# Meet my tiny 4 week old kitten!!



## felix07 (Feb 19, 2008)

I wish I had some photos on hand; I'll put some up tomorrow. I just brought home a little orphaned kitten yesterday, only four or five weeks old according to the vet, & he so far seems to be a boy, but it's so early to tell. He was found in the bush surrounding the property of its first carers, and is tame and very friendly, so he must've been either dumped or lost by his mother. He's completely white with blue eyes, but surprisingly, not deaf! I think this must be because he has a very faint tabby stripe happening on his little tail and a grey dot on his head that won't wash off.
I haven't even named him yet; my favourite names so far have been Felix (after The Cat Empire), Milos, Murphy (after Murphy's Law...), or Sam; and if he turns out to be a girl it'd be Meg. 
He seems to be settling in ok, and is bonding well with me, but he does cry for food a lot, and still will only feed on a bottle. I've been told to try and wean him onto at least lapping his milk up. He seems to always be hungry, but I've been trying not to over-feed him anyway, and distract him with cuddles and play, or tucking him back in his basket. 
Although the vet said he'd be about 4 - 5 weeks old, he's still very, very small (only 300g), and very clumsy. He only plays with my hand, and finds other toys annoying. I'm worried he won't grow social enough, or be willing to play much, because he's away from his siblings at such a crucial age.
I don't have much work on at the moment, so I have plenty of time to spend looking after him. But I've never had a kitten so young before (my last three cats were at least 8-12 weeks old when I got them), and I'm worried I won't do a good enough job; so a little support from the experts around here would be much appreciated!  I also live at home, so I have a good (and quiet) family to help share the load. No drama...
Any advice? (& which name would you go for?)


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Thank you for taking this little one in. Is he pooping and peeing ok? We took care of 4 siblings who were dropped off at about the age of your little one, and they still needed help with stimulation.

Can't wait for pictures !!!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Don’t be afraid to over feed the kitten. A good quality soft canned food and KMR for nutritious milk would help him a lot. He need high calories at this stage of life. 

He will bond deeply with you if you’re the person in his life. Maybe you should get him a companion!!! :wink: Cant wait for pictures. He sounds very cute.


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

Goodluck! We got a 6 week old who regressed to the point of needingto be force fed because no one ever bottlefed him (was taken from his parents at 3 weeks, and fed only hard kibble which he didnt eat so his body was about to give out).

It's not a particularly fun job, very time consuming and tedious. You always wonder if they're getting enough!

I would also second the suggestion of getting him a companion immediately. The other poster said it in jest, I believe.. but handfed kittens have MAJOR attitude/adjustment problems if they have no other cats to teach them manners. Most times, no matter how hard we human mom's try, they just don't get the same lessons from us that they will from a kitty companion. I'd adopt a 8 week old kitten, that will also help the baby learn to eat (monkeysee, monkeydo!). 

We need pictures! AND UPDATES!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

In the summer of 1996, my husband brought me a tiny kitten who was half dead. He was turning blue from a lack of oxygen and his body shutting down. Quick trip to the vet for a shot of fluids and he perked right up.
That is how I got Marmalade. He will be 12 this year.
The vet estimated his age to be between 3 and 4 weeks old. I bottle fed him and began right away introducing him to canned food. He didn't show any interest in the canned food for at least 2 weeks. Bottle feed the baby as much as possible. As much as he wants to eat at every feeding. 

Do not worry about socialization and play for the kitten. I'm sure it will develop normally and will play and interact with you just fine. Right now, the baby is concentrating on growing and eating. Satisfy those needs and everything else will follow along. The only difference with him being an only kitten, is he will probably be a little rough with his teeth/claws because he doesn't have siblings to learn to curb those things with. 
_Bites sibling, sibling yowls. Sibling bites me, it hurts!, I yowl! Hm...maybe I shouldn't bite my sibling so hard?_
Anyway, I'm sure the baby will be fine. If you get too concerned about his/her social wellbeing, you could always wait until the baby is a little older and then adopt another kitten of around the same age. Kittens are pretty easy to introduce to each other.
Heidi

Personally, I like the name Felix. Even if kitty turns out to be a girl, I still think Felix would be a good name. Unusual, but still good. It would make a girl kitty remarkable and have a cute story.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

When I rescue 3- 3-week-old kittens we took a syringe and squirted a couple tbls of water into their mouth every couple hours. Plus I got them baby food ham and it spurred their appetites.


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## felix07 (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks for the tips!!  About adopting a second kitten; it seems like a very good idea in theory, but we only have limited space & resources in our house, and already have a dog (outdoor dog, don't worry), so I'm not sure we have the space for two grown cats (after all, they'll both be cats in the end, not always quiet kittens). Plus we're renting, and my sister's getting married this year, so we're moving to a 3 bedroom, bigger place; so I'd have to contend with landlords... But I'll give it some thought. Maybe there's some other options?
Thanks also for the feeding tips; it's quite a relief, and I am giving into him now , he cries so much otherwise.... Right now he's perched a bit wobbly on my leg, trying to fall asleep. He's so clumsy and wobbly all the time.
I also notice he tends to be shivering sometimes; is he nervous or sick or something? Or is it maybe just that he's really little? :love2


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Make sure you keep the kitten warm. At night wrap a heating pad with a towel and let him sleep on it. 

He shouldnt be shaking. Maybe a bit clumsy. _Shaking is not a good sign. _Its very important to keep him hydrated. If you use the big syringes that they give free at the drug stores to administer the water. Pry his mouth open and squirt the water in.

Put baby food meat on your finger and phyically open his mouth and push a bit in to get him to start eating.

Keep us posted.


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## felix07 (Feb 19, 2008)

Hello all! Jack has finally stopped shaking, and is eating some kitten pre-packaged food, but only when I put it on my finger, & then he'll lap it off, but he still cries for milk. He's very difficult to wean, and still sucks on my nose and chin when he's hungry.
He's very energetic, now, and strong, runs around exploring the house and playing with people's toes. I have to keep watching where he is so he doesnt climb into the fridge or pantry.
My little brother plans on getting a kitten of his own, so Jack'll have a playmate pretty soon, although I thought it best to wait a couple of weeks at least until he's a bit bigger and not so fragile. Is that a good idea?
I'll definitely remember to administer water from now on. I didn't think to keep him hydrated with water since he drank so much milk.
Photos are on their way, I just have to find the dig. camera's plugs around here somewhere...


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

You say you give him milk? Is it kitten milk? Cow's milk isn't good for them. He sounds so cute, we need pictures!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

dont feed him people milk. Go buy KMR since it is made for kittens and is made with vitamins in it for body developement of kittes. The powdered kind is cheaper. Be sure you are feeding him kitten food. usually till he is atleast 6 months old. It has the high calories he needs right now. 

Im glad he is warming up to you. good job!


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## felix07 (Feb 19, 2008)

No, it's not cow's milk, it's Formula 1... I am trying to get him to eat the kitten-food sachets, but it is still off my fingers, and he's not too pleased about it. :roll:


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## IsaacsMom (Dec 29, 2007)

He sounds so cute - can't wait to see him!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Just thought of something else to recogmend... When my tuxy was an unweight baby I gave him goats milk. which helped him put on the pounds.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

There's no reason to take him off the bottle! Let him have it! My mother collie nursed a little four week old kitten. She probably had a bit of milk, and I supplemented her feedings by dipping my finger into a bowl of formula. As I lowered my finger, little Pixie learned to lick the milk from the bowl. However, that was only physical nourishment. My collies gave her the rest of the loving care she needed. It was a joy to behold! 


Pixie's Rescue

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=670&


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Rereading this has tugged at my heart. Jeanie what a wondeful cat and your collies are what the breed is all about! Tears again!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I have tears in my eyes too, Merry! I'll never forget my beloved pets. Sari and Pixie were so very special. 
:luv 
I think Jack will always feel that way about Felix too. These little ones are so needy!


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## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

So... we need pictures! 

I got my Cheddar at the same age.
For his first couple weeks I mixed canned food with KMR, gradually decreasing the kmr and increasing the canned food.
Young orphaned kittens often come with challenges, but usually nothing that you can't overcome. I had a big problem with Cheddar biting when he was about 7-12 weeks, but with some persistence I was able to correct it before it became habit. He also had some issues interacting with the other cats, never quite understanding "cat speak". Turns out all he needed was another cat willing to put him in his place.

But the bond we developed is really something special. He's such a mama's boy, and probably always will be.

I think the idea of a companion for Jack is great. It so much easier to introduce cats together at a young age, too. They're pretty much guaranteed to get along.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Nell what tips do you have for getting them to stop biting?


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## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

The first things was that no one was allowed to encourage any kind of rough play with their hands or body since it was contradictory to what I was trying to teach him. He got lots of interactive toys instead, as well as a stuffed animal that he could roll around and wrestle with.

He never bit aggressively, it was just that he wanted to play, and things that moved, like peoples hands and feet, were an easy target. When they only weigh a couple pounds any still have their baby teeth its cute, but when they grow up and have long fangs and sharp claws and could truly do some serious damage with them, its not so cute and you may never successfully break them of the habit after that point.

So whenever he started biting, I would gently scruff him and either growl at him the way another cat would or give him a sharp "no!" I would hold him like that for a few moments until he relaxed a bit and then try to redirect his attention to a toy. Its better to actually scruff them and hold them to the floor or the couch, etc rather than lift the kitten up.
If he just wouldn't quit, he'd get a time out in the bathroom so he could settle down. 
If he looked like he was going to attack but hadn't yet, I'd try to distract him with a toy. If he bit my hand, I would stick my thumb in his mouth and put a little pressure on his tongue... not enough to hurt, but enough to be uncomfortable and annoying. He didn't like that one bit and it did a really good job of getting the point across, but thats something you can only do when they're little and have baby teeth and very little force behind their bite. 
It also works to push back at the kitten when they attack rather than pull away. This startles them a bit and makes it less fun because normal reaction of prey is to pull away.

You don't ever want to act aggressively or in a way that makes them react defensively. When you try to teach a kitten manners, you're trying to act like mom cat. You don't want to do anything that would make them not trust you or be afraid. The goal is to teach them what is wrong to do and give the kitten a better alternative- one that allows play but doesn't involve your fingers getting chewed on.

It worked wonders. He stopped biting and discovered better outlets for his energy. Within a few weeks he went from a kitten who would attack hands and feet relentlessly to a cat thats not even interested in biting people even if they try to provoke rough play.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Thanks for the tips Nell


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## felix07 (Feb 19, 2008)

Hello! Jack is doing so well, he's happily eating kitten food, with a little bit of milk every day on the side. Still having trouble getting him to drink water, but he seems to be very healthy. 
His eye-colour is changing to green, and as it does he can see a lot better, too. He was quite blind for a while. And theres a bit of black on his nose that we thought was cat food that just didnt seem to rub off (I still have to wipe off his nose; he dives into his food  ), but it seems to be his nose is going to turn black instead of pink!
I'm really thinking he might be partly Oriental, because he looks amazingly like a siamese (except smaller and like a teddy), with a long and skinny body, lanky legs, and the longest tail I've ever seen on a kitten his age. Plus he's got that angular little face... I have to get a picture up here. Wonder if a webcam would work, considering the cords to my camera have gone missing...
And he has cuddle-hour every arvo. It's so touching. He'll get tired of playing, completely all of a sudden, turn around, look at me and start purring his little heart out. Then he makes a bee-line for me and makes a quick scale of my leg up to my chest, then pokes his nose in my eye or my mouth, then he'll snuggle into my neck and go to sleep. If I disturb him he makes little soft meows, and he won't even be put in his basket. If I still break the moment he sometimes loses his cuddly-mojo and goes back to playing.
I'm so in looooove.... :love2


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## mstx (Mar 4, 2008)

Oh he sounds so cute!!!! He is lucky to have you take care of him. I am hoping once my hubby and me get our stuff together and I can work from home I can get into taking in orphan kittens as a foster care.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I wouldn't worry about giving him kitten formula. Mother cat would still be nursing him for some time yet. There are some hints in this link that might be helpful. You can either buy or make your own fomula. There are several recipes included. 

I hope we get pictures soon.  

http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm


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