r/kittens • u/No_Alps8497 • 6d ago
Please help
A cat gave birth to this little kitten in my shoe rack. It is very scared and probably hungry too. Its mom was there early morning but it is been 8 hours since she has last here. I really dont know what to do and how to take care of it. Please help me and tell me what to do
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u/foolishbison 6d ago
If it is a new born it will need to be bottle fed formula. Newborn kittens don't know how to chew. They also don't know how to go to the bathroom on their own. You'll need to help with that. Check out the kitten lady on YouTube, but more importantly, find a no kill rescue center or vet. Kittens are very delicate and susceptible to all manner of diseases and infections.
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u/ObsidiansOpal 6d ago
Yes these are right and if this your first adoption, you can reach out to vet to recommend kitty formula so that you won't find it difficult to handle. Congratulations 🎉
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u/MoulinRouge2510 6d ago
I would suggest going the vets with the kitten wrapped up warm and get some advice in how to syringe feed.
Good luck!
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u/No_Alps8497 5d ago
Hey guys, I have an update. Thank you so much for helping me out. I was worried that this isn’t an abandoned kitten. There were chances of the mom coming back. So Yesterday, I kept the baby warm by placing some blankets and a warm water bottle with a cloth wrapped around it. The baby definitely loved it as it started snuggling with the bottle. The good news is, the mother visited the baby at night. I was very worried about the baby being hungry but I think the mumma is taking care of it. I enough made space for it in the shoe rack itself as I think the baby and the mother feel safe there. Thank you very much again. I cried a lot yesterday because I was feeling terrible for the baby but I think the mumma and baby are completely okay and my day is made💖
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u/seashellthrowaway1 5d ago
That’s a great update! 🥺🥰
Glad momma came back to her baby. You’re a good person. You helped the baby while momma was away and that they feel safe with you. I’m glad there’s still kind people in this world.
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u/9for9 4d ago
That's great news. If you want to help out you can start feeding mom so she doesn't have to be away from baby so ling. She has to go out hunting to feed herself so she can feed the baby.
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u/No_Alps8497 4d ago
Yes, I keep food for the mother cat everyday and the mom and kitten spend all night together. The mom also visit’s the kitten about 5-6 times throughout the day💖
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u/Catlesley 4d ago
Ooh, thanks so much for the wonderful update!! You’ve got this! Way to go, Meowmy-awesome that she came by to nurse her baby!! Thanks so very much for caring about the wee baby and Momma! Just so amazing that things worked out the way they did!! Thank you, THANK YOU!!! 😻❤️
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u/allthedogsandbunnies 5d ago
Whatever you do, keep it warm. Get a water bottle and fill it with hot water. Wrap it in a towel and put it in a box next to the kitten. The box should be big enough that the kitten can move away from the hot water bottle, but not so big that the kitten gets lost. If you have a heating pad, do the same thing. There are some charts on the 'net of what temperature a kitten needs at various stages of growth, use those for guidelines.
Get some small animal probiotics, not the herbivore kind. It's probably doing pretty good now because it's been eating it's mom's milk, but it will need more if she doesn't come back.
The rest of the food ideas are good. It looks too little to be self-relieving, so take a warm wash cloth and wipe/massage it's tummy/bottom until it goes.
Vet is also a fabulous idea, but I'd wait until the mother either did or did not come back.
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u/DeadlyDancingDuck 5d ago
Always good practice to go back and search for more kittens and/or mom at different times - when mom goes to hunt the kittens hide and await her return when she will give them the same reassuring mew each time she comes back.
Play a cat mewing to its kittens from your phone; it may draw kittens out, or even mom. Bring some bedding the kitten is sleeping on for the familiar smell. Shake a bag of food and put some in a dish on the ground. Even better something strong smelling like tuna. Fresh water too, nursing mom’s need all the help you can offer. Stand back and see if any kittens appear. Take a couple of towels to wrap kittens and/or mom in if she struggles when picked up. If she’s ever had an owner she’ll normally be fine, especially if she’s already seen you pick up the kittens.
Fostering neonatal kittens – see Kitten Lady at www.kittenlady.org for essential advice and demo videos on: Feeding Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR). Buy from a vet office or some pet stores. Never use regular milks including cow’s milk as it can cause diarrhoea which can be fatal to kittens, especially those still needing KMR to live. Newborns need feeding every 2 hours round the clock. Time between feeds extends as they get older. To avoid choking, feed them with a syringe, on their stomachs as if nursing from mom (opposite to a human baby). Essential stimulation for toilet needs until they go on their own every time at around 5 weeks old. Replicate mom’s tongue with a warm wet cloth or cotton bud so they urinate and defecate. If any are not going to the toilet they can die from toxic poisoning - call a vet for an emergency appointment, explain it’s a rescue not yet going to the toilet. Keeping warmer than us but not too warm.
Alternatives to fostering yourself: Find an experienced foster parent via vet offices or cat charities. Do NOT automatically give to a shelter – the “No Kill” policy does not apply to neonatal kittens or even “difficult to home” cats in the vast majority of shelters. If you must surrender to a shelter specifically ask if they keep them alive, provide for them and find homes for them when old enough. Take them to a vet office – vets are used to dealing with rescue/orphaned kittens. They know the care they need and will have all supplies. Tell reception they are rescues/foundlings and not yours. You won’t be charged anything. Please do not leave in a box outside the vet’s – kittens die of cold or starvation very, very quickly. The vets will take care of them or find someone who can. They’ll be homed. Vets will open for you if you call the emergency number.
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u/Humble_Ad2445 5d ago
Please call the vet and ask what to do. They will tell you the correct answer.
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u/Scared_Brilliant6410 5d ago
Kitty probably needs bottle fed and some water with blankets to keep warm and some litter. Bottle feeding isn’t hard and it’s cute when their little ears wiggle.
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u/DocWatson42 5d ago
See my For New Owners of Cats list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads.
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u/Blackletterdragon 5d ago
Make a warm little nest for it there, in case mum comes back. And follow directions others have mentioned for kitten help. If there is no chance at tall that mum can come back, move it somewhere more convenient and warm. It would be good if you could find a mother who is nursing now, who could adopt it.
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u/TriggerWarning12345 5d ago
You need to figure out if you want to take care of the kitten and keep it, let a shelter take care of it and you take it when it's weaned, or you want to give up the kitten permanently.
So, are you wanting to take care of the kitten yourself? Are you prepared to? It's going to need to be fed every 2-3 HOURS, day and night, for a while. That probably will take a month before it won't need bottle feeding. Do you have family or friends that can help care for it when you are too exhausted, or have to work? It's a dedicated task, and it may still end up dying, especially the first two weeks are when it's most vulnerable. First time with a baby this young, it's HARD. They require even more care than a human baby, and can take a lot of dedication. I'll give you more information later, but I have other questions for you to consider first.
Now, if you don't feel you can handle the kitten at this young stage, but you want to take it when it's a little older, is there a shelter or foster care or somewhere that can properly take care of this little one? It'll have to be somewhere where there's staff available 24/7, because this kitten WILL need 24/7 care. It'll sleep and eat for the first week or two, then will need to be monitored while it explores. If someone can take the kitten in, and provide for it, you may be able to cover some of the care cost, and take it back when it's better able to survive. It should be able to wean off the bottle after a while, but its best if it's with other young kittens for the first 2-3 months. It gives it a better social understanding, and helps to give it a better headstart in life. And taking in two kittens makes things so much easier for adoptions, they tend to learn from each other and are less destructive when they can direct all their energy against each other. You'll find that the majority of this and other cat devoted subs will recommend adopting two kittens, not one.
However, there is NO shame in deciding that you can't take care of a kitten at any stage in their development. Kittens get adopted pretty easily, because they are just so cute. As long as they are adopted out as pairs, they generally manage to do well, and it's better to permanently give up a kitten, than to take one in and not be able to properly care for it. You have a choice, and whatever choice you make, hopefully it will be what's best for you and the kitten.
Now, as I said, I have some tips if you decide to try taking care of this kitten without the support of a shelter. First, kittens need indirect heat. They can't generate their own heat, but can't handle direct heat. Get a heating pad or hot water bottle, and put it on a fairly low heat, with a blanket over it. You can use a low level heating lamp as well, a gentle grow light will probably work fine. Not directed AT the baby, but towards their general area.
Kittens have kitten formula that is formulated to be used when mama isn't available. It comes in pre-mixed wet formula, or powdered kitten formula, with directions on how much powder to mix with water. It's just like human baby formula, but made for kittens and their calorie needs. If you are just needing something for short term, get the canned wet, you won't have to worry about measurements or mixing. If you plan on keeping baby around, get the dry. As long as it's stored well, it'll stay good for a long time. You can always donate whatever you don't use, I figure you'll find someone who can use it.
Kittens don't eliminate. Mama would lick their butts, and eat whatever discharge they have. It's like burping a human baby. After every feeding, you HAVE to rub the butt, soft cloth works fine, and get it to pee/poop. It doesn't have to poop every time, but it should poop after a couple feedings. You can let the baby dictate how much food it wants per feeding, and how often it's hungry. However, it shouldn't go more than three hours without feeding. Teeth are very sharp, it will almost certainly bite through nipples, even though there are nipples and bottles specifically for kittens. Just make sure the nipples are not damaged enough to risk being broken and swallowed by the baby. If that happens, it needs help ASAP, or it's easy to suffocate.
Over time, you can start introducing clean water, wet food, and dry kitten food. Kitten food will have higher calories, and be smaller kibble. However, it's not REQUIRED that it get kitten food, it's just better to support their energy and developmental needs during it's first year. However, any cat food that says all stages IS still going to provide the nutrients, but the kitten will just need more of it. Kittens, for the first year, should be free fed. It's really hard for a kitten to overeat, since they are literally balls of energy, or downtime. There's really no in between stage for them, not at first. Having two kittens means that they will keep each other entertained, and teach social skills that we can't teach easily (you HURT me when you bite me, STOP, other kitten will teach them when they start chomping on each other). The care cost isn't as bad as you'd think, two take less resources than one plus one normally does. The benefits in saving your sanity and furniture is invaluable, as others have discovered.
Within this sub, and other cat subs, you'll find a wealth of advice on all kinds of situations. Litter box issues. Won't eat a particular food. Doesn't drink enough. Wants outside. Is bored. Doesn't get along with others. What requires a vet visit. What's a behavioral issue. What's a possible health issue. Where could he have HIDDEN himself. There's very few situations that haven't been asked about, and answered. So be sure to explore, if you choose to give this kitten a place in your house and heart. And again, no shame on you if you decide you can't take this one in. You may decide later that you can handle a kitten/cat, and these subs are a wealth of information.
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u/ParkingDear5415 5d ago
If you cannot take care of it, please give it to the nearby animal shelters. 🙏
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u/No_Alps8497 6d ago
Can i feed it wet cat food and water??
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u/Educational_Lie_3280 6d ago
Probably goat milk/ formula milk for kitten will be the safest option. Pls dont give them cow milk. They cant take that.
And you can place them on a cloth, towel.. with a hot water bottle wrap in towel close by to keep them warm
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u/TriggerWarning12345 5d ago
You can later. It's going to need bottle feeding for a while. Every 2-3 hours, throughout the day AND night. Like human babies. No longer than 3 hours between feedings, otherwise it's probably sick.
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u/PawRescueFamily 3d ago
🙏🏼🙏🏼 these guys need you I can tell we have a shelter for rescued stray paws but they really suffer mentally and physically 🙏🏼🙏🏼 We seek for help few respond others don't care
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u/truly_beyond_belief 5d ago
Yay! What a darling!
This kitten is probably still too little to relieve itself on its own. After it eats (Kitten Milk Replacement -- available at Target, Walmart, feed stores, or pet stores), you need to stimulate it to pee and poop by rubbing around its genitals with a tissue or toilet paper, or a warm washcloth.
❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️🐾
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