help!!! don't know what to feed stray kitten

my friend just found a kitten crying by their shed all alone. they brought her here and i dont know what to feed her?!?! i just bouhgt a eye dropper.... i think she is about 3-4 weeks old. please help!!!! thanx!

For now, I'm not sure about an alternative that you can make yourself, you could probably find one on the internet if you search. I think I might have seen one on this board not too long ago...
But as soon as you can, go to the store and get kitten milk replacer. It comes in different brand names, e.g. KMR.
If I can find the recipe for making your own, I'll post it. Otherwise, I have heard that goat's milk can be used as a temporary substitute. Maybe an all night convenience store would have it?? I've also heard of kittens being raised on it alone.
Also, It would probably be better to buy a small animal feeding bottle, as at 3-4 weeks old she's probably drinking much more than an eye dropper could hold, and you'll both be frustrated at how long it takes to feed her.

Ok, I found this on Safehavenforcats.com

One 12 ounce can of Evaporated Skim cows milk, One 4 ounce can evaporated whole cows milk, one 4 ounce container of plain yogurt and three egg yolks. Mix well and strain. I always give it to them warm - let them think it's coming right from Mom...what do they know???? They're happy, I'm happy and it's usually a nice ending.

Kittens that are taken from Mom, for whatever reason, at the age of about 1 or 2 weeks may have a little bit of trouble adjusting to the bottle. This is simply a matter of persistence. You must keep offering the bottle and they will learn that this is where food comes from - not mom. I imagine it must be a bit of a shock. I hold them close to me so they get warmth while nursing, a poor substitute but usually I'm all they have. Don't give up on them. Keep offering the bottle. They may go as much as 24 hours with very little nutritional input. Place the nipple in their mouth and squeeze the bottle. They really will eat. Any baby that has not been eating for more than - oh about 12 hours is probably getting very low on blood sugar. Mix Karo syrup with warm water and give it to him. It's surprising how much this will help.

Go to their website for more info on orphans, and check out under Cat S.O.S on this board. It has a sub section that is about bottle babies.

oh thank you so much!!! that was so helpful!!!

No no no!

Please don't feed the kitty anything but KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) you can go to any good grocery store and in under the toy section for cats, you can usually find KMR and a bottle- Please go to our SOS forum and the sub forum Bottle Babies, click on show threads from the beginning and start to read. But PLEASE do not feed this little one cows milk of any kind. Make sure you feed the little one while it is on it's belly and also you will have to stimulate it gently with warm water and a damp cotton ball on its tummy and rear so it will poop and pee.

Originally posted by rescuekitty2
For now, I'm not sure about an alternative that you can make yourself, you could probably find one on the internet if you search. I think I might have seen one on this board not too long ago...

Click to expand...

I'm not knowledgeable about caring for kittens that are only 3 or 4 weeks old, but I think I found the recipe rescuekitty2 was talking about.

HISSY, PLEASE POST YOUR OPINION ABOUT FEEDING THIS TO THE KITTEN.

Kitten Glop
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
1 12 oz can goat's milk
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 teaspoons clear karo syrup
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg (optional)

Boil water, mix in gelatin. Add other ingredients and mix with beater or blender. Serve warm or chilled.

Can be frozen in ice cube trays and defrosted as needed.

Kitten glop is great- I use it all the time. You can also add pet vitamins in it (liquid) as well as Grapefruit Seed Extract (also liquid) to give the kitten a vital health push in the right direction.

thank you everyone so much...i went to the store the next day and got her KMR and a feeeder bottle. a trip to the vet too.. he says shes about 3 weeks and healthy.. a little upper respritory so i got medicine for her. i ended up giving her to my friend though. i know she would have gotten along with baci and system, but system was hissing at her like crazy and i dont want to upset my babies! im so stupid for giving her away, even my boyfriend said we could keep her.
ill post pics later.... -stupid girl


p.s. my friends are taking very good care of her i call and check up on her!!! made sure they were burping her and feeding her ever 5 hours!!! just like a real baby