Help!! Newborn Kitty Abandoned

[micki76]

I need help asap. We found a newborn (1-2 days old) kitty this morning and the mother (feral) has never came back to get it. She moved the other two. I bought the kitten milk replacement at Petco and have fed the kitty one time. Also made it potty. What do I do with it???? Keep it on a heating pad? How will I know if it's too hot? Kitten ate pretty well, I guess. I don't know how much it should take. Trying to find a wet nurse mother cat. Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

[marysmerrycats]

Im not the one to ask, alot of other people know more about that than me, but, try putting the heating pad on the lowest setting and put a towel or blanket on top of it so the heat is not so , hot? call a all night vet to ask info. what does the replacemnet milk box say on its directions? so much every 2 hours?. and you said you know how to make it go potty...

[krazyaboutkatz]

There are a few people here that can help you. Aly and Moosmom are just a few. If they don't reply to this thread then you can try to pm them. I sure hope that the kitten will be okay. Please keep us updated.

[L. Wayne]

Micki 76, welcome to the cat forum.

When it comes to nursing such a little new-born kitten, and assuming that mama cat will not come back to retrieve it, the best thing to do is to make a warm blanket for the little one. I believe that a cat's normal body temperature is about 105 deg. F. , but you might want to verify this. Using an electric blanket is OK but I suggest that you place a thermometer in the place where the kitten will rest. and attempt to keep the temp at a constant. Also, feeding may become a problem in that such a little one will require feeding about every 2 hours or so. Although I have not tried this, you might take a kitten's full nursing bottle and place it in such a manner where the kitten can nurse it any time she wants I am thiniking of a styrofoam block with a hole in it to receive the bottle, and bury in in the heating pad or blanket. I have heard that some folks will loose sleep while feeding a small kitten, until they grow out of tiny kittenhood in about a month. Perhaps if you can find a nursing queen, would be better than humans attempting the same role -that is, if she will accept it. Nursing mama cats will often take in kittens from a different litter :) What color is its coat?

[moosmom]

I posted in the other thread. Since the mama is feral, she will not return. To her, you are a predator which is why she moved the other kittens.

Sleep deprivation is something that goes along with caring for a kitten so young.

Here's my reply in the other thread. WARNING: When heating the bottle, DO NOT use the microwave! Just place it is some very hot water for a few minutes and test it first. As long as it's room temperature, that's okay.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28583&perpage=15&pagenumber=2