Week old kitten dropped 5 feet

[ajju711]

Hello friends

I’m maintaining a feral cat from a few months. She gave birth to a single kitten last week

today by mistake the little one fell by around 6 ft. She wriggled but after a few minutes was drinking normally. May be I hadn’t her watched properly for signs of distress since she is too small to squeak

what signs should I be watching for??

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my! You need to put her nest on the floor so this doesn’t happen again. If she is suckling her mother normally and gaining weight she should be okay. If she has seizures or stops moving or eating you’ll want to see the vet.

 

[ajju711]

It’s been 7 hrs now and the baby doesn’t look very different from before. Then again I’ve put her up in the garage which opens into a sort of graveyard for junk cars. Which means I don’t get to view them too often

By the way, I’m specifically looking at ways to determine if she, God forbid, broke any bone somewhere. How do I find that out??

this little kitty always used to wriggle when held on the back and she’s still doing that. So does toss warrant a visit to the vet?

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like she’s okay. Can you bring them into your home for safety?

 

[jefferd18]

It’s been 7 hrs now and the baby doesn’t look very different from before. Then again I’ve put her up in the garage which opens into a sort of graveyard for junk cars. Which means I don’t get to view them too often

By the way, I’m specifically looking at ways to determine if she, God forbid, broke any bone somewhere. How do I find that out??

this little kitty always used to wriggle when held on the back and she’s still doing that. So does toss warrant a visit to the vet?

I still think that she needs a vet visit, cats are very good at masking injuries. Six feet is a long way for something that tiny to fall- did she fall on something soft or hard? Please, if you can, take them into your home or at least a garage where they are not out in the elements.

 

[ArchyCat]

Please bring mom and kitten indoors. Nothing good can happen to an outdoor cat. Mom cats might decide she doesn't liker the garage and move herself and the kitten elsewhere. Plus, if a tom cat finds them, he will probably kill the kitten so the mom cast will start another estrous/heat cycle so he can mate with her.

 

[ajju711]

It sounds like she’s okay. Can you bring them into your home for safety?

My wife is of the fussy nagging kind and as such, doesn’t like feral animals all that much. So that’s not possible

 

[Maria Bayote]

Thank you for taking care of these kitties and mama cat. Once these kitties are weaned it would also be nice if you can have her (mama cat) fixed at a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.

Can you at least convince your wife that this won't be permanent? Is there a spare room or anywhere that you can place them where your wife would not be able to see them or get in her way? I hope she can consider.

If you can also try to look for people who can adopt or foster them it would be great.

 

[ajju711]

Thank you for taking care of these kitties and mama cat. Once these kitties are weaned it would also be nice if you can have her (mama cat) fixed at a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.

Can you at least convince your wife that this won't be permanent? Is there a spare room or anywhere that you can place them where your wife would not be able to see them or get in her way? I hope she can consider.

If you can also try to look for people who can adopt or foster them it would be great.

I can tolerate a whole lot of things but my wife's incessant nagging isn't one of them...
anyways here is the little one, im adding the pics. Does this look like a premature baby?? She is around 14 days old but doesn't she look too little for that??


I'm a man of 5'10 with average sized hands (no silly trump jokes please ) so you can guess her size. Doesn't she look a little too tiny?

awaiting answers

 

[Maria Bayote]

I can tolerate a whole lot of things but my wife's incessant nagging isn't one of them...

Ouch. Makes me want to ease up a little with my husband.

She is around 14 days old but doesn't she look too little for that??

I have fostered and bottle-fed 2 week old kittens before that were smaller than that tiny angel. I am not sure, but they say an average 2 week old kitten is around 250 grams.

She is very cute, but very vulnerable. I wish you could keep her somewhere safer for the time being.

 

[ajju711]

Ouch. Makes me want to ease up a little with my husband.



I have fostered and bottle-fed 2 week old kittens before that were smaller than that tiny angel. I am not sure, but they say an average 2 week old kitten is around 250 grams.

She is very cute, but very vulnerable. I wish you could keep her somewhere safer for the time being.

As you can see, I’ve used bricks to build a makeshift shelter/nest for the mama. Lining the insides of that with soft blanket. so I hope the mama cat likes it enough for some more time.

by the way, when will the kitten open her eyes?? I’m waiting for her to do that since a few days now

 

[Willowy]

Aww, so cute!

At that age their bones are pretty cartilaginous, so internal soft tissue/organ damage would be the main danger from being dropped. That and brain injury from the impact. But if the baby is acting normal and eating, pooping, etc., they'll probably be OK.

Is there a way to set up a cage or some other way to keep the kitten safe from tomcats and wildlife? Survival rates for outdoor kittens are pretty low.

 

[Sarthur2]

Kittens eyes are usually open by 14 days. Do you see slits yet?

Do not force the eyes open, but you can gently wipe across the closed eyes with a warm, damp cloth in case they are “glued” shut by infection or pus.

If this seems to be the case, continue wiping the eyes a few times daily to clean any pus or crust until the eyes are fully open. Terramycin antibiotic eye ointment will help with infection.

You can order it here:

Terramycin Ophthalmic Ointment for Dogs, Cats & Horses, 3.5-g (Not for California) - Chewy.com

Most tractor supply stores also carry terramycin.

 

[ajju711]

Thank you for all the help. But I’ve got some bad news here

The mama and the boy are no longer there. May be they sensed danger and made a run for their lives?? The boy’s squeaks were audible outside the garage too so perhaps a thug tomcat got him??

Either way, I’m quite sad at this development and I wish my wife was more supportive of me.

Nonetheless, I never knew I’d grow so close to a cat but now I do. I’ll get myself a proper “trained” pet cat from a known trainer.

By the way, can cats be “toilet trained”??

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, cats can be toilet trained. You mean, to a real WC? Yes, it happens. Some few even learn it by themselves.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear this. Keep checking. Perhaps they will be back - or at least the mother cat - since you were her food source. Outside cats have it rough.

 

[jefferd18]

I am so sorry, please keeping looking and calling. You may have heard him squeaking because something happened to the mother cat and he is hungry.

 

[Furballsmom]

The mama and the boy are no longer there.

Mama may have simply decided to move her baby - sometimes they do that, and come back later, sometimes not, or as jefferd18 is suggesting, the little one may still be nearby.

Let us know how things go, with them and/or with any new cats in your life