Week old kitten

[atomicfriday]

So we have two feral cats that live in one of the sheds, we were able to trap one and have her fixed but not the other one. We assumed the other one was a male… hah!

About a week ago we were surprised by three kittens. Yesterday she decided to move the kittens, unbeknownst to me as I let the dogs out when she was in the middle of the yard carrying one of the kittens. The dogs took chase, she dropped the kitten and ran away. I put the little thing back to where they were in the shed, the mom cat came to ate but left the kitten. The low was in the 50s so I made the decision to bring her inside in some blankets and heating pad, I also bought kitten formula and a bottle. I guess what I’m wondering is, I have zero experience with cats. Am I doing the right thing? Should I try and put the kitten back in hopes the mom takes it? Obviously as she gets older I will get her fixed, vaccinated, flea treatment and all that but will be predominantly an outside cat. Am I missing anything?

[CindyB59]

You have to help it potty.

Look up Kitten Lady on Facebook and You Tube. Tons of informational videos.

You could try to reunite but keeping a close watch

[OzarksRider]

IIWM I would try to get the kitten back with the mom. Kittens that young can be tough to foster because they need to be fed every 2-4 hours and you need to weigh them every day to make sure they’re gaining. And you have to stimulate their butt to make them defecate. The mom can do all of this and also teach the kitten how to be a proper cat.

If the mom won’t take the kitten, is there a rescue near you that might be able to provide a foster mom? Or at least someone experienced with young kittens that can guide you through this? Also contact your vet as soon as you can and ask their advice. If you have to do this alone just do the best you can. The poor kitten doesn’t stand a chance otherwise.

[atomicfriday]

I’ll try again tonight when mom cat comes to eat. Otherwise the feeding isn’t an issue as I have two other people in the house to rotate shifts if you will. I hope she takes her but I’ll do the best I can if not.

[OzarksRider]

Another thought . . . can you find where the mom has taken the other kittens? Then you could put the little orphan with the others and mom would probably accept it. I doubt if she moved them very far. Also maybe try leaving the kitten next to the food so mom will find it when she comes to eat. Watch from a place where mom can’t see you so won’t spook her and see if she takes the little tyke.

And to answer your question . . . yes, you are doing the right thing.

[George_T_Mule]

We have cared for very young kittens. They have to be fed continuously for the first couple of weeks, and almost continuously for another week or more, while they learn to eat. And you do have to teach/encourage them to go potty. Momma does it with her tongue (eeew), but you can use a facecloth or paper towel moistened with warm water. Lift the tail, and “Lick” gently; it’ll come.
I would be disinclined to try reconnecting the baby with her family. If momma cat didn’t rescue her baby at the first opportunity, I fear she is unlikely to accept her subsequently; probably Baby stinks of human. A poor risk IMO. It isn’t feral any longer . . .
So it looks like you have a new family member. And do keep your new friend indoors. Life expectancy of an indoor cat is ~20 years, of an outdoor cat, 3 to 5 years, probably less if you have feral’s around.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

I’ve never had good luck getting a momma cat to take back a kitten, so just be prepared that you are going to be raising this one. In my experience, once they refuse to take the kitten when they move, they are ‘done’ with it, for whatever reason.

If it’s too little to take the bottle easily, try an eye dropper.

At a week old, it needs fed every 2 hours, round the clock. At three weeks, you can go to every 3 hours, and so on.

Every time it eats, it needs to be encouraged to potty. I use cotton makeup remover pads for that. Just have a little bowl of warm water with you, wet the pads in it (not sopping wet) and gently wipe the kitten. (This is also a good way to give the kitten a bath if you ever need to.) And let me assure you, the poop goes EVERYWHERE.

You will need a lot of hand towels, because as the kitten gets a little older, he’ll start going on his own sometimes between feedings. The three I raised last year required laundry every freaking day!

Oh, and if you need to travel while still taking care of the kitten, keep it warm with a Hot Hands pack wrapped in a towel.

[cayuse]

I raised a kitten like this. He was found abandoned (pushed away from the other kittens) in a barn apartment attic that we rented. We tried to get the mother to accept him but she removed it from the nest twice. So we took him in and fed him round the clock and helped him pee and poop, his bum did get sore so the vet had us put something on it, cortisone and antibiotic ointment IIRC. He turned into the best cat we ever had as a pet and was a gorgeous animal. He had a long silky coat, blue-grey points and huge blue eyes. We had him for about 20 years. Rest Easy Waddles .

[SummerRose]

I used to foster bottle babies for my local shelter.

A few tips I learned:

• They need to be kept warm! Especially single babies. That’s an obvious one, but besides keeping a heating pad under part of their crate (where they couldn’t reach the cord), I found that they were most cooperative about eating if I fed them on top of a heating pad on low that was covered with a towel.

• Speaking of towels, I usually feed the small babies with a towel over them, also, not only to keep them warm and clean but also to help restrain them - sometimes they get wiggly!

• And speaking of keeping them clean, formula dries like glue. Make sure you clean the kitten’s mouth, chest, and anywhere else formula might drip before it dries. Then dry the kitten thoroughly before putting it back.

• If the kitten has trouble accepting a bottle, syringe feeding (https://www.catster.com/guides/how-to-syringe-feed-a-kitten/#:~:text=Squeeze%20the%20Syringe&text=You%20know%20they%20have%20a,kitten%20has%20had%20enough%20food. ) with a Miracle Nipple (https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Nipple-Syringe-Included-Original/dp/B00SQIDLF4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3ARGRKTAM3155&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g0LQ0Hgu5_15__tI51Rf5q9TjubgBArjS29R36C64sfe9SS9w3fcO792SxYAuD7v4F8gggWkBmD3L06HcK36Hq9izl8T4jb3HBqewDlS17sROqZvL4458umvYCIUrVT1rkGRE5x5x_rOAlp6ZGPd3pDvxIwdtLCbUht6G2xyBQkS0m4RqaCOVsL5ukOvySo8MwT2BdcVo34qEByx3bf3dVOH1MJPbWJC7p21fhj_SeGZy1jp0mVkawI6V9MXQDjG-f-piCQlkQ4CV9FIDvWKBdispXWIuffwH3lkz5BtQdc.mv6kpiVzA3ESfZxwaBng84xlmZ5kdS7TS9fNaA8hX4w&dib_tag=se&keywords=miracle+nipple&qid=1713056872&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=miracle+nipple%2Cpets%2C106&sr=1-5) is a good option. I actually find this easier than using a bottle for very small kittens.

• Mine often started using the litter box earlier than most resources say they should. I put a small square disposable aluminum cake pan filled with non-clumping clay litter in the back of their crate as soon as they started a wobbly walk. As they grew older, I gradually increased the size/depth of the cake pans I used until they were big enough to climb into real litter pans. One caveat is that the pans need to be filled deep with litter so that they aren’t clawing the metal bottom of the pan when they dig in the litter.

This is a good resource: https://straycatalliance.org/resources/kittens101/feeding-kittens/

I hope everything goes well with the little guy. And if you happen to be in VA and don’t feel up to taking on a kitten, I’d be happy to pick it up from you.

[kaya842]

Agreed - I don’t think momma cat will take this baby back and honestly wouldn’t risk kitten. We raised a week old kitten back in 2020 and yes it is work but it’s not impossible or crazy difficult. This was our first cat/ kitten. She could never be an outside cat after being bottle fed - she has no instincts and is a perfect lazy inside cat who loves her human parents (and knows no predators and thus has no fear lol).

[atomicfriday]

I want to thank everyone so much for your helpful responses, I read them all and will keep it in mind if I am ever in this situation again. However, I am glad to say that the mom cat took her back tonight. I don’t know why she didn’t the night before, but she did now. I understand that indoor cats have a higher longevity but we do not want litter boxes, nor did we go out and specifically get this cat. I’d help in every way but once it’s of age it would have to be outside, or learn like the dogs and ask to go out. I also have birds so I don’t know that that would work out. Thanks again everyone, truly!

[CindyB59]

Mama is always best.

[OzarksRider]

That’s excellent news that the kitten is back with its mom! If you can, try to socialize the kittens while they’re still young so you can get the basics done without too much drama (vaccines, wormed, neutered). That could be hard to do with mom being so feral, but you may be able to interact with them at the food dish when she starts bringing them around.

I disagree that outdoor cats necessarily have a much shorter life expectancy than indoor cats. I do think that truly feral cats have a much shorter life expectancy, but outdoor cats that have someone to provide basic necessities such as a reliable food source, shelter, vaccines, wormer, and neutering can live as long as indoor cats. I have 3 cats that are outdoors, and they are 10, 11, and 15 years old now. I’ve had others that lived to be 15-17 years old, and other posters on this forum have had outdoor cats that are this old.

[peedin]

So glad to hear the wee one is back with mama.

[4horses]

Don’t forget to post pictures when you see them again. It is better if the mother raises them. Mortality rates can be quite high in baby kittens that are hand raised. I think they have trouble with the formula (the kitten I raised had really bad constipation). Hopefully she is a good mother and keeps them both warm and fed.