How should I take care of a 6-week old kitten?

Question

I was at my doctor's office, and we heard mewing coming from a drain pipe...sure enough, a tiny kitten was in there starving. I immediately offered to take the kitten, and I took her to the vet. He ran tests and such and she is healthy, just a little skinny.

She has never been around people before I don't think. I have some kitten food and am feeding it to her every 4 hours or so.

What are some tips on taking care of this kitten? Should I leave her alone when she cries, or carry her around with me? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

At six weeks, she shouldn't need any special care to speak of. She should be old enough to eat on her own and potty on her own, etc. I would give her all the cuddles you can though... kittens get lonely when it's just one of them.. and sometimes they have a hard time keeping warm. If you have her in a cage or box, put a stuffed animal in there with her. If you don't have any, you can find cheap ones at thrift stores, the dollar store, even Walmart. Anything thats big enough for her to lay on or under... preferably with arms/legs so she can snuggle in. I used stuffed animals for a lot of my litters of foster kittens.

I would just free feed her dry food. Feed her moist food a few times a day if you want, but you don't have to. You also might want to supplement her with kitten replacement milk (KMR or another brand), although it's not a necessity... some kittens really seem to like it.

If she hasn't been around people much, be sure to love her every chance you get. She needs to learn people are okay SOON. Most of the feral babies we get in are 99% tameable (sp??), but even at 8 weeks it drops to about 80%... by 16 weeks it's only about 50%.

Feel free to email me any specific questions. I've fostered a LOT of feral kittens before and had the best success rate out of most of our foster homes.

Answer 2

Firstly, thank you for taking in the little waif

To make her feel less lonely, put a teddy bear in with her for something furry to cuddle up to. Make sure where you have her is nice and warm, kittens, like human babies do feel the cold and need to be warm. If you can, get her an igloo bed so that she feels all safe and enclosed.
Put her bed, litter tray, food and all in a large dog crate, so she feels safe. Cover it with a sheet at least halfway.
If she is eating food okay, then keep feeding her on kitten food. Loaf style and chicken are better for their digestion. Giver her about a tablespoon three to four times a day. If she is cleaning the plate quickly, give her a bit more.
Have baby kitten dry food available all the time as well as water. We use Baby Kitten Royal Canin for the real little ones and at 6 weeks she is a bit young to be away from mum.
Check with your vet to see if they practise early de-sexing, and get her desexed and vacc'd as soon as she is heavy enough and old enough.
When you took her to the vet did he worm her? If not please do so and worm her every two weeks until she is 3 months old and then monthly after that. As soon as she is of a healthy weight you will be able to use Revolution or one like it that does fleas and worms and the lot.

Kittens sleep a lot and need the sleep to grow. And then they play hard as well. Slip into her routine of sleep and play. If you want, you can get another kitten who has had a good start and it can show your little one how to eat, play, use the litter and the whole lot. It will also keep her warm and give her a playmate.

Answer 3

Dry kitten formula food available at all times and a couple of tablespoons of canned kitten food two to three times a day. Keep a fresh water supply near the dry kitten food. At six weeks, she should be OK to eat the dry without having it softened.

Especially if she isn't used to being around people, start with a small area where there is a litter box, and a food and water supply as far away from the litter box as possible. A cardboard box on it's side with a fluffy towel inside will allow her to be comfortable and feel hidden (less intimidating). Spend some time in there with her, but don't force her to be held. It is very important that she chooses to come to you. If you try to force her, she may consider you a threat.

Put her in the litter box and gently rake the litter with her paw, so that she can see this is a place to dig. If she has an accident outside the litter box, simply place what you find in the litter box. This is a way to tell her where that "stuff" belongs. As she becomes proficient at using the litter box, you can leave the door open to allow her to explore the remainder of her turf. Do not ever carry her away from the litter box, because she won't be able to find her way back to it.

Answer 4

make sure its Chicken & Rice KITTEN Formula.. she should have dry food and water availble all the time.. canned food ( 1-2 teaspoons) 4 times a day and gradually cut down to 3 then 2 then 1 by the time she is 6 months...(at which time she is ready to be spayed - VERY IMPORTANT)

she should be cuddled when she cries at that stage - she is young...
keep her in a smaller room with her litter box and food and water - if your house is too big she will not be able to find her way around when she needs to.. so like at night or when you are away put her in the room with a radio, toys, and a place to sleep

NO MILK - milk is bad for cats and kittens
keep her indoors - indoor only cats live longer healthier lives
good luck with her

Answer 5

I got Angel when she was 5 weeks old, and immediately had her on 2% milk (warmed), mixed in Instant Potatoes until they were creamy. Gerber Rice cereal and because she was a baby, she got fed like a baby.

My email for personal questions & kitten care pertaining to your beloved kitten.

[e-mail]

Answer 6

Check out the book "Karing For Kats"

Answer 7

you should give it a lot of attention so it knows it can trust you. Ive had a kitten that old and i paid attention to it and it started to like me.