just found a kitten - what do i do

hello,
I found a kitten in a tree this morning -- she is really small (and scared right now) -- I adopted my other cat as an adult so I have no clue what to do for such a young kitten. First question -- my vets office is closed today -- do i need to take her to an emergency office to get checked out, or can it wait until after the weekend? She appears to be ok -- She has eaten some wet kitten food but hasnt used the litterbox or done anything the whole time Ive had her (about 7 hours). I showed her where the box is but do i need to do anything else (ie, is litterbox use instinctive?) (and is it a problem that she hasnt gone at all yet?)
Thanks!

Hi Shea,

I am not an expert on caring for an orphaned kitten. I found this link in another post http://www.kitten-rescue.com

Perhaps this will have some helpful information for you. Hopefully someone with experience will come along soon

So long as the kitten appears healthy, a vet visit can wait until the vet is back in the office. Do keep the baby away from your kitty, as it is likely the kitten has parasites like worms or fleas. And healthy appearing adult cats can carry illnesses that will harm a kitten who has not had vaccinations yet.

By looking at other people's pics, how old do you think the newbie is?

Thanks for the replies,
I really have no idea how old the kitten is -- 3 or 4 weeks maybe?
I will keep the kitten separated from my cat -- this may be silly but if the cat has parasites/worms is it ok if i touch her?
thanks again

Originally Posted by shea81

Thanks for the replies,
I really have no idea how old the kitten is -- 3 or 4 weeks maybe?
I will keep the kitten separated from my cat -- this may be silly but if the cat has parasites/worms is it ok if i touch her?
thanks again

Click to expand...

I would simply wash your hands thoroughly between touching her and your own cat.

Katie

Hi and welcome. If this kitten was able to climb a tree it is probably older than 3-4 weeks. Can it eat cat food easily? I would keep it in a bathroom or spare bedroom if you can - if not, the biggest box you can find, to keep it away from your cat and also to make it feel secure in one place, until you can get it to a vet. Give it food, mashed up if necessary, and water and a litterpan appropriate to its size ( foil baking trays are good for small ones in small spaces) and try and talk to it often to make it feel happy. As said, touch it and stroke it but wash your hands for safety. Good luck.

this is one of my babies at 4 weeks she is the biggest of the litter is your stray kittie bigger or smaller
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HI! rescue gal here. try giving him some canned cat food. if he wolnt eat.... email me. if you are in my area i have 4 rescued nursing moms and we could try adding him to the litter... if your not i can give you detailed instructions on how to bottle feed, what kind of formula, how often to bottle feed. if your not up for taking care of him i can find a rescue group in your area that can take care of him.

Defintaly be careful about touching her and your cat. i can give you some names of some good dewormers if you can figure out how old he is...

My email is [email protected]

I think he is definately older than 4 weeks after seeing those pictures -- here he is


Any ideas as to age?
He eats all the wet food I give him (although I have only given him a total of 1 can of kitten food in small portions throughout the day -- should i feed him more?). He also used his litterbox. He seems to be trying to chew on everything including towels and the sides of the litterbox (i dont know if its playful or if he is suckling?). We are keeping him in a spare bathroom with food, litter, bedding, etc, and we check on him frequently but he is crying a lot.
When I found him he was actually on the ground at the base of a pine tree...he tried to climb up when I reached in to get him but he couldn't do it.
I'm taking him to the vet tommorow -- we are leaning towards keeping him (he's so cute!) but will discuss our options after the vet visit.
Thanks again for your responses!
Lindsay

Lindsay, he is just darling..........let us know how the vet visit goes.....
and of course you know we'd all LOVE to see lots more pics!!