Herd your cats here

[Volhiker78]

Good luck with the kitten!   

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

You're doing a good thing clean, good luck to you and the kitten!

Awwwww....very good to hear.

Tiny scritches from me.

M.

+1!

Making the world a better place, clean!

[apl68]

Sunday evening I met the new kitten of the family that hosted the evening Bible study group.  He already seems to be tolerated by the family's two grown golden retrievers.  They intend to raise this rescue kitten into their replacement barn cat.  Barn cat is not a bad gig for a cat.

[clean]

Im reaching out for foster families to help feed this monster infant. 
I put it in the bathtub with towels down.  It can not get out of that, so it is safe. it primarily sleeps. This morning I checked and it was still alive so I warmed up some of the kitty milk (store bought) and got the bottle and dropper ready. 

I woke it up and while it was still groggy I was able to get 2 droppers full of canned kitty "milk" down it, but the jostling  woke it up and it fought the rest of the way.  We again got more On us, then in it. 

It makes the infant noises, and is trying to find the source of the stuff it wants. (it roots around my neck or arms and would really like a passifier or something to latch on to!)
It knows what it wants, and it knows how it used to find it.  I dont offer anything close to that.
It doesnt taste the same, it doesnt look the same, it doesnt feel the same, it doesnt smell the same.....  and same is good, new is bad!

It is back in the tub.  I will wake it up again soon enough and try some more down it before it wakes up too much.

NO replies from the places Ive tried for help.  You need an appointment to drop anything off, and they dont answer the phone- only email or facetube messenger and so far no responses. 

It crawls on my arm and tries to find something to latch on to.  (but it wont take the bottle nipple).  Any ideas on how to trick or create a passifier like device?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

SO raised tons of kittens and strongly recommends using the dropper (in other words, keep trying, gently). He said to encourage it to use the bottle too.

[mamselle]

You can also dip your little finger in a small dish of the formula and let them lick/suck on that.

Sucking helps activate the muscles throughout their digestive system, so even if they're only getting a little bit of food at a time, it's helping them process whatever they do take in.

And it's a skin-to-skin connection that reinforces other kinds of development, as well.

More sweet little scritches from me (envious, really...)

M.

[clean]

Clearly, the kitty has NOT watched the youtube videos on how it is supposed to do ITS share of the work! 

[mamselle]

Some of those are learned behaviors, and if it's only 3 days old, it hasn't even been exposed to those.

Also, their tiny elimination systems have to be stimulated by tummy-rubs (which is why mother cats lick them a lot)--they can get constipated if they're not induced to develop those muscles as well.

Human babies come with a lot more add-on features already loaded, as you can tell...

M.

[Morden]

Sending you and the kitten all good thoughts Clean!
Whatever the outcome, thank you for trying to help the little creature.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

You can also dip your little finger in a small dish of the formula and let them lick/suck on that.

Sucking helps activate the muscles throughout their digestive system, so even if they're only getting a little bit of food at a time, it's helping them process whatever they do take in.

And it's a skin-to-skin connection that reinforces other kinds of development, as well.

More sweet little scritches from me (envious, really...)

M.

Yep. This is also a good way to encourage them to eat.

[clean]

a coworker sent a video of someone using make up sponges.  Soak the sponge in the milk and see if that helps.

I now have a few of them to try.

I think that the kitten is more than 10 days old, but I doubt that it is 15 days old.  Its eyes are open, but its ears have not come up. I can feel the start of teeth, but nothing that has come up very far.

Today I picked up the sponges from the coworker, who gave me 4, and i heard the monster baby awake and noisy, so I figured I d go ahead and see how much I could get it to eat.  By the time I got the food warm and ready to serve, it was sound asleep.  (which I was not going to disturb!)

I will reheat in an hour or so. 

[Puget]

Clean, I think you now have officially joined the ranks of the cat servants. Good work!

[AvidReader]

Sponges should work. I think we used to use a small square of an absorbent fabric like flannel or muslin, dipped in milk. But sponges are probably better.

AR.

[Morden]

Any news, Clean? Hoping for a kitten update.

[clean]

Any news, Clean? Hoping for a kitten update.

It Lives!

I ran to the store today to get some flu/cold/(covid?) remedies.  I was not gone long, and it was well fed earlier so I thought I had more time.

It woke up and demanded to know my whereabouts and what steps I would take to ensure that such mismanagement never occurs again!

I think that it got up to 9 ML of formula.  I doubt it was more. 

Then, as usual, it ignores the bottle, it ignores the sponge, it fights the nipple with the syrringe, but eventually takes it.  It has no interest in the bottle though. 

Then the annoying part... It roots around for the next 20 minutes making rooting noises, licking or trying to latch on to my elbow.  Sometimes it will latch on to part of my thumb or pinky finger.  ...So It refuses anything that would feed it, but it will insist that it gets plenty of suckling time before it tries to sleep.

It seems to take 20 to 30 minutes to placate the creature. 

On MY health front, I have come down with something.... I got a COVID test today.  I have a cough and let me tell you that coughs are NOT on the kitty approved sounds! 

I got a short nap today, and tonight I am running a temperature of 100.5. 

I hope that someone is able to take this responsibility off my hands soon!