New kitten and she WON'T stop crying!!

Yes, that is correct, she is (3-4) weeks old.I have been feeding her kitten formula from a bottle every (3-6) hours as instructed on the formula package, and yes, she does go to her litter box when she needs to go...I'm still learning how to navigate this site so, let me figure out to upload a photo of her...

I think she needs to eat more frequently, and probably more per feeding. What kind of formula are you feeding? How much per feeding?

Wow, no wonder she won't stop crying! Poor thing, she is so lucky to have you! 3-6 hours is a pretty large gap. Especially so young. I would say to try every 3-4 hours. I have 3 just a little older and they are on 5-6 hour feedings. To post a photo from the device you are using, click the photo icon above the reply box and it will walk you through.

If she has teeth you can start her on solids. . .if she's walking around and using a litterbox I think she probably has teeth too. Mix formula with canned food to make a mush, and also offer a bowl of dry kitten food (Purina ONE is good; it has very tiny kibbles). Continue giving her a bottle, too, to prevent neurotic suckling behaviors later in life, but she really needs solids too.

OMG a 3 to 4 week old kitten??  Even 6 weeks is too young to be away from mama.  Years ago, 1993 to exact, I got two kittens from a breeder who would not let them go before they turned 11 weeks old.  But 3 to 4 weeks??  That's just downright cruel to a baby kitten to take her from mama at that age, and I would sure let whoever you got her from know that.  You are her mama now.  Let the advisors help you, they are good here.  Good luck with the sweet little one!  You can do it!

You've gotten some good advise to make sure she is fed very often. At her age, you should be weighing her because she is still so young and fragile. If she is alone at any point, that would be why she is crying. At the age she is at, she would have mom around for constant comfort, and her littermates to constantly cuddle.

Can you swaddle her to your chest when you're doing housework, etc? Are you able to take her with you to work? She really needs to be around someone constantly at her age.

And yes, she could be at the age to begin eating mush, which is KMR mixed with wet kitten chow. 

I'm surprised she's using the litterbox, she can hardly regulate her body temp if she even can do that yet.

Thank you for taking her in! Is there any way for her to be returned to her mother for a few more weeks at least? I'm sure she got stuck and Mom was nearby, if you could find mom and bring her in that'd be even better!

Give her as much kitten formula as she wants every 3 hours. When she is 4 weeks old, give her as much as she wants every 4 hours. At 5 weeks old keep giving the bottles, but you can try Gerber turkey or chicken baby food with her. On your finger, then a plate.

She's hungry and needs comfort. She will not cry so much when she's full and when she gets bigger.

Thank you for saving her!

@natalielmr, It sounds like becoming a cat mom was a bit unplanned for you. Taking in a kitten so young is definitely a lot of work. You are literally keeping her alive at this point. Please try to give her lots of warmth, attention, cuddling. And although she will outgrow the constant crying, it's probably going to be quite a while before she can be safely ignored. Do you have friends or family or any no-kill animal rescue resources who can help you? What area of the world are you in? If you live anywhere close to me I would be happy to help.

Please send pictures so we can see her.

yes if you were near me I would help as well. In NH.

Thank you for trying to do the right thing-you did.

Keep feeding her as much as she wants.

How is she doing today? Is she eating more formula more often now? Has she quieted down at all?

I'm in Orlando, Florida, and I would be happy to help you out, too.

Let me know if I can.

talkingpeanut said:

Hi - please see my post #10. This is is not a stage. She is starving and trying to tell you that. She will be much better when she is getting a nutritionally complete diet.

She is getting enough food for a cat a quarter of her age right n

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natalielmr said:

I had to go back and look at my previous post, but that was a typo, she's about 3-4 weeks old.

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As everyone else has told you. You have a baby. You need to let her cling to you now or you risk causing a lifelong behavior problem. As the kitten matures she will become more independent.

I know it seems counter productive. But you need to be available now so that she can mature at a natural rate. The day might come when you miss being so desperately needed.

I know everyone is trying to be extra nice, ultimately for the benefit of the kitten, but "You need to feed her now" means "You need to feed her now," not in two days or whenever it's convenient for you to get to the store.

I'm sure you have good intentions, and I'm sure you want the best for your kitten, but I was worried reading several posts with people imploring you to feed this kitten and show her some love, and you're apparently not reading them or acknowledging them.

I'm saying this because I'm worried about the kitten. As others have tried to tell you, she's starving, and she is literally a baby who is separated from her mother and terrified. Kittens need to stay with their mothers usually for at least 12 weeks so that they get special nutrients from their mother's milk, so they learn how to properly socialize with their littermates, and so they can adjust and grow up as normal cats.

If you have her at 3 or 4 weeks she's gonna need extra care and lots and lots of reassurance and love. When the crying starts to annoy you, just remind yourself that she's distraught at being taken from her mom and she's scared.

People here can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a kitten that age might not even be able to regulate her own body temperature. She may be cold as well, which could also kill her. Do you have a bed for her? Do you have a blanket and stuffed animal for her? Even better, can she sleep with you? She needs food, warmth and comfort.

I want to make it clear that I'm not judging you, I'm genuinely worried for the kitten. I adopted my cat too early as well, at about 7 weeks, and believe me I regret it. He would have been given away anyway if I didn't take him, but I still feel guilty. The good news is that with a lot of love and care, they can grow up to be happy cats.

I hope your kitty is feeling better soon.

natalielmr, your lack of urgency to care for such a young kitten is rather concerning.

FYI, it's not "whining", this is a baby that's hungry and missing its mom.

If I was you, I'd check around the building where she was found. Chances are, there are other tiny kittens and a momma cat looking for her.

Getting the age in months vs weeks wrong, is pretty serious.  Please consider contacting a local no-kill shelter or cat rescue organization to help you.

All the advice for feeding her correctly is apparently not suiting your schedule.  Please find someone that has the time before the kitten starves to death.

Maybe another reader living in your area could help out.

Please take the life of that little one seriously.

thank you!

Plan  is spot on.   That kitten is at a critical age and needs love, warmth, frequent feeding and constant care. Yes, that means getting up ever 3-4 hours and feeding her, not after your restful 8hour sleep.   You know, kinda like a human baby does.

chrikc1 said:

Wow, no wonder she won't stop crying! Poor thing, she is so lucky to have you! 3-6 hours is a pretty large gap. Especially so young. I would say to try every 3-4 hours. I have 3 just a little older and they are on 5-6 hour feedings. To post a photo from the device you are using, click the photo icon above the reply box and it will walk you through.

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Me and my mum fostered a baby from 2 days old, back in 2005. He cried constantly for the first few weeks unless we were holding him, and it was an absolute nightmare keeping him fed and warm, and alive! But he grew into such a fiesty little boy it was absolutely wonderful, and he found an amazing home.

natalielmr said:

Yes, that is correct, she is (3-4) weeks old.I have been feeding her kitten formula from a bottle every (3-6) hours as instructed on the formula package, and yes, she does go to her litter box when she needs to go...I'm still learning how to navigate this site so, let me figure out to upload a photo of her...

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As I said above, when me and my mum fostered the little one, he cried constantly for weeks. As he got older, he got more curious and the crying did eventually stop. Please perservere with her, and give her all the love she needs. It's so rewarding when they're all grown up and she'll have so much love and respect for you. Do you have a heat pad, for her? We found with our little boy that he was much happier if he had something warm he could snuggle up to (assuming it was imitating his mama cat).

I'm in Jacksonville, Florida. If its close to you I'm more than willing to help!

how is the kitten?