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Abandoned kitten help please!!

Posted: Apr 29, 2010

Can anyone give me some help please...we have a cat who was dropped off out here in the country and was pregnant. She has had 3 kittens in our garage....she has moved 2 of them but not the third as of yet. Does anyone have any advice as to how long this poor little kitten should stay by itself before we take over its care...and what does that consist of? Thank you all in advance, I look forward to your responses!

;

In case you don't get a quick response here... - Hayseed

[ In Reply To ..]
If it's not too late where you are, place a call to a local small-animal vet if you can and just ask them for advice.

I've never dealt with abandoned kitties myself. I'd be concerned about temperature more than anything, as if you were where I am (in Maine) we are experiencing weather in the high 30s right now and cold would concern me first.

Good luck with your new charge and please let us know how things go!
:-)

PS--Thank you for doing your best to clean up someone else's mess. It's a thankless but rewarding job :)

Kitten - Marine Mom

[ In Reply To ..]
I would wait no more than at the max 12 hours. There should be a department of wildlife or parks, or even the animal shelter would know, there are animal rehabilitators that take in orphaned animals and this is their specialty. Even if you want to do take on care yourself, it is a good idea to get tips and suggestions from the pros. You will need small baby bottles made for kittens and kitten milk (walmart has them, so does your local farm supply store like Theisen's). You will need to probably make the hole in the nipple bigger. You will after feeding the kitten every 2-3 hours, need to take a warm, wet washrag and wipe the kitty's bottom so he/she can use the bathroom. The kitten will not use the bathroom unless this is done EVERY TIME (because mommy does this for them) and they will back up and be in big trouble.

Wow Marine Mom! I would've never known that... - Hayseed

[ In Reply To ..]
About the butt wiping thing! Very cool! :)

TY TY - Marine Mom

[ In Reply To ..]
I have raised some young'uns in my time, and my house has been a zoo on any given day with baby parrots, ferrets, kittens, etc. I know just enough to keep me in trouble :) Now that all just seems like waaaay too much work..lol Grandbabies nowadays.

Feeding newborn kittens - wimt

[ In Reply To ..]
We've raised a few sets of abandoned kittens and it can be done, but we didn't have a lot of luck with bottle feeding them. They would have trouble getting the formula out of the nipple and end up inhaling it, getting it in their nose, etc., and usually wound up with an URI because of it. We actually lost a couple because of that. Our vet ended up training us on how to tube feed them, and we would have to get the tube down their throat far enough and then slowly inject the formula in. We did that for the first weeks until they could take from the nipple easier. It's a job though... like having a newborn baby in the house. You need to set your alarm and get up every 2-3 hours, feed them, wipe their little pee pees and bottoms with the warm rag so they will go potty, lol.

That behind thing and KMR - MT in TX

[ In Reply To ..]
You can do this if you have to. The milk to use is KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement). PetCo, PetSmart, probably Wal-Mart all have it. You can start offering soft/canned kitten food at about 3 weeks, if the kitten will eat it, but definitely at 4 weeks they will scarf it down. Kitten food is better. It is leaner than adult cat food and the crunchy stuff is not good for any of them.

As for the behind thing, so true and you can massage lightly the lower abdomen as well.

I had a black and tan Doberman pinscher years ago who adored cats, even delivered a little of kittens. She gently licked the sac off and tongued the kitten off until it started breathing. That litter (I got the cat when she was pregnant and I spayed her after that so there was only one liter) was super cleaned because that mom cat never had to wash a behind or wash a kitten and they were always slightly damp. My Doberman girl mothered them like her own.

Kitten - Sims

[ In Reply To ..]
My daughter brought home a kitten about six years ago that a friend of her's found abandoned, and like a sap I took it in (I already had three cats at the time). Anyway, I tried the KMR stuff but had no luck. I went to a local vet and bought this canned stuff (not expensive) for kittens which we had to feed the cat with a syringe until he was able to eat on his own. His name is Hercules and he is now 15 pounds, very healthy and lovable. I did not need him at the time but I was not about to take him to the pound. What's one more scoop of poop in the litter box at the end of the day!

Check and make sure that the kitten is healthy - Happy MT Robin

[ In Reply To ..]
or seems to be healthy. See if you can do this without actually handling the kitten. It's possible that if the mother cat doesn't come back for it then she knew that there was something wrong with it. I'd also put out some food for the momma cat. She's going to need extra energy right now.

This is a lot, but you might also consider trapping her and getting her spayed at some point if that's at all feasible for you. Some vets will do trap and spays for feral cats at a reduced rate. This way you won't end up with kittens in your garage every six months or so.

Good luck. Keep us posted!

Thank you all.... - catmom

[ In Reply To ..]
Hayseed, I did call the vet clinic closest to me and they told me to wait at least 12 hours and wait for momma to come back for the kitten. I have already had the hubby stop by PetCo on his way to work and pick up supplies just in case! Thanks to all of you for the advice...I do have food set out for momma to keep her strength up and we do have a live trap that we will put in use to eventually get her spayed. Why people just dump their animals is beyond me...I have a very soft heart and always feed them or take care of them in some way. I guess it's a mixed blessing that we live in the country...we have the room for the cats and a great barn to explore in but it seems that there must be a sign somewhere that says , "Dump the unwanted animals here...this lady is an easy mark!"

A kitten update... - catmom

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, momma has apparently taken her little one to places unknown. I looked in the garage about 2 hours ago and it was gone. I'm assuming she has taken it to their new hiding place. My hubby already stopped at the pet store and bought the things we'll need just in case. I'm going to take this as a good sign...now, where has she hid those darn kids??

Once again, thank you for the advice and kind replys!

Oh gosh, so glad she came back. - MT2020

[ In Reply To ..]
I too thought that the baby might have been sick. You did good to wait, I might not have for fear it was sick and would die. Good job!

that's good; thanks for the update. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Finding possible hiding places... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Keep a lookout for momma K who will be out scavenging for food. Accommodate her by putting dry food and water bowl nearby where you can see her if she uses them (like outside the kitchen window), then trying following her quietly at a distance to see if she gives you a clue.

Failing that, she would select a quiet, dark place that gets little to no (human) traffic. If you have anything that is covered with a tarp, look under the tarp. Darks corners behind other stored goods and equipment would be another logical spot. They prefer soft ground to cement, and grass over dirt. Look under bushes, especially ones that are remote from walkways.

If you can safely catch her, you could try confining her somewhere for about an hour or 2, then let her loose, in which case she would probably go directly for her babies...but I would do this as a last resort. Also, walk the grounds listening for the babies' cries.

Sooner or later, she is bound to blow her cover if you are persistent and do not intrude on her personal space as she goes about her business around your place. Think like a momma kitty and let your instinct be your guide.

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