Last night my husband and I were driving around and i dropped my phone out the window so when i got out the truck to get it i noticed there was a little animal next to it. I shined my phone on it and it was a kitten. I brought it home and stopped by walmart and bought some kitten replacement powder. she/he is skin and bones her head is about the size of a golf ball and her/his body is just a little bit longer than a small baby bottle, but its ears are completely open and stand tall. Its eyes though, they have goopy stuff that keeps them sealed shut. My husband is worried that its sick and in turn will get our kittens sick, our cat had kittens about three months ago. Im just trying to find out how to take care of this sweet baby. She/he doesn't want to suck from a nipple it just drinks the kitten formula from a little plate... i just don't know what i should really be doing,especially with the eye goop, Im kinda just going off mommy instincts i think.
2012-06-27T05:21:16Z
Im not putting her back! No Im not some crazy cat lady, but im not going to put a malnurished kitten outside our high yesterday was 104°f.
CanadianPerspective2012-06-27T06:00:45Z
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Sounds like Devine intervention, God works in strange ways to ensure the kitten lives. Take the kitten to the veterinarian and purchase medication for its eyes. Also, the kitten needs to drink kitten formula not milk. Feed the kitten Royal Canin RS Recovery food for Feline use. It's inexpensive and you can water it down to a stew-like thickness. Watering the recovery food down will make it easier for the kitten to digest and it will also help the kitten rehydrate. Once the kitten is dewormed and is back to good health it can be taught kitty ettequette from your mama cat and her babies. Here's a link to the Royal Canin website. The food is designed for critically sick cats and is designed to stimulate the appetite for anorexic cats/kittens, malnutrition, emaciation etc. Alongside the kitten formula, the recovery food saved the 3.5 week old malnourished/emaciated/abandoned kitten my daughter brought home. http://www.ivdvetdiets.com/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=1592,134,293,12,1,Documents&MediaID=12203&Filename=Feline+RECOVERY+RS™.pdf Indications: • Malnutrition, cachexia • Anorexia, inappetence • Nutritional support during critical illness and post-surgical care • Convalescence • Tube feeding • Hepatic lipidosis
Give the kitten gentle tummy rubs after meals and wipe its bottom with a warm wet cloth to stimulate elimination. Place the kitten in the litter box and guide its paw through the sand so litter box train it.
Also, ensure the kitten is kept warm since kittens chill easily, especially when there's no body fat on them. Here's a bunch of links on orphaned/abandoned kitten care that will be of great assistance to you... http://www.google.ca/search?q=orphaned+kitten+care&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
Here's another bunch of links on how to introduce the kitten to your resident cat/kittens so the fur doesn't fly. However, stabilize and get the kitten back to health prior to introduction. Follow expert guidelines and provide reassurance to mama cat so she doesn't feel that the new kitten is a threat to her or her babies. http://www.google.ca/search?q=introducing+kitten+to+cat&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#hl=en&client=safari&q=introducing+kitten+to+cat&oq=introducing+kitten++cat&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.1.0.0i7l5.15701.16067.0.19333.4.4.0.0.0.1.433.1376.2-1j2j1.4.0...0.0.gZZ_Gnh3y9I&mvs=0&bav=cf.osb&fp=1&biw=480&bih=268
NOTE: If the infection in the kitten's eyes are not treated, you run the risk of its eyes needing surgical removal. I've seen this many times, it's really sad because medication could've easily corrected the situation if the treatment was provided, it's a situation that cannot be postponed. Thank you for opening up your heart and home, you and your husband are as sweet as a guardian angel. I have a deep faith in god and I think that's the reason why your cellphone dropped. Hope your phone is alright and please give us all an update on the kitten, god bless : ) PS: I'd name that little kitten Miracle : )
Take it to the vet, sounds like it was probably abandoned poor thing! Boil water then wait for it to cool and gently dab the eyes with it. That's what I do with my dog who has a gloopy eye. If it's thin it could be malnourished or have worms which your cats might catch, so I would take it to the vet ASAP. Make sure you wash your hands before handling your other kittens, and keep them and their toilet area separate. Good luck! And well done for having the kind heart to look after the kitten!
o Take the kitten to a veterinarian to make sure no medical intervention is needed. Whether the baby kitten was abandoned, or the mother died, it is imperative that you get the kitten to a doctor so that it can be examined for problems such as dehydration. If the veterinarian approves, take the kitten home. o 2 Set up a bed for the kitten using a cardboard box, old towels and a heating pad. Wrap the heating pad in a towel or two and place it in the bottom of a cardboard box. Bunch up another towel or rag, and place it in a corner for a bed. You may also want to consider putting a stuffed animal in the box for the kitten to cuddle with, as they are used to being close to other kittens or their mother. Place the heating pad on low, as newborn kittens are not able to regulate their temperature until around 8 weeks of age. o 3 Feed the baby kitten using a small bottle designed to feed orphaned kittens, and some kitten formula or replacement milk. These can be found at any pet store and also at stores like Wal-Mart. Sterilize the bottle, and then fill it with the replacement milk. The instructions on the back of the can will tell you how much to feed a kitten of a certain age, and no mixing or adding of water is needed. If the kitten refuses to drink out of the bottle, you can use an eye dropper to slowly drip the milk into the kitten's mouth. o 4 Stimulate the kitten so that it urinates and defecates. To do this, you will need to wet a washcloth or soft towels with warm water, and slowly stroke it over the genital and anal areas of the kitten. After a few strokes the kitten should have defecated. It may take a few feedings to notice any urination. You are stimulating the kitten to substitute the mother kitten's act of licking these areas with her rough tongue. If you do not perform this act after each meal, the kitten will not be able to excrete. You can stop this process once you notice the kitten using the restroom by itself. o 5 Show the kitten plenty of love and affection. Kittens normally interact several times a say with their mother and siblings, and you will have to take the place of them. Let the kitten sleep on your lap, or gently pet it. Be careful not to over stimulate the kitten though, and let him sleep in the heated cardboard box as often as he needs. o 6 Wash the kitten with a damp warm washcloth. Gently stroke the kitten over its back and neck with the washcloth. This will teach the kitten the art of licking and cleaning itself. This is another job that is normally done by the mother cat, which now must be done by you to teach the kitten the essential skills. o 7 Give the kitten a bath in dawn dish soap or other mild soap if needed. Sometimes the kitten will become dirty, and a bath will be necessary. Do not over wash however, and do not use harsh flea soaps at this early stage in life. o 8 Start introducing solid foods to the kitten at 6 weeks of age. Begin by soaking some dry kitten food in the replacement milk or formula until it softens. Place the softened food into a shallow bowl, and offer it to the kitten. You may need to do this several times before the kitten gets the hang of eating on its own. You can then gradually feed just dry food once the kitten is old enough to chew the food. You can also start introducing plain water in a shallow dish at this time. o 9 Start to litter train the kitten at 8 weeks of age. Place the kitten into the litter box filled with litter after every meal, and whenever you notice it trying to eliminate in its box or around the home. Litter training should be a fairly quick process, as it is a natural instinct for most cats. o 10 Take your kitten into the veterinarian at the age of 8 weeks so that it can receive another check up and its first shots. Follow any additional instructions given by the doctor. At this point your kitten should be thriving on its own, and your work as a mother cat should be just about over.
She could have an eye infection. We don't know how long she has been hungry for or how long it has been like this for. Take her to the vet because sometimes these eye infections can cause blindness so to prevent blindness and further problems have her checked out by the vet.