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Monday, March 19, 2012

Oh, well -- who needs to sleep, anyway?

I think a milestone has been passed, and not entirely in a good way.


About an hour ago, a couple of my neighbors came to my door, asking me if I wanted a kitten.





It turned out this neighbor found this little thing "in the middle of the road", and they were asking me it I wanted it.


The kitten seems reasonable healthy, but (s)he is very, very young -- her eyes aren't even open yet.  For sure (s)he has a good pair of lungs, and (s)he has no problems using them.  I have some kitten milk, and I am trying to get her to nurse, with minimal success.


Anyone out there with any kind of advise, feel free to comment.  I have no experience with kittens this small, and just hope she doesn't have something wrong with her that lead momma cat to abandon her.

11 comments:

Cat said...

I just can't imagine a helpless baby in the middle of the road!!! She is so lucky to be with you now and in good hands.

The Misadventures Of Me said...

Ive only had to do it once years and years ago so Im rusty BUT this webpage - http://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm - seems to be filled with lots of good info.

She's cute and I wish you and her well!!

Mom Laure

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Oh no. I bet that your vet's office probably has some paperwork for caring for a kit. Also KMR about every two hours by dropper and then wipe the little bum with a damp cotton ball to get it to relieve itself. If it's too late to go get KMR you can probably google homemade kitten milk recipes until you can get some.

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

Feed every x hours for every x weeks old. Eyes closed is less then a week old. Goat Milk is OK, kitten glop is better, KMR or other commercial milk is easier to get. Keep her warm, as kits that young can't regulate their own body temperature,so make sure you don't over heat her. Good should be warm to the touch for the same reason.

Kittens can't pee on their own this young either so you need to stimulate her with a soft towel or tissue.

They aren't hard work but they are a lot of work. You won't sleep for a couple of weeks. There is nothing wrong with admitting it is too much and look for a rescue to take her and have them try to introduce her to a queen.

If you want to keep her, we wish you all the best. There is a very good chance there is nothing wrong and her mom was interrupted while moving her. I have had queens abandon healthy kits and feed and care for kits that had no chance.

I'm always open to talk kittens, it is my favorite subject!!

Oui Oui said...

Wow! We wish you a lot of luck. Connie is a great resource, kittens are what she does. We just know they can't pee and poop by themselves. You have to rub them gently. (See Youtube for demos.) And they have to be feed every one or two hours. God bless you! Not everyone would have taken the poor thing in. But we are sure you will be repaid many times over for your efforts!

Random Felines said...

poor baby - mom did this a couple of years ago. she set up a carrier with a heating pad in part and a towel over the entire thing...give the baby a chance to move away from the heating pad (set on low). you can get baby bottles and KMR from your local pet store. most babies figure it out pretty quick. stimulate to get her to pee. And a vet check wouldn't hurt - and they will have advice as well.

sleep is overrated - and the cute will be its own reward!!

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

so did you make it through the night :)

Anonymous said...

You CAN do this! The main thing with a kitten this small is to keep them warm! We always use heating pads and ensure there is a place the kitten can move to if he gets too warm to cool off. Kittens will move from warm to cool and back again. So we usually use the bottom of a medium dog crate with a heating pad in a case and then a blanket on top of that. The kitten can move from the heating pad to the area without if he gets too warm. At 5 ounces, chances are- he is less then a week old- especially due to the umbilical cord being attached. That typically will fall off within the first week of life. Our 12 year old DSH girl was like this baby- just found on a sidewalk- and she prospered and survived. I have given you links to glop and tube feeding (which if you want to bottle- great- but it also gives you the amounts to feed and how often) up above. Umm... What else to say? Oh- there is a chance Momma was moving him and was scared away- which is why he was found in the yard. Weigh him twice a day and keep a log of his weights. Always make sure kittens are warm before first feeding them- you have already been over this bump, but for next time... Say he came to you and he was cold- you would have wanted to warm him up on a heating pad before attempting to feed. Kittens' digestion shuts off when they are cold and you can kill a kitten by feeding them when they are cold. But you've passed that bump in the road already!

Anonymous said...

You CAN do this! The main thing with a kitten this small is to keep them warm! We always use heating pads and ensure there is a place the kitten can move to if he gets too warm to cool off. Kittens will move from warm to cool and back again. So we usually use the bottom of a medium dog crate with a heating pad in a case and then a blanket on top of that. The kitten can move from the heating pad to the area without if he gets too warm. At 5 ounces, chances are- he is less then a week old- especially due to the umbilical cord being attached. That typically will fall off within the first week of life. Our 12 year old DSH girl was like this baby- just found on a sidewalk- and she prospered and survived. I have given you links to glop and tube feeding (which if you want to bottle- great- but it also gives you the amounts to feed and how often) up above. Umm... What else to say? Oh- there is a chance Momma was moving him and was scared away- which is why he was found in the yard. Weigh him twice a day and keep a log of his weights. Always make sure kittens are warm before first feeding them- you have already been over this bump, but for next time... Say he came to you and he was cold- you would have wanted to warm him up on a heating pad before attempting to feed. Kittens' digestion shuts off when they are cold and you can kill a kitten by feeding them when they are cold. But you've passed that bump in the road already!

KARLAVAGNEN said...

I found my cat Nisse, 4 years ago, when he was roughly a month old and weighed about 300 grammes(0.661 pounds). Screaming for his life for days whilst his mum and siblings were lying dead nearby. Long story short, Hills a/d food and special baby dry food in mashed in luke warm water every 2 hours did it for him. The first week together I took him to work and kept him near to me in a sling (ie. like you use to support an arm). where he slept peacefully and secure.. Good luck! Nisse is now a 5.5 kg cat and turning 4 years old in two weeks!

Nicole said...

Wow! They are so cute!