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Kitten Care


Moshe
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People can be cruel, to each other, to animals.  So, my Grandfather (now deceased), when he didn't want a litter of kittens from a barn cat littler would put them in a burlap bag, with rocks and throw them in a lake.  Now, people are just abandoning animals.  So, I don't know the first thing about an abandoned kitten that is still on formula, according to the initial rescuer.  Long story short, the kitten is going to live here.  It will have time to adapt to the dogs.  Dogs, I understand.  Kittens, no so much.  As I will be its primary caretaker as I do with all the domesticated animals, are there any recommendations from those that have owned itty-bitty discarded kittens on raising them up to be healthy and happy?

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I am not a cat person is.  My wife is.  I prefer dogs.  But, she works, and I am retried, so that leaves the task of care to me.  Dogs make more sense to me.  They understand what I want/need them to do.  They listen to commands.  Cats will flip you off with a tail and keep moving.  

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Feed it.

Water it.

Give it a place to crap (and teach it to do it in that place only).

 

It's not exactly rocket science. Animals have been surviving on their own without mankinds help for millennia. I'm pretty sure they'll continue to do so regardless of your actions.

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Sounds like raising a puppy.  That I get that, I raised one, he is now two years old.  I have another 6 month old Rat Terrier to take care for.  As I said, before dogs are intelligent.  Cats are obstinate.  But, I get a weened kitten, no so hard.  This one apparently was not quite weened and abandoned, which makes it more complicated.  Every domesticated animal I have has been weened.  The easiest animal in the world to raise is a chicken.  Teach the hatchlings where the food and water are, and let them grow out.  Sheep are the suicide squad, like of like turkey's, they find ways to die.

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6 minutes ago, Moshe said:

She needs to be fed every two hours.  Good thing I love animals, as there will be little sleep for me.

My daughter did that for our ol' Catallica.  It was her baby.  He was born in a barn,  eyes weren't even open.  He easily fit into the palm of your hand.  A girl brought her into the bar and said that momma cat repeatedly kicked it out of the nest and if no one took it, she'd put it back and the raccoons would probably get it.  But she also gave us a bunch of bottles and formula.  She raised dogs,  so at least we had a head start and good info to go on.

He grew 20+ pounds (maine coon).  That was 20+ years ago.

He's still rockin!

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My daughter did it all,  so I don't have much input.  The formula had to be warmed.  Then wait a while and you have to rub it downward with a very warm wet washcloth, so it poos out.

We gave it a bath in a tupperware bowl the first night.  It hated it.  But it got 20,000,000,000,000 fleas off of it.  Like,  a completely gross amount of fleas.  Soaked it for a long time, and they kept coming off.  It had to feel better after that.

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You know you have to rub her 'girl stuff' with a warm/wet wash cloth after each feeding to stimulate her to go potty.

Either that, or you lick her like mom would. Take your pick.

 

 

Edited by Zonny
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Then after a week, or so,  it could crawl around,  so my wife took it upstairs into her office during the day. 

It could barely get around,  but the one day it disappeared.  She looked everywhere.  Too small for the stairs.  She looked for hours.

Then she heard the squeak.  She moved file cabinets and noticed that the duct cover was pushed aside,  where we pulled network cable up through it.

The cat had fallen from the second floor into the main basement duct.

She called some AC guy (I was out of town) and he had to keep cutting holes and putting his arm in until he could grab it.

We hadn't even had the damn free cat for two weeks before it cost us $200.

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2 hours ago, Zonny said:

You know you have to rub her 'girl stuff' with a warm/wet wash cloth after each feeding to stimulate her to go potty.

Either that, or you lick her like mom. Take your pick.

 

 

Zonny!

I....

It....

They....

He.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm speechless.

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6 hours ago, Zonny said:

You know you have to rub her 'girl stuff' with a warm/wet wash cloth after each feeding to stimulate her to go potty.

Either that, or you lick her like mom. Take your pick.

 

 

I appreciate the advise.  I just finished bottle feeding.  I have no problems taking a wet wash cloth to her lady parts.  I don't gross out easily.

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Tried that for awhile.  She hasn't responded, well, other than being irritated and scratching.  But, I don't blame her.  I guess if you go up to a strange furry female and give that a go, a scratch is to be anticipated.  I am not bashful, I am just not accustomed to playing with lady parts, except the wife.  I think a trip to the vet when they are opened is warranted, to make sure she is okay.  I am concerned the way one eye is closed still she may have been injured in abandonment misadventures.

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I got smart and put on some tactical knuckle gloves.  She could not get her claws into me, but still didn't evacuate but took interest in the litter box.  I guess I will have her checked out at the vet to make sure she doesn't have any internal issues.  The one eye makes me wonder if someone kicked her after dumping her.  I am determined.  I am not cat guy, but I can't abide cruelty and abandonment of animals.  She is claws first ask questions later.

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My daughter did it all,  so I don't have much input.  The formula had to be warmed.  Then wait a while and you have to rub it downward with a very warm wet washcloth, so it poos out.
We gave it a bath in a tupperware bowl the first night.  It hated it.  But it got 20,000,000,000,000 fleas off of it.  Like,  a completely gross amount of fleas.  Soaked it for a long time, and they kept coming off.  It had to feel better after that.

Many kittens born in the outdoors are bled out by fleas. One of mine was brought to my daughters clinic so weak they thought it was doomed. Gave it a transfusion and it made it. The person who dropped it off had done so as a rescue.


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This one, fortunately, has no fleas.  This little girl was wandering around on her own.  Fed her again, about time to try again.  I would think with her incisors she was close to being weened?  She sucks, chews on the bottle, which could not be fun for a mother cat.  She has huge feet and sharp enough claws you could go fishing with.  I guess I will find out tomorrow morning, as that is the earliest the Vet could get her in.  I want that eye to get looked at, she first appeared blind in one eye, but that blue eye popped open while she was mewling at me last night.  Mainly, right now, I am concerned about a lack of evacuation.  I tried again last night with paper towels.  Fortunately, I had the good sense to snatch my knuckle gloves while my wife was sleeping.  That saved some skin.  Once scratched, twice shy.

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On 5/5/2019 at 10:12 AM, KWalrad said:

Feed it.

Water it.

Give it a place to crap (and teach it to do it in that place only).

 

It's not exactly rocket science. Animals have been surviving on their own without mankinds help for millennia. I'm pretty sure they'll continue to do so regardless of your actions.

I've never had to teach a cat to use the litter box.  They always just figure it out.  I think I have had to show them the box but that's about it.

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If it's not "going",   and it's belly gets real hard and swollen,  it could be a very bad thing.

Try gently rubbing it's eye with a very warm / wet washcloth to and see if it helps open it up.  It might just be all gunked-up.

Or lick it,  like Momma would.

(My Mom rescued all manner of critters.  I never saw her rub a preemie's crotch like that.  She'd use an almost hot, and very wet washcloth from the neck down,  on all sides of it's body,  for several minutes.  Makes 'em wanna go!)

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46 minutes ago, Huaco Kid said:

If it's not "going",   and it's belly gets real hard and swollen,  it could be a very bad thing.

Try gently rubbing it's eye with a very warm / wet washcloth to and see if it helps open it up.  It might just be all gunked-up.

Or lick it,  like Momma would.

(My Mom rescued all manner of critters.  I never saw her rub a preemie's crotch like that.  She'd use an almost hot, and very wet washcloth from the neck down,  on all sides of it's body,  for several minutes.  Makes 'em wanna go!)

I am going to try that next.  I got her to finally burped, and she purred for the first time.  I thought, maybe, being feral and on her own, she didn't know how to purr.  The Rat Terrier, Mr. Snoopy is whining with jealousy.  But, he is right about 6 months.  He wants constant attention.  I will be typing here, and he will come in here demanding to be picked up and have his neck, ears, and chest scratched.  Speaking of which, I got a wash cloth nice and wet, and warm, she was bulging, but no production.  She did not like that, the gloves, I discovered are not impervious to fish hook ham fist claws.

Edited by Moshe
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