I found a small kitten newborn kitten outside my door..?

Question

It's a very small black and gold kitten. I found it outside my door when I was putting out the rubbish. It's smaller than my hand. I've never owned such a small kitten before. I've had dogs and cats before but never as newborns. I have no idea what to do with it but if it's healthy, I'd like to keep it. Any advice on what to do? I was thinking about taking it to the Vet but my sister has my car. He can open his eyes a little bit.

What do I feed him? Where will he sleep? What shots dows he need when he is so young? Is there any point in looking for siblings or it's mother?

Any help would be great and very much appreciated.

I know it needs so stay warm so I've put the heater on about 92 degrees fahrenheit and I've put some towels in a small empty draw for it. It's not much but it's not as if I was prepared...
How long do I keep it on kitten formula for? When do I start feeding him canned/dry food?

Thanks to everyone for answering so far. I haven't got a shoebox around so I will keep him in the small draw. I put a water-bottle under some of the hand towels I put in there. I haven't got any kitten formula at the moment, I have an eye-dropper, is there someting else I can give him that I might find in my fridge?

I made that formula and he seems to be drinking it up pretty fast... how do I know when to stop him from drinking too much?

His eyes are fully open when he drinks which I'm guessing is a good sign?
Is there any way I can tell how old he is at home? He fits in my hand almost perfectly, eyes open, short black hair with gold markings on his face and back, paws are tiny, tail is approx. 3 inches long, can't see many teeth - all very small.
What diseases could he have if both parents were stray? Or if he was left putside for a few hours/day(s)?
Are there any symptoms of illness I should look out for?

Answer 1

Hi Kelly...here are some kitten care websites which show how to best care for a very young kitten:
http://www.kitten-rescue.com/cold_kitten.html
http://www.kitten-rescue.com/
http://www.kittencare.com/
http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm

I hope these will help you while you are caring for this little one.

EDIT: Would you have any friends who could help run to the grocery or pet store to purchase Kitten Milk Replacement formula? This is what a young kitten needs to meet it's nutritional requirements. The kitten rescue website shows how much should be fed and how often based on the weight.

EDIT Part 2: Here's what was listed on the kitten rescue website for emergency feeding:
While your kitten is warming up, you can prepare something for him to eat. If this little kitten was hypothermic (abnormally-low body temperature) and in shock when you found him, you should only give him children's Pedialyte (or an equivalent) for the first two hours, until he warms up. Then switch to kitten formula. If you are using children's Pedialyte, dilute it half and half with water that has been boiled and cooled. If you don't have any Pedialyte, you can make a home-made version. This does not need to be diluted.

Home-made Pedialyte

1 cup water (boiled then cooled)
Small pinch of baking soda
Small pinch of Salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
Mix all ingredients well. Make sure the mixture has been slightly warmed before feeding to your kitten. The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Feed 1ml (1cc) every half an hour for the first two hours using a dropper or feeding syringe. Also make sure your kitten is on his tummy and not his back when you feed. Feed very slowly so the fluid does not go down the wrong tube and choke your kitten.

After two hours, if your kitten has warmed up, you can begin to feed him formula. Never feed a kitten cow's milk or human baby formula as this causes stomach upset and severe diarrhea. He can have a commercially available formula such as KMR or Just Born, but if you don't have any of this, you can make up your own formula to use until you can get hold of some from a vet or pet shop.

Home-made kitten formula (Kitten Glop)

8 ounces water (boiled then cooled)
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
8 ounces whole evaporated milk (not skim)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (not low fat)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 large or 2 small eggs yolks (raw)
1 teaspoon clear Karo syrup
* 1-3 drops liquid pet vitamins
* 1 capsule acidophilus
* 1 drop Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)
* Optional, though very beneficial.
Boil the water, add the gelatin and mix well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition:

1/2 of the canned milk
Mayonnaise and Yogurt
Rest of the milk
All other ingredients

You can substitute canned goat's milk for the canned evaporated milk, if you prefer it. This mixture will keep in the fridge for up to four days. It is jello-like in consistency in the fridge so you can just scoop out as much as you need and warm. It can also be frozen in ice cube trays and defrosted as needed. You can find pet vitamins at a pet store or your vet, and acidophilus and GSE in the liquid form at a good health food store.

If you prefer, you can use this recipe permanently, instead of a commercially available kitten formula. If you are using a commercial formula, add a quarter of a teaspoon of full fat yogurt to the first bottle of each day. This will aid in your kitten's digestion.

Answer 2

use a eye dropper. new born kittens are often to weak to suckle the nipples that come with the bottle set. a dropper will give you some control over how much she gets at one time. Another option I have used with newborns is to get a rabbit nipple ( its the LONG skinny one if you have one).. poke 3-4 holes in it with a hot sewing needle. then instead of using the bottle. I pushed the nipple thru the corner of a plastic zip lock baggie and held it in place with a small hair rubber band around the bag and nipple. you put milk in the baggie and there is no " vacuum" for the kitten to work against. every suck provides milk just like mama does. toss the baggie when its empty. I found I could make a days worth of milk at a time for a new born and just put the hole thing in the fridge between meals. Also be sure she is WARM.. 90F on the towels. Cold kittens wont feed. so she really needs it warm If she hasnt fed soon. Call the vet and ask them to show you how to tube feed and to insert a feeding tube for her. She needs Cloustrum the first milk

Answer 3

You need to get kitten formula from Wal-mart or your vets office to feed him. You may have to use an eye-dropper and give him small amounts at a time. He will need to eat about every 3 hours, even through the night if he is very young. Keep him nice and warm. A shoe-box works well with a heating pad underneath a towel to lay him on. No need for shots until he is about 6 weeks old, then he will need to be wormed also.He should starting eating soft kitten food at about 4 weeks old. I have raised many kittens some as young as 2 weeks old. Wouldn't hurt to look for other siblings in the area that may have wondered away from mom.

Answer 4

They sell milk at your local pet store that is formulated to simulate the mothers milk. I would start with that for now, and more than likely you will beed to feed it by eye dropper. Also see the vet promptly. The kitten will need some newborn shots, but only a couple, which will need to be repeated within the next year. As far as finding the rest of the kitty family, I wouldn't bother. Many times if the mother smells other scents on the kitten she will abandon it. Good luck...

Answer 5

Cow's milk is very bad for kittens or cats; it gives them diarrhea. At my local wal-mart they sell kitten milk replacer and little bottles for baby animlas side by side in the cat section. The bottles are only about 96 cents, not sure on the milk substitute. Little kittens need small amonts frequently, probably every two hours. The you'll need to rub it's tummy and bottom to stimulate it to potty like the mother does. Otherwise, contact a vet for shots and such; a kitten whose eyes are barely open was abandoned for a reason...might be something wrong with it and it could need extra care.

Answer 6

Call a vet in your area and ask them what to do. I bet that if you have an eyedropper or something similar that you could probably feed it some warmed milk and then take it to the vet when you get your car back. As far as looking for its siblings or it's mother I bet that she was moving them and you found the last one. She might still be in the area, it's worth a try. Good Luck! Maybe you should name the kitten Lucky since I'm sure that since you found it, it will have a better chance at surviving then outdoors.

Answer 7

Been there done that with a just-born cat.

If it's just-born, mom will come looking for it. Get a shoe box, line it with something to insulate the kitten, like clean rags and put it back out for the mother cat. Hope it is safe from predators. You may have to guard the kitten without scaring away the mother cat.

Don't stop there, the kitten needs to be kept warm, it doesn't generate enough heat to keep itself warm yet. Make a hot pad for it to put under the box. Get a 1 Gallon Zip-lock plastic bag (or something similar) and put a wet warm (around 101 degrees Fahrenheit) towel in it and seal out most of the air. Make sure the outside of the plastic bag is dry before putting it under the box. It will stay warm for a while because it can't evaporate. But, the cold ground will rob it of heat, so put down at least 1/2 inch of news paper on the ground under the hot pad which is under the box, which is under the kitten.

If it hasn't pooped yet in it's life, you will get stuck with that job. The Doctor told me that it is most important to get the digestive tract started or the kitten could die. Get a warm damp paper towel (to substitute for the mother's tongue) and stroke the anus with it toward the tail. If it was just born, it will poop a little, in less than a minute if you keep gently stroking. (Ugh, it sound worse than it is.)

Before long, the kitten will need to eat. If mom doesn't show up soon you will have to feed it. Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) is found at pet food stores and (thank you carralt05) WalMart too. Maybe you can call a grocery store that may still be open at this hour, before running out there. Until you can get that, you can use, though it is only recommended as a last resort, cow's milk, lightly sweetened with brown sugar and warmed. Good luck finding something around the house to act like a baby bottle for that little mouth. If you can't find anything, wash your hands and rinse very well, then dip your finger in the milk and try to get the droplets into the mouth. Or maybe a teaspoon will work. Call the vet, when you can to get better advice than we can give and find out where to get a decent bottle.

Put out cat food & water to lure the mother back. She will have other kittens to tend to. Allow her to do take the kitten with her. There is a small possibility that she will move in with you, in which case, you will have to try find her owners and honor their wishes.

In my situation, most of the kittens were still-born, except this one that we found alive. The mother had gone off to dispose of the dead ones and that evening, had returned, crying mournfully near where we had found the live kitten. The mother was known to be homeless, born herself from a homeless cat, the year before. When she wanted to move in with the kitten, we let her.

Answer 8

You can buy "cat milk" in a small carton - that's what is usually given to very small kittens. Get it at a pet specialty store. Whatever you give the kitten, dilute it with warm water first - their stomachs have to get used to degesting more than milk. Good luck. Don't give up.

Answer 9

Recipe for formula is:
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
teaspoon of honey
Do not sugar, only honey. Feed every 2 hours or more, you can use an eye dropper if no bottle.
If he can open his eyes he is at least a week old.
I would get to vet ASAP.. Good Luck

Answer 10

I don't know! - quick! shut the door! LOL

try giving him some milk in plate or eye dropper and they like small warm places to sleep (not overwhelmingly big space)

It's probably a runt - good luck