Please help, abandoned newborn kitten

[tbtrailrider]

Went to feed this morning, and noticed something dark and small moving in the loose hay in the hay barn floor. I was astonished to find a very tiny,wet and cold newborn kitty. It appears that it was born where I found it, judging from the blood on the hay.
All our cats are fixed, but I have been seeing a big gray tomcat, and an orange cat that I am not sure of the sex of hanging around the farm, but not in this barn. We have two barns with hay stored, and I noticed them at the other barn, on the other side of the farm. The orange cat did not look pregnant either.
So, I put it back in the barn where I found it, but something tells me the mama is not gonna come back for it. I have not found any other kitties in the barn either.
I am the type that will try to raise this kitten with an eye dropper, but it being Saturday, I don't know if the vet is there....
I do have baby formula..can I give it that?

[Lori B]

I think you have to go to the pet store and get milk replacer, and you better go get the kitten now. If it is abandoned, or not under care of mom, it will expire. You need to get it dried off and warm. (don't know where you are)

I would at least put it in a box w/ a towel, away from predators. Git going, already.

[JLMet]

Your local pet shop should have kitten formula. I don't think I would feed regular baby formula as kittens do require different things. Get a heating pad and place a blanket over it so it doesn't get to hot but keeps the little one warm. Feed about every two hours, you'll also have to stimulate baby to go to the bathroom. Not sure if you've ever had to do this before but you take a soft tissue or q-tip or cotton ball, dab in luke warm water and wipe kitties hind end until they urinate. You may or may not get stool yet, when they are really young like that they don't alway have a movement. I doubt she'll come back at this point. She probably started to give birth and got startled. If the kitten was cold she hasn't been there since birthing and baby will need immediate care. I have a kitten formula recipe as well in case you don't have a local pet store. Let me find it and post it for you, in the mean time get the kitten warmed up.

[tbtrailrider]

consider it done...on my way to town...hope I find some stuff at walmart. There is a pet store, but I dont know if it is open....

Oh, I am in Ky...how ironic i told a friend on facebook last night it was raining cats and dogs....

[JLMet]

Here's a few recipes...

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so the bubbles will have time to dissipate.

Warm over medium heat. Heat the formula so it feels slightly warm to the touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow the formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true for KMR.

Another...

12 oz. boiling water

1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin



Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and add:

1-12 oz. can evaporated canned milk

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 egg yolk

Mix well in mixer. Place in covered bowl and store in refrigerator. Warm a small amount for feedings. This will keep for about 7 days.


And one more, not sure what ingredients you have at home...

1 can evaporated milk (or 1 can goat's milk)
1 cup Pedialyte (or generic equivalent, unflavored)
1 whole egg
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/2 teaspoon liquid infant vitamins

Blend together. Heat small amounts in microwave to "wrist comfortable" temperature immediately before administering. Store leftovers in refrigerator no longer than 72 hours. Blend before serving each time.

[sk_pacer]

Here, this also will help once you get the first feeding down: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

Also, kittens cannot control body heat at all, they need to be kept warm, so that is also top of the list. Good luck with the kitten

[Buffyblue]

Good luck with the kitten!

[hossluva]

Kittens can't digest properly unless they're kept consistently warm - like at least 85 degrees. It is SUPER EXTRA hard to keep one alive, especially if it hasn't gotten any colostrum. KMR (kitten milk replacer) is awesome, I don't know anything about the home recipes - you should be able to find KMR anywhere, even the grocery store. You can also juice him up with a little karo syrup if he starts fading - just mix it in to the milk. Sometimes they won't nurse right away either, I usually use a little tuberculine syringe and try to get at least a couple cc's into him every couple of hours. Stimulate potty time after he eats and cozy him up again right away. Try calling around to your local shelters, they may have a nursing mom to use as a surrogate - that'd be his best shot. Good luck and don't beat yourself if he doesn't make it, they're tough!!

[Janet]

First thing is to keep it warm. A milk bottle filled with hot water will work If you don't have a proper hot water bottle.

If you can't get proper kitten formula, you CAN use cow's milk.
"If you give her cow's milk, she will get diarhea, but if you don't give her any milk she will die" was the advice from my vet when I found an abandoned day old kitten in the barn.

She got cows milk the first day, and kitten formula after that.

They have little nursing bottles, and it is better to use them than a syringe or an eye dropper, because of the danger of aspiration.

At that age, you need to feed them everey 2-3 hours.

Get a scale and weigh every day. As long as the kitten continues to gain weight, you aer doing OK. If the weight gain stops, or the weight drops, you are in trouble.

The kitten mentioned earlier? She is now 19 and a half. I don't know if she will make it to 20, but SHE certainly hasn't given up.

But another one I tried to rasie didn't make it, succombing to pneumonia at about 3 weeks.

[pintopiaffe]

No help, just sending IttyBitty jingles his way. Poor little guy. :sadsmile:

glad he found you!

[tbtrailrider]

Thanx guys...I went to the pet store, but could not afford the KMR...all they had was a huge container and it was like 50 bucks.
So we are going with goats milk, yogurt, karo syrup and an egg yolk,oh and pedialyte that I got from a neighbor, kitty is screaming like mad and wallowing about in her bed...seems full of life so far..
Keep jingling...

[jen-s]

Jingling from NC! Bless you for taking care of the wee kitteh.

Don't forget to post pics. :)

[SpecialEffects]

Awww.... jingles for the kitty. I hope it makes it.
I've dealt with orphan foals, newborn bunnies and puppies that had issues at birth... it's not easy with any of them. Good luck

[tbtrailrider]

Well the kitty has had two feedings. I got a nursing bottle at the pet store,darn thing did not have a hole in the nipple,so we tried poking it with a hot needle, but it did not seem like it was getting anything, so we cut it with a razor blade. Bless it's heart..it kneads on my hand while it eats, so adorable. It's a gray tabby, with very bold stripes, and I think it's a girl. If she makes it, I shall name it either Jingles or Miracle, lol.
Gonna have another look around the barn, but there is so much hay in there if the mama and other babies are in there, we likely won't find them anyway.
I am just glad I found it!!
Will try to get pics, but my camera only works some of the time...
Thanx again, will post later...

[TKR]

I raised Boomie from probably less than a week old. The keeping warm is a HUGE issue -- I would warm up towels in the dryer and wrap them around him -- he tanked on me a number of times, just got chilled and unresponsive. He was on some very effective prayer lists and I also had to force feed him a few times. He went with us to Florida because I didn't trust anyone else to care for him. We used a tiny syringe and then a kitten nursing bottle. You should be able to find the formula in a smaller container at a pet store, vet, shelter, etc. But I used a formula I had to put together at first also. Just keep him/her warm and use a warm, damp wash cloth to stimulate urinating and pooping. I had a problem with some major diarrhea, but he is now about 14 pounds and still nursing on a blanket. Your new kitten is now on my prayer list -- good luck!!!

PennyG

[goodhors]

Microwaving works for blanket or towel warming, just make sure it is not too hot. Saw them doing this in the hospital.

Good luck with the kitten. Real hard going with it so tiny.

[tikihorse2]

Jingling for the little kitty!

Kim

[Hawleyite]

Filling a sock with rice and tying off the end, then warming that up in the micro. will hold heat quite a while and if you get a couple going you can make it a little nest.

Jingling for Kitty.

This also makes a great soother for sore necks or other wounded body parts.

[cllane1]

When we raised a litter of abandoned newborn puppies this summer, we used goat milk. Bought it from WalMart in the dairy section. It came in pints and was in a purple bottle. The brand name is Meyenberg. Our dogs thrived on that! Good luck with the kitten!

[Daydream Believer]

Jingles for the kitty!

[coloredhorse]

Good luck, and bless you for taking in the little orphan. No matter what happens, he will have a life filled with love and care.

[MunchkinsMom]

A few more jingles for the little kitty from me.

I bottle fed one many moons ago, I was living in an apartment, and my beagle found it by the dumpster. I had to take the kitten with me on a school bus trip to NYC with my college art history class, so that I could feed it all day, since I found it the night before the trip.

I found a good home for him after a few weeks with a cat loving friend, and he grew to be a lovely cat.

I was lucky that my female beagle "adopted" the kitten, and took care of the potty duties for me.

[tbtrailrider]

Filling a sock with rice and tying off the end, then warming that up in the micro. will hold heat quite a while and if you get a couple going you can make it a little nest.

Jingling for Kitty.

This also makes a great soother for sore necks or other wounded body parts.

the rice sock is awesome, it loves it !!!

[tbtrailrider]

Still so puzzled by how it was just laying there in the barn, no sign of other kitties, or the mama. It was def a newborn, the cord was still pink, and there was blood on the hay. I do have two barn cats,maybe they scared her off.

Oh, we had a poop after the last feeding...keep jingling !!:D

[amdfarm]

More IBK jingles headed your way.

[kookicat]

Sending jingles!

[coloredhorse]

Yay for kitty poop! Jingles continuing!

[TKR]

Jingles and prayers for the special kitten -- you won't believe your attachment once he is grown! How is he this AM?
PennyG

[pintopiaffe]

Sending many "be strong and well" prayers.

I lost two of my litter of 7. The first was the hardest because I was helping him nurse every 2 hours around the clock. I was simply amazed at how attached I became in such a short time.

You are wonderful for trying. Know that even if he isn't meant for this world, what he DOES know of it is love, care and warmth. No one, no one could ask for anything more. (and Jingles will surely show him the way around... :sadsmile: )

The IBK Committee would like to issue an invitation to him as an honorary member. They are plotting World Domination as we speak, and with Tadgh on the DL, there's an opening. ;)

[mswillie]

I raised an abandoned new born kitten. Same sort of situation, found the kitten with the cord attached, mama nowhere in sight. Anyway we bottle fed KMR. I'd say we made two mistakes, the first was we fed too much. I was worried he wasn't eating enough so I continued to offer the bottle even after he turned away. In retrospect I should have stopped the first time he turned away. The second was we bottle fed for too long. Should have started him on solid food earlier. But in the end it was no harm no foul.

Here's bear around the time of his first vet visit. I don't have pics from any earlier. I was afraid he'd die and I guess I'm a little superstitious. The vet called him "a spot on the table".

http://picasaweb.google.com/mswillie.1/Cats#5386149212001499714

And here he is as an adult, about four years ago:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mswillie.1/Cats#5386149211479207298

Now he's a big spot, pretty much where ever he wants to be. :lol:

[Janet]

Still so puzzled by how it was just laying there in the barn, no sign of other kitties, or the mama. It was def a newborn, the cord was still pink, and there was blood on the hay. I do have two barn cats,maybe they scared her off.

Sometimes the mother will deliberately abandon ONE.

I found Annie screaming her head off in the barn - no longer bloody, but still with a long umbilical cord.

I found the rest of the litter and put her with them.

When I checked an hour later, she had moved the rest, and left Annie, who was much smaller than the others. (right now she is under 5 lb, and I think the heaviest she was is about 7 lb) That is when I took her into the house.

In the end, only one of the litter the motherkept survived, and Annie has outlived both her mother and her brother by a good many years.

[tbtrailrider]

doing well, the only thing I am worried about is the size of the nipple hole, I may have made it too big in my quest to get milk out of it. I just read another website that says the milk should drip out only when you shake the bottle. Hope he/she didn't aspirate any milk. I have one more nipple that came with the bottle set, will make two small holes, another feeding at 1 o clock, will post back then.
we would be honored to be a part of the IBK...:D

[cowgirljenn]

I've raised a bunch of orphans. Never one that was just a few hours/days old, but bottle raised several. One was so weak we had to force feed her initially... and now she's wandering around my feet, five years later, screaming for dinner. :) In fact, of my four house cats, three were bottle babies. :)

Did anyone tell you that you have to help the little ones urinate and defecate? Take a old wash cloth, wet it with warm water, and rub under his/her tail. I always did that after feeding and it seemed to work well.

[Janet]

doing well, the only thing I am worried about is the size of the nipple hole, I may have made it too big in my quest to get milk out of it. I just read another website that says the milk should drip out only when you shake the bottle. Hope he/she didn't aspirate any milk. I have one more nipple that came with the bottle set, will make two small holes, another feeding at 1 o clock, will post back then.
we would be honored to be a part of the IBK...:D

IIRC we used a thick needle to make the hole.

[BasqueMom]

You can also use a heating pad to help keep it warm. Leave a space so kitten can
crawl way from it if needed. A soft animal in with it gives it something to snuggle up to--
mine have always loved that. Sometimes, find them under it, sometimes on top of it.

[hansiska]

Ditto the heating pad, on "low". If you think it's too hot you can add towels to put more space between baby and heating pad. Good luck!

[tbtrailrider]

I've raised a bunch of orphans. Never one that was just a few hours/days old, but bottle raised several. One was so weak we had to force feed her initially... and now she's wandering around my feet, five years later, screaming for dinner. :) In fact, of my four house cats, three were bottle babies. :)

Did anyone tell you that you have to help the little ones urinate and defecate? Take a old wash cloth, wet it with warm water, and rub under his/her tail. I always did that after feeding and it seemed to work well.

Yes, I am having great luck with warm damp cotton balls. Had two poops so far.

[chai]

How kind of you! Many years ago, I found a newborn kitten on a saddle pad in the barn where I ran a co-op. The estate owners were millionaires, but they flatly refused to spend one dime on spaying or neutering the cats that they dumped at the barn. Our co op members started paying for it, one by one, but we did find two litters of kittens, all of which found homes, thank goodness. This one was all alone. When no Mom cat came for him, I brought him home and Mr. Chai and I got quite an education in what it would be like to raise a baby because he had to eat every 3 hours. I was expecting my first baby at that time and I thought, 'Wow, so this is what it's going to be like. Yikes!"
We named him Pompeii and we fed him Queen's Milk through an eye dropper because he was so tiny, and then with a kitten bottle. I used warm, wet cotton balls to encourage him to pee and poop, and I would go over his whole body as if his Mom was cleaning him. Mr. chai had the flu that week, so Pompeii spent the entire first week of his life snuggled into Mr. chai's chest while he recuperated. We also used the heating pad set on low to keep his little box warm.
He grew into the most hilarious cat, although I don't think he knew he was one. He loved to jump up on my shoulder and ride around like a Pirate's Parrot and he would run down the driveway to meet the car. He would jump on the driver's side door, climb over the mirror onto the hood and ride up the driveway doing his best impersonation of George Washington crossing the Delaware. One time, the police came to our house to tell us about a missing dog and he scared the daylights out of the officer when he leaped on the hood of the cruiser to ride up the driveway.
That little guy, who we didn't think would live more than a few hours, was with us through three moves, three children and twelve wonderful years.
Good luck with your new 'baby'!

[tbtrailrider]

Kitty passed away this afternoon, while I held it next to my heart. I am afraid that in my eagerness to feed it, I made the nipple hole too big, and it aspirated too much milk.
It would not eat at 1:00, became very lethargic, and began breathing very shallow and eventually was gasping for air with it's mouth wide open.
How in the hell does someone get so attached to an animal in such a short amount of time. I am crying as I type this...such a sap.

[magnolia73]

Sorry, you gave it a good try.

[threedogpack]

Kitty passed away this afternoon, while I held it next to my heart. I am afraid that in my eagerness to feed it, I made the nipple hole too big, and it aspirated too much milk.
It would not eat at 1:00, became very lethargic, and began breathing very shallow and eventually was gasping for air with it's mouth wide open.
How in the hell does someone get so attached to an animal in such a short amount of time. I am crying as I type this...such a sap.

I am so so sorry. This is so hard. I, too, get way too attached to my little ones and cry hard forever it seems. It's been 3 long years since I lost the last puppy.....I still ache for him.

[coloredhorse]

I'm so sorry to read this sad update. You're not a sap, OP; it's so damn easy to get attached. As I said before, the little orphan kitty knew nothing but your love and care and went to his rest to the sound of your heartbeat. Though short, that was not a bad life.

[JoZ]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Please know that despite the success stories you may hear, it is very VERY common to have one's efforts with orphan animals end up unsuccessful. It tears your heart out, but I'm sure you wouldn't turn down the chance to do it all over again, or in the future.

A short but blessed life... :sadsmile:

[Janet]

Kitty passed away this afternoon, while I held it next to my heart. I am afraid that in my eagerness to feed it, I made the nipple hole too big, and it aspirated too much milk.
It would not eat at 1:00, became very lethargic, and began breathing very shallow and eventually was gasping for air with it's mouth wide open.
How in the hell does someone get so attached to an animal in such a short amount of time. I am crying as I type this...such a sap.

I'm so sorry.

But don't be hard on yourself. You did the best you could,and gave him/her a chance.

We saved Annie, but the mother cat had another litter before we could catch her to get her spayed, and she abandoned the entire litter. We tried, but we were not able to save ANY of them.

[Daydream Believer]

I am so sorry. I have been following your thread. The kitty was probably doomed but you were a saint to try so hard to save it. I lost a puppy some years ago in a similar manner and it is just awful to lose them. I remember I sat and held the little pup for an hour crying a 2 a.m. as I had tried so hard to save it. I even tried mouth to snout and tried to help it breathe. :sadsmile::cry:

Just remember this....what you give of your heart will return to you someday. {{{hugs}}}

[Laurierace]

I started to post that there was almost no hope for this kitten from the start but decided to hope against hope that I would be wrong. I have fostered way too many kittens over the years and I know what the odds are. The last litter were one day olds that were found at New Holland. The auction owners were going to drown them in a bucket so I took them home. At first we only found one and I was going to have the vet euthanize him right there because one kitten can not maintain his own body heat. Once we found the other 4 I thought there was a chance. We lost two of them to aspiration pneumonia. One I actually euthanized myself after two trips to the vet that day had failed to help. That is the only time I have ever done that, it was a lot harder than I thought. The other three made it though, one of whom still lives here with us.
Bless you for trying, it just wasn't meant to be.

[BasqueMom]

I am so sorry--the really itty bitty ones are so hard to save. Had a litter of six last year,
no more than 3 days old, and made it past the first week. Thought I was home free and
then they started to "fade" over the course of several days and a trip to the vet and fluids.
One black and five lynx point Siamese babies. And the hole in the nipple was just fine....

You gave it your best shot and it got more love and care than most cats got in a lifetime.
Hugs!

[Buffyblue]

I'm so sorry! You did your best for the little one. Thank you for trying so hard.

[sublimequine]

So sorry, but in the very least you made the kitty's last moments comfortable, not cold, starving and alone in the barn. You really did gift the kitty a gift in that. :sadsmile:

[jen-s]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear the news. He may have had other problems, so please don't beat yourself up. You did everything you could for the little tyke and he got lots of love in his brief life. Bless you for doing all that you did for him.

[KMcKay]

I'm dealing with that right now. Coyotes killed my mother cat two weeks ago, leaving me with a litter of week-old kittens. The first night a neighbor brought me a bottle of her baby's formula, and I fed them every hour with an eyedropper. The next day I found a pet store in town that had kitten formula and pet baby bottles. It took a couple days to teach them to use the bottles, but we're going great guns now. I fed the kitten formula for another week--it's expensive, so I started stretching it with baby pablum (rice formula) I got at the grocery store and skim milk. At three weeks I started introducing them to solid food, trying to get them to feed themselves a little--I had to be out all day two days. I mixed canned cat food with cottage cheese, egg and milk for them. After a couple days of falling in, they started to eat it. Big mistake on my part--it was too rich, I guess--they got the scours, and I thought they were going to die. I'm back to bottle feeding milk and very thin pablum, and their diarrhea is coming under control. We're not out of the woods yet, though. But they have learned to lap it out of a dish, taking pressure off me, but they still want the bottle. My Australian Shepherd Molly and their six-month-old big brother have taken over playing mother--they clean the kittens and sleep with them. Good luck!

[Rubyfree]

I'm heartbroken for you, tb, as I know all too well how easy it is to grow attached and hope against hope, but I cannot be sad for the little honorary member of the IBK committee. He got to spend the majority of his life warm, comfortable and loved. What a wonderful way to have lived, even if it was too brief. Thank you for trying for him.

[SpecialEffects]

I'm so sorry :( I really feel for you because I know how much you were trying. It's not easy. I lost two pups out of a litter that just weren't meant to be. They were born half the weight of the others and it was a very large litter for that breed. But I tried... Between staying up all night with mom while she was giving birth and then trying to feed those two round the clock, I was a wreck and I still couldn't keep them alive. Bless you for trying.... the kitten knew. :sadsmile:

[tbtrailrider]

All your kind words really have made me feel better...:sadsmile:

[amdfarm]

I'm so sorry the little guy/gal didn't make it. Know you did your best and don't beat yourself up too much. They are fragile creatures.

(((HUGS)))

[nightsong]

you made the kitty's last moments comfortable, not cold, starving and alone in the barn. You really did gift the kitty a gift in that. :sadsmile:


Yup.

[hunter-eventer-hunter]

Yep...you did a good thing. He had a nice warm home and love. That is all a little kitty needs and wants.

You more than likely couldn't have done anything to save him. Sadly, not meant to be.

[cowgirljenn]

*hugs* You did the best you could.... and I know it is so tough to lose them.

[RiverBendPol]

You think YOU'RE a sap? I'm the one weeping at the keyboard for a kitten I never held and a person I've never met! You gave him all you had and we are all grateful. The poor little thing probably was deserted for a reason, part of which was to give you a little gift. Thanks.:sadsmile:

[DeeThbd]

Tb, thank you so much for offering so much love to a little mewbie. It IS amazing how they just wrap themselves around our hearts so quickly.
Wish I could send you a hot cup of tea and some hugs online. Bless your heart! (meant in the nice way!)
Dee
PS - for fellow ittybittykittycommittee lovers, if any of you haven't visited www.fark.com on Caturdays (Saturdays), you are in for a treat!.

[pintopiaffe]

:sadsmile:

I know how IMPOSSIBLY an Ittybitty can bury itself right in the center of your heart in such a short time... but much as Jingles did, your little guy knew warmth, care, love and a full belly for the time he was here.

(((hugs)))

[starrysky]

:( I am so sorry! You did all that you could.

[hossluva]

It would not eat at 1:00, became very lethargic, and began breathing very shallow and eventually was gasping for air with it's mouth wide open.

This describes fading kitten syndrome to a T. I sincerely doubt it was anything you did or didn't do. You gave him as good a shot as any, the mom probably abandoned him because she knew something wasn't right. Those kitty mom's know these things... Still sad though, so sorry!!