Um....

Well I just got a 6 week old kitty from my teacher today (there cat just gave birth 6 weeks ago), well the kitty will eat fine, but it won't drink anything, but if I wet my finger it will act as if it is breast feeding, any idea of what I should do (I told my mom to buy a bottle)? Also I am unsure of the breed, I think it might be a Ragdoll because of the fact it has blue/grey eyes and when ever you hold it, it will just lay there (I have a picture if you want to see). And also if you pick it up how the mom does, does it hurt the cat for I accidently had to pick it up quick and I picked it up that way and when I sat it down it stayed in that position for a few minutes.

Thanks for any help.

At 6 weeks old the kitten should still be with its mother and nursing. 6 weeks is to young to be taken from its mother. 10 to 12 weeks is best. Would be for the best if your teacher would keep the kitten for a few more weeks. if she won't then long as though the kittens eating and drinking some it should be ok. You could try bottle feeding with KMR NOT MILK. Keep the kitten warm and don't over handle the kitten at this age.

The vet said 6-8 weeks, plus the mother left them and wouldn't feed them. It also eats the food fine more then fine, it ate it like crazy, but left the water alone. It also won't leave my side, when I sit down and it isn't in my lap it whines.

Canned food tends to have more water than dry food. If the kitten is eating mostly wet food the water requirements wouldn't be as high.

Somethings you can do include having ice in the water (more like a game), putting KMR for the kitten to lap up and eventually wean towards more water (higher concentrations of water and less KMR), or putting a little tuna juice in the water. As long as the kitten is urinating regularly it probably isn't too dehydrated. I would be concerned if the kitten isn't urinating, has diarrhea, has runny noses/sneezey, etc. A kitten with those issues would need to see a vet.

I would get a new vet that is way too young.

But if the mother is rejecting it then that is a different story. Feed him wet food and KMR mixed together.

Originally Posted by scoomoo

Canned food tends to have more water than dry food. If the kitten is eating mostly wet food the water requirements wouldn't be as high.

Somethings you can do include having ice in the water (more like a game), putting KMR for the kitten to lap up and eventually wean towards more water (higher concentrations of water and less KMR), or putting a little tuna juice in the water. As long as the kitten is urinating regularly it probably isn't too dehydrated. I would be concerned if the kitten isn't urinating, has diarrhea, has runny noses/sneezey, etc. A kitten with those issues would need to see a vet.

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I am feeding her wet food, so that may be it. She has been going to the bath room regularly too.

Originally Posted by Jen

I would get a new vet

that is way too young.

But if the mother is rejecting it then that is a different story. Feed him wet food and KMR mixed together.

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(It is a girl.....)

Ok, I will get KMR, I already am feeding her the wet food.

sorry, her. Does she have a name yet?

Originally Posted by Jen

sorry, her. Does she have a name yet?

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I can't think of a name, here is a picture of her if you have any ideas

She is a sweet little thing. As a kitten that age should normally be with its mom and siblings, she will cry if left alone. Now you are her mom and she looks to you for everything, including sucking on you, as kittens this age will still suckle even though they eat kitten food. She will need lots of things to play with too, as she has entered the 'play is learning' stage of life. Otherwise she may start to play with your hands and bite, and that is a bad habit. Stuffed toys may help her too, to snuggle up against when you are not there. Good luck.

Originally Posted by cowwwcowww

The vet said 6-8 weeks, plus the mother left them and wouldn't feed them. It also eats the food fine more then fine, it ate it like crazy, but left the water alone. It also won't leave my side, when I sit down and it isn't in my lap it whines.

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Your teacher needs to take her cat to the vet to be spayed if she isn't feeding the kittens any longer. Cats can become pregnant again as early as a week after giving birth and if she was rejecting this litter, chances are she won't fair any better the next time. She needs to be kept indoors only until she can be spayed and away from intact males.

As far as placing kittens at 6 weeks...they have barely begun weaning at such a young age. Your vet may not see any issues with it...but I do recommend placing kittens between 10-12 weeks of age. Extra time with siblings and mom tends to help socialize the kittens better.

She is obviously missing her siblings.

Katie

She's just a very pretty mixed breed longhair (calico). Not a ragdoll. She probably acts that way cause she is so young. I'd also add some warm water, KMR to the canned food. But still keep a bowl of fresh water for her to drink. She may be drinking it and you not see her.

My 5-6 week olds test water but don't sit there and drink it till a few weeks later. The water is always available.

She has been sipping the water, like last night at 3:00 am after she decided to run around and play.