sick kittie

[Joannie]

I found a little kitten on my front porch, his little eyes were gluded shut with guck and his little nose was full of dried stuff. My daughter washed his eyes with warm water and washed his nose also, we put some visine in his eyes and gave him a half of a baby aspirin, he hasn't taken that yet,we put a warm towel in a zip lock bag under his towel to keep him warm. Any other suggestions would be helpfull, thanks Joann

[rg_girlca]

Hi Joann;

Bless you for taking in this widdle one to care for it. It sounds like it has an URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) If it is possible, you should call your vet tomorrow to get this little one in as it will need antibiotics.

In the meantime, here is a very good link that gives you information on what to do with rescued kittens. Just click on it.

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

I'll be praying for the little one.

[furrykidsmother]

So kind of you to try and help this little one. However, I don't think that it is good to give cats any type of aspirin. Hopefully, someone can confirm or deny that for me, but I don't think it is good for them and I don't want to see this little guy have any more complications. Sounds like a visit to a vet is in order to get some meds. Please keep us posted, sure hope he is doing better real soon.

[Randi]

I'm glad you found the kitten and took him/her in. :) Washing his eyes and nose with warm water was a good idea, but please don't give any human medicine to the kitten - it could make things worse. Keep him warm and feed him only kitten food. No normal milk either. You can buy special milk for kittens in Pet shops or at the vet, I think.

The kitten needs to see a vet, who can determine what kind of medicine he needs. If you can't get an appointment, ask if you can come by to get the antibiotics at least.

Hope this kitten will get better soon! Thank you for being there for him :)

[moosmom]

There are certain people meds that are fine for cats, depending on their weight and size. However, I'd forego the baby aspirin. Go buy some "Little Noses" pediatric saline nose drops. Try putting a couple drops in each nostril. You can also bring the baby in the bathroom and close the door. Turn on the hot water in the shower and let the steam build up. This will help break up the congestion. Wash his eyes with a warm moist washcloth to clear out all the gunk. This will at least help till you can get him to the vet.

Get a bin or box and put either a hot water bottle or heating pad (on low) and cover it with a small towel. Put the baby in the box and cover the box lightly with a small blanket.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[Joannie]

I appeiciate all of your help, he/she seems to be a little better today able to eat a little wet food with some cottage cheese I will stay away from the ASA and get some kitty milk from my vet. My daughter was able to get some milk down it with a sryinge. But its little nose and eyes are still crusty and gucky. Joann

[moosmom]

Joann,

Just keep putting warm moist wash clothes on his eyes. The vet will probably prescribe some eye ointment for him.

Thank you so much for helping this little guy out! Do you have any idea how old he is?? If he's more than 5 weeks old, you might want to get him some IAMS canned kitten food and mix it with the kitty milk. Put it in a saucer, put a little on your finger and put it in his mouth. He may not eat because he's congested (cats won't eat if they can't smell their food). Try to see if he'll eat on his own. You can also give him some Nutrical, which is high in protein and vitamins which he sounds like he needs.