Help - Lincoln, NE

Hi A.-
Try mixing soft food or milk in with the hard food. I also had a very young kitten and there is formula you can buy they love the taste of it and it gives them all the nutrition they need.
C.

most pet stores or places like sundance or earl may should have kitten milk replacer which you have to feed to them with a medicine dropper it should have the amounts on the can or a store person should be able to help you with that or call a local vets office and ask them they are usually willing to help.
L.

Take your kitten to a vet immediatly.

You can get "kitten" milk at the petstores. They need to nurse every hour or so...so feeding would be the same. Just like an infant.

Take care,

D.

http://www.myspace.com/danettscott

I would go to your local farm animal supply store. They have kitten and puppy alternate milk products. Bless you for being an animal lover!!!! J. S

If she is really only a week old she shouldn't eat solid food, give her milk, or maybe baby formula. Or ask you vet. If her eyes are open, you can add water, and let the food get mushy before you feed it to her. I would definitely call a vet and ask advice from them. They can guide you so she doesn't end up malnourished, and can grow up strong and healthy. Good luck!! oh you might want to watch her and make sure she is eating, you might have to help her, remember at a week old she would still only be nursing from her mama.

Try feeding her kitten formula thru an eye dropper, syring (sp), or a special bottle. The syring & formula can be found at PetCo. Or you can order it online or go get it from KV Vet Supply. That's where I usually get my stuff, IF I'm not able to get it from the pet store. Or even better yet. Either call KV or talk to KV via internet. And ask them. There's 1 or 2 vet's that work there. Or even try calling a local vet.

BUT one thing is for sure. It needs to have it's shots, deworming, etc. So that way it doesn't spread to any other animals. Example: so it doesn't spread parvo (black / tar lookin color doodie/ poo poo) or worms. Hope this helps. IF you need some more advice let me know.

You also have to stimulate her to pee and poo. use a warm wash cloth and rub. her belly should be round when she eats, and you can rub her checks to stimulate swallowing.

Go to a pet store and get advice...or yet call your vet and find out what you should be feeding the little one...you can find things out on the internet to..I am a animal lover to...Good luck with the baby kitten...L.

Hi A.!
I've been there. Years ago, the local shelter called me up and asked me to care for three abandoned kittens. They, too, were one week old. I called my vet and hand fed them every one to two hours. This includes during the night. You'll also need to take a warm washcloth and gently wash his little bottom to stimulate his potty needs. You really should call a vet. If you've never taken care of that young of an animal, you need professional advise. Dani's response was right on. Your kitten is an infant. You can get special bottles from your vet and he'll recommend what to feed it. So get on the phone, Honey, and best of everything to you!!! And thanks for caring for the little ones.

Just Me!
S.

P.S. The kittens I took in and hand fed did great. In fact, I still have them. They're seven years old now!!!

I don't know if this will be much help but kittens under 3 weeks are really hard to keep alive, we have a lot of strays around our property and have'nt been very succsesful with them that young, they have to be fed about every hour or two cause they don't drink alot at one sitting, you also need to wipe there bottoms, the mom kitty licks them in order for them to pee and poo, make sure you have a bottle for kittens and introduce it the same way you would a newborn baby. Hope that helps.

Hey A.!! I work at a vet clinic, and I have raised ophaned kittens myself. You want to go to a pet store and get kitten milk and a kittle bottle. The kitten needs to be fed every 2 hours. Let me know if you have anymore ?'s

I agree with the last response but you can also look on the net to get ideas. She could be warn out, lost, stressed, she may just need a day or two to get used to her new mommy. Have you looked around for her family in the yard? Perhaps this weekend you will have extra time to get her used to you. Remember she is a baby and handling her may be making her too tired to eat. Just a thought. Good luck. M.

What are you doing for it? When I was a kid, we found some kittens in our garage, and we had to feed them every 2-3 hours. If you still don't know what to do, take it to the vet or a shelter, and they can give you good info on what to do.

You can even get the kitten milk/formula (they are small cans - kind of the size of a small formula can but it is made for kittens) and bottles (I believe they come one in a box and would be the best to use) in the pet section of WalMart. We did that for a kitten we found a long time ago and fed it until we could get it to a shelter ( I lived in an apartment that didn't allow pets)
They do need to eat frequently and can't be handled a lot.
That's all I know! I would call a vet's office and see what they recommend.
Good luck!

When we had a kitten that didn't seem to be getting her share from the mother (it was the runt of a litter of 8) we gave her small amounts of baby formula with a dropper. I'd also call a local vet clinic to see if they have suggestions.

Hi A.,
Animals have good instincts(especially cats)when it comes to what and how much they should eat. Well, I say this, and my own cat sometimes eats until he throws up. If you think that there is a problem, you should take your kitten to the vet. There may be a a medical problem that causes her to eat less.

E. H.

I'm not sure where you live at, but if it's in Canyon County, take the kitten to Pet Haven to find a 'wet' mama cat. or just an animal shelter should help. Or try to find someone with a nursing mama cat to help out.

We used to have a lot of cats when I was a little girl and sometimes a mother would get hit by a car. My mom would put a water bottle full of warm water with them when they slept, feed them with an eyedropper of warm milk (usually 3 or 4 droppers full per kitty or until their tummy was *slightly* firm to the touch) and everyone is right about their bottoms. When my mom used to feed them, she'd also wrap them in a fuzzy towel or baby blanket to keep them warm and keep their little scratchy paws out of the way.

Hi, A.. If the kitten is only a week onld....you may have some work cut out for you. I hate to be negative, but the little thing may not even make it.
1st thing you should do is talk to a local vet to see if they can help you. Next, get a syringe...and some kitten milk (you can find this in the pet aisle at wal-mart, at your local vet, or at any pet store. DO NOT USE COW'S MILK...IT'S NOT THE SAME THING...AND DO NOT USE THE PET BRAND CONCENTRATED MILK YOU FIND IN THE GROCERY STORE. The milk with the little kitty on the box is specially formulated to help them grow, since they need different stuff than we do.
A kitten that young will need to eat at least once every two hours...just like a newborn baby! It may need to eat more than than, also...you may have to help it go potty. Have a warm (not hot) wet cloth and gently wipe the kitty's bottom a couple times a day for about 30 secods (this simulates the mommy cat licking...they do this to help their babies go).
Keep an eye on the kitty's gums...press on them gently with your finger. They should immediately go back to pink when you release your finger. If they feel tacky to the touch or stay white for a couple seconds after you move your finger, it means the little thing is dehydrated. If this happens, call your vet immediately. Just like babies, it doesn't take long for a kitty that young to go down hill.
I didn't mean to be negative, just wanted to give you as much information as possible.
Good luck!
Let us know how it turns out! =)

Be very careful. I had a week old puppy who I was giving pet formula to and she asperated the milk into her lungs. She was sick. It only takes a little bit every hour or hour and a half. Less than an ounce.