Rescued a tiny kitten in a shed after rainstorm. Need guidance!

[AnnaH]

Need help asap. I rescued a tiny kitten that was crying since last night in a rainstorm and a shed full of garbage rumble. It was stuck. I did not see any other kittens or a mom. it was a hard decision to make to take the kitten because from my understanding once you handle a cat the mother doesn’t want to take it back? But the cat was crying from last night. I’m walking over to the vet right now to pick up some formula. I do not have any experience with infant kittens. Can you please give me some advice? Or some resources to read up on this? I Happened to have a jar of pure chicken baby food on me because I was going to feed a feral cat. I asked the vets first and gave it about less than half a teaspoon of food.

Thank you so much! Also, I am not comfortable with giving a flea bath. But if I take it home, I probably have to do this, right? My vet does not have any openings today. Hopefully they can see the kitten tomorrow.

Also, I know they need to be kept warm. What happens when they’re this young and they need to go to the bathroom. Do you just put PP pads down?

As you can see, I am very new to this. Thank you for your guidance.

@Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Christina @Dr. Jeff

 

[AnnaH]

I think the kitten is only about two or three weeks old. It’s eyes are open and it has fur. It was very hungry and had some of the formula but did not want anymore. I offered some pure food. It was eager to eat.



I fed her and she was full of flea dust and blood. I did not see any fleas, though. I have never given a flea bath and I’m nervous. I bought some dawn soap. I’m going to ask a friend if they can help me give her a bath.



I was given instructions on how much to feed formula based on her weight. It’s 11.6 ounces. But it seems like it wants to eat soft food more so far.



How much do I feed a kitten this young wet, canned food?



I set her up in my bathroom. I put a carton tray from canned food as a litter box with no litter. Just a Pee pee pad.



Do Kittens this young need water? It was very stressed out because it endured a scary rainstorm through the night and was stuck by itself last night and all day today until I found it. I gave it some rescue remedy calming drops. Is this OK? The bottle says it does not matter the age or the weight or the species of the animal.



I don’t have any extra experience and need all the advice and resources I can get. Thank you so much.



Also, is it OK for the kitten to be left alone for about three hours in the bathroom with everything Kitten proofed and secure?

@Dr. Christina @Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Jeff

 

[Dr. Jeff]

some resources to read up on this?

Thank you Anna for rescuing this kitten. Here's some info:

Orphaned Kittens: What to do? - SPCA de Montréal

So you found a little kitten who seems abandoned? No need to panic. By following these six steps, you’ll be able to properly care for the kitten until you can get to a veterinarian.

www.spca.com

Raising Orphaned Kittens - Kitten Rescue

If you have found abandoned, feral or orphaned kittens and wish to rescue and raise them, here's everything you need to know about how to do it.

kittenrescue.org

I probably have to do this, right?

A thorough flea combing may suffice IMHO.

How much do I feed a kitten this young wet, canned food?

It depends how often you can feed. Perhaps start with offering 1-2 tsp. every few hours and see if that satiates her or is still hungry (in which case you feed her a bit more at each feeding). Dr. Jean may have more specific guidelines.

Your other questions may be answered in the links above.

Have fun watching her grow!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hi, thanks so much for rescuing this baby!

Dr. Jeff gave you some good sites for info. A 2 or 3 week old kitten needs to be fed at least every 4 hours around the clock. Yes, set your alarm, sorry!

Kitten formula is best up to about age 3 weeks, when they can start to eat solid food. Try to can get KMR at Petsmart and a little bottle if possible. Solid food/meat/canned food may cause serious diarrhea. If that happens get veterinary attention right away, dehydration can set in very fast

After feeding, use a soft damp cloth and gently rub the genital area front to back to stimulate peeing and pooping. They cannot do this on their own until they are 3-4 weeks old.

You can leave her alone for a few hours but not past feeding time!

BTW do NOT use Dawn soap on a kitten. It's much too harsh.

 

[AnnaH]

Thank you so much for this valuable information. The kitten urinated on its own one time. Then I stimulated her and I believe she urinated twice. I rescued her yesterday around noon. She has not had a bowel movement yet. I hope this is OK? it is eating some formula but more interested in the pure chicken baby food that I had on hand. I think the kitten is four weeks old based on the YouTube video by kitten x lady who takes care of NATO kittens and does tutorials on this. If indeed choose four weeks old, is it OK for her to have a half a teaspoon or a teaspoon of chicken baby food or kitten soft food mixed with formula or water in combination with formula?

Yesterday she weighed 11.6 ounces in this morning she weighed 13.1.

I have not bathed her with Dawn soap or any other soap. Would it be OK to bathe her with fragrance free seventh generation nontoxic soap? I fed her. There was a lot of flea dust candle, but I did not see a live flea. Or should I skip bathing ?

Thank you @Dr. Jean Hofve

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Or should I skip bathing ?

Or maybe just bathe her in plain warm water.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

So glad the kitten is doing well! At 4 weeks she can have canned kitten food, but not so much the baby food because it has no calcium or other important nutrients a little one needs. Adding formula is fine, too. She can eat as much as she wants. Feed her up!

Skip the bath for now, you can get a pet shampoo if you need it later. But all human soaps are too harsh and will strip all the skin oils, leaving her vulnerable. We are evidently much tougher!

She may not have had much to eat before you found her so there wasn't anything to make stool, but she should start producing pretty soon now that she's been fed. If she seems like she's straining or having problems getting poop out, a little dollop of Vaseline by mouth should solve that. I've used it on tiny kittens for constipation, it's very safe. Just give it between meals.

You're doing a great job, thanks for saving her!!