Kitten, need advice.

[Mosha]

We have 3 young adult toms, one of them as just walked in with a very young kitten, about 3 week old. No one around here has a cat that's just produced. It should still be with it's mum. I'm on the sticks a good 90 minutes from any place selling a milk substitute ( If open). If it won't take kitten food, what can I do?

[eek]

Mosha, at three weeks it wont be able to handle food yet and will still be weening.
Using a large syringe and feeding it milk formula is really the only thing i can think to do.
I realise you are far from any place that you can get milk from, but its all i know.
Maybe there is some advice on the net...

[eek]

Here is one piece of advice i found off the net:

At 3 weeks old if the mother isn't feeding them regularly, get KMR Milk Replacement (powdered form that you mix with water) and if the mom isn't feeding them at all, then they need to be fed every 3 hours.

At about 4 weeks, start putting out kitty kibble and always water - it takes them time to learn to drink water, but keep it fresh every day, as well as the kitty kibble, but do this while slowly weaning them off of the KMR Milk Replacement. They should be completely weaned from the KMR at 6-8 weeks. Get some feeding syringes from your vet (cheap), like 10cc syringes and when you feed them, hold them in the crook of your arm (wear a bib, believe me), make sure their little heads are not faced up (so they don't aspirate any of the food), stick the syringe into the side of hte mouth and point towards throat, give little squirts at a time. Once they're done, put them in their litter box - this trains them to use the litter box. (Feed them as much as they'll eat every 3 hours. They'll let you know exactly when they're done - lol, by just letting it drool out of their mouths, turning their heads, meowing loudly, jerking movements).

When you are weaning, start mixing something like Max Kitten mixed with warm water and KMR mixture (less and less of KMR mixture every couple of days), enough so that it will flow through the syringe.

Happy Kittening! :-D


p.s. In response to someone below - as a long-time kitten foster, it's good to keep the kitty kibble out for them to get used to it. They are definitely not too young to start taking little bites of it. My fosters have always taken to the kitty kibble (along with the wet food) and have always done very well.

p.p.s.s. - Do NOT feed the kitties regular milk - VERY bad for their digestive systems - same for grown cats, contrary to storybooks we've all read.

Source(s):

Animal Services Volunteer/Foster; Pet-Sitter/Caretaker >^..^<

Cats are actually intolerant of normal milk, they cannot digest the enzymze ..or something along those line.
I realise that may not be practical for you..so of course do whatever you need to do to try keep the kitten well.

Maybe a local vet could advise you better.
What a dilema..i feel for you. best of luck.

Edited June 22, 2013 by eek

[eek]

As a last resort, maybe you can water down some of the kitten food with some warm water..tilt the kittens head back ...and trickle the liquid into its mouth. This may be quite tricky and a gentle way to do it is to use your thumb and forefinger at the back of the kittens mouth to GENTLY pry its mouth open.
Im very concerned that it may have problems digesting food substances at this age though.

[Mosha]

Maybe a little older than I thought. It is eating a mix of kitten food and tinned fish. Bad news, I think its a female.

[Patsycat]

What's wrong with being a female!! I've been one for as long as i can remember!!

As she is young, just get her to the vet and get her fixed as soon as is feasible.

[Mosha]

What's wrong with being a female!! I've been one for as long as i can remember!!

As she is young, just get her to the vet and get her fixed as soon as is feasible.

Fighting my wife's superstition on that one.

[Mosha]

Found the kitten's sister yesterday

[Sheryl]

Take care of them but please, get them both spayed.

If necessary don't tell your wife. Just get it done. (They'll need to be at least5 months old first).

Never ceases to amaze me that so many Thais (and other SE Asians) somehow have the notion (unsupported by anything in Buddhist teachings) that it is "sinful" to have an animal neutered but see no problem with abandoning female cats and dogs. You'll find that the abandoned pets are usually female.

[Mosha]

Take care of them but please, get them both spayed.

If necessary don't tell your wife. Just get it done. (They'll need to be at least5 months old first).

Never ceases to amaze me that so many Thais (and other SE Asians) somehow have the notion (unsupported by anything in Buddhist teachings) that it is "sinful" to have an animal neutered but see no problem with abandoning female cats and dogs. You'll find that the abandoned pets are usually female.

I'll do my best Sheryl.

[Mosha]

Here we go again, the other young ones are doing well. I opened the door this morning and there is a beautiful almost totally white kitten sat on the wall. Orange tail and ear tips. The bluest eyes I have ever seen. She looks about 6 weeks old.

[hanno]

Take care of them but please, get them both spayed.

If necessary don't tell your wife. Just get it done. (They'll need to be at least5 months old first).

Never ceases to amaze me that so many Thais (and other SE Asians) somehow have the notion (unsupported by anything in Buddhist teachings) that it is "sinful" to have an animal neutered but see no problem with abandoning female cats and dogs. You'll find that the abandoned pets are usually female.

Drives me crazy here in Cambodia too. When I started work here at the hotel there were all the feral cats. They'd drop kittens like crazy and the only solution my staff could think off was to drop the kittens at the next Pagoda (which already is overrun with cats and dogs). Had them all spayed and castrated and thinks are all good now:-)

[Sheryl]

Here we go again, the other young ones are doing well. I opened the door this morning and there is a beautiful almost totally white kitten sat on the wall. Orange tail and ear tips. The bluest eyes I have ever seen. She looks about 6 weeks old.

Ah, someone else who is a magnet for stray cats!

This one sounds like she may be a "Khao Manee". If so will be easy to find a home for her if you can't keep her.

Can you post a pix?

[Morden]

Well done for taking care of the kittens.

Try mixing rice with fish.

[Mosha]

Here she is, She's not pure white, but the photo does not do her eyes justice.

[kawaiimomo]

I would try looking for the mom, she should be around. Although it is very probable she won't take care of the kittens anymore, most likely they lost her smell already and won't be recognized but worth a try.

On the meantime you can cook some chicken broth and arm yourself with tons of patience, cats that young should be feed once every 2 hours, 24 hours a day. Is there any Tesco closer than the 90 minutes you mention? I am in Bangkok, Tesco here started selling kitten powdered milk and milk bottles like a year ago. You could also try to find some canned goat milk. Maybe you can find some canned food for cats or dogs, use a blender with a bit of water (if it's not already jelly like), feed using the syringe. Do not rely on dog food for long as it doesn't have the nutrients that cats require, but should be good enough for a substitute until you can find something better.

Best of luck mate!

[Mosha]

She's eating normally, these cats we end up with are not strays per se, they are dumped by inconsiderate pricks, who

a, Can afford to drive, smoke and drink but cannot afford/be bothered to have them spayed.

b, Are too dam_n lazy to drive an extra 2km to the Wat.

Local shop sells cat food at about 10x the cost at Tescos, but I'm due to be taken at gunpoint tomorrow by my wife.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Mosha

[Sheryl]

Here she is, She's not pure white, but the photo does not do her eyes justice.

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Must have Khao Manee blood but obviously not pure given the bits of orange.

Still, a mostly white cat with blue eyes is sufficiently unusual here that should you not be able to keep her, finding a home may not be too hard. The Thais consider them to be good luck.

[Sheryl]

She's eating normally, these cats we end up with are not strays per se, they are dumped by inconsiderate pricks, who

a, Can afford to drive, smoke and drink but cannot afford/be bothered to have them spayed.

b, Are too dam_n lazy to drive an extra 2km to the Wat.

Local shop sells cat food at about 10x the cost at Tescos, but I'm due to be taken at gunpoint tomorrow by my wife.

b is probably to the cats' advantage as they are certainly better off with you than at a wat!

Especially very little kittens who would be set upon by dogs....

[Mosha]

Here she is, She's not pure white, but the photo does not do her eyes justice.

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Must have Khao Manee blood but obviously not pure given the bits of orange.

Still, a mostly white cat with blue eyes is sufficiently unusual here that should you not be able to keep her, finding a home may not be too hard. The Thais consider them to be good luck.

If it's between me and the cat going to the Wat. The cat is safe,

[Patsycat]

I wai your wife on her decision!!

[Mosha]

Finally got a better pic of her eyes, from what I've seen. She has the head shape of a Khao Manee. This photo took 3 attempts. 1 She put her paw up and tongue out, Then she set of walking off the chair just as I pressed the button. I finally got her eyes on attempt 3

[Sheryl]

Absolutely gorgeous. What's her personality like? The Khao Manees I've known have all been unusually silent cats, don't vocalize often.

[Mosha]

Unless she is playing with our puppy she is quiet. Almost aloof with us, Might be her royal blood line.

[Sheryl]

Yes, that's how Khao Manee are. Very, very regal.