Ok...so it's a little weird...

[LadyBird]

Yesterday at the ranch, my BIL was standing their with my young cousin and they were saying "ewwww, check out that cat...she havin' her baby right there....it's hanging out the back as she walks...." :wow

Well...the baby fell to the ground, afterbirth and all, and the mother just walked off. That poor little creature crawled in vain through the dirt and mud....wet and cold.....and was searching for her momma.....oh so sad. :sad2

So of course, I grab a piece of plastic sack and pick her up....umbilical cord and afterbirth hanging from her.....and tried in vain to get the boys to help me get a knife to cut the cord.....so I ended up thinking..."Fine....I will do this myself....mother instinct number one kicked in" lol :amen

Then, I found a small iron thing on the ground, and used it to cut the cord....then I walked up to the house to take her in and wash her off.....she is cold to the touch and not moving all that much...

I put her under warm water and bathe her off till she is squeaky clean....and grab one of my MIL's (she wasn't home) washcloths...just an old white one lol...and wrap up the baby....and put her in my cleavage, covered up by my shirt.....

Okay...so I know if she doesnt' nurse she is going to die very soon, so in kicked mothering instinct number two :grin.....so I try expressing milk to her...she can't get any of the drops that I dropped down onto her mouth....hmmm

I get my DD, my purse, the camera, the extra diaper bag, and the baby kitty, and head to the truck...leave the ranch, open and close three gates and get home to find a place to put the baby kitty, get a bath with my DD, and then dress me, dress DD, nurse DD and then try and pump enough milk for the kitty....

I manage about 20 cc's and search for a syringe of some sort...find a really small one...and try to feed her...she gobbles it all up! :yum

I put her in a tupperware container on two soft baby blankets, on a heating pad and put a stuffed bear in there with her. I have given her now my pumped breastmilk since last night and she is a voracious eater, meows when hungry, wants to be loved and rubbed on and is peeing pretty good...hasn't pooped yet...

SO.....I know this is kinda weird, and I am not all that anxious to run and tell everybody what I am doing...feeding a kitten my own milk lol...but I guess when my snotty SIL and my BIL said, "oh just put it back over by the truck...it will never make it...and you can't save it..." :rolleyes :mad

it just made me want to save her all the more! so...I now have two nurslings:-) and I am allergic to cats :think :O

[booboo]

That's funny! But to err on the side of caution - and you may disagree with me - you may want to get some kitty formula from the pet store. I don't know how different people's milk is from a cat's.

Just my 2 cents here. I do congratulate you on caring that much for a newborn kitten! :clap :highfive :candle

[puffballpopple]

.

[wuzzie]

I've benn told that human milk will make a kitty sick. I'd go get a bit of formula too. Good for you for saving that little kitty!

[Lantern Light Mama]

It wonderful of you to save the kitty. It sounds like with as much love and care you have in your home, she'll make it! Ahhh, heres an idea..post on Freecycle for Kitty Milk. Someone here was giving away Puppy Milk!!!

[TestifyToLove]

What is weird is except for the breastmilk part (because it was pre-children), I've done the same.

You have to make the kitty poop or she will die. Take a warm, moist washcloth and gently mimic licking her bottom. She won't poop ever otherwise. Eventually, she will start to poop on her own but until then, you've got to do this several times a day. And, it needs to be a washcloth because she need some texture like a mother cat's tongue.

For a newborn kitty, I would go with the kitty formula too. You can get it and tiny nurser bottles at Wal-mart. She should be able to start cat food by 4-6 weeks. Until, definitely bottle feed her, and keep 'licking' her bottom. Oh, and you can get a heat lamp to keep her warm when you can't kangaroo her.

Sounds like you have a new addition in your house. Congratulations. Orphaned baby animals often end up being very special after the effort you go through to save them.

[booboo]

I think TestifyToLove gave some great advice. I just want to add that you should also use a washrag to clean your kitty's whole body. They love that feeling. :angel My cat Socks still likes it when I do it to this day!

How is the little sweetie doing?

[LadyBird]

well, the kitty has a new home and is doing great. It is a boy and apparently the breastmilk did save his life! I am so glad. He now is getting watered down goats milk and from what I have heard his new mommy is very very happy. I am glad too, because I am really allergic to cats and would not have been able to keep him long term. So it is good that he has a new home so early. Thanks for your input gals!

[booboo]

That's so cool! I'm really happy to hear it. Way to go, Elizabethsmommy!! :clap

[puffballpopple]

.

[LadyBird]

Update: I heard today that the kitty died last week. The lady that took him didn't do the right things I don't think. She wouldn't listen to me apparantly, and didn't want to feed him every 2-3 hours and said that she was going to feed him every 4 hours...and gave him goats milk fairly straight, and I think too much at a time. She also wasn't very good about keeping his bottom rubbed so he could poop and pee. I think that it was just a case of neglect. I wish I had known and I would have taken him back. He was fine in my care and thriving so well, and he then died a couple of days after she had him. She didn't even bother to call and tell me. She told the gals at the library and I just found out in passing! Oh well. I with think twice next time before giving up a newborn kitty. Live and learn I guess. But so sad:-(

[Sanveann]

Oh, I am so sorry :cry

They really do need to be fed constantly, especially at that age. I have helped bottle-raise a 3-day-old kitten and a 2-week-old kitten, and they are a LOT of work! I don't think I could have done it without my DH's help ... the littler one I even took to work with me! Luckily, my boss is pretty understanding.

I am so angry at that lady!!!

[ranade3]

I'm sorry too :cry What an awful way to learn that that woman wouldn't be a good Mommy to your kitty :(

[boonpnutsmom]

My Pumkin cat had her firt litter at her first heat. She was still a kitten herself and had no clue what to do. She had two kittens that litter and one died a few dies after birth. Alani was her surviving son. He just celebrated his 10th birthday on February 28 and I bottle fed him every two hours when he was a newborn, rubbed his coo with a clothe to make him go and to this day he is "mine" he won't go near anyone else in our house unless I am right there. We lost Pumkin to salivary gland carcinoma last year April, but her other surving "kitten" from her second litter, Kitty turned 10 this past Saturday. Out of two litters and 6 births only 2 survived and they survived because of all the intervention I did on my part. Human breastmilk is awesome for kitten, cats, puppy and possibly even dogs, you just need to stay away from cows milk.

Alani
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/boonpnutsmom/MOURA%20PETS/AlaniThinksHesHiding043005.jpg
Kitty
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/boonpnutsmom/MOURA%20PETS/KittytheQueen043005.jpg

[LadyBird]

Awww....thanks for sharing! Great pictures :) I guess what bothers me the most is that I was hesitant to give him to her, only because I wanted to make sure the woman knew what to do. She was so adamant about being so experienced in bottle feeding newborn kittens, and was full of stories and acted so excited etc. I think she was filling me full of it, just so I would give it to her, because he was so "cute". Next time I won't do that.

I did save another baby though. At the farm, one of the dogs somehow got ahold of a young one, only a few days old probably, and he dug a slight hole and put her in it. Maybe to eat later? Who knows...but I found her and took her to another momma cat and she took it right on! Adopted it with no problems. Cats are amazing creatures. I wish I weren't allergic. I grew up with them, and always had my own cat. Hopefully when we get a ranch of our own, I can have one again...but outdoors :grin

[booboo]

Lynn,

I'm sooo sorry to hear about the newborn dying! The lady should've at least told you. :hugheart At least you tried. Glad to hear the other kitten was more successful. Cats are amazing. They will take in other newborn animals that are abandoned - squirrels, skunks, etc. :heart

[kiloyd]

That's awesome! So funny to 'nurse' a kitten. Great thinking for you. That is sad about the lady wanting the kitten but not knowing how to care for it.

I used to work for a vet and once several of us took turns taking care of a litter of abandoned puppies. Oh, my what work it was!

[Mother of Sons]

I've hand fed more than a few kittens. I've always used a kitten bottle and kitten formula but if it wasn't available I'd use breastmilk. I'm mad at the lady too. Being a mama to kittens is hard work and it takes more time than most people are willing to give. I was up with the kittens at least every 2 hours 24 hours a day. I'm glad someone mentioned how to "pee" the kittens. Most people don't know that.

One kitten that I hand fed I got when I worked in a petstore. A lady came in crying that she had this kitten and the mother died but she needed to go to work and would I please take the kitten. She paid me 5 dollars lol. I was about 16 and i hid him from my mom for more than 2 weeks. I named him Itty Bitty and he ended up being one of the biggest cats we ever had. Not fat, just big.