathe him daily because his mother would lick him daily. He was surprisingly ok with a bath, and I've given him two. The vet said this isn't necessary as his wound is so superficial, is healing quite nicely, and overly frequent bathing would dry out his skin. She suggested I use a damp cloth on him. How often do I wipe him down? My dog, a 10 pound Yorkie/Maltese mix, has been the only animal other than a few fosters for seven years. She is my pride and joy and isn't taking to the kitten. She isn't mean to it, but she completely ignores its existence and my existence if I'm touching it. So jealous! She kind of gets depressed when things change in our home, so I'm also looking for any tips on how to help her get accustomed to our new addition.

Any thoughts on how to deal with his anxiety and mewing at night?

Am I feeding him correctly?

How often do I "bathe" him with the wet cloth?

How do I help my small, mature dog get used to the kitten?

This is the little guy just after we found him.

First thnk you for caring for this little one

ok thing to know about kitten

1 they can not control there body temp so they need to be kept warm

2 kitten can eat as much as they want kitten will eat every two hours wet food is best you can add a little water to the wet food for extra fluids

3 he can also have kmr kitten replacement milk

4 you should weigh him he should be gaining weight every day

5 if he is not using the litter box you will have to stimulate him to go

more pic and updates please

dont bath him daily that is not good for young kittens

he is feeling lonley and missing his mom this is normal you can put the crate in the room with you put a radio on for him. If he is bonded with you put a shirt you wear that smells like you in his crate it will help him to relax a little bit.

Thank you for the advice. He peed for the first time today. It wasn't in the litter box, but it's the first time since I got him that he had enough excess fluid to need to expel it. The eye infection is clearing up, but by the time it's time for the medicine (which I give twice daily), his eye is a little closed up already. It's not as bad as before we went to the vet. It was pouring out green gunk. He's eating and drinking. I'm keeping him warm, which isn't hard to do in Louisiana. Haha. I'm about to feed him again. At his last feeding, about two hours ago, he ate about two tablespoons of pate with two teaspoons of water and two teaspoons of KMR (the dr said making it thick like a protein shake would give him extra calories to try to keep him alive and get his stomach stretched back out).

He and my mom's dog are curious about each other. We're letting them get acquainted a little at a time. They sniff each other. He kicked the dog's nose and she jumped back scared. Lol

He's curled up in my elbow here.

Not kicked, licked

jenna973 said:

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• jenna973
• Apr 27, 2016

He and my mom's dog are curious about each other. We're letting them get acquainted a little at a time. They sniff each other. He kicked the dog's nose and she jumped back scared. Lol

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Thank you for taking this little one in!

For a kitten of his its age, it is fine to leave dry kitten food down all the time. On top of that, you should add 6 or so meals of kmr and kitten wet food per day. Water should also always be available.

Keep it up with the eye ointment. How old does your vet think the kitten is? Did you get a weight?

H is so cute ouds like you areoing a good job. Welcome to the site there are a lot of caring and knowlegable people on this sitwho love cats we are here to hep

oops you are doing a god job keep it up if you can get a scale and weigh you baby hat would be good the eye will clear up

The kitten is old enough to keep itself warm. Frequent feedings as Talking Peanut suggested, with kitten chow and water always available.

Gently wipe the eyes wih a warm damp cloth before applying the ointment. The infection will eventually clear up.

Wipe the kitten down a couple of times a day with a warm damp cloth to keep his fur clean. Cat moms lick their kittens daily, so this simulates mom. No more full baths needed!

Over time, your dog will get used to the kitten. Hopefully, they will become good buddies. Right now your dog is bewildered by the stranger and jealous, so be sure to offer your dog extra attention now too!

Very cute dog and kitten! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

He's doing great and gaining weight! Still trying to get him over the eye infection. He follows my dog around the house and tries to cuddle with her. She's not about it but not aggressive. He snuggles her after she falls asleep. lol

Make sure you get the ointment smeared across the eye really well so it gets in there. The kitten sure is cute! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I have a 4 week old kitten which I've had for a week. (Orphan) He will use the litter box if I put him in it. He isn't big enough to climb into it though. A friend suggested using a paper plate with litter, but he's not using it. He poos and pees everywhere and the even bigger issue is that he gets it all over his butt, tail, back legs, and feet. I have to clean it out of his hair. It's not diarrhea. Any suggestions on how to keep him clean and poo out of his hair without nightly baths?

jenna973 said:

I have a 4 week old kitten which I've had for a week. (Orphan) He will use the litter box if I put him in it. He isn't big enough to climb into it though. A friend suggested using a paper plate with litter, but he's not using it. He poos and pees everywhere and the even bigger issue is that he gets it all over his butt, tail, back legs, and feet. I have to clean it out of his hair. It's not diarrhea. Any suggestions on how to keep him clean and poo out of his hair without nightly baths?

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I suspect he doesnt like the paper plate as its not steady enough.  So you need a litter box with lower walls, so its easier to climb.  Perhaps some soup porcelain plate?

Aluminium boxes cooking  for oven, or similiar, are often used here.  Decently low, decently stable, low cost.

Otherwise you must put him in frequently yourself, as he iS willing to do his duty, but doenst manage to climb in himself.

No diarrhea but yet get messy all over himself?   So its rare anyways?    Depending on the exact food, the poo should begin to be more adult like now, ie short sausages / pears formed.

I suspect its to consider as  diarrheatish anyways.  Having that, its more difficult for them to control the bowels.

He would probably do better if you could confine him in a smaller space till he gets the hang of it. When I have orphan kittens who have no mom to show them, I put them either in a large cage or in a bathroom - even a shower cubicle sometimes. Then with the litter box right at hand instinct kicks in, and they very quickly take it up. At the moment, if you continue with him using anything he thinks suitable around the house, he might pick up behavioural habits that will be difficult to get rid of. Has he been wormed yet - he may still be a bit young, but that may be causing the diarrhea.

You can try even a baking sheet with some litter on it for a bit more structure. He's young to be using the box at all, so you probably need to put him there before and after meals for the next few weeks. How often do you feed?

When i first got Loki, he was almost 8 weeks old and was a barn cat that never seen a litter pan. I put him in a dog crate with a small sided rubber made food storage container. It was a rectangular one. The sides were very low, yet high enough to keep the litter in. It also didn't scare him, as it was quiet when he touched it, unlike metal pans. It also remained a comfortable temperature , whereas a metal pan felt cold. By the following evening, he was using it regularly and I never had a problem afterwards. He will be 9 years old this August.

So, maybe that will work for your little one. The sides were only about an inch tall, so it was very easy for him to get in and out of. Also, by keeping him confined to a small area, he wont have many places to choose from when he has to go. If you dont have a dog crate, the bathroom would probably be your best bet. Good luck.