Tiny, Tiny baby kittens question?

Question

We found 4 baby kittens today, they showed up in the rain. Yesterday while heading into the city, I had seen a dead kitty on the road. Turn's out, it was their momma. These kitten's cant be more than 3 weeks old. Their teeth are just cutting through the gum.

How/What is the best way to feed and care for them? How do I make sure that they learn to use the bathroom? Any advice is appreciated. I plan on keeping them until they are old enough to eat solid food and get around on their own, then hopefully find them homes. (I already have 4 cats and 4 kids-don't need to be outnumbered)

Thanks.

Answer 1

GOOD GOING.

go to the pet store and they have formula for kittens.  feed them the formula then advance to the older variety within 2 or 3 weeks so they will get enough nutrition.

ALSO kittens need to be stimulated to pee/ poo so they will live.  Take a wet cloth and wipe their bottom (like a mom l*****g them) and they will automatically do it.

Keep them warm but not hot

I use an electric blanket that is made especially for cats... and then putanothere box on top of that for the kittens to lay in... that way they are warm but not hot.

Another alternative is to find asurrogate mom who will accept them.  You can call the vet and ask if they know someone who has a pg cat or cat who lost kittens or has just had kittens.

good luck and tell us what happens.  

Answer 2

Hello,

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge your kindness for taking in the little orphaned kittens. It is a very huge task but at the end, the reward far outweigh the hard work.

Now, you need to set up a comfortable nesting box for the kitten. Find a hard and sturdy card box, lined it with old towels or clothes and shredded newspaper.

Newborn cannot regulate their body heat so it is very important to keep them warm. You can fill a bottle with hot water, wrap a towel around it and place it in the nesting box. Or, you can use some uncooked rice, fill it into a sock, and zap it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Make sure to check the temperature so it is not too hot and can burn the delicate kittens.

Feeding wise, purchase kitten replacement formula from any pet store. KMR and Just Born are two brands that are widely available. You will also need a feeding bottle or two. You must not feed a cold kitten! It will kill her. Warm her up first gently, either by using the water bottle wrapped with towel of by gently caressing her by your chest and allow your body heat to warm her up.

You need to feed the kittens around the clock, at 2-3 hours interval. A kitten needs approximately 8 cc’s of formula per ounce of body weight per day. Remember to feed the newborn kitten while they are laying on on their stomach on a hard surface on on your lap. Kittens are not newborn babies and should not be feed like one. Cut the bottle nipple with a sterile blade or scissors. Make sure the hole is big enough so the formula will drip smoothly without applying pressure to the bottle. Also, make sure it's not too hot. You can soak the bottle in warm water for about 10 minutes to make it warm.Test the temperature by dripping the formula on your wrist.

Go slow when feeding. The kitten will feed on their own space. Make sure the flow of formula is not too fast so the formula doesn't get into their lungs. If you see formula coming out from their nose, hold them upside down by their feet gently.

After each feeding, make sure you place the kitten on your chest or shoulder, belly down, and give them a pat until they burp. This is important so be sure not to skip this step.

Newborn are not able to go pee/p**p without your help. The mother will usually l**k them to make them defecate and urinate. When the mom is not there, it's your job to stimulate their bowel movement. Wet a cotton ball with warm water and gently rub or pat their bottom. You don't need to use too much pressure. Just a light tap or rub will initiate the flow of urine and defecation.

Newborn kitten are fragile so when you pick them up, always be gentle.  Cradle the hind legs with one hand thus supporting his body weight and hold the front of the body under the chest and behind the forelegs with your other hand. This will make him feel secure and comfortable.

Another tip that I can share with you is to place an analog clock which ticks into his nesting box to mimic the mom's heart beat. Make sure you wrap the clock in a towel or place it inside an old sock. This will help calm baby kitten who misses his mom.

To learn more, please visit the links provided:-

http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/...

http://www.kittens-lair.net/raising-a-ca...

Good Luck and thank you for taking them in!

Answer 3

The kitten should be fed every 2 hours for the first 2 weeks of life, 4 hours for the next two weeks. For the two weeks following, the kitten should be fed every 6 hours, along with the kitten having access to a small bowl of moist canned food. At the end of the last two weeks, your kitten will be about 6 weeks old, and should be fully weaned onto the canned food.  At 8 weeks of age, dry, hard food may be introduced and a combination of both should be fed until 10-12 weeks of age.  At 12 weeks of age, you can just feed the kitten dry food, as this will help strengthen the teeth and keep them healthy.

Now, during this infant stage, there are a few things you will need to do.  The mother cat stimulated the kitten to urinate and defecate by l*****g the anal area.  You are going to have to do this... stimulate it by taking a warm damp cloth or baby wipe and gently rubbing the anal area.  This will cause the baby to defecate and urinate.  The defecation of a newborn kitten should be very soft, and yellowish brown.  If the defecation is simply liquid, or very firm, a veterinary visit would be needed as liquid would indicate diarrhoea, which could be devastating to a kitten this small causing severe dehydration, and firm stool would indicate constipation, which could cause an intestinal rupture or obstruction.

The kitten will need to be kept very warm. Keep the kitten in a box with some soft blankets.  Under the box, set a heating pad on "low" setting, and put a towel over the heating pad, right under the box.  This will prevent any burning. If you don't have a heating pad, fill up some soda bottles with hot water, wrap in hand towels, and place them throughout the perimeter of the box. Usually two 2-soda bottles will do it.

The kitten’s eyes will not open until around 10 days of age, and the first tooth should show up around this time as well.  

It is very hard to hand raise a kitten, but definitely not impossible.  As long as you make sure you keep it warm, stimulate it to go "potty" and feed it accordingly, you should have no problems, unless the kitten is ill.  Since it seems to be active, it sounds as though this is a healthy little one who was definitely found by the right person!

Answer 4

I've been raising a little orphan since the day he was born. He is now 3 weeks old. I used these websites and a little advice from the vet.

http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

http://www.rescueguide.com/orphkits.html