New kitten...

kylyn · May 16, 2006

I picked up a 6 week old farm kitten this past weekend and have a few questions. I know 6 weeks is fairly young to be away from mom, however she was rejecting him and his brothers and sisters and I just couldn't let him die in the wild. (I'm such a softy, I'm proud of myself I only came home with 1 and not 4

) OK, question time. 1. I bought some hard kitten food suggested for 1.5-12 months, but he's not interested at all, is regular milk OK for him, or should I pick something else up? When would be a good time to try him on hard food and water again? I have a litter box set up for him, and have introduced him to it, however I haven't noticed him going to the bathroom in it, or anywhere else for that matter. Should I be worried? Is there any way I could "help" him go to the bathroom? I think that's it for now, although I'm sure I'll be back again! Any comments or help would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to take the best care of my new bestest friend possible. Thanks!

tnr1 · May 16, 2006

Originally Posted by Kylyn

I picked up a 6 week old farm kitten this past weekend and have a few questions. I know 6 weeks is fairly young to be away from mom, however she was rejecting him and his brothers and sisters and I just couldn't let him die in the wild. (I'm such a softy, I'm proud of myself I only came home with 1 and not 4

) OK, question time. 1. I bought some hard kitten food suggested for 1.5-12 months, but he's not interested at all, is regular milk OK for him, or should I pick something else up? When would be a good time to try him on hard food and water again? I have a litter box set up for him, and have introduced him to it, however I haven't noticed him going to the bathroom in it, or anywhere else for that matter. Should I be worried? Is there any way I could "help" him go to the bathroom? I think that's it for now, although I'm sure I'll be back again! Any comments or help would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to take the best care of my new bestest friend possible. Thanks!

Kylyn..welcome to TCS. First, cows milk is not ok...it will cause him to have diarrhea. Best thing to do is pick up some KMR at your local petstore. You can see if he will drink it out of a bowl. If not, you may need to feed him via a bottle. 6 weeks is when kittens are weaning from their mom and unless they have been around a litterbox, it is most likely a foreign concept to him. You may want to start with a very low pan with a little potting soil in it (the kind you buy from the store..not from the outdoors). Over time you can switch it over to clay litter or pine litter (do not use clumping litter for such a young one as it can be dangerous to them if a kitten ingests it). Here are a couple of good websites:

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

Katie

missymotus · May 16, 2006

Congrats on your new kitty!

I would try him on some canned food, mixed with water or kitty milk to make it soupy and heat for around 8 seconds in the microwave to make it warm not hot, put it in a low dish or a jar lid so he can easily get to it. don't be suprised if he walks through it and makes a mess lol

kylyn · May 16, 2006

Thanks Katie!

I'll grab some KMR first thing tomorrow morning as soon as the pet store opens. He doesn't seem to have a problem drinking out of a bowl as of yet, he's just not interested in the hard food whatsoever. I'm not so much worried about him not using the litter box, I'm sure he'll get around to that when he's good and ready and not a moment before. The websites that you gave me were very helpful and informative, and hopefully, with some luck, everything will start coming together soon. Thanks again!

kylyn · May 16, 2006

Thanks Missy!

I'll pick up some soft food tomorrow as well, and once again, hope everything turns around soon!

gayef · May 16, 2006

You might try a little human chicken or turkey meat baby food warmed gently and poured over a good, high-quality canned kitten food - I mush it all up for my babies and they love it. Warming the food can make a world of difference to them interest-wise. It enhances the odor and the warmth in their tummy is comforting to them in a new environment where everything is strange and different.

New kitten...

kylyn

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