first kitty! help

hello everyone! i'm new to this website. i love it already. the main reason i joined is because i was given my first kitty. my friend's neighbor had new kitties about a month ago, i had told my friend i wanted on so she put one on hold for me. when she was going home to her apartment she saw a sign posted on her neighbor's door saying that people had till friday to get their free kittens, if they didn't get them he was going to dump them in central austin!!!! >_<! so my friend, the cat fanatic, went to see what was up. she called and told me (since she was visiting me the next day) that she was gonna have to bring the cat the following day. she took 2 of the kittens. well she's really good with cats but she couldn't keep mine until it was old enough becasue her other cats were extremely jealous! she said the kitty was too young to be away from his mother (he's 3-4 weeks old) but she gave me some tips. she said they were already eating wet food but i should feed him kitten formula so that his immune system can become stronger. well the problem is i don't know how much to give him daily! i don't feed him with the bottle because it just destroys the nipple! lol he's a really good sweet cat, he uses the litter box already ^_^ i just want to make sure i'm giving him the proper amount of food, and also he doesn't stop meowing! unless he's eating or goes to sleep. it doesn't bother me, i just want to know why it's meowing so much! lol i also want to know what i need to give him a bath. his fur is kinda sticky and hard around his face from the formula and the wet food. i wipe his face down after he eats but it's still kinda sticky and hard. lol thank you so much for your help. this is my first kitty and i want to make sure it's as happy as it can get

PS- also, the kitten doesn't seem to want to drink water. is this normal?

Here is a good website with information on how to raise young kittens:

http://www.kitten-rescue.com

Katie

Cats are not by nature water drinkers but they DO need it - tho if he is getting lots of milk, it should be fine for now.

I am glad to hear he is using litter - they usually do around 4 weeks. Their mama shows them how, unless they are bottle babies and have lost their mama. That's when humans have to help. Please do not use clumping litter since very young kittens may eat it and it expands in their tiny tummies, creating a possibly fatal medical problem.

A kitten should be weaned at about four and a half weeks Purchase some cans of gourmet cat food in chicken and other flavours and smear a bit on the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s pallet. It will soon get the idea. I have heard that kits fed fish flavoured foods become fussy eaters but I do not know if this is accurate?. This is the same time one should begin to offer formula in a bowel. The earlier a kitten eats on its own the better. If you use strained meat baby foods be sure they contain no onion powder. (It can be harmful)

Kittens who weigh under 2 lbs. usually require 1/4 cup of kitten food daily. Tho I am not a fan of dry food, I do keep it around for the cats to nibble on (I call it their junk food) and you can buy some high quality kitten food. I prefer Wellness but others on this site also use other brands with good results.

You should get him into a feeding routine and feed him a bit two to three times a day. You will KNOW how much he needs by how much yowling there is when he does not get enough.

If he chews the bottle, he may be ready to lap the milk and you coould try it. Are you using KMR? Most cats are lactose intolerant and contrary to the popular belief, they do not digest cow's milk well. You could alternatively try a different kind of nipple that is stronger and lasts better.

This little guy really is too young to be away from mama (12 weeks is optimum since there is so much they need to learn from her!!) and this is a VERY critical time. Keep him warm always. You can buy heating pads for kittens.

Kittens can also be bathed with warm water and a very gentle baby soap or Dawn. Do not wet the head. Dry the kitten immediately with a towel, then with a blow dryer set on low/warm (not hot, not cold). Some cats hate the blow dryer so towelling may be best - mine does not mind the dryer but it has to be set on low!

Keep the litter box immaculate so he does not come into contact with any infections and he gets the notion it should be clean.

I have probably forgot a ton of info but these web sites and other posters will have other advice. Make sure you kittenproof your home. Kittens are like little babies. They get into everything and at 4 weeks, he will just beginning to walk and pounce and discover!! Buy him some fun toys and stimulate him that way since he will miss his sibs and his mama!!

http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm#Young
http://www.kitten-rescue.com/four_to_five_weeks.html
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/resou...re/newcat.html

Good luck!!

hey! thank you so much for all the info. =) i gave him some KMR a few minutes ago in a saucer and he got rid of it all =) so no more bottle feeding i'm guessing. lol my room is pretty warm. i live in texas and i have a room without AC!!! it's so awful but the cat doesn't seem to be cold. it just lays stretching when it sleeps but i still made it a bed out of a warm blanket i use in the winter. will that keep him warm enough?

Congrats on your first kitty. I don't know much about taking care of a kitten that young without it's Momma, but there are some good links here.

Bathing:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31462

Bottle feeding:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31399

Manners:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31432

Link to Bottle Babies, including all of the above!
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/for...c&daysprune=-1

Hope this helps! Becky

thanx so much!!

The blanket should be fine this time of the year. Just make sure he does get a chill from a window or something of that nature.