Newborn Kitten - Age Help And Sexing?

[olivialb]

Hi all, sorry if this is not the correct way to post. I just created an account to get some help. I have a newborn kitten that was found in a boat. Mama cat tried to move all of them and left this one. We waited for her to return but she did not. I am now bottle feeding every 2 hr and helping him/her poop and pee. I believe it is only a few days old. Umbilical stub is still there, and eyes are not open. Can someone help me with determining the age and sex of this newborn baby? I can upload better pics if these aren’t helpful

 

[StefanZ]

One week?

A little thin, so you have Yellow Alert on.

You do weigh it every 12 hours till you get count and see it adds properly?

What kmr do you use?

 

[olivialb]

One week?

A little thin, so you have Yellow Alert on.

You do weigh it every 12 hours till you get count and see it adds properly?

What kmr do you use?

4 ounces right now. Just got it last night and weighed for the first time today. I’m planning on weighing often from now on. I’m using the popular kmr brand, Petag i think? the folks that found the kitten were feeding it puppy formula...

 

[golondrina]

Welcome to TCS olivialb. Thank you for rescuing the little one. It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep him warm. 3 Ways to do this are:

1. Fill a bottle with hot water and wrap it in a towel. If you don't have a heating pad, you can use a bottle of hot water to keep the nest warm. ...
2. Try heating a sock filled with uncooked rice or beans. ...
3. Place a heat lamp over the nest.

The little one should be warm before being fed.

Please keep in touch Would love a pic if possible.

 

[olivialb]

Welcome to TCS olivialb. Thank you for rescuing the little one. It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep him warm. 3 Ways to do this are:

1. Fill a bottle with hot water and wrap it in a towel. If you don't have a heating pad, you can use a bottle of hot water to keep the nest warm. ...
2. Try heating a sock filled with uncooked rice or beans. ...
3. Place a heat lamp over the nest.

The little one should be warm before being fed.

Please keep in touch Would love a pic if possible.

Thank you! It is currently in a box with a heating pad and blanket in between. I tried to upload some pics to this thread, apologizes if it didn’t work. I’ll try to upload again

 

[olivialb]

Here is an album if anyone is unable to view the pics i uploaded:

 

[StefanZ]

yes petag in powder is good, premixed more uneven. You can always add some goats milk if you find it. Raw goats milk or powdered (Meyerberg is a good brand).

 

[danteshuman]

Hi I just wanted to wish you luck raising your orphan. Besides the heating pad I found it useful to turn up the heat in the kitten room and keep it set at 80-85 F.

I can’t link the videos on my cell which I'm posting this reply on. I found the videos of the kitten lady on YouTube very helpful in showing me the correct way to feed them, help getting them to go to the bathroom and yes she has videos on how to know the sex of your kitten and how to know the age of your kitten.

Thank you for taking care of this little baby kitten!

 

[JoyM]

I can’t really tell the gender by the picture. Maybe try another pic with a slightly different angle (maybe on it’s back with legs slightly spread). It’s very difficult when they are this young. I would say it’s around 3 days old. The umbilical cord usually falls off around day 5. At 1 week old there MIGHT be a tiny scab where the cord was but usually not. By day 10-14 kittens start opening their eyes.
With any heat source, they need the ability to get away from it if they get too hot and I’m glad you are covering the heating pad because they should never lay directly against it and I always kept mine on low. If the pad fills the entire bottom of the nest, I have folded the blanket a few times in one corner of the carrier so they crawl up on them to get away from the heat if it gets overheated.
IF it’s too small for even the smallest nipple you can find at the pet store, you can order the Miracle Nipple from Amazon. I have never found them in the pet stores but they are invaluable for feeding ones this young. If you need one now, you could try calling your local shelter or even vets offices to see if they have any to spare. Since I foster for the shelter, I got mine from them.
Someone else mentioned the Kitten Lady. Her website is www.thekittenlady.org and she covers just about everything you could think of and some things you didn’t. She has dedicated her life to caring for these little ones.

 

[olivialb]

I can’t really tell the gender by the picture. Maybe try another pic with a slightly different angle (maybe on it’s back with legs slightly spread). It’s very difficult when they are this young. I would say it’s around 3 days old. The umbilical cord usually falls off around day 5. At 1 week old there MIGHT be a tiny scab where the cord was but usually not. By day 10-14 kittens start opening their eyes.
With any heat source, they need the ability to get away from it if they get too hot and I’m glad you are covering the heating pad because they should never lay directly against it and I always kept mine on low. If the pad fills the entire bottom of the nest, I have folded the blanket a few times in one corner of the carrier so they crawl up on them to get away from the heat if it gets overheated.
IF it’s too small for even the smallest nipple you can find at the pet store, you can order the Miracle Nipple from Amazon. I have never found them in the pet stores but they are invaluable for feeding ones this young. If you need one now, you could try calling your local shelter or even vets offices to see if they have any to spare. Since I foster for the shelter, I got mine from them.
Someone else mentioned the Kitten Lady. Her website is www.thekittenlady.org and she covers just about everything you could think of and some things you didn’t. She has dedicated her life to caring for these little ones.

Thank you! I’ll try to post another pic in the next few days when it is a little older so it may be easier to tell. I’ve been watching tons of videos from the kitten lady and they have been really helpful

 

[JoyM]

Thank you! I’ll try to post another pic in the next few days when it is a little older so it may be easier to tell. I’ve been watching tons of videos from the kitten lady and they have been really helpful

I just adore Hannah Shaw (The Kitten Lady). She started out just like us; someone who found an orphaned kitten and didn’t know what to do and there weren’t any good references available so she decided to make it her life’s mission to change that!
The first time I remember bottle feeding a kitten was when I was 5-6 years old. My cat had kittens and was then hit by a car.
Until last year, I didn’t realize the situation US shelters are in. They have limited personnel and resources so if orphaned kittens under 5 weeks old (still nursing) are brought in and they don’t have any foster homes available, they are required to put them to sleep by the end of the business day. This results in well over a million healthy kittens being put to sleep each year! It’s the reason so many shelter workers suffered from depression.
I feel increadibally guilty for not becoming a foster before last September. Who knows how many could have been saved if I had realized this sooner.
My goal for this year is 20. Currently, I have 1 four week old, 5 one week olds, and the mother of the one week olds. It’s very rare that the mother is brought in with the kittens but the person who originally brought in the kittens was able to trap and bring the mother in 2 days later so my job just got much easier!