What do I do with a newborn kitten?

Question

A mother stray cat just had a baby on my airhockey table in my garage. What do I do with it?

Answer 1

When she is done having her litter and has them cleaned then make her a bed in a more quit place big enough for her and her kittens to stretch out in when she goes to nurse them. Please don[t handle them except to put them in the bedding you made. Don't be surprised if she takes and moves them somewhere else. Like behind your dresser or a closet she can get in and out of. Congratulations. Let us know how many when she is done. She will be a very tired and hungry momma she'll be feeding her little ones. Something extra like some canned milk mixed half milk and water along with her regular feedings should help. If the mother has abandoned it,for tonight put the kitten in a bedding that is warm, its very important to keep it warm and perhaps mom will come back for it. If momma cat has not, then go to your pet store and get some starter milk and a bottle that is the size of a dolls baby bottle. You will have to feed the little one every two hours, and ask at the store if they know of anyone that does wild life rehab the know all about caring for orphan babies. My cat was an orphan and I fed it with the starter milk and baby bottle until He could eat or sip milk for himself and on to food. If you have any other questions you can IM me. I wish we were close by I just lost my two lovely cats of 14yrs this past couple of months.

Answer 2

Did the mother cat come back for her kitten? Are u keeping it or trying to get rid of it? If u are keeping it I'd check with your vet about how to feed it. U cannot give a newborn kitten regular milk it need it's mother's milk to survive at least in the early months of it's life. I've gone through 13 cats and kittens, now I'm down to 5.

Answer 3

First you need a hot water bottle or a heating pad with a blanket over it. Then you need a quiet dark place. A box or small cat kennel will work great for this. Then you need baby kitten bottles which you can get from any pet store with formula that you mix together. Make sure that when you microwave the formula it's for only 15 secs. ALWAYS squirt a little bit on your arm before feeding to ensure that it's the right temperature. You will need to feed the kitten every 3 hours until it is about 4-5 weeks of age. You can then continue bottle feeding it as a supplement to soft wet kitten food. Kittens don't start drinking water out of a bowl until they are about 5-6 wks of age. Make sure when the kitten is sleeping that it is laying on top of a blanket on top of a heating pad. You never want to lay the kitten on top of the heating pad without a towel. Put the heat on low as well. Once every 3 hrs after feeding you'll need to take a warm moist cotton ball and rub on it's pee & poo places. Kittens are used to mothers licking them to stimulate them to go. You'll need to do this for the first 3-4 weeks as they can't go on their own. Once they start going on their own watch them closely. When they begin to go pick them up immediately and place them in a small litter box to let them finish in there. They will eventually get the hang of it.

How to get the baby to take the bottle:
Hold the kitten vertical with his head between your fingers (gently) then ease the nipple in between his lips and hold the bottle so that there are no air bubbles. After the baby is done eating all it will (which in the beginning is very very little) rub between his shoulderblades to burp him.

Wait if you can until the baby is at least 10 days old. Then separate from the mother. This way he won't grow up wild and will be adoptable if you decide you don't want to keep him.

Answer 4

I shall assume that the mother is still with the kitten. Keep them together. Feed the mother Kitten Food. It has more calories for mother that are passed into the kitten. Give her both dry and canned food. Make sure she has water, give her a litter box. Ask your local animal shelter about their policies regarding mothers and kittens; some places seperate them, heaven only knows why. If she is friendly, move her into the house in about a week. Perhaps you could adopt them!

Answer 5

If the mother cat keeps coming back,I'd leave the kitten alone.But,if the mother abandoned the little kitten,you have to carefully wrap it up in a towel(leave room for it to breath) and find a medicine dropper,then head to the nearest vet's office.The vet can help you with feeding and keeping the kitten warm;but I will tell you they have to be fed every 2-4 hours;trust me on this,I have raised over five litters of kittens that my cat so lovingly abandoned.

Answer 6

If the Mom is healthy enough let her deal with the kitten. If not you should feed the kitten some milk from a bottle and keep it warm! (Don't do normal milk! Cow milk isn't good for their digestive system!)
You might also want to call a vet's clinic and ask them.
That's worked for me!

P.S. We've had to litters with a third one on the way!

Answer 7

hopefully the mother will take care of it. If she doesn't, you will have to buy a pet baby bottle, and milk supplement, and do the the best you can. a hand raised kitten, makes a great cat..they have to be fed often, even through the night. good luck

Answer 8

I'm sorry that the cat was frightened away or she would have taken the kitten with her. You could try leaving the kitten there to see if she comes back for it, but if she doesn't then call the vet for instructions.

Answer 9

Get a cardboard box and put a towel in the bottom. Put the mother and kitten in it and let her take care of it. Then put out some food and water. You can take them in to the vet for a check-up or to a shelter(no-kill).

Answer 10

Wait before you make any decision, there may be more to come. Cats usually have more than one kit. If you can, keep mother and kits together and call animal control.