# Dealing with 1-day old kitten found yesterday



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Hi all and I again apologize for the hysterics I was in last night. 

Someone showed me a just-born kitten crawling in the middle of the road, while I was feeding my strays, and I just didn't have a heart to leave it there, may God help me!

All the orgs told me to bring him in ONLY if I wanted him immediately euthanized. One shelter that promised they don't kill the kitties, and asked me to come to them, were waiting for me with a needle to put him to sleep when I arrived.

Today I got the kitten a cardboard box with towels, and kitten formula, with a feeder. I took him to the vet, who cut the umbilical cord and showed me where to massage so he can go to the bathroom.

Even though the baby is not hungry, he cries almost all the time and hardly sleeps. He constantly crawls so I had to use a very tall box so he won't crawl out. He's extremely strong for a 1-day old. The vet told me the constant crying and looking for the teat is nomal for an orphaned kitty and will pass (he does this even right after being fed). It breaks my heart, though. He's now snuggled with a plush toy, so he's calmed a little. All the snuggling to my body and suckling on my hair wouldn't calm him, so I stopped trying.

The weather is awfully hot, so I don't know how much I should warm the kitty... 

I'm keeping the baby in the bathroom so Prince won't attack him again, but Prince is *VERY* angry and upset anyway. I don't know if he'll get used to the kitten being in the bathroom... and to his own litter tray now having been moved outside the bathroom. If the kitty would sleep some, I could spend quality time with Prince... This is the part that worries me the most.

In 3 days I'm going back to work and I'll have to take the baby with me in the bus (4 buses each day, 4 days a week), in its cardboard box, because I have to feed him every 2 hours. I'm scared my boss won't allow me to bring the kitty to the office!

When he's old enough to fend for himself, I'll put him downstairs with the rest of my strays, who are pampered almost as much as Prince and I spend several hours with them each day.

*ANY* advice will be gratefully welcome, as there's very little on the web. I got lots of help from people initially, but now I'm totally alone raising this baby, and with Prince being very hostile, I'm very scared...

I already love the tiny one with all my heart... His name is Yaniv, which in ancient hebrew means "shall thrive". 

The man who found him is called Yaniv. The pet store owner who helped me so much is called Yaniv. My first newborn nephew I cared for since birth was called Yaniv and was cruelly taken from me. Maybe this is a message that this kitty is here for me...


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Bless your heart sweety. Ok, deep breaths. This will be fine. You will need to provide a heat source for Yaniv. He has no ability to regulate his body temperature yet. So the best way I've found to handle this is to place a heating pad under one half of the box so that he has the ability to crawl off of it if he gets too warm. Feeding every 2 hours and stimulating to urinate and defecate have been addressed it seems. Its horrible to watch the orphans struggle so. They are born just knowing what momma looks/smells/feels like and nothing else will do bless them. Warm soft toys do help. I found sticking a wrist watch inside the plush toy is also calming (might have been my imagination) but it seems to calm my babies down when I have them. Raising them as single kittens is going to be difficult, especially if he is going to live outside. This is my only concern. He's not going to get taught those survival skills that mom usually teaches and that they normally practice with their littermates. This is my biggest concern really with your situation.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Thank you, Kobster! 

I don't own a microwave oven, so I don't know how to heat the box...!!

Today he slept on my stomach, he found AT LAST a position that made him feel "at home", calmed down and slept suckling my arm over my stomach until he woke up crying because it was his feeding time.

I managed to make him urinate, I'm really relieved I was able to do it.

I keep telling myself, to calm myself down, that he's a lot better now, even if he's crying most of the time, than crawling, hungry, dehydrated, alone, on the harsh paving of the road, where he was last night. Now he's scared, but he has no reason to be, and that makes all the difference. I guess....


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Thank you for taking a chance with this little kitty! I've never raised one that young, but I wanted to add a few details. 

Kobster meant a heating pad, not a microwave. Maybe you don't have them in your country? People often use them to centralize heat to achy muscles. You wouldn't want to put the kitten directly on it though, but use the box like Kobster suggested. Here's a picture of one:









@Kobster- I think that the watch would work for kittens & isn't your imagination. I've heard of it before because the watch "tick" simulates a heartbeat noise like what the kitten would hear while snuggling up with their mom.

Oh, and also rather than making the inside hand-raised kitten an outside cat, maybe you can put him up for adoption once he's old enough?


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I wish I could, but unfortunately there's a critical cat overpopulation in this country.

I do have a heating pad like that!! Should I heat it and then take it off the hook and put it in the box? As I don't have a wall socket in the bedroom that I can use...


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

That could work. You could heat the pad, then put it in the box underneath a blanket/towel (whatever kitty is using as bedding). I wouldn't leave the pad plugged in unless you are supervising anyways.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

I got tears hearing of the new born crawling in the road. You are a saint. With new borns it is touch and go. So far so good. When he is about three weeks old I would give him some beneBac. It help the flora that is missing since the kitten didnt get its mom's Closterum (sp?) at first nursings.

We put clocks and stuffed animals inside the carriers for the new borns. We even found a stuffed cat with a heart beat! the most important thing now is to keep his body temp up and continual feeding to keep him alive. 

Weve had some that passed for reasons well never know. The only way I comfort myself in those times is to know it was loved and cared for and didnt leave this earth without someone who will hold them in their hearts and memories.

I jumped on right away to see how your Yaniv was doing. You werent hysterical. I had to have friends come by and coach me how to feed new borns to gain the confidence I was doing it right. I had five one time and it was so much work. Everyone would stop by to help. I couldnt of figured it out on my own. I was always calling everyone with questions. 

Prayers for Yanvi and your kitty Prince. They may become good friends. All cats inital reaction to cats in their territory is hissy fitty. Not to worry

One of the first kittens I rescued and syringe fed started to suck on its tail. My friend who adopted she and her brother now lives in connecticut. My friend emailed me informing me she still sucks on her tail! She is 7 yrs old!


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I have the pleasure to inform you that Yaniv is doing GREAT! He's a strong, brave kitty, full of life, and he eats a lot. He's bigger than 24 hours ago!

The mommy is very tired and trying to give Prince quality time when Yaniv sleeps, so I'll be commenting on your posts later tonight, but just wanted to say how much I appreciate and am grateful for your support, optimism, courage and advice. 

I was enormeously lucky in that a patron at the pet store saw me with Yaniv and connected me to a Saintly woman who came to my house immediately after work and taught me everything I was doing wrong, and since then Yaniv not only has stopped crying all the time and started to sleep, but looks in bliss. And if he cries, it's either pee, poo, feed or warmth. 

The heating pad (which I hadn't used in over 15 years), turned out a blessing. I have it on one side of the box, so Yaniv crawls there when cold and to the other side when too warm.

And we've had our first poo, a big celebration! Poor thing had to make so much effort he fell immediately asleep afterwards. And he's not constipated.

Wow, now that I think about it, I should post photos of Yaniv! I'm always nudging to see photos of everyone's cats here, how I didn't think about it!


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## Lenkolas (Jan 18, 2011)

Awwwww I'm so happy for Yaniv and you! You are a wonderful person, thank you so much for giving this little one a chance.

You're doing great and everything will be ok, you'll see. I just want to give you a lot of support and good vibes.

(which country are you from?)

YEAH PICS! we'll be waiting


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

very good! I look forward to seeing pictures of him.


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## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

Oh, yes, please, pictures! And so wonderful that he's doing fine  You're doing a great job!


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

wonderful news! Long may it continue!


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## Goldtanker (Jan 9, 2011)

Excellent! :thumb


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

so happy to hear he is doing great. Im happy to hear another cat lover was there to coach you. Cant wait for pictures!


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm planning on taking photos today, asap. I was exhausted yesterday.

Yaniv doesn't cry anymore. He basically eats, goes to the toilet, snuggles with mommy in the big bed and falls asleep again, between her neck and jaw for warmth. He's now over 4 oz (130 grs.), he's growing and very strong.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Bless you for taking care of him!

It's so sad to think of how scared and alone he was, in a big, scary new world. But then you found him and first he wasn't sure what was going on. And now he knows that he is safe and loved, and even though he doesn't have the mommy he expected to have, he has a mommy who cares for him and loves him, and he loves and trusts you in return.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

paperbacknovel, that is EXACTLY how it is, yes!

I'm sorry about the photos, they came out so bad I didn't post them. Someone who's been giving me advice will come tonight and help me take decent pictures. He squirms so much it's been impossible.

He's doing wonderfully. He eats a lot and uses the toilet a lot, and he's loving the artificial mother cat I made him (a roll of faux fur I had at home, which I laid over the heating pad). He sleeps snuggled to it, kneads and suckles it.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Phew! So glad to hear things are alright now! I suppose you might be thinking of keeping the kitten now...?


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Aww!! He sounds so cute. Maybe when he's bigger( A lot bigger), you can introduced him to prince to see how he feels. Looking forward to pictures and progress. And glad he's doing well. now you got two cats. lol


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## Lieke (Jan 12, 2011)

Great, great job! Good to hear that he is doing so well, and that you are lessed stressed about it too. <3


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I was extremely lucky to find this woman who's been a phonecall away in the last 2 days and she has a lot of experience raising orphaned kittens from scratch.

I made all the mistakes in the book anyway, of course, but I'm learning.

Carmel, yes, I'm thinking of keeping him. Today at 1 pm the phone rang and I was busy grabbing something to eat while I got Prince's food ready and Yaniv's bottle ready. I thought "I'll call back later and tell them we were busy having lunch." That moment I realized how beautiful it sounded, like we are a family, like I have a family now. Three lonely strays forming a family may not be such a bad idea...

Konstar, Prince is acting up, sulking, refusing to let me pet him because I smell like Yaniv. Today he groomed my arm for a long time (he had never licked me before), then went to his hiding place. He's obviously stressed and upset. I've started leaving the door of the bedroom a tiny bit open so they get used to each other's scent. I don't want to rush the introduction, though I look forward to spending time the three of us together in the family room.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Mitts, thank you for your supportive, understanding post. It brought tears to my eyes too. 

Lenkolas, I'm from Montevideo but have lived in Tel Aviv for half my life. And where are you from originally? Are you an Anglo-Saxon with perfect Spanish or a Spanish native speaker with excellent English?


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Straysmommy said:


> Konstar, Prince is acting up, sulking, refusing to let me pet him because I smell like Yaniv. Today he groomed my arm for a long time (he had never licked me before), then went to his hiding place. He's obviously stressed and upset. I've started leaving the door of the bedroom a tiny bit open so they get used to each other's scent. I don't want to rush the introduction, though I look forward to spending time the three of us together in the family room.


Oh okay. I understand what you mean. It seems like he's jealous if him..


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

This is something I wrote for myself yesterday to unwind when I started calming down and life started going back to sanity. I thought why not share...

Orphaned, Just-Born Kittens – Rules
by Straysmommy

These rules and steps are a summary of what I learned from my recent hands-on experience.

1. Just-born, orphaned kittens found all wet, crying desperately, starving, painfully dragging themselves on their umbilical cord on the hard asphalt in the middle of the road among the cars will be passed by, ignored and left to die, as they are too small and star crossed to thrive.

2. They will first be wrapped briefly in one's fleece jacket, to prevent shock.

3. The jacket, with the starving kitten in it, will be taken home for a second look, and for added protection against the late afternoon breeze.

4. During deliberation on how to get rid of the kitten, and to stop the crying, the kitten will be given some boiled and cooled water with sugar and a pinch of salt in a new, plastic syringe. Soda bicarbonate will only be added if the stores are still open or one of the 52 neighbors has some.

5. The kitten will then promptly be taken to a shelter for humane euthanizing. On the way, a jar of kitten formula and bottle-feeding kit will be purchased at the pet store. This step is urgent, as the kitten will be very hungry.

6. Euthanasia will then be immediately rescheduled for a later date, following the investment of $25 at the pet store.

7. The kitten shall be taken back home, passing by the vet's office on the way for just a quick hello, a check-up, any treatment necessary, and instructions.

8. The transient kitten will remain unnamed. When necessary, it will be enough to just call the kitten after our first-born and most beloved nephew whom we helped raise from the moment of birth.

9. Newborn kittens found crawling desperately cold and starving on the road among the cars will not, under any circumstances, while they're purring contentedly, already burped and belly massaged for gas on mommy's chest, wrapped up with her under the duvet and suckling on her neck, be allowed to manipulate her with gentle licks and mews into keeping them there the whole night. 

10. After each feeding and no longer than two and a half hours of snuggling with mommy in the big bed, the 2-day old kitten will be put back into its nest and left alone, on the plush blanket with the heated-pad area, the stuffed furry toy and the feathery mice for companionship. To avoid habit formation, gentle head-petting till sound asleep will not be performed more than every few seconds. A momma cat will be added for comfort, by rolling a piece of faux fur and placing it over the heating pad and towels.

11. Starving, just-born kittens spotted among the cars on the cold, muddy road, will be returned to the street with the rest of the strays as soon as they are old enough to fend for themselves (readiness to be judged by the cat's willingness). 

12. Alternatively, the cat will be kept at home to be used as a surface to warm one's hand on, and/or as unpaid labor for jobs such as: purring on one's lap after a hard day at work, objective critique of one's homemade cat-treat recipe creativeness, warming of one's feet in bed, sunrise wakeup calling, active listening to troubles, warming the computer chair, and the like. 

13. Starving, shivering kittens dying on the road will not be allowed to dictate all of the rules in their humans' home and reign over them without limits for the 20+ years that they share it.


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

That's a long list you got their... How old is he now?


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

We think he was just born when we found him 2 days ago, but he might be a day or two older. 

It's a mystery because I know all the cats here and no cat was pregnant except one that still is...


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Oh thats cool. So any updates on his progress?


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Great rules. Made me smile!


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

For the life of me I wasn't able to post the pics in the thread. I've posted them in my profile album (just click on my user name and it'll take you there).


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

I've just looked at the pictures. Yaniv is so adorable. I hope he's coming along well?

Keep eating little one, grow nice and strong.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Thank you, Abbie! He's doing great, eating a lot and becoming more and more pampered with each day. He cries if his mommy dares disturb him by moving a little when holding him against her ear and neck under the duvet in her big bed. Or if his mommy gently shoves his claws away from her eyes. How dare she, it's just a tiny baby's huge claws! Long way from crying of hunger and cold in the middle of the road...  He often sleeps sprawled on his back, showing off his huge tiny belly, LOL


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## Digikid (Feb 27, 2011)

Abbie said:


> I've just looked at the pictures. Yaniv is so adorable. I hope he's coming along well?
> 
> Keep eating little one, grow nice and strong.



Err....what pictures?


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Digikid said:


> Err....what pictures?


You have to click on "Photo Gallery" at the top of the page, then click on Straysmommy's name (or the picture of Prince) to see the pictures. (There are three of them.)


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## Digikid (Feb 27, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> You have to click on "Photo Gallery" at the top of the page, then click on Straysmommy's name (or the picture of Prince) to see the pictures. (There are three of them.)


Thank you. Found them. I would say that that kitten as at LEAST a week old personally. I have seen lots of kittens newborn and they were never that big. It is a cute one though.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Yes, he was 5 days old when the photos were taken. I'm fortunately after WEEK 1 now, which was the hardest.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Congrats on the great job you're doing. Great dedication! Newborn kittens certainly not easy to raise.


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## Digikid (Feb 27, 2011)

Straysmommy said:


> Yes, he was 5 days old when the photos were taken. I'm fortunately after WEEK 1 now, which was the hardest.



LOL! That would explain it then.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Due to where he was found and his ability to crawl, we think his mother gave birth in a parked car's engine and he fell off the nest when the car started. It would be logical to think that the car wasn't parked more than a few hours, so he wouldn't have been older than a few hours, half a day at the most. But he might be older... However, given the amount he eats and his eyes and ears, he seems to be right between weeks 1 and 2. Which would mean he was between 5-7 days in the photo...


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## Magicats (Apr 21, 2011)

I don't know why but I can't find pictures of him either! I've been silently reading your amazing story and I was all excited. But I can't find him


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Magicats, you're right, yesterday when we came back from the vet without him, first thing I did was throw away everything that he had used and file all his photos in some hidden folder that I'll come across in the far future. It just hurts too much. I did 2 machines of laundry with all the bedding, showered and washed my hair. Partly to take his scent off the house for Prince to start relaxing, and because the vet said the neurological problem was likely caused by an infectious something I should wash away, and mostly to help me accept that I start a new life, without his presence and with only his memory in my heart. I'm still astonished at how much I grew to love him and got used to his presence in just 7 days.

All your comments have been a blessing.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

Wait, I'm confused. What happened to the poor baby? Did you post somewhere else that he was getting worse?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Here is the thread under the Rainbow Bridge section:

http://www.catforum.com/forum/50-over-rainbow-bridge/142216-newborn-gone-rainbow-bridge.html


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

He was doing great, and in a few hours he was gone. It was so sudden that I was in shock.


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