Kitten season is in full swing now which means that unspayed cats everywhere are busy delivering their litters. We've already gotten several calls about orphaned kittens being found in yards, under bushes, in parking lots and wanted to offer some advice to anyone who finds a kitten.
1) If you find a kitten, the best thing you can do is to pick it up! Don't leave it to the harsh reality of life on the streets. It's mother may not be around anymore for whatever reason, the kitten may have gotten separated and there is no guarantee that the mother will resume taking care of the kitten so please, don't leave the kitten where you found it.
2) If it is a very tiny kitten, you can get an idea of how young it is by looking at it's eyes. If the eyes are closed (unable to open) the kitten is under ten days old. If the eyes are partially opened, the kitten is between 10-14 days old and if the eyes are fully opened, the kitten is over 2 weeks old. If the kitten has teeth, it is over 3 weeks old.
3) For a very small / young kitten, the most important thing is keeping it warm. You can put the kitten in a cardboard box of some kind ontop of a heating pad on a 'low' setting. Be sure that the kitten has towels or blankets to curly up in as well. If the kitten is cold to the touch, place the towels in the dryer to help warm him/her quicker.
4) If you can see fleas crawling on the kitten, you should try to eliminate the fleas asap. Fleas can cause a small kitten severe health problems and even death by eating all of the kitten's blood. You can use a cat shampoo to bathe the kitten and let the soap sit on the kitten for a few minutes before rinsing it off. Make sure the water is luke warm (too hot can burn the kitten and cold water can make the kitten too cold.) Use a hair dryer on a 'low' and 'warm' setting to dry the kitten completely. Be sure to not leave the kitten wet at all as this can make him/her too young and susceptible to illness.
5) Warming the kitten and getting it free of fleas is more important than feeding him/her initially. A cold or weak kitten will be harder to feed and the best thing you can do is keep it warm & comfortable while you locate a rescue group to take it in. If you have the kitten for more than an hour or two, feeding will be necessary. Kitten formula is vailable at most pet stores and we recommend 'nuturall' brand. Do not use KMR! (KMR formula grows bacteria after being opened and can cause stomach problems in kittens & puppies.) You will need to purchase a kitten bottle but realize that a weak kitten will probably not suckle. Follow the directions on the formula on how to prepare it and gently dribble a few drops into the kittens mouth. The kitten will swallow it and you can dribble in a bit more and you can repeat the process several times. You will also have to make the kitten eliminate by taking a towel, toilet tissue, or baby wipe and rubbing his/her genitals until he/she urinates/defecates. Very young kittens won't 'go' on their own. This will help sustain the kitten for now.
6) Contact us or another rescue group for further assistance. We may be able to take the kitten in ourselves. The tips above will help to stabilize the kitten in the meantime and might even be the difference of life or death for a very young kitten. If you want to bottle raise the kitten yourself, feel free to contact us for help learning how to do this.
Thank you to all the good samaritans out there saving kittens from the streets this year!
1) If you find a kitten, the best thing you can do is to pick it up! Don't leave it to the harsh reality of life on the streets. It's mother may not be around anymore for whatever reason, the kitten may have gotten separated and there is no guarantee that the mother will resume taking care of the kitten so please, don't leave the kitten where you found it.
2) If it is a very tiny kitten, you can get an idea of how young it is by looking at it's eyes. If the eyes are closed (unable to open) the kitten is under ten days old. If the eyes are partially opened, the kitten is between 10-14 days old and if the eyes are fully opened, the kitten is over 2 weeks old. If the kitten has teeth, it is over 3 weeks old.
3) For a very small / young kitten, the most important thing is keeping it warm. You can put the kitten in a cardboard box of some kind ontop of a heating pad on a 'low' setting. Be sure that the kitten has towels or blankets to curly up in as well. If the kitten is cold to the touch, place the towels in the dryer to help warm him/her quicker.
4) If you can see fleas crawling on the kitten, you should try to eliminate the fleas asap. Fleas can cause a small kitten severe health problems and even death by eating all of the kitten's blood. You can use a cat shampoo to bathe the kitten and let the soap sit on the kitten for a few minutes before rinsing it off. Make sure the water is luke warm (too hot can burn the kitten and cold water can make the kitten too cold.) Use a hair dryer on a 'low' and 'warm' setting to dry the kitten completely. Be sure to not leave the kitten wet at all as this can make him/her too young and susceptible to illness.
5) Warming the kitten and getting it free of fleas is more important than feeding him/her initially. A cold or weak kitten will be harder to feed and the best thing you can do is keep it warm & comfortable while you locate a rescue group to take it in. If you have the kitten for more than an hour or two, feeding will be necessary. Kitten formula is vailable at most pet stores and we recommend 'nuturall' brand. Do not use KMR! (KMR formula grows bacteria after being opened and can cause stomach problems in kittens & puppies.) You will need to purchase a kitten bottle but realize that a weak kitten will probably not suckle. Follow the directions on the formula on how to prepare it and gently dribble a few drops into the kittens mouth. The kitten will swallow it and you can dribble in a bit more and you can repeat the process several times. You will also have to make the kitten eliminate by taking a towel, toilet tissue, or baby wipe and rubbing his/her genitals until he/she urinates/defecates. Very young kittens won't 'go' on their own. This will help sustain the kitten for now.
6) Contact us or another rescue group for further assistance. We may be able to take the kitten in ourselves. The tips above will help to stabilize the kitten in the meantime and might even be the difference of life or death for a very young kitten. If you want to bottle raise the kitten yourself, feel free to contact us for help learning how to do this.
Thank you to all the good samaritans out there saving kittens from the streets this year!