What to feed a baby kitten?

[popcornbird]

My friend found a litter of stray kittens without their mother. 3 of them had already died and 1 was alive. They took it home and took it to the vet, who said its healthy, but no more than 10 days old. They don't know what they should feed it. Any ideas? To know more on the situation, read my last post on this thread>>>>>http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16522

[NoahsMommy]

They have kitten milk at stores like PetSmart. You can buy that and give it to the kittens and they recieve good nurishment.

Your friend will also have to learn how to stimulate the kittens for them to go potty too. I know someone here can help with all that stuff, I've read it here before.

Poor little things...

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
They have kitten milk at stores like PetSmart. You can buy that and give it to the kittens and they recieve good nurishment.

Your friend will also have to learn how to stimulate the kittens for them to go potty too. I know someone here can help with all that stuff, I've read it here before.

Poor little things...

The kitten hasn't gone potty yet. Its only peeing. Its pretty thin. She send me pictures.................put its adorable. Light gray and white.

[catland]

oh - such a sad story, its so kind of your friend to help this little kitten.

Baby kittens need stimuation to go potty. That's why the mommy cat licks their little rear ends.

Also, make sure that your friend has this kitty in a warm place. Kitties normally pile on top of each other for warmth.


Also, this is a long shot, but would it be possible to find a cat who is nursing kittens and be able to slip this one into the mix? I'm not an expert here - you should ask a vet, but a mommy cat's maternal instincts are so incredibly strong that this can sometimes work.

[popcornbird]

The kitty's in a littlebasket full of little blankets, and he's in a very cozy room, so hopefully he's in a warm enough place. Her grandma has a lot of experience with kittens, and she's rubbing its bottom with a cloth.........is she doing it right? It hasn't pooped yet but its been less than a day. They found it last night.

[Chinadoll]

Awwww! I have a friend who took home 1 day old kittens from the SPCA to foster. She had a little bitty baby bottle with KMR(kitten milk replacement) that she fed each of them every so many hours either every 2 or 4 hours (morning and night) and had to stimulate each of them after to go potty. I belive she took a damp papertowel and would rub their bottom until they went.

Try these websites:
http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

http://www.hdw-inc.com/tinykitten.htm

http://www.animalclinic.com/orphnkit.htm

You can also try doing a search on google.com or something like it for orphaned kittens or hand raising kittens.

Good Luck. Hand raising a kitten can be a big undertaking but also very rewarding.

[AmberLee]

Originally posted by popcornbird
...she's rubbing its bottom with a cloth...

The best advice I've heard on this is to rub the rump with a warmish washcloth...

Good luck.

[popcornbird]

She is rubbing it with a warm cloth so I think they're doing it right? Is human baby formula bad for the kitten? They are diluting it in water to make it light like cat milk. They live on the ranch so the nearest Petsmart is an hour away. They didn't get a chance to go yet but plan to go there soon. What should they feed it until they get the formula? She said its very hard to care for, even harder than their baby brother. They have nursed to rescue kittens before and now they are both 1 year old and their dear pets, but this one is tinier than they were. I hope te kitten will be alright. They are keeping it inside despite their brother's cat allergies and their sister's asthma, a big sacrifice. Their other cats live in a small room they have built outside, but they are keeping the kitten inside because they don't want the other cats to hurt it, and they want to keep it as warm as possible.

[Logan]

Seems like the vet would have the kitten formula they need. Why didn't he provide it??

Good luck to the little baby.

Logan

[Chinadoll]

I guess baby formula might do, but I really don't think it's best. Baby formula and kitten formula are different. Just like you shouldn't give can't regular milk you'd drink...the kitten should have KMR. I can't believe the vet wouldn't have that or know of a good alternative. If she lives in a rural area, are there any smaller petstores closer?...also try feed stores, they should have KMR to.
Good Luck.

[aly]

I am surprised the vet didn't tell them this information. I don't think baby formula is good for them. I would get some KMR asap. It comes as powder or already mixed, but costs a lot more already mixed. If you mix it yourself, its easier to make it in a big jar then funnel it into the bottles. But it is only good for 24 hours once mixed and must be kept in the fridge. Keep the can of powder in the fridge too.

After you funnel it into the bottles, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds and check the warmth on your skin (like you do with human baby bottles). You may need to gently squeeze the bottle and keep encouraging them and letting them know what is in the bottle. Some babies are harder to get going than others.

After feeding, get a damp warm cloth to stimulate them to go potty. I usually do it over the trash can, less clean up Don't be surprised if they don't poop for awhile.. it took some of mine almost a week!!! That KMR can get them a little constipated. Don't be worried if you see diarrhea either. They may do that on their own.

I like to have soft classical music or radio talk shows playing for them too.

Its really important to have a stuffed animal in there, especially if its a single kitten. They cuddle up to it like its their mama.

At around 3-4 weeks, I usually start mixing the KMR with canned kitten food into a mushy substance to teach them to start eating on their own (I still give them bottles until they're 8 weeks, but also have them eat on their own sometimes). Around 6-8 weeks, I introduce solid kitten food but I wet it down with either formula or water. Usually a little after 8 weeks, they can eat just the solid food themselves with no more formula.

While the kitten is this young, I would feed every 2-3 hours.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me or post here. I have had around 20 bottle baby kitten fosters this year and only lost one due to a birth defect :(

[popcornbird]

Thanks for the info Aly. What is KMR btw, and can they get it at Petco/Petsmart? They are planning to go tomorrow to get it the kitten forumla. My friend's grandma said when she was younger, she raised many kittens on human baby formula, and they lived to be 16 + years old! They also fed their other cats baby formula when they got them, but they were at least a week older, so they were easier to care for. The vet told them they should get the kitten formula, but he did't provide them with any. He told them to get it from Petsmart. The only thing they needed to know was what to feed her until they get the formula. They put furry blankets in the basket for it to cuddle with. Do you think that will keep it warm enough? They said she likes to cuddle with people. My friend said she got up twice in the night to feed the kitten and woke up before sunrise to make sure she was ok. They are feeding her every 2-3 hours.

[aly]

KMR is milk replacement for kittens and you can get it at Petco or Petsmart.

I just got 2 more foster kittens yesterday after not having any for around 2 months. The smell of KMR sure does bring back a lot of fond memories of my other babies :) Even the smell of kitten poo brings back good memories :eek: :o

[popcornbird]

Sad news. :(:(:( The kitten passed away. :(:(:( My friend bought her KMR and was feeding her that, but she was just too young to live without her mom. They did their best to help her live, but her life was not meant to be. Maybe it was just too much on the kitten, seeing her mother and 3 siblings die before her eyes. They said she seemed to be very dizzy yesterday, and was refusing to eat. SHe wanted to sleep and not be woken. They sensed something was wrong and rushed her to the vet, but it was too late. The kitten passed away in the car. :( Just thought I'd let you all know.

[NoahsMommy]

:( :( :( :( How so very sad :( :( :( :(

Now the kitten is in a much better place, where she can eat, play and be healthy. Poor little thing.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Sorry to hear that Popcornbird, but at least your friend tried her best and the kitten knew it was loved before it died. Poor little thing. :(

Give your friend hugs for caring enough to try.

[Cataholic]

Oh Popcornbird, I am so sorry. I realize that some things are not meant to be. Maybe the baby kitten wanted to be with the rest of the family more than it wanted to be here...:(