How to Help a Kitten
An abandoned kitten, especially one less than 4 weeks old, cannot fend for himself and can quickly become chilled and dehydrated. If, after finding a young kitten, you do not find his mother or siblings, you need to take care of him to ensure he has a safe, warm place to stay and food to eat. Approach the kitten calmly and lure him to you using a soft tone of voice. Once you gain the kitten's trust, pick him up and bring him home to help stabilize his health.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Cardboard box or laundry basket
- Heating pad or hot water bottle
- Blankets
- Stuffed animal
- Kitchen scale
- Pet nursing bottle
- Unflavored infant electrolyte replacement solution
- Bowl
- Gauze pads
- Kitten milk replacement formula
- Canned kitten food
- Cotton balls
- Litter box
- Flea comb
- Blunt-tipped tweezers
- Dish soap
- Olive oil
Instructions
-
-
1
Keep the kitten warm to stabilize her temperature. A kitten less than 4 weeks old cannot regulate her body temperature and if you find her alone and abandoned, she is likely very cold and feels cold to the touch. Hold the kitten to your body to slowly begin to warm her. Once she has warmed slightly, place her into a cardboard box or laundry basket lined with a blanket wrapped around a heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle. Leave enough room in the box where the kitten can walk away from the heated surface in case she becomes overheated. Put a stuffed animal in with the kitten to give her something to cuddle.
-
2
Rehydrate the kitten by giving him unflavored infant electrolyte replacement solution in a pet nursing bottle. Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue recommends the amount of 1/2 cc of solution per ounce of his body weight each hour. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the kitten. Warm the solution in the nursing bottle by placing it into a bowl of hot water and test it on the inside of your wrist. Feed the solution to the kitten with the kitten on your lap, stomach down. Place the nipple of the bottle into the kitten's mouth at a 45 degree angle and squeeze a few drops of solution into his mouth until he suckles it.
-
-
3
Feed the kitten a milk replacement formula using a pet nursing bottle every two to three hours. According to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, you should give the kitten about 8 cc of formula for every ounce of body weight each day, divided into 8 to 12 meals. Warm the milk in the bottle by placing it into a bowl of hot water. Test the formula on the inside of your wrist to ensure it is not too hot. Place the kitten on your lap, stomach and feet down, and place the nipple into the kitten's mouth at a 45 degree angle. Squirt a few drops into her mouth to tempt it to suckle. Wipe her mouth and body with a gauze pad to clean away any food residue.
-
4
Feed kittens 6 to 10 weeks old with a mixture of kitten milk replacement formula mixed with kitten food in a shallow dish. Kittens over 10 weeks old can eat canned kitten food only.
-
5
Stimulate a kitten under 3 weeks old to go to the bathroom after each feeding. Wipe his genitals with a damp cotton ball until he urinates or defecates. Place a kitten over 3 weeks old in a litter box to encourage him to use the box after meals.
-
6
Remove any fleas, ticks or mites you find on the kitten's coat. Use a flea comb to brush the kitten's coat and dip it into a bowl of water mixed with a few drops of dish soap to kill any fleas you find. You can also use blunt-tipped tweezers to remove fleas or ticks from very small kittens. Clean out the kitten's ears with a few drops of olive oil on a cotton ball to prevent mites.
-
7
Bring the kitten to a veterinarian for an exam and vaccinations. If you do not plan on keeping the kitten, ask your veterinarian for recommendations of local animal rescue groups that can take the kitten after you have stabilized her health.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Do not feed a kitten before stabilizing his temperature, as feeding a cold kitten can kill him.
Substitute chicken baby food mixed with warm water for kitten milk replacement formula if you cannot get it immediately from the supermarket. Make sure that the baby food contains no onion powder or garlic.
Use Petfinder (petfinder.com) to find local rescue groups in your area that you can surrender the kitten to or that can help give you advice on how to care for him.
Keep the kitten isolated from any existing pets to prevent the transmission of disease.
Do not feed a kitten cow milk, as this does not contain taurine, essential for a kitten's health, and it can cause diarrhea.
References
- Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals; Help for Orphaned Kittens; Dr. Jill Richardson
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Ten Things You Can Do to Help a Stray Kitten
- American Cat Fanciers Association; Hand-Raising Orphan Kittens; Dusty Rainbolt; March 2001
- Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue: What To Do If You Find An Orphan Kitten
- Cat World: Removing Fleas From Newborn Kittens
- Earth Clinic; Ear Mite Remedies; May 2011
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
