I found 4 kittens in my backyard. I decided that it would be best to leave them to see if the mother came back. I checked on them every hour, and each time I check one kitten would be gone. After 3 hours, 3 kittens were taken by the mother. The only one left was the runt of the litter. It has been about 3 hours since the mother took the 3rd kitten. I don't know if I should take this last kitten in yet or not. I don't want it to freeze! And if I do take it in, what can I feed it in the mean time until I get kitten formula?
Answers:
Yes, take it in as soon as possible! Keeping the kitten warm is the most important thing right now.
A mother will sometimes leave a kitten if she thinks something is wrong with it. Or she may have been carrying it somewhere, got scared and dropped it.
If the kitten is chilled, it is best warmed by holding close to your body or warm a towel in the microwave briefly for immediate warmth. Warm water (about 100 to 105 degrees) in a bottle the kitten can snuggle against will also work but the water has to be changed often to keep it close to the right temperature.
Try to correct dehydration first, then to try to feed the kitten after that. This can be done by giving the kitten Pedialyte or water with a little sugar in it ( 1 or 2 teaspoons per cup). The water can be given with a small nursing bottle or from the tip of a syringe or eye dropper.
After the kitten is warm and has taken a little of the water and sugar solution, it is OK to feed the kitten. Cow's milk is lower in fat than mother cat's milk and so it is necessary to add an egg yolk to about 1/2 cup of the milk, in order to get the fat content into the range that kittens are used to. If you can't get KMR pretty quickly, you'll also need to add a drop or two of a liquid pediatric vitamin formula and a source of extra calcium, such as a crushed TUMS tablet.
If you are using KMR follow the directions. If you are using the formula above, you need to feed about 2.5 teaspoonfuls (13 to 15 ml) for every 3 ounces of body weight over the course of the day. If you don't have any method of weighing the kitten, assume that it is about 3 to 4 ounces in weight.
Kittens seem to do better when fed every 2 hours. The total per day needs to add up to the 12 to 15ml per 3 ounces of body weight.
Make sure you stimulate it's tummy and genitals after it eats with a warm wet rag. VERY IMPORTANT! It can not go to the bathroom by itself.
I am including some links on newborn care
Keep checking outside to see if you see a cat around that might be the mother. Don't become too attached, there is a high mortality rate with abandoned/lost new born strays.
http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html...
http://cats.about.com/cs/kittencare/ht/b...
http://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.h...
milk
don't try this your self
please take it to the vet and let them take care of it, they can do more then you can and it might have a better chance to live, not that your not smart enough but they have all the things needed to help this little baby.
mix half milk and half water
milk alone is too rich for a kitten
Fish and milk.
Don't give it to much milk cause cats can get the runs. Go to the vet and have them check it out. Their more trained than we are. Take the poor kitten in. Usually mother cats do reject a kitten 9 times out of 10. It's not all the time they desert their own but sometimes they do.
I think taht you shoudl do what ever your heart thinks, the mothers sometimes leave the littlest, as it may have something wrong with it, or she may think it wont survive. If you take it in and it did die, there would have been nothing you could have done, but at this point, it has a good chance of survival.
Re: Milk, normal human drinking milk is not good for cats, it can give them the runs and though its tempting to give it to them, don't. Try a milk replacer, from your local vet, if your in need of something fast, use an eye dropper and some warm water and glucose, its better than nothing and better than normal milk.
Put it in a box with some towels and keep it warm, if it has its eyes opened, then it is walking around abit. If its eyes are still shut, make sure tat iit is alive and keep it warm. Try a hot water bottle for warmth.
I hope this helps and taht you make teh right decision!
Evaporated milk from a can or watered down whole milk. Your best bet is to get an eye dropper and feed the "runt" about every two hours. He/she will stop sucking on the dropper when its full. I would take it to a vet to make sure it is healthy as soon as possible though, just to be sure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment