Bottle Feeding The Kitten
What Do I Do If I Find Kittens
Its Spring, the season of adorable baby animals, and that means kittens are going to be out in abundance! Already, we have been inundated with requests from kind members of the public to help with small kittens that have been found in sheds and under houses. If you find yourself with a surprise family in your backyard, we have some tips to help you help them.
If you find a litter of kittens become a covert-op spy:
If you find a litter of kittens its best not to assume that kittens have been abandoned. Whether its to hunt for food, perform perimeter checks, or just for a little break mother cats will leave their kittens for periods of time during the day. Sometimes, she may even be in the process of moving them to a new location when you stumble across them. She will do this one at a time, and only if she thinks you arent looking!
The best thing you can do is observe them from a safe distance , secret agent style. Check every hour or so to see if the mother returns. If you spy her moving her kittens about its best she thinks you havent seen her, or shell likely move them again for safetys sake.
Helping the cat-family:
What to do if the mother cat has not come back:
For info about Maneki Neko, and their upcoming Kitten Shower to raise funds for rearing kittens click here, or check them out on
How Often Should A 3 Week Old Kitten Be Fed
Newborn kittens feed frequently, latching on to nurse once every 1-2 hours. Mimic this feeding schedule when bottle feeding, gradually reducing the feeding frequency to 4-6 feedings per day by the time your kitten reaches three weeks of age. Kittens usually begin the weaning process around their 4th week.
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What Should I Do If My Cat Is Vomiting A Lot
A cat that is vomiting more than once per month should be examined by a veterinarian, who will dewormor recommend your cat be on monthly prevention with Revolution, Advantage Multi or Heartgard, says Dr. Arguelles. Many heartworm medicines for cats also kill some of the intestinal parasites that can cause cat stomach upset.
Wait For The Mother Cat To Return
You want to help, and your first impulse may be to swoop up the tiny kittens and bring them straight to a shelter. However, a mother cat will periodically leave her nest to hunt for food.Please dont take her babies!
If you see young kittens without their mother, it is likely she will return. The mother should return to the nest within a few hours- if you watch quietly from a distance .
Tips
- Sprinkle flour or baby powder around the nest to see the paw prints of a mother cat who may be coming and going from her kittens. Check it throughout the day.
- Dont put food by the kittens: Do NOT place food near the kittens to lure mom. Mom almost always purposely hides her litter away from food sources as she knows that food will attract other cats and even bigger predators!
- Continuing to wait for mom if the kittens are warm, clean, plump, and quiet. These are indicators that they were recently groomed, fed, and warmed, and are therefore comfortable and not hungry.
Assess the kittens apparent health
While you are observing from a safe distance, pay attention to the kittens appearance and their surroundings. If the kittens appear healthy, and in a relatively safe location, they can survive without mom longer than if they are sickly, and in the middle of a muddy yard.
- Does their fur look healthy, full and fluffy? OR Are they dirty? Sickly? Eyes crusty?
- Are they sleeping quietly? In a heap? OR Are they crying? Squalling?
- Are they dry? OR Are they wet/soaked?
Assess the environment
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Cats On The Street: Abandoned Feral Or Lost
It would certainly make things easier if a cat you found could tell you their story. Instead, you have to piece it together using clues from the cat’s condition and behavior.
Feral Cats
Feral cats are those who were born outside and are usually part of a colony. Most of these cats will not make suitable house pets as they have not been socialized and are afraid of people.
There are exceptions to this, but socializing them is a long process, and some cats will never be comfortable around people no matter how much time goes by. While feral cats will not make good house pets, they can be used as mousers in a barn-home-type arrangement.
Clues that you’re dealing with a feral cat include:
- The cat runs when approached.
- The cat will not meow or purr.
- You may see the cat in the same place at the same time each day.
Lost Pet
When a house cat escapes his home, it’s possible for him to become disoriented and have trouble finding his way back home. A lost cat will typically be socialized and may approach people for pets or food.
If you find a social cat, bring him to a vet or shelter to see if he has a microchip. You can also check community pages like NextDoor or local Facebook lost pet pages to see if any listed cats match the one you’ve found.
You should also notify animal control if you think the cat is a lost pet, as that’s the first place many pet owners look for a lost cat.
Abandoned Cat
What To Do If You Find Sick Or Abandoned Kittens
by Daniel McPartlan | May 29, 2021
Springtime and summer in California and Nevada bring many wonderful things with them blooming flowers, sunshine, and loads of adorable baby animals, including kittens. Shelters and rescue groups in the area see an increase in the number of kittens found or surrendered between the months of April and October, with June reported as the peak.
Cats are especially prolific animalsan unspayed female can have up to three litters per year, averaging about four kittens per litter. Female cats experience their first heat at just six months old and they do not experience menopause. This means that unspayed females, which can easily produce up to a dozen new kittens each year, are fertile for all but the first six months of their lives.
There are many feral and free-roaming cats in the cities that Comforted Kitty services, and its entirely feasible that you or someone you know might run across a litter of seemingly unattended kittens. Young kittens can be delicate, and if you do encounter a litter that appears to be younger than eight weeks old, its important that you know what to do. Their lives may depend on it.
such an adorable little baby by Robert Couse-Baker is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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Keeping You And The Kitten Safe
There Is No Mom Cat Now What
Option 1: Foster the kittens in your home until they are 8 weeks of age.If there isnt a mother cat and the kittens are not yet eating solid food, they will need to be bottle-fed every 2-3 hours. Its important not to offer them cows milk . Buy Kitten Milk Replacement , a product available from pet stores in liquid or dry form that you prepare for the kittens. Pet Food Express offers kitten kits to members of the public as well.
You can sign up to be a temporary kitten foster through the East Bay SPCA or another rescue group could possibly accept the kittens into an adoption program. You can sign up to foster through the East Bay SPCA by filling out our foster application here. You will keep the kittens in your care at your home and we will provide the supplies and medical care and place the kittens for adoption once they are of adoptable age. For additional questions, please contact our Foster team at .
Option 3: If all of the above is not feasible, bring the kittens to the East Bay SPCA.During the Shelter in Place restrictions, please contact us to make an appointment by emailing
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Look For Signs Of The Mother
If kittens are too young to hunt for themselves, they might fall prey to hunger and disease without their mother to look after them. If you dont see any signs of the mother around after several hours, the kittens might need someone to take care of them.
Keep in mind that mother cats who live on their own learn to hide from humans who might want to do them harm. If the kittens do not seem deprived, the mother might have come by to check on them without you noticing.
Special Needs Kitten Abandoned By Mom Gets A Special Helmet To Protect His Brain
A tiny kitten in Southern California was gifted a second chance at life thanks to a Good Samaritan.
The Good Samaritan found the 2-week-old kitten, Otter, and his sister, Bunny, after theyd been abandoned by their mother. According to GeoBeats Animals, both kittens were in terrible condition when they were found.
Bunny was missing parts of her legs and Otter was missing part of one leg and suffering from a hole in his skull! Beyond those major ailments, both kittens were sick and flea-infested.
Thankfully, they went to the perfect place for care and recovery: The Baby Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles, California.
The rescue was started by Caroline last year when she realized she wanted to impact neonatal and special needs kittens in a bigger way. Most special needs kittens that are taken to shelter end up euthanized but Caroline gives those kittens a chance to heal, recover, and find homes willing to adapt to their needs.
When Otter and Bunny came into her care, she knew they were both facing serious health issues and the care they received would be the difference between life and death.
Otter, especially, was at a high risk for infection and injury due to the hole in his skull. Not only did he have a hole, but his brain was protruding from that hole.
After his incision heals, Otter will finally be helmet-free!
Check out the video below:
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Leave For A Few Hours
Feral cats have been known to abandon kittens due to humans lurking too nearby their nests. If the kittens look healthy and there does not appear to be any imminent danger, do not handle them in any way and leave the area. Do not linger any longer than is needed to evaluate the situation, and touch as little as possible. Stay at least 30 or 35 feet away from the kittens to avoid spooking mom and check back at intervals of about six to eight hours.
How Often Should You Bottle Feed A Newborn Kitten
To be sure the kittens are getting enough food, you may need to continue bottle feeding them a few times a day, until they are eating well on their own. Be sure to feed them what they need to be full, but dont overfeed them. Monitor the kittens stools to make sure they are tolerating and digesting the gruel mix well.
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If You’ve Found A Stray Cat With Kittens
If a stray cat has just had kittens, it may be best to leave them for a few days. If anyone tries to move them, the mother may reject or even kill the kittens. After a few days, she’ll move them anyway once she realises you know where they are.
If mum and kittens appear to be healthy and are in a safe area, it’s best to leave them alone – don’t move them unless they’re at risk. You can follow our advice above to try to find the cat’s owner. If you can’t find them and you think mum is a stray, call your local animal rescue for advice. They may talk to you about giving a helping hand by providing food, water and outside shelter to help protect mum and kittens from extreme weather.
If mum and/or the kittens seem to be sick or injured, phoning a local vet for advice is the best and quickest way to help. It’s important that mum and kittens stay together. If you need to transport them and aren’t able to do so safely, or if the stray cat rejects a kitten, please call your local rescue charity or our advice line on 0300 1234 999. Never put yourself in danger.
If The Cat Is Pregnant
Unless she appears to be sick or injured, there’s usually little to worry about. She’ll probably have a home and owner nearby, or she may be a healthy stray. We understand you may be worried about the cat and want us to help, but it’s highly unlikely we would be able to collect a healthy pregnant mum.
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What Health Issues Should I Look For When Caring For Abandoned Kittens
In the first few weeks, healthy kittens should eat or sleep for 90% of the time, and generally appear relaxed. If you are concerned at all, it is important to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible because kittens can deteriorate very quickly. After birth, the umbilical cord should dry up and fall off after a few days and kittens will usually open their eyes at around 1-2 weeks of age.
What To Do If You Find A Newborn Kitten
OOTC EditorThis article is now outdated. An updated version of this information can be found at
During kitten season, its not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by his/her mother.
by Valerie Sicignano, NYC Feral Cat Initiative
During high kitten season in the spring and summer, its not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by the mother. You want to help, right? Before jumping to the rescue, consider these recommendations.
First: Wait & Watch
You might have come across the kittens while their mother is off searching for food, or is in the process of moving them to a different location. Try to determine if the mother is coming back for them, or if they are truly orphaned.
To do this, stand far away from the kittens 35 feet or more. If you stand too close, the mom will not approach her kittens. You might need to go away completely before the mother cat will return to attend to the kittens. It might be several hours before the mother cat returns until she no longer senses the presence of humans hovering near her litter.
The mother cat offers her kittens best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you can. The best food for the kittens is their mothers milk. Remove the kittens only if they are in immediate, grave danger.
If the mother cat returns
If the mother cat does not return
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