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Caring for Your Stray Kitten

This page is dedicated to my special buddy, TUX,
and the loving family that saved her life

  • ASSESSING IMMEDIATE NEEDS:

    Of course, the best thing would be to get your little foundling to a veterinarian right away for a checkup. However this is not always possible. Check the kitten for general health status: does it appear healthy and active, playful, or is it lethargic, is it very thin, does it appear dehydrated? Check the color of the gums, are they pink or do they appear pale? Lethargy, overly thin body condition, dehydration, and/or pale gums are signs of trouble. These indicate that the kitten is in great need of medical intervention. If there is no veterinarian available at this time, then you can only do the best you can. Please read on:

  • KITTEN IN TROUBLE:

    Keep the kitten WARM by placing it in a small box with a heating pad, set on LOW, cover the heating pad with a towel and place the kitten on top of the towel. Monitor frequently to be sure the kitten is staying warm enough, but not too hot.

    Try to get some NUTRIENTS and liquid in it. Very weak kittens, or kittens under 4 weeks old will not be able to eat on their own. Prepare a milk replacement from whatever you have available (see recipes for emergeny milk listed below). Make sure the mixture is warmed to room temperature and feed it to the kitten using either a pet nurser bottle or an eye dropper. If the kitten appears to be at least 4 weeks old, and if you have it available you can offer canned kitten or cat food, or you can make a gruel by placing some dry food in a bowl with a good bit of water, heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, and let it sit, to absorb the water; then mash with a fork to make a mush or gruel; add more water if needed. Offer this to the kitten. If it will not eat it, offer some replacement milk in a saucer or shallow bowl. If the kitten will still not eat, use an eye dropper or pet nurser bottle. Repeat feedings as often as the kitten will accept it, at least every couple of hours or so. If it is eating solid food, also offer some water in a shallow dish; you may have to gently touch the nose to the water to encourage it to drink, they usually have not learned how to do this yet. Alternatively, mix plenty of water with their solid food.

    Check the kitten for FLEAS. If flea infestation is severe, this can quickly kill a kitten, however, getting the fleas off the kitten may present a problem. If the infestation is severe and the kitten is very very young, it is best to seek veterinary help as soon as possible. Frontline spray is not labeled for use in kittens under 6 weeks of age, but is very safe for young kittens. Advantage is also an excellent product but does not achieve an immediate kill as does the Frontline spray. Use sparingly, be careful not to soak the kitten as this will chill it. It is best to use a cottonball moistened with the spray to apply it to the puppy, especially around the face area. Apply it only in this manner to the face, do not spray the face. And you should apply it to the face first. You can also bathe the kitten, if it is not severely ill, with Palmolive dishwashing liquid or baby shampoo. This will not kill the fleas but it will stun them and give you an opportunity to pick some of them off. Towel dry the kitten and keep it warm until dry. DO NOT attempt to bathe the kitten if it appears to be very ill or weak, as the stress of the bath could kill the kitten: in this instance try applying baby powder or talcum powder which will cause the fleas to surface, then you can pick them off as best you can. A flea comb, if available, will also help. Again, as soon as possible, get the kitten to a veterinarian for the appropriate medical care.

  • ELIMINATION AND DEFECATION:

    Young puppies and kittens cannot eliminate on their own and depend on the licking of the mom to stimulate these most important functions. You will have to be the "mom" in this case. Take a cotton ball or soft tissue paper and apply lukewarm water to moisten it. Then very gently rub the rectal and genital areas (one at the time, please!) in a back and forth motion. Do this until urine and stool are released. Repeat this procedure several times a day, after meals is an ideal time.

  • KITTEN IN GOOD SHAPE:

    This kitten will be alert and active, depending on its age. The gums should be pink, the body not too thin or dehydrated, and flea infestation will be minor or nonexistent.

    If it is a tiny kitten, less than 10 DAYS OLD (see "how old is your kitten?" below), it needs to be kept warm with a heating pad, on LOW SETTING, with a towel over the pad. Very young kittens cannot regulate their body temperature so it is very important to make sure it stays warm. It will need to be fed with an eye dropper or nursing bottle and also stimutated to urinate and defecate (see feeding and elimination instructions above). Feedings should be offered every couple of hours or so.

    A kitten who appears to be between 10 DAYS and 4 WEEKS old will need to be kept warm, but not necessarily on a heating pad. A small box with blankets or towels should suffice. This kitten will also need to be hand fed with an eye dropper or nursing bottle but if it appears close to four weeks may be able somewhat to lick the milk from a platter. Stimulate this kitten to urinate and defecate (see feeding and elimination instructions above). If it is closer to 4 weeks it may be able to eliminate on its own. Watch closely for this.

    A kitten that is older than 4 weeks and is in good shape should be able to eat on its own. Offer a saucer of milk (made from one of the recipes)or gruel as described above to see if it will eat on its own. Or try some canned cat or kitten food. Feed this kitten about 4 times a day, and watch for urination and defecation.

    If there are FLEAS on the kitten, follow the instructions above for bathing or using Frontline. It would be best NOT to bathe a very YOUNG kitten if the flea problem is insignificant; wait until you can get it to a vet to handle this problem.

  • HOW TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF YOUR KITTEN:

    A kitten who's eyes are not open is less than 10 DAYS OLD. Often remnants of the umbilicus are still attached. A kitten found this young cannot be far from its mother, so an intensive SEARCH should be made to locate the mother and any other kittens. A kitten that has its eyes open but has no teeth is under 6 WEEKS OF AGE. A kitten that has a full set of baby teeth is at least 5-6 WEEKS OLD. Adult teeth, starting with the incisors (front teeth), will begin erupting at around 2-21/2 MONTHS OF AGE. A kitten with a full set of adult teeth is at least 6-7 MONTHS OLD.

  • WHAT TO FEED YOUR KITTEN:

    AN INTERESTING FACT:
    Orphaned kittens often will continue throughout their lives to suck on odd objects such as blankets, your toes, even themselves, their own feet, or belly. If a kitten is bottle fed until it absolutely will no longer accept it (6 weeks or so) is much less likely to exhibit this behavior!

    RECIPES for TEMPORARY KITTEN MILK:

    KEEP ALL MIXTURES REFRIGERATED
    UNTIL TIME FOR FEEDING.
    THEN WARM TO CLOSE TO BODY TEMPERATURE FOR FEEDING.
    BE CAREFUL THAT IT IS NOT TOO HOT.

      1. Take an 8 ounce can of homogenized milk and add
        2 egg yolks
        a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil
        and if you have any children's vitamins, add a couple of drops of these.

      2. Mix one part canned condensed milk to one part water

        add one raw egg
        add one tablespoon of karo syrup per 16 ounces (2 cups) of milk and water
        and children's liquid vitamins if available (about 1-2 drops per cup of mixture)

  • WHAT TO DO NEXT?

  • As soon as possible, you should get the kitten to the veterinarian for a good check up, deworming, and start vaccines if the kitten is old enough. Almost all puppies and kittens are born with worms. These parasites can compromise the health and nutritional status of the kitten, and if the infection is severe enough, can kill.

  • If the kitten is under 4 weeks of age, purchase a good quality kitten replacer milk and a nurser bottle to continue feedings. If the kitten is older than 4 weeks continue to bottle feed with a good quality kitten replacer milk, or purchase a good quality canned kitten food (Iams and Hill's Science Diet are excellent choices, and these will minimize the risk of diarrhea due to change in diet).

  • DIET CHANGES OFTEN CAUSE DIARRHEA:

    Anytime an animal experiences a change in diet, there is a risk of diarrhea. And there are several other causes of diarrhea in kittens, including intestinal parasites, as well as certain contagious and deadly diseases. Should your kitten show any signs of diarrhea this must be attended to immediately by a veterinarian.

    For more information check these excellent links:

    Save Our Strays: Raising Orphaned Kittens

    Marvista Vet Information on Raising Orphaned Puppies and Kittens