mamma left kitten how to i care for it

[farmersue]

i have a day old or so kitten that it's momma left. mom is a barn cat so i can't find it. i have been feeding it by hand already. what should i be doing with it? thanks sue

 

[illusion]

OK what have you been feeding it? There are feline milk substitutes that you should be feeding it. I'll let someone who knows more about this tell you more about the feeding.

But you MUST wipe it's behind with a lukewarm wet washcloth 10-20 mins or so after you feed it so it can eliminte, or the kitten will die. It cannot go to the bathroom without this stimulus from you. So you need to wipe it's rear until it goes. If it doesn't go, then keep trying every 5 mins or so until it does.

Here is a link to info on caring for a kitten this young:
http://www.thecatsite.com/care/hand.html

Good luck and tell us how the kitten is doing from time to time!

 

[fireshoes]

I would check with your local humane society or animal rescue group to see if they have any mother cats there, but from what I've heard, the mother cats are often good about 'adopting' other kittens. That way your baby would get all the best care possible. Good luck!

 

[Anne]

Yes, please read the article - it has lots of info. I hope the kitten survives - it's not easy to keep them alive when they're so small. If their body temperature drops (which can happen if they're not fed properly, i.e. not enough or too much or the wrong sort of food), they will die.

Best of luck and let us know how he's doing.

 

[farmersue]

Thanks for all the great advice. I did read the info on kittens. I got him formula yesterday and put a heating pad under him. Once he had the heating pad he was very happy. the formula also helped. i called the vet today to see if I could find a rescue or a nursing mother and the lady who answered the phone said that she would take it. I love my cats (moved 200 miles with 5 of my own) but I didn't know if I could make sure this little guy was okay and thought the lady that worked at the vet would do good with him. At least she could get answers and help right away. Thanks again Sue

 

[gata_amore]

first off?.. you CAN do it!!!!..... following is something i wrote.. .. about, in re.. to... a 'foundling'.. that.. 'we'.. (me, myself and i.. and my two kids!.. 'raised'.. were 'mom' to.. ).........

we had him, little bit.. for most a year... yes.. seems he DID have a 'heart murmur'.. and his 'real/birth mom' abandoned him.. but?.. he still gave us so very much..... of 'life'.. and love.......... and?.. yes.. he 'taught' us alot also............. and.. 'brought' us alot.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'little bit'
(untitled---copyright1998,1999)


blind, deaf, cold & hungry- screaming repeatedly for
hours & hours, begging someone to help me! alone,
helpless, miserable & scared, unable to comprehend the
first days of my life.

you see, i was abandoned. just minutes after i was
born, my birth mother left me. walked away from me,
never to look back, never to wonder what had happened
to her offspring. never to cuddle & nurture her
firstborn baby.

there must have been something wrong with me. i was
too little, or too ugly, or too sickly or too.......
something. she didn't want me & left me to die.

finally, after an eternity of laying on a cold hard
surface, i felt something warm & soft surround my
body. then my mouth was opened & filled w/something
warm & sweet! i swallowed greedily & wanted more &
more! this is what i'd needed-warmth & food. there was
a sense of movement then i was wrapped in a cocoon of
cushiony warmth & with my stomach full, i was content
& went to sleep, at ease from fear, cold & hunger for
the first time in my life. my mother was taking care
of me!

this is all i remember during that dark quiet time.
feeling hungry & calling out, then getting warm milk
in my stomach, getting stroked, being cuddled in soft
warmth, then drifting off to sleep, to begin the cycle
again upon waking.

one day, i woke up to something different. before i
called out for someone, i noticed noises that i hadn't
heard before. i could hear voices coming from the side
& i struggled toward the sounds as i cried out i was
hungry. i once again was wrapped in human warmth &
fed, but this time i heard soft murmurs as i was
stroked & comforted. this was such a good feeling & i
was very happy.

not long after this momentous occasion, i awoke &
realized my eyes were open & i had a sense of light! i
closed my eyes & saw the only thing that was familiar
to me, total darkness. i opened them again & could see
shadows that moved.

unsure of what was happening, i called out for my
mother. i saw a big dark shape come toward me, heard
soft sounds & then was wrapped in the warmth i'd come
to associate w/getting my stomach full. this must be
'mommy' & 'mommy' was BIG!

although 'mommy' always came & took care of me when i
cried, 'she' wasn't always the same. 'mommy' changed!
sometimes 'her' sounds were low & her warmth was
bigger but harder. sometimes 'she' smelled good,
sometimes 'she' smelled smoky. but always, 'she' felt
good!

'she' held me, & fed me & stroked me & softly talked
to me. 'she' loved me! i had a 'mommy that took care
of me now & loved me & i was special!

i soon realized that i didn't just have
one(underscored) 'mommy'. i was special enough that i
had 3(underscored) 'mommies'. since i could see & hear
'her' & now i could move around, i started trying to
find my 'mommy' when i needed her.

sometimes 'mommy' would pick me up & put me down to
something warm & fuzzy & i could eat & get stroked &
bathed. this was my 'aunt cookie' & there were other
babies around me. they were bigger than me but they
weren't mean. they started playing with me & we'd
sleep together.

then i found out i had uncles, too. they were real big
& warm & they'd give me a bath, too. one of them,
'uncle blackie' was alot of fun. when he'd take a nap,
he let me play w/ his tail! he'd move it back & forth
& i'd pounce on it & chew on it & attack it & he'd
never get mad & swat me!

'mommy' always took care of me. 'she' called me little
bit & doctored me & fed me & loved me. sometimes, when
i'd be hungry & try to climb up on her she'd get mad &
put me down. i'd sit on the floor & watch her at the
sink when she made my 'BAH-BAH'. sometimes i could
climb up and sit on her shoulder & wait until she got
my bottle right, then she'd take me down & feed me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ok.. smiles.. just in case you have not 'figured' out
'whose/'what's' autobiography' this belongs to?..
(look at my handle again?? hehe)

had one kitten out of a litter of four that.. 'mom'
walked off and totally abandoned.. left in middle of
my kitchen floor..

well..being me.. but of course i had to put a 911 call
into the cat lover i am!.. so?? me and my two teens
took over momma cat position!..

we did indeed.. used eyedropper to feed little bit at
the beginning... graduating to an actual.. 'baby
animal feeder, fully equipped w/nipple(which the
bigger cats seemed to enjoy.. consuming!!)' ..
aka..'bah-bah'.. we spoilt 'little bit' unmercifully!

he grew up w/the 'body heat' of an old 'heating pad'
that was my grandma's.. he did get some nurturing from
his 'aunt'.. and? did play w/'cousins' and 'uncles'..

me and the kids truly were his 'mommies'.. and yes??
he knew what his bah-bah was.. not only by the looks
of it.. but the name of it!.. he was most smart!.. was
kinda more people than cat.. very gentle and loving..
and..yes?? spoilt!!!

is true that?..he would sit on floor and watch me make
his bottle.. (was fed all from.. regular whole cow's
milk, baby formula, condensed milk, and kitten
formula) .. and yes?? he would.. 'climb' up my jeans..
and up to my shoulder and sit there..right beside my
ear.. and watch me.. even would 'help' me do dishes...


we were blessed by little bit's company here with us
for 10 months.. he brought me and my kids a ..
'connection'.. and? we loved him for those months..
he grew up.. to be a most larger tom cat.. and?.. out
and about in his many travels .. he 'lost his way back
home to us'..

he will always be a most special part of me and the
kids' lives.. we will remember him.. 'little bit'...

 

[gata_amore]

would love to know if this site DOES have 'chat'??????????.......