Little Bear and the new rescue

**cristy** · 04-28-2008, 04:58 PM

Hi all...Well, GILL is coming down our way tomorrow to take Little Bear back with him. It makes me sad to see her go, but she is in good hands! She might just be taking a friend with her though. My husband found a newborn kitten at work today and watched all day for the mother to return...no luck. He brought it home this evening and he/she is currently snuggled up with LB in her "sanctuary". I contacted GILL before I put them together to see if he wanted her or not because I didn't want to introduce them only to separate them tomorrow. He said that, bless his heart, he would take them both if they took to each other.

I don't know about all of the people on here, but I have met the most wonderful, caring, generous individuals...I feel so blessed!! Thank you all!

I do have one question...considering I have never nursed a kitten before. I bought a nursing bottle and kitten replacement milk, but he/she just doesn't seem to want it. He/She hasn't eaten all day, and I would think, should be hungry. Everytime I try to give it to him/her turns he/she turns his/her head and cries. I have decided to quit pushing for a bit and let him/her warm up next to Little Bear while we eat dinner, but I will give it a go again afterwards. Does anyone have any suggestions that will make him/her want to eat from the synthetic nipple?? The milk is slightly warm and I have actually opened his/her mouth and put it inside...he/she is just not having any of it!!

**Catty1** · 04-28-2008, 06:50 PM

I haven't hand-raised a kitten, but I know some folks here have used an eyedropper to get the milk into the baby.

Just keep gently trying. I know there are folks here that will have lots of advice.

One thing: kittens this young need stimulation to go to the bathroom. Wipe a warm damp rag across his/her anal area...hopefully that will stimulate the kitten to "go" - and then there will be room for food!

Call your vet for advice too.

**momtomany** · 04-28-2008, 08:10 PM

I agree with Catty that an eye dropper can be used. I would suggest that if there is an emergency vet that you can call, they will provide the information you need. Kittens can dehydrate quickly, so you don't want the baby to go to long without food. They do have to be stimulated to go to the bathroom and that could be why the kitten wouldn't eat.

**AbbyMom** · 04-28-2008, 08:37 PM

Here is a site with info on raising orphan kittens:

http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm

It has some advice about using bottles:

Open the mouth gently with the tip of your finger and slip the nipple in. Once your kitten gets the hang of it, they will search out the nipple enthusiastically! You will feel a real "vacuum effect" when the kitten gets into suckle mode. To keep air from getting into the kitten's stomach, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, keeping a light pull on the bottle. The kitten should be allowed to suck at its own pace. If a kitten refuses to take the nipple or won't suckle, try rubbing it vigorously on its forehead or stroking its back. This replicates the activity of a momcat's cleaning and can effectively stimulate the kitten to nurse. Sometimes you will hear a "clicking" noise which means the kitten's nursing instinct is in gear and should be ready for the nipple. Sometimes a kitten is simply picky; there are two kinds of nipples out there, one shorter and one longer, so you might have to make sure they don't prefer one or the other

There's a lot more...

Wishing you and the kitten the best. Thank you for taking her in.

**cristy** · 04-28-2008, 11:57 PM

Thanks for your responses! I have been stimulating her and she has peed quite a few times. I'm not sure about the poo...I think that there was some yellowish gunk on the towel, but it is the same towel that I had been using to wipe her up, so I'm not sure what it actually was. I keep calling her a she...who knows at this point! My 6-year-old decided on the neutral name of Turtle

Does anyone know how long milk is available in the teets when a cat is pregnant? Since LB was pregnant when we brought her in, I'm wondering if the kitten is getting fed from her...it is definately trying hard and it is a feisty little bugger! I would think that if it hadn't eaten since this morning (at the latest) it would be getting weak by now with just the few drops I am able to get in it's little tummy every couple of hours. That is NOT the case. It is moving around a lot, crying and trying to get away when I try to feed it and is pretty strong for a newborn with his umbilical cord stub still attached!

I have to take a picture of these two though...they are so cute! Turtle looks like he/she could actually be LB's kitten since she is a tuxedo and T is all black. I don't think that LB has left her sanctuary since I put T in there!

**critters** · 04-29-2008, 05:57 AM

Sometimes you have to put the nipple in and squeeze the bottle so a little formula comes out. You opened the nipple if necessary, right?

**cristy** · 04-29-2008, 09:17 AM

I did open the nipple with a hot needle. I have been going back about every 2 hours and force feeding her 6-8 drops. I know it isn't much, but she just screams and cries and lashes around until I put her back on LB's nipple.

**critters** · 04-29-2008, 01:36 PM

I always found that a needle hole wasn't big enough. The baby's getting comfort and warmth from LB, but not food. The baby needs to eat.

**moosmom** · 04-29-2008, 01:43 PM

Maybe LB's nipple is what she needs and obviously wants. You're doing a great job there Cristy. Keep up the good work. You might want to put a heating pad underneath LB just to keep Turtle warm. Keep it on low with a towel over it.

**Catty1** · 04-29-2008, 02:06 PM

Keep force feeding, Cristy! at least she is getting something, and regularly is good.

Gosh - I wish GILL knew a momcat who was still nursing her babies! That would be great. But I am sure GILL and family have lots of experience.

Another idea - though maybe hard to do - is to squeeze drops of milk down onto LB's nipple that the kitten is glued to. Just above the area, on LB's skin and let it run down.

HUGS and you are doing great!

**mumpkees** · 04-29-2008, 04:31 PM

Hi.

Thank you for taking this little one in, but the baby kitten is getting no nourishment from LB - only 'some' comfort.

I don't mean to be mean, but this kitten has got to get more nourishment into him/her or s/he is going to die - it sounds like it has been close to 48 hours since a sufficient amount of nourishment has been fed to the baby. Baby kittens do not have the luxury of days, some only have hours. Chances are the kitten is severely dehydrated now and needs the intervention of a vet to hydrate him/her. Kittens also need to be kept warm (100 degrees) and you cannot feed a chilled kitten. Most vets will do a courtesy visit when they find out that you are caring for an orphan kitten. The vet and techs will show you how to hold the kitten, how to cut the nipple or use a syringe or eye dropper. Some will even give you supplies and KMR or other milk replacement. You have to be very careful as you can easily aspirate a kitten if they are held wrong or you try to squeeze milk into them.

Did you look at the link from AbbyMom? www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm? it is an excellent source of what needs to be done. I strongly urge you to take the baby to a vet or you will lose him. /mari

**cristy** · 04-29-2008, 07:12 PM

GILL actually came and picked up the kitties today. He said that they have raised wee little ones in the past, so I'm sure he will be able to help Turtle. I was sooo sad to see LB go....I came inside and had a good cry, but I know that she is in wonderful hands. I just hope that the baby is ok in the end...such a cutie...all black and mousylike. Thanks, once again, to you all!