Found a kitten... Now what?

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Yesterday evening I found a kitten on our street. I bought kitten formula and some droppers.

 

His eyes are crusted closed. I think he's about 5-6 weeks based on weight (17 oz).

 

He did make some sounds last night, but not too much.

 

He won't eat more than like 3cc at a time, and doesn't touch the bottle. Since 7:30 last night he's had, maybe, 10cc of kitten formula. He had no interest in wet cat food (I grabbed a can just in case he was older than he seemed at first).

[Bensmom]

First of all, I am not a vet, but many years ago we rescued a tiny kitten. The vet told us to give it Gatorade. I don't remember what flavor. The kitten was so tiny I just poured some in a little lid and put her face next to it. She drank on her own. This got her started and after a couple of days she was eating watered down canned pate type cat food. She lived 14 years.

 

Good luck!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I called a vet's office this morning. They said we're on the right track, but to add stimulating him to pee/poo, and give him deworming stuff. They said he sounds to be eating within the range of acceptable, just to keep feeding every few hours.

 

If his eyes don't clear in a couple of days, he may need antibiotics.

 

He doesn't eat of drink on his own. We have to stick the dropper in the side of his mouth and squirt a bit. Then he'll take 1-3cc at a time.

[Pippen]

I found a kitten that turned out to be younger than I thought at first based on his size. He was actually a very well fed 7-10 day old kitten.

 

Good idea to check with the vet. If you see any signs of him not doing well, it's important to get him to the vet ASAP and not wait it out. Tiny kittens fail very fast. 

 

He never took to bottle feeding, but I used one of the larger medicine droppers. It was a challenge the first few days, but he caught on and turned into a demanding little kitten milk tyrant in no time at all. 

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-medicine-dropper--spoon/ID=prod6210356-product

 

My kitten was pretty distraught the first few days and needed lots of cuddling. I put a hot water bottle under some fleecy blankets in his bed so he'd be sure to stay warm.  Eventually I transitioned him into a pet taxi so we would have a way to contain him. 

 

You can find about all things orphan kitten, plus some very helpful forum members, here:

http://www.thecatsite.com/

 

ETA: Tiny kittens are totally irresistible. Because of my allergies I immediately started finding a home for ours, and actually had three offers to take him. In the end he never went anywhere and he's now my big ten year old cat.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2016 by Pippen

[goldberry]

Pics???  

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Here he is. I'll try for more later. :)

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Um... Or not. Lol. I guess it doesn't want to post.

[Katy]

Do you have a jersey infinity scarf?  You can loop them to (carefully) hold a kitten or puppy in them, so they can be held all the time with one hand and less attention.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

He's pooped, twice (once on ds! Lol!), and peed at least once.

 

I can't tell if he's lethargic or kitten tired, but he doesn't wake very well.

 

We are getting about 2cc into him at each feeding, which is often.

 

If anyone picture capable pm's me their email, I'll send a picture and you can post it.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I never thought about wearing him!

 

We're out for a few, and he's home resting, or at least I hope that's what he's doing.

 

Earlier, we were getting a lot of gunk out of his eyes.

[gingersmom]

Is there a vet that will see the kitty (maybe at no/reduced cost) or a rescue group that could examine the kitty?

 

Are you going to keep it?

[hornblower]

I think kitty needs to be seen by a vet. They can assess body conditioning score, check for upper resp infection & see whether the eyes need antibiotic ointment. 

 

[trulycrabby]

"milk tyrant" :wub:

[amo_mea_filiis.]

He seemed to be more lethargic late afternoon, and I got a tiny bit of water into him.

 

Unfortunately, a vet is just not in the cards. I also can't find anyone local that's cared for tiny kittens who will take him. The local shelter was closed today.

 

I couldn't just leave him out on the pavement yesterday. :(

 

But we're doing the best we can do.

 

I ran to tractor supply and got an eye cream. Dd did manage to get his eyes open. Also, tractor supply has a vaccine clinic coming up that I can afford if we can get him healthy enough.

 

I can go to the vet for antibiotics, but that'll also cause diarrhea, and he's not eating (formula) or drinking well enough to manage diarrhea.

[Bensmom]

Awww. Poor little guy. I'm glad you are there to help him. I hope he makes it!

[hornblower]

He seemed to be more lethargic late afternoon, and I got a tiny bit of water into him.

 

Unfortunately, a vet is just not in the cards. I also can't find anyone local that's cared for tiny kittens who will take him. The local shelter was closed today.

 

I couldn't just leave him out on the pavement yesterday. :(

 

But we're doing the best we can do.

 

I ran to tractor supply and got an eye cream. Dd did manage to get his eyes open. Also, tractor supply has a vaccine clinic coming up that I can afford if we can get him healthy enough.

 

I can go to the vet for antibiotics, but that'll also cause diarrhea, and he's not eating (formula) or drinking well enough to manage diarrhea.

Hope you can find a local cat rescue person to help you!  (Or maybe you'll become the local cat rescue person :)  ) 

 

the kitten will also neat treatment for parasites - internal & external. 

 

 

 

for the eye ointment, I'd recommend this if kitty can't be seen by vet: 

"

Terramycin Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment

Terramycin is one of the very few antibiotic ointments which can be purchased over the counter. It can typically be used to treat very mild conjunctivitis infections of the eye. Its main ingredients are Oxytetracycline and Polymyxin. Oxytetracycline is an anti-inflammatory agent which reduces associated swelling of the eyes. Polymyxin is an antibiotic agent used to kill of susceptible bacteria.

Terramycin is usually given two to four times per day or as needed. Because it can be purchased over the counter, the cost is relatively low and an excellent treatment option for infections that are not serious enough to require a prescription."

 

https://www.vetinfo.com/ointments-cat-eye-infection-treatment.html

 

 

 

 

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Hornblower, that's the cream I got. :)

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Our sick kittens have been enticed with turkey baby food (the purée--make sure turkey and water are the only ingredients, no onion or spices). If he starts accepting some solids, there is a high-cal prescription food that works well when you're having to force feed. I'd have to look up the name. The baby food can't be a long term solution, because it's missing some vital nutrients, but sometimes it will get them started.

He's not taking anything. Like I said, we're partially force feeding, and he swallows until he's done. Once he's done he turns his head very fast/hard.

 

I was thinking of giving him something sweet to try to get him licking, and then move to some kind of food (baby food, wet kitty, whatever).

 

For now, we have to stick with gently force feeding.

[hornblower]

have you seen this resource? 

I think if kitty is not lapping from a spoon yet, it's too early to try other foods. Better get him strengthened up with the KMR. 

http://bestfriends.org/resources/bottle-feeding-kittens

 

[Pippen]

Poor baby. You can try Pedialyte, or dilute the formula with Pedialyte (or a homemade version). The replacement milk is a huge change from mama's milk. 

 

Plain chicken baby food--first foods with just meat and water--diluted with formula may also be worth trying. It's like crack for healthy kittens. 

 

Edited July 28, 2016 by Pippen

[trulycrabby]

You might look for a local lost and found pets facebook page. If one exists in your area, then they might know of some potential fosters.

[Pippen]

You might look for a local lost and found pets facebook page. If one exists in your area, then they might know of some potential fosters.

 

This is a good idea. Some nursing mama cats will accept an orphan kitten. 

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Would a nursing mama cat accept a sick kitty? Do I want to expose others to him?

 

He just woke up and meowed to poo (we have a box with a little dirt and he's used it twice!). I fed him the puny 2cc and he's back to sleep.

[Tanaqui]

I've never known nursing mothers to be too picky. If they haven't abandoned their own kittens (it does happen, especially with younger mamas) they'll nurse just about anything that sits still long enough.

 

However, I would hesitate to put this sick kitten in with a healthy litter. Gunky eyes can be an eye infection, which is a problem but nothing to get too worked up about, or they can indicate a respiratory infection - which is bad. The lethargy makes me think this is not a simple eye infection. I wouldn't want to expose healthy kittens to that. Kittens can be fragile, and you don't want to spread the disease around. Why can't you take the cat to the vet? If it's a cost issue, maybe some of us can chip in via paypal...?

 

I was thinking of giving him something sweet to try to get him licking, and then move to some kind of food (baby food, wet kitty, whatever).

 

Cats don't have the ability to taste sweetness. They don't have those tastebuds.

 

And really, a six week kitten is like a six month baby in terms of diet - it should be mostly milk or formula

Edited July 28, 2016 by Tanaqui

[kiwik]

Try wet cat food. I only say this because we found a tiny half dead kitten once that wouldn't drink milk. Still had blue eyes and a triangle tail, tiny and looked less than 4 weeks. Turned out to be a very stunted 3.5 months on vet inspection. Big happy cat now.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

His eyes look *slightly* better this morning.

 

He really enjoyed being snuggled in a dryer fresh towel.

 

Still not interested in food (I tried wet food his first night and he didn't care. I'll try again now that his eyes are easier to open). He didn't argue a few sips of water like he does the formula.

 

I'm going to weigh him in a bit. If no gains, I'll take him to the shelter at noon.

 

If even a tiny gain, I'll try to find some deworming stuff for his size. Tractor supply only had one with dosing for every 5lbs.

[kitten18]

His eyes look *slightly* better this morning.

 

He really enjoyed being snuggled in a dryer fresh towel.

 

Still not interested in food (I tried wet food his first night and he didn't care. I'll try again now that his eyes are easier to open). He didn't argue a few sips of water like he does the formula.

 

I'm going to weigh him in a bit. If no gains, I'll take him to the shelter at noon.

 

If even a tiny gain, I'll try to find some deworming stuff for his size. Tractor supply only had one with dosing for every 5lbs.

Definitlely try the dewormer, that's very likely to be the cause of the diarrhea and he could get much stronger after that's treated.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

The shelter can't take him until Tuesday, but did see him this morning. He is a boy. She gave him fluids, dewormer, and baby food with nutri-cal. She gave me feeding instructions as well.

 

He's extremely weak and may not make it, but we'll do as advised. We'll likely end up surrendering him, but we have until Tuesday. Given that I can't take him to the vet, he's probably better at the shelter.

[catz]

:grouphug:   Thank you for trying.  I hope baby comes around!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

They confirmed 6-7 weeks.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Since the fluids this morning, he looked worse for a few. So instead the baby food mixture, I've been getting 1-2cc pedialyte every 15 minutes or so. He's still not good, but by the third session, he attempted fighting it. Very weak fighting, but I'll take it as a good sign.

 

I'm going to keep with the fluids, and then do pedialyte mixed with baby chicken later. There's no point in feeding if he continues to be this dehydrated.

 

The local rescue farm doesn't have enough volunteers to take him.

 

I have a word out to a few animal loving friends and am looking for someone who can do better than us.

[Tanaqui]

I have a word out to a few animal loving friends and am looking for someone who can do better than us.

 

I'm not arguing that this isn't a good idea, but don't beat yourself up too much. Handraising kittens, even at that age, is hard - especially when they're sick. Even people with experience lose kittens.

 

Edited July 28, 2016 by Tanaqui

[amo_mea_filiis.]

After the 4th fluid feed, he was trying to swat the syringe. :) I'm going to keep going for a few more "feeds."

 

He's now sleeping as opposed to just being unable to move. His breathing seems more like breathing too, and I don't have to be completely still while holding my breath to see that he's breathing.

 

I know he's no one where near well, but if we stay on this path, he may have a slight chance.

[TechWife]

After the 4th fluid feed, he was trying to swat the syringe. :)

 

Go kitty! 

[amo_mea_filiis.]

He's sort of perked up a bit. He's still not active in any way, but does try harder in refusing feeding, and is sleeping more normal looking. He had just been falling over and staying that way.

 

He stunk really, really, really bad, so we gave him a very quick bath. Poor guy used up all his energy in trying to fight and we even got a couple growls. The moment he was out, wrapped in a warm towel, he closed his eyes. It was very, very quick, and he was very quickly warmed, dried, and cuddled (he can use his poop dirt box, but tends to just sit right down in it, so there's no wiping him up).

 

He's currently being fed very watered chicken. One to one chicken and pedialyte, or possibly 3:2 pedialyte to chicken. Dd will keep up fluids and watered food through the night, and in the morning I'll give slightly more chicken in the mix. We're still working with a 1cc dropper.

 

His first poo after the shelter visit was slightly less blood to poo, though extremely stinky. I mean a tiny squirt from his butt will knock out the house! I am watching that and if it doesn't continue to get better, I'll take him for another shelter visit.

 

If I can get him to lap his own water and food, or even just willingly accept being fed before Tuesday, that will be great.

 

He's still getting the eye medicine twice a day, and is still gunky, but he now opens his eyes and they're not so bad looking. They're starting to look like cat's eyes. We use a warm compress at most feedings.

 

I just hope he doesn't have some killer cat disease that'll kill him a few months after getting through this, if he survives.

[Tanaqui]

Other than the lethargy and the eyes, is he showing any other symptoms? Coughing, sneezing, poor coordination? If he can survive until Tuesday, and doesn't actually get worse, then he has a good chance of survival under their care.

 

You can try rinsing his eyes with sterile water between applications of medicine. He might not like that, though, and you might not want him to get wet.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Nothing respiratory.

 

His balance and coordination seem related to level of dehydration. The tiny bit he walks seems ok with his overall condition. He can now sit, and if you put him on his back he can twist to his belly. He's also choosing sleep and cuddle positions. This is an improvement.

 

ETA: only other symptom is the bloody poo, which seems to be improving.

Edited July 29, 2016 by amo_mea_filiis.

[kitten18]

Really sounds like he had roundworms. I think (hope) he will get better.

[Tanaqui]

Nothing respiratory.

 

His balance and coordination seem related to level of dehydration. The tiny bit he walks seems ok with his overall condition. He can now sit, and if you put him on his back he can twist to his belly. He's also choosing sleep and cuddle positions. This is an improvement.

 

ETA: only other symptom is the bloody poo, which seems to be improving.

 

Sounds like parasites, including the aforementioned coccidiosis. Run that by the shelter, see if they'll comp you a dose of the medicine kand recommended. Parasites aren't good, but in my eyes they're still better than a respiratory infection. And it does sound like he's improving, which is good.

 

How's he for fleas? I assume that when you bathed him you got rid of all the fleas on him (I'm also assuming he had fleas), but are you changing his bedding? Even a healthy kitten can't afford fleas at that age, and a sick one needs every bit of blood.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

We haven't seen fleas. Dd pulled off 2 teeny tiny bugs, but we have no idea what they were. They didn't look like ticks either. I will check him more throughly today though.

 

Because his poo gets all over him and transferred to his bedding, it's changed a few times a day.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I think he's moving towards respiratory issues. He has a bit of nasal discharge this morning. :(

 

He looks slightly better. Not so obviously dehydrated, little easier to feed. But he's still accepting minimal amounts and is down to 15.8oz.

 

He's responding to sounds and smells. He lifted his head when I came to get him from bed. He was licking his lips when I stuck the chicken mix in his face.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

He didn't make it. He crashed around 11:15, and died around noon.

[El...]

Oh no.  I'm so sorry.

[Laura Corin]

I'm sorry. You did what you could.

[catz]

:grouphug:   Thank you for trying!  You did your best. 

[Tanaqui]

Poor kitty. But listen, don't blame yourself. Kittens, especially orphaned ones, are delicate. Handraising kittens is a gamble, every time.

[Guest]

Oh, poor kitten. I'd been following this thread, hoping for a good outcome. I'm sorry. :(

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. I too was following and hoping for good outcome, but really, you did every possible thing you could have, and more than most people would have for sure. And you gave him love and tender care and a warm, safe place until the end.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug: to all of you. 

[zoobie]

Oh no. Poor kitty. You were very kind to take care of him so well. :grouphug:

[Seasider]

I keep thinking of the dryer-warm towels. What a mercy for the little critter. Sorry he did not make it.