Comments on: Helping an abandoned kitten

By: starrwoode

starrwoode — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:57:27 +0000

call your vet for information.

By: nikki_06au

nikki_06au — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 04:24:27 +0000

Rub your hands or cotton wool over the Mom’s mouth, then rub it over the kitten. Her scent glands contain pheremones and will mark the kitten as hers, she may accept it better.

You may need to hold her down and get the kitten sucking. The nipple should be on top of the kittens tongue. If the kitten is sucking correctly, you will see it’s jaw move. If you can get Mom to accept it, this is actually better for the kitten, perservere, you may need to top it up and supplement the milk. If bottle feeding you will need to do it every two hours around the clock.

If it sucks on Mom cat enough, she will make more milk for it. Make sure Mom is getting a high quality kitten food herself, as it contains increased nutritional value and calories essential for milk production. Try putting a little kitten milk on the teat, it might help kitten get the idea. Some nutridrops if you can obtain them will help give the kitten strength to suckle.

Good luck with it, hope you can get the kitten through.

By: stormymidori

stormymidori — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:24:32 +0000

I read most of the answers and they all seem perfect, but have you taken the kitten to the vet yet? Until you see a vet, keep allowing the mom cat to care for the kitten and just keep an eye out on the baby. Also, when the mom takes her out of the box, does she leave her in a specific spot every time? If she does, leave a small towel or blanket in that area so the kitten has someplace to curl into if you can’t reach her in time.
To help with suckling try to use your pinky finger like you would with a regular baby. When my mom cat had kittens, the tiny one was having trouble and when I talked to the vet about it, it’s what he suggested to me. It took a few days, but he got used to it and I slowly started substituting the nipple for my finger.
Good luck, have patience and if you don’t bring the kitten to the vet, at least call one.

By: tiffany

tiffany — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:38:33 +0000

Talk to a vet right away and find out the best information from a professional. Its whats best for the kitten. If you cant afford a vet , look around to find an organization that will see her for free or lower costs.

By: sumnerrain

sumnerrain — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:30:51 +0000

That is a hard question, the number one choice is for the mom to take over care of the kitten, but I worry she is taking it away from the water bottle… I found this article below, hopefully it is of some use to you:

Fostering Orphaned Kittens
If you find baby kittens alone outside and want to foster them, wait a few hours and observe — especially if they are under 4 weeks old. Many times the mother cat will move her kittens and can do so only one kitten at a time. The process can take hours. As long as the temperature outdoors is relatively warm and the kittens are in a protected area, they will be okay left alone for a few hours. If the mother does not return, take the kittens, trapping them as explained earlier.

Find A Surrogate Mother. If the kittens are under 4 weeks old and without a mother, try contacting local cat rescue groups and shelters to see if there is a surrogate mother available. A mother cat whose kittens are being weaned can be given a new litter to nurse and care for. In most instances this is preferable to bottle-feeding and hand-raising the kittens.

Preventing Hypothermia. The most common death in unattended kittens is hypothermia so you need to take immediate action to warm the kittens. Do not warm them too quickly or you may also cause death. Kittens can be warmed through your own body warmth while gently massaging the kitten’s body. Make sure you have clothing between you and the kitten for your own protection.

Kitten “Incubator”. If you are fostering orphaned neonatal kittens, you will need a small cat carrier or a cardboard box with a heating pad set at low running down one side and halfway underneath the box. The other half of the bottom should not be heated so that the kittens can move away from the pad if it gets too hot. Line the bed with a towel. The kitten area must be kept at 85 to 90 °F during their first week, then lowered 5° weekly until the temperature is 72 °F. Use a thermometer frequently to check the heating pad temperature.

Feeding. Following the directions provided on the package, feed orphaned infant kittens with commercial kitten formula. Hold the kittens in their natural nursing position — on the stomach — being careful not to hold the head back as that could cause aspiration of the formula into the lungs. Never feed a chilled kitten formula. To stabilize him as you warm him, rub a very thin layer of light corn syrup on his gums.

Feed infant kittens a minimum of every six hours to ensure they get enough nourishment. If a kitten hasn’t started eating after 24 hours, seek veterinary assistance. After feeding, wipe the face with a warm damp cloth and then dry it off until they are able to groom themselves.

Elimination. Until they are old enough to use a litter box (2-3 weeks), they need help eliminating. After feeding, take a moistened cotton ball and gently massage the anal region until they urinate or defecate. It may take several cotton balls for each kitten to complete this process.

Weaning. After the kittens are 2-3 weeks old, offer their formula to them in a saucer so they will learn to drink. Gradually add small amounts of kitten food to the formula and then decrease the proportion of formula until they are just eating kitten food. Make sure you always have fresh water out for the kittens to drink.

By: Rachelle

Rachelle — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:25:41 +0000

I profeshionaly think you should let nature do it’s thing. In my expeirance in animal hospitals if they don’t want to eat, more than likely they don’t survie, but give your mother cat time and she could very well bring it back. Plus, you don’t need the guilt of thinking you did anything wrong. Let nature nurture, things will take on it’s course.

By: TITO

TITO — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:52:21 +0000

I am not a professional and this answer should not be trusted…

KEEP THE KITTEN WITH YOU!!!!!!!

By: old cat lady

old cat lady — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:58:13 +0000

I think your mom cat has made her decision and is rejecting the kitten. You should do the feeding, stimulating and keep the kitten warm with you at night.

If mom cat leaves the kitten in the middle of the floor overnight it will be dead in the morning.

By: the doctor

the doctor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:24:24 +0000

I’d worry untill it learns to feed on mothers milk or on it own.

By: Angel Isabella

Angel Isabella — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:32:07 +0000

Let it go. Don’t worry about it.

Maybe get up and Check on them in a few hours if you’re really worried, but otherwise, let nature do it’s thing.