Rescued 3 week old kitten- tips on how to care for

Hello everyone, on my way home today I saw something small slowly running across 3 lanes of traffic, almost getting hit, looked very odd the way it ran, I stopped and noticed it had stopped on the shoulder, I slowly walked up to it and to my shock it was a VERY small kitten, a little bigger than my pack of smokes! That explains the odd lumbering across the hwy, poor guy was giving it all he had just making the run, I still can't believe he did that, or even made it. He was so scared and winded. I looked around both sides of the hwy for about 10 mins looking for anymore babies or the momma but didn't see any, guess he got separated, anyway I scooped him up and rushed him to the vet. They said he seemed fine but very skinny and was about 3-4 weeks old. No injuries that they could see and he ate like a ravenous dog when they fed him. He's pretty dirty so they told me to wait a few days and give him a bath. He's so tiny, how do I bath him and with what??? They told me what to feed him, good quality wet kitty food, 4 times a day but is he so young that I need to stimulate him to go potty? I think he dribbled on my pants but I haven't seen him produce anything else.
I would like to find a home for the lil guy, or I'm gonna have to sneak him into my apt as I already have 3 strays lol. he's very adorable and uber lovable!!, looks like he might be a long hair, hard to tell though and he got instantly attached to me, keeps flopping in a ball in my lap purring away, has to be near me at all times, I'm sure he's scared out of his lil mind and lonely.
Named him Bear...any advice?
Thanks!

Tigger13 said:

Hello everyone, on my way home today I saw something small slowly running across 3 lanes of traffic, almost getting hit, looked very odd the way it ran, I stopped and noticed it had stopped on the shoulder, I slowly walked up to it and to my shock it was a VERY small kitten, a little bigger than my pack of smokes! That explains the odd lumbering across the hwy, poor guy was giving it all he had just making the run, I still can't believe he did that, or even made it. He was so scared and winded. I looked around both sides of the hwy for about 10 mins looking for anymore babies or the momma but didn't see any, guess he got separated, anyway I scooped him up and rushed him to the vet. They said he seemed fine but very skinny and was about 3-4 weeks old. No injuries that they could see and he ate like a ravenous dog when they fed him. He's pretty dirty so they told me to wait a few days and give him a bath. He's so tiny, how do I bath him and with what??? They told me what to feed him, good quality wet kitty food, 4 times a day but is he so young that I need to stimulate him to go potty? I think he dribbled on my pants but I haven't seen him produce anything else.
I would like to find a home for the lil guy, or I'm gonna have to sneak him into my apt as I already have 3 strays lol. he's very adorable and uber lovable!!, looks like he might be a long hair, hard to tell though and he got instantly attached to me, keeps flopping in a ball in my lap purring away, has to be near me at all times, I'm sure he's scared out of his lil mind and lonely.
Named him Bear...any advice?
Thanks!

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He is surely at least 4 weeks, if he could eat wet kitten food at once.  If desperate, such may be tried earlier, but it takes time and effort.  Being somewhat undernourished he probably looks a little younger than he is.

So, yes wet food is good. Pate-style if you have to choose. Goats milk is always OK.

I notice you tell your residents are ex-strays, this means their immune system is above average, and thus, you dont need to overdo the quarantine.

I will return later on in the evening.

tigger13

Thank you for rescuing this little guy! He sounds relieved to have eaten and to be comforted.

The wet food 4 times a day is excellent. Please also leave kitten chow and water down 24/7. He needs to eat as often and as much as he wants right now.

If he is eating so well on his own, he's ready to use a kitten-sized litter box. Put him in it, take a little paw and show him how to dig, and he should catch on quickly.

You can go ahead and bathe him in blue Dawn in the kitchen or bathroom sink. No need to wait a week. Towel dry and keep him warm until he is completely dry. A towel warmed in the dryer works well, or a heating pad set on low under a blanket, or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel next to him will do.

How is he with your other cats? I've always had more cats than I am allowed!

StefanZ, yes my 3 adult cats are all strays and VERY spoiled lol.

sarthur2, he's seems very happy now, he started playing and pouncing last night! Was so cute!! He has gone potty on his own on a towel in the corner so I'm heading to the pet store today to get a litter box, food, toys and a heating pad. Vet told me about an automatic feeder I can get because I work long hours and need to make sure he eats 4 times a day, he scarfs his food down so he has a healthy appetite which is good. ER vet didn't have the kitten dewormer so I will take him to my regular vet and see if they have it. Im gonna get a few extra heating pads cause he's in a room walking around so I want to make sure he snuggles up in one of them, he climbs out of the big box I had him in and want to keep him warm. I was thinking about seeing if the group PAWS would take him in and find him a home, I'm just worried I don't have the proper time to care for him with work, moving and a family member in the hospital. Hard to let go of him though, I'm a VERY over protective animal lover and haven't had a baby this young in a long time! Just wanna do the best I can for him. I haven't let him near my cats yet, think it's best to keep him quarantined right now not knowing what he might have and has so small but I'm sure my cats are gonna to be very ticked off and jealous, that's my fault, they are spoiled lol.

We would love to see a picture of Bear.

Make sure you sure non-clumping litter in his box.  Kittens taste everything!

Yes, pictures would be great!

Most rescues are swamped with orphan kittens right now during kitten season, so he would be in a cage and not get much attention there either. [emoji]128533[/emoji]

You're right, I can't do that to the lil guy, I'll have to just look for a good home for him myself and just keep him til and we all know what will happen then...lol...he's mine!
Meet Bear...

What a cutie patootie! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

He is!! Thanks!!

I saw a sign in a store the other day, I've come to the realization that it's me....."I work to support my cats lifestyle" lol

LOL! That's my life story! [emoji]128062[/emoji]

Bear seems to be pooping alot, not watery, kinda like toothpaste, might be the wet food and that he was starving. Looks ok but will he poop that often? Just wanna make sure he's getting nutrients and it's not going right through him. Told ya guys...here comes the over protective kitty human momma lol. Ok, I'm a worrier lol.

Kittens poop a lot. I think his system is adjusting. Who knows how long he was on his own and didn't eat. He'll be okay. Give him a couple of days. Toothpaste consistency is normal at his age. His poop will get more formed over time. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Ok thanks, that's a relief! He's just so frail it's hard not to be overly alert

It's good to be overly alert and protective! I would be the same way. Keep asking your questions. That's what we're here for. It sounds like he's doing well so far. And he needs to eat often. Is he eating wet and dry food?

I'm feeding him wet every 6 hrs and just put out kitten chow today but I haven't seen him eat any of that yet, I'm going to leave the hard food out. I think he can eat the hard food, he did put his baby tooth THRU my thumb while playing Today is the first day I have seen him have diareah, every bowel movement was diareah, not complete water but very runny, a tad thicker than water. He threw up once then ate again about 20 mins later. He is scarfing his food down so maybe a combination of not eating for a while, suddenly eating wet food and whoofing it down...maybe his tummy needs a few days to adjust? Vet told me to bring him in If his stool is like water so not sure how long I should give it (diareah)...a few more days perhaps? He did drink a lot of water so that's good and he is active and playing. Got him a nice heated pad to stay warm but he's just skin and bones so I'm afraid diareah would zap him pretty fast since he has next to no meat on his lil bones. Ugh. Maybe the wet food is too much for him, what about baby food? To ease him into eating? Just worried is all, if he was a tad heavier I probably wouldn't be as worried. Lost a lot of babies when I was young...parvo (that's the worst to witness) too far gone to make it, it scars you ya know, makes it difficult to not jump the gun and think the worst with animals. I'm sure my witnessing my neighbors cat get killed last year by a dog in front of me and dying in my arms before I could save him is making things worse, I know it is, that was tramatizing so I guess I'm trying to make up for not being able to save that cat by being overly anxious about this lil guy. I could have worse behavioral issues though right! Lol. Wanting to save them all isn't so bad.

I think baby food would be a good idea for this little one right now. Nice and gentle on the the tummy. Just make sure there is no onion or garlic. Thank you for rescuing him!!

tigger13

Gerber turkey or chicken is what I use to wean. He needs to eat small amounts every 3-4 hours right now for his system to adjust and because he's growing. Small kittens cannot wait 6 hours between meals - it's too long!

Leaving kitten chow down, along with water, is a good idea. He will learn to eat it between meals.

I think his diarrhea is from adjusting to his new diet. It should clear in a day or two. What color is it?