New Mom Needs Help. Please!

[cyndane]

Hi, all.
5 days ago I was walking home when I heard this screeching sound. I went to investigate and found 2 kids molesting a kitten. I was so angry, I wanted to punch them. Anyway, I decided to take her (him) home with me. So I stopped by the pet shop because they know me and told them to keep an eye on the kitten until I find some box to carry her in. The girls there estimated her at about 3 weeks of age with 250 grams of weight.
Next, we went to the vet. Since mother`s milk replacer here costs about half of my monthly income, they gave me a formula to feed it to her. They claim it is a boy, but nothing can be seen yet and they also said that he or she has 6 weeks.
The behavior doesn't fit.
His eyes are fully opened, he can follow objects, ears are upright and it has small canines, little teeth between them, and in the back of mouth. He can retract claws, and passes urine and feces by himself. He passes urine few times a day, but no feces since the second day, and he used litter box.
Also, he always wants someone to be around. He can't stand being alone.
Another problem, he eats very little, maybe 20cc per day, and sleeps a lot. Vets say it`s normal.
So, please, if anyone can help me in any way, please do. I don't know how old he or she is, how do I take care of it? When should I teach it to eat from the bowl? When is the time for kitten food? How can I make her go or eat more? What about body temperature? Can he regulate it on his own? Do I have to warm her/him up?
Sorry for the long post, all my cats were ferals, but this is the youngest one and I`m lost.
Thank you!

 

[Sarthur2]

cyndane

The kitten needs more food. It probably has not eaten enough to pass a bowel movement yet.

The kitten is old enough now to eat from a dish.

You need to buy canned wet food and mix it with a little formula and offer it 4-6 times a day. Let the kitten eat as much as it wants. Put it on a flat plate for easy access.

You also need to buy dry kitten chow and leave it out at all times for the kitten, along with a dish of water.

Kittens need unlimited food to grow on.

Do you have a litter box set up?

Where do you live?

Thank you for saving this kitten!

 

[cyndane]

Thank you so much for your answer!
It doesn't know yet how to eat from a bowl. And to be honest, I am a little afraid to feed him anything...stronger. I'm very paranoid when it comes to cat's and kitten's lives . The vets said we would have to feed him the formula for the next 10 days.
Yes, the box is shallow and easy to access to. He has used it twice, when he came but not now.
I live in an undeveloped country, in an apartment with a backyard.
Believe me, if I could I would save all cats and kittens. We don't have anything like cat hospitals or shelters.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you please post a photo of the kitten?

I understand being paranoid, but you don't want to risk the kitten dying of malnutrition either.

 

[cyndane]

I'm very sorry for the quality of image. This is my uncle`s palm. I can't catch him when he is fully awake, up and about

 

[cyndane]

 

[EggSandwich]

Kittens start weaning at about 4 weeks, I believe?
Young ones sometimes don't recognize food on a plate as edible, so you may have to smear some wet food on his gums to help him understand. Try to go for the cheek pouch, which is at the far left/right of his mouth.
I would offer this little guy a plate with wet food mixed with the formula 4-6 times a day, as stated above, after he realizes that it's food. Slowly mix less and less until the kitten is eating only wet food.
By the way, it's a good idea to feed the kitten a wet food specifically formulated for kittens if you can find one. Fancy Feast makes good stuff, if you want a pretty good brand for a cheaper price.

 

[Sarthur2]

Feed the kitten wet food from your finger to see if it will lick it. This kitten is big enough to eat food now.

20cc's of formula is not nearly enough formula. At 250 grams, the kitten needs a minimum of 70cc's of formula each 24-hour period.

So if you are giving formula only, the kitten needs the correct amount to thrive.

 

[cyndane]

I have no idea how old is he . And all I can find is Whiskas Junior and Royal Canine. As I said, backwater country. And I tried putting a little on his gums and cheeks, he still doesn't get it. It`s torture just to feed him this much. He is refusing this formula, doesn't want to eat it. He just sleeps a lot. Vet said that is normal, there are cats who don't eat much, but I am concerned.

 

[Sarthur2]

It's not normal, you should be concerned.

Are you using a syringe or bottle?

Continue trying to feed the kitten more formula.

The kitten is at least 4 weeks old since it has its baby teeth.

 

[cyndane]

Syringe, but as I said, after maybe 2 cc he starts turning his head away and trying to avoid syringe

 

[Sarthur2]

Wrap the kitten in a towel like a burrito with only the head out to prevent wiggling.

Give the kitten time to catch its breath while eating. Give a little, let it swallow and breathe, give more, swallow and breathe, etc.

 

[cyndane]

That is exactly how I feed him, he still wiggles and turns his head. I don't know what to do. Maybe he doesn't like the taste. It is always warm, not hot or cold

 

[EggSandwich]

Try mixing wet food with the formula in the syringe and see? I'm not sure if that'd work or not.

 

[cyndane]

Thanks for the advice. I`ll try, tomorrow. Now is Sunday so pet shops are closed.

 

[Topherius]

At 4 weeks and an orphan they usually can start weaning but still need formula supplement to make up for the rest. Are you using a luke warm formula? You don't want to heat it too much but kittens don't seem to take to cold formula. Since he can start to wean, try makng a gruel with formula and wetfood (i used royal canin for my orphan) and see how he takes to it. Again make sure its luke warm or at least room temp for him. I think Royal canin also has a appetite stimulant type wetfood as well. Make sure if you need to supplement formula you burp him afterwards as well cause it can trap gas easily and upset their stomach. My orphan was a fuzzy pain in the butt too with feeding. She only took to the syringe and still gave me a hard time lol And tip: don't feed him on his back and hold him at a 45 degree angle when syringe feeding cause you are controlling some of that formula flow and you dont want him getting any milk into his lungs and get a possible upper respiratory infection. Start with the corner of his mouth and keep a very light steady flow, he may even latch on a bit. Orphans can be a handful, mama cat does alot of work as you now know lol Kittens do sleep alot, but hes also starting to get to the curious stage and will start sleeping less now. Also since he is that young you need to make sure hes warm as well, he can't fully regulate his body temperature yet. Keep us updated, hes adorable!

 

[cyndane]

Thank you all for advice. He burps on his own and tomorrow we will visit the vet again. I am trying to feed him more, but he is meowing in distress. Guess he hates the formula. I would, too .
And thank you, Topherius very much. I am always keeping him in my hand with blanket around both. I wasn't sure about body temperature.
I just hope he will start eating and exploring soon!

 

[Topherius]

Hes definitely getting to that curious stage, good luck on that part too lol He is going to be wanting to get into EVERYTHING lol Make sure you get a weight and you and the vet can determine his needs for his intake and what weight goal you need to aim for. Stay persistent and confident

 

[cyndane]

Update:
The vet thinks maybe it's too early for "her" to star eating wet food. She gave us some Royal Canine Kitten chow and told us to mix it in milk. They also gave her a syrup for parasites.
Sadly, she she is still refusing to eat and has not yet had bowl movement.
She just kind of lays limply. She can run if you put you on the ground.
I am scared of Cat Fading Syndrome and I feel helpless.

 

[Sarthur2]

You need to force feed her with a syringe. It's not up to her. You must get the proper amount of formula into the kitten or she will die.