# Help! Urgent with 11 day old kitten



## Luckykitty (Oct 5, 2011)

Sorry this is long-winded - but I really need some advice and thought I should give the full picture.

Backstory:
I've been feeding 8 feral cats in my backyard. I've already adopted 5 cats (found a home for one - one disappeared.) I'm working on a way to start an association for trap/spay release and care for cats in my small village in France.

In the meantime - I have 2 females who gave birth. One cat came into my studio to have her kittens and she's been in there for 3 weeks. She has 5 kittens that seem to be doing well. I have an appointment Tuesday to have her looked at by the vet and discuss when we can spay that female.

*OK - so on to my urgent issue. *
I have another cat that had kittens in my flower bed in the backyard. I swooped up mother and kittens (who were covered in dirt) and made a bed in my garden shed. 2 kittens died, but one lived. I've been feeding mom 4 times a day and made them a safe bed - that kitten is 11 days old.

*Here's what I need help with.*
Mom was taking great care of kitten - I knew they were covered in fleas, but wasn't sure what to do - I have a vet appointment Tuesday to get advice on what I could put on them. In the past day - mom seems to be paying less attention to kitten. I go outside and mom is lounging in the shade while baby is crying inside. Also - the kitten is SWARMING with fleas! It's also really hot outside. I did my best to cover the garden shed windows with curtains to block the sun - but it's warmish. 

This is rural France and Monday is a holiday - nothing is going to be open until Tuesday unless I call my vet at home - and she's might not think a stray cat with fleas constitutes an emergency!

I already have 4 cats, 2 dogs in the house - plus our guest mom cat, so bringing another mom in is going to be tricky. I don't know if I should take the kitten inside and bathe her and keep her inside and feed her formula? I did buy some formula yesterday just in case.

*I just don't know if it's worse to take the kitten from mom in case she isn't taking care of it and try to get some of the fleas off the kitten and syringe feed it - or if I should leave her with her mom and wait for Tuesday morning for the vet's advice. 
*
Bring in both and bathe both? May totally stress out mom cat. Help! :fust


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

SACRE BLEU! 

You're not having a dull summer, are you? If you can, MAYBE try to bring in mom and kitten? I don't know HOW they'll react if you try to bathe either, or both of them.

Giving a domestic a bath is challenge enough... Have you bathed a feral before?

btw, is today a saint's feast day?


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