kitten question- 5 weeks old?

yes.. far to young to leave its mum.. minimum is 8 weeks..

but at 5 weeks if should be pretty tough.. firstly, do not do as the above poster suggested and give it milk, it can only have special kitten formula milk that is free from animal lactose..

by five weeks old it is old enough to start eating solid food, but just small amounts.. give it about a teaspoon or so of wet food, mashed up a little about 5 times a day, gradually increasing it,. by 8 weeks if should be eating about 2-3 teaspoons that many times .(do not give it dry food yet,, just wet)

as far as drinking goes, plenty of water, but you may be able to pursuede it to take formula milk (animal, not baby forumula lol) from a pipette.. your vet should be able to supply you a pippete, with the kitten on your lap let a drip come to the end of the pippete then touch the kittens lips so it can taste it, and then it may (some will, some wont) drink from the pippette, be carefull to release the milk slolwy..

finally a very warm bed for it, encourage it that thats its home and make sure it is wrapped up at night, and everywhere is warm.. it will still be used to its mothers body for warmth..

as a final note i would suggest contacting a local cat protection people and suggesting they pay a visit to this man.. he should not be letting kittens go at 5 weeks old, its no good for them or the mother, and his cat should be neutered immediately.. people like him shouldnt be allowed cats..

Awww it must be so tiny. Looks as if your mum is going to have to be a mum to the kitten for awhile. She might get a bottle and some special milk from from a pet store or vet . Do not give it milk from the grocery. Get some kitten food, not cat food for it. It cannot eat very much and, like a newborn baby, will have to be fed every couple hours around the clock. for a couple weeks. Offer a tablespoon of food and see if she will nurse on the bottle. She needs water,also.The special milk has all the vitamins and minerals she needs.

The momma cat takes care of all the washing, Since she is not there, your mum will have to take a warm,damp washcloth and "wash" the kitty like momma cat would have...all over using short strokes. Don't forget to wash kitty's private parts, too. Mamma cat washes the private parts often especially after making pee or poop.

She will also have to show her how to use a litter box. A shoe box is a good thing to use. Cut the box at least 1/2 way down the side and fill it with about an inch of litter. Put the baby in it every couple hours and when she goes take her little paw and help her cover it.

She will need a small basket ,bed or box with something furry in it or some lambswool to sleep in, Mum could keep this on HER bed but it is not a good idea to just plop the baby into the bed with mum. She might roll on it or kitty might jump off and start roaming the house and get into trouble, When kitty can get UP on the bed by herself, she will be able to sleep there safely.

A visit to the vet is a must! He will probably have to stagger her vaccinations because she is so tiny. I had a little one myself only he was ill. It was touch and go but he made it, he vet will also advise mum on any special care baby might need. No going outside until all her shots are done!!!!And, of course, the vet will tell mum when the kitty can be "fixed".

Tell mum to just use common sense. After all, she raised you from a baby,didn't she.????

Kittens are supposed to be taken off the mum and weaned at the age of 8 weeks. 5 weeks is far too young, but if the man wanted rid of the litter and you can't give the kitten back for another 3 weeks with its mother, then you should make sure it is kept warm, given CAT milk, don't give it cow's milk, given lots of attention and make sure it goes to the toilet regularly.

I also suggest a visit to the vet, for a check up on its health to see how it is doing.

Good luck with that ..x

A kitten will take to a surrogate mum - female of cat or small dog - anything that is warm and furry and attentive. Our dalmation was mum to a new kitten for a while - although I wouldn't call a dalmation small. At night make up a warm (not hot) hot water bottle and wrap it well in a scrap of blanket, and let the babe sleep on that. Body heat is an issue when they are that small- they sleep in a heap to keep warm.

Yes, you're completely right, its far too young kittens should be at least 8 weeks, This man is obviously not a proper breeder,I would suggest taking the kitten to a vet to be checked out and they can advise best on feeding etc, they can then keep a closer eye on it's weight etc . It also may not have had jabs, worming treatments, etc. You should always buy from reputable breeders or better again from a rescue centre.

Yes, kitty is a bit young to be away from momma, but you can fill the void by picking up some specially formulated kitten milk. If finances are a factor, you can give your new baby some regular cows milk, but watch for tummy upsets. It can be a bit rich for him/her at first.

Offer kitty some wet food at first. Not too much and take a moment to cut the pieces down a bit. They can be too big for a little guy. You might consider something in a semi-dry food like Tender Vittles - I'm sure they have a kitten variety. They are small enough for kitty to eat and because they're not a wet food, they're also not going to be mess.

My one foundling was probably around the same age and he adjusted to milk fine. His first day was a little rough but after that, smooth sailing.

Good Luck!

No its okay, kittens can leave their mum from the earliest age of 5-6 weeks, so there is nothing to worry about. Just make sure you feed it only kitten food and milk. Oh, and LOTS of attention is needed.

Go in the cat section of Wal-Mart, they should have some kitten stuff there. Get a mini baby bottle and some kitten milk formula, and that should be enough, until you get to your nearest vet.

This is a bit too young, however, if you make sure the kitten is in a quiet enviroment with plenty of food, a nice warm bed and alot of gentle attention (no screaming children) then he will be fine. Make sure he has lots of toys so people can play with him, as he would usally have litter mates to play with, Thanks.

The little muppet is going to need a lot of TLC. It's probably going to need bottle fed with kitten milk for a while and gently weaned.