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New Baby Kitten

post #1 of 15
9/8/05 at 7:22am
Thread Starter 
So, I've got a few questions.
A friend of my mother's found some kittens on top of a roof a few days ago. A few of them had fallen off, and they'd been there for about a day with no food. Their stray mother has not come back for them, so since it was on a farm, we're assuming something's happened to her.
Anyway, I'm thinking the kittens are approx. 6-7 weeks old. They're definately not old enough to be off mother's milk. I'm taking one home on Saturday, and I need to know what I can do to prepare. I've never taken in a cat that's so young, without a mother, and I'm not really sure what to do with her!
I've checked her out, and besides having earmites, and maybe being a little malnourished, she's happy and healthy. She was purring up a storm, laying on my lap last night, and falling asleep. She loves her mommy already!
The woman who's currently caring for them has been giving them Homo Milk, and some pablum. I think I'll probably get the KMR milk that I've heard about, but I need to know if that's the best thing for her. She also gave them some Salmon and Tuna wet kitten food. Is that okay? I'm just full of questions, and I might post more of them later. Thanks in advance for the help!
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post #2 of 15
9/8/05 at 7:26am
First and foremost take the kitten to the vet to be looked at. The vet will also tell you how old the kitten is and www.kitten-rescue.com will help guide you the rest of the way-

Poor kitties that fell off the roof-
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post #3 of 15
9/8/05 at 7:26am
Poor things. I don't have any experience yet in dealing with them this young. Hang around and wait for hissy or one of the others who specializes in these babies. Good luck to you!
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post #4 of 15
9/8/05 at 7:38am
Oh thats so sad, the poor little mites
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post #5 of 15
9/8/05 at 8:00am
Bless you for taking this little one in. Good luck with her - I would also take her to the vet first.
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post #6 of 15
9/8/05 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
Wow, thanks so much to evryone who's responded! I knew coming here was a good idea, everyone's so full of knowledge! Hissy, the Kitten-Rescue.com link is very helpful, thanks a lot! Now I can just look forward to having her live with the rest of our crazy little family! Also, I'm taking her to the vet on either Saturday or Monday, whenever I can get in. Thanks again!
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post #7 of 15
9/8/05 at 10:55am
Yeah, all the above and You can most likely just go ahead and put her on regular kitten type food and not go to the KMR. When I foster kittens I usually wean them off the formula and on to solid foods by 5 weeks so I should think she will be ok with the solid.If you feed her dry you can soften it yup with a little water from a can of tuna or salmon or just from the tao. Dont use a lot though just enough to soften it a little.
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post #8 of 15
9/10/05 at 5:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigKittenDaddy
Yeah, all the above and You can most likely just go ahead and put her on regular kitten type food and not go to the KMR. When I foster kittens I usually wean them off the formula and on to solid foods by 5 weeks so I should think she will be ok with the solid.If you feed her dry you can soften it yup with a little water from a can of tuna or salmon or just from the tao. Dont use a lot though just enough to soften it a little.
Well, I definately agree. I bought some whole milk, just to give her some for the next few days, and I'll be giving her water, too. I also bought some wet cat food, and some dry. Here's another quick question: when she's getting along well enough with my other cats to be left upstairs all day with no supervision, how can I make sure the other cats aren't eating her kitten food? In the same aspect, is it okay for the baby kitten to eat adult food during the day? Serena used to eat kitten food at night and cat food during the day, but she was older than this new one. I know, I'm over-reacting, but I'm just a bit nervous on how this is going to change the household dynamics.
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post #9 of 15
9/10/05 at 6:18pm
Please do not give this kitten whole milk. Kittens have a hard time with the lactose, and milk can easily cause constipation.You can either buy KMR or their second formula that is called Weaning KMR and give her that, but only if she isn't eating canned food?
If the cat is eating soft food out of a saucer, then it doesn't need to have milk at all.

I would keep her in a separate room when feeding, and make sure she gets kitten food and not adult food. She needs what kitten food has- especially since her early time with her mom is questionable.
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post #10 of 15
9/10/05 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennyranson
Bless you for taking this little one in. Good luck with her - I would also take her to the vet first.
i so agree with u jennyranson
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post #11 of 15
9/13/05 at 7:09am
Thread Starter 
Hi all! I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful advice. You have no idea how it eased my mind!
Hissy, I just wanted to let you know that I did not give her the whole milk. When I picked her up on Saturday, the foster mother said that now the kittens have diarrhea, which, of course, is due to the lactose in the cow's milk. On the advice of everyone here, and especially BigKittenDaddy, I've removed all milk, and provided fresh water. She's not very impressed with it, but she'll learn that it is yummy, I hope. To help her understand, I've given her some water through an eyedropper. Hopefully that'll help her realise that it's nothing to be afraid of!
I've been feeding her wet cat food, which she loves , spoiled already, I know! Today, I'll be mixing dry food into the wet food. She won't eat it by itself yet, so I figured starting the introduction process now will be good for her. She certainly has enough teeth to be able to chew!
She still has diarrhea, and I'm not sure how long I should wait before taking her to see the vet. I have an appointment set up for the end of this week, but should I maybe try to get her in sooner to get her assesed?
She is certainly a beautiful girl, and I'll try to get some pics on here soon. She's got these gorgeous blue eyes that just melt my heart! Oh, and by the way, I've named her Cheyenne! It's an awfully big name for such a tiny kitty!
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post #12 of 15
9/13/05 at 7:26am
I would maybe try and get her in to the vet sooner, but only you can tell how serious it is. WIth her not drinking too much and having diarrhoea she may get dehydrated, and that could be very serious. Keep doing the scruff test - pinch a fold of skin at the back of her neck and if it doesn't almost immediately spring back into place then she needs a vet now and maybe intravenous fluids. Can you give her water by syringe - you get more into her that way than with a dropper.
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post #13 of 15
9/13/05 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
I could always go pick one up from Petland at lunch time. I think it'll be easier to use a syringe, too, because with the eyedropper, I have to let her go while I fill it, and go through the whole thing again.
How much liquid should she be getting, say at a time? In one sitting?
Also, about how much should she be eating in a day? I'm sort of free feeding her right now, because I work during the day. She does eat when I'm in her room visiting with her, but sometimes it seems as though she doesn' teat much in between visits. Maybe I'm just an overreactive mother! It's just like having a newborn, where I listen for her cry! But it's fun, too.
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post #14 of 15
9/13/05 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
One other thing, a kennel tech at PetLand told me to give her Kaopectate (sp?) to take away the diarrhea. Does anyone think this is a good idea? Or shoudl I just try the pablum and chicken thing?
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post #15 of 15
9/13/05 at 3:18pm
if you're concerned about her hydration & electrolytes, you can try offering the unflavored pedialyte. if she's dehydrated, that would be better for her than water, & my vet told me it was ok for cats. i wouldn't know about the kaopectate, but i do know that both Cable & Java had very loose/soft stools as kittens. Cable outgrew hers, but Java had a bacterial infection that had to be cleared up before hers went away...another reason to see a vet as soon as you can.
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