How Old Is This Kitten?

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

Its a kinda long story, but I am raising this kitten, and I need to know how old he is.

Hes crawling around and eyes are begining to open.

 

[kewskills]

eyes open at around 2 weeks, so i guess around 3 weeks old, not really old enough to be away from its mum, unless he hasn't got one.

 

[K.J.]

Yeh... 2 - 3 weeks. You aren't feeding him 100% solids, are you?

 

[Bloo]

Yep between 2-3 weeks in those pics. Closer to two in my opinion.

 

[KathyM]

he looks about 2 weeks old and in need of urgent veterinary treatment by the looks of his eyes and those ulcers/spots. vet should be able to age him, so i assume he hasn't seen one yet?

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

He has been to a vet, but the vet said that he was about 10 days old, but with me reading around on the internet, it seemed to me like he is older.

He was found outside of a teacher's classroom, and there are wildfires somewhat nearby, and we have been covered with smoke and ash. His eyes are infected, possibly from being exposed to the smoke.

He has an oral med he is taking, and stuff for his eyes. I am hand-feeding him KMR from the vet, every 3 hours, but he dosen't always want to eat. I am also stimulating him to go to the bathroom (using a warm, damp washcloth).

About a week ago, some students found 4 other kittens and a different teacher tried to hand-raise them, but they all died. We are thinking that he is what was left of the litter, but we don't know why the mother dropped him near a classroom.

He was covered with fleas when they first found him, and the spots are from where the fleas were grouped really tightly together.

For clairification's sake, I just got him today. A teacher found him two days ago, and she took him to the vet and got the meds and whatnot. She is allergic and couldn't keep him, so I took him.

 

[kewskills]

that is a sad story kudos for looking after\the little fella
good luck.

 

[The-Wolf]

I wish you all the best in your efforts. I truly wish there were more
people willing to take the time and effort in this kind of situation.

I suggest joining the following cat forum as it was started by the publishers of cat world
which is the best selling UK cat mag. (they publish teddy bear mags and toy solder mags, but I ignore those parts of the forum)
there are many members there that are in the vet trade or have been breeding etc for years.
I'm sure they can give you many pointers to help with the kitten.
http/community.ashdown.co.uk

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

I have a question- if his feeding time comes around and he is sleeping, should I wake him up and feed him, or wait until he wakes up on his own?

Thank you for the link to that forum, Wolf.

 

[Kevinator]

I have a question- if his feeding time comes around and he is sleeping, should I wake him up and feed him, or wait until he wakes up on his own?

Thank you for the link to that forum, Wolf.

I would also say he is about 3 weeks it looks like his eyes just opened.
Wait til he wakes up on his own. These little guys need all the rest they can get. In a few weeks you will wish he would sleep!

 

[lljdma06]

I've got a litter around the same age that I'm fostering. These little guys need round the clock care. Where abouts are you? They shouldn't be on solids yet and need a milk supplement. He may be able to lap, but it is better for now to bottle feed, if I've got his age right. He looks just like my Buckwheat from my litter, so about a littel over 2 weeks give or take. They need food every 3-6 hours at this stage, especially if weakened. I feed my litter 5 times a day a supplement called KMR. If you live in the states, you can pick this up either can or in powdered form in any large chain pet store. A kitten that age should be eating roughly 60-80ml or more of the stuff per day, divided equally into 4-6 feedings, depending on his age and health. Weak kittens should be fed more often, stronger kittens less. The food must be warmed to the kittens body temperature, which is around 100-102 degrees F. A digital aquarium thermometer is fantastic for measuring temp, by the way and the nipples must be sterilized in boiling water.

If its time for them to be fed, wake them up. Don't wait for them to wake. They'll go right back to sleep once done and some even fall asleep on the bottle. It'll get enough sleep, trust me.

Keep it warm! Can't emphasize this enough. They can't regulate their temp well and you've only got one. I've got five of these little guys, an older kitten, and live in a very warm climate, so this is not so pressing for me. A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel is excellent.

There is just too much information to give in one post, but I've covered food and heat, the most important things. Congratulations on your new bundle of trouble. If you have questions, I'm going through the same process right now, so give me a PM. Here is a good website to read through.

http/www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm (General care)

http/www.catsofaustralia.com/kitten_fleas.htm (How to remove fleas, you will need this, trust me)

http/www.feralcat.com/raising.html (Another General care with milestones in development to help with aging him)

I have another handbook that is a pdf file if you want it. It's got weight charts and all that other stuff.

Good luck to you,

llj

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

Thank you. I have been reading around the internet, and talking to people who have done this before.

I'm in north Florida, right in the path of the fires.

I am feeding him KMR. The lady who had him first, got some KMR from the agriculture teacher, but then the vet gave her some, too. They are in two seperate containers, but could I mix them together to make things easier?

I have a ticking clock just outside of his box, and I have a heating pad under the box, but he can get away from the heat if he wanted to. (Towels are stacked thicker on one side of the box.) So far he has chosen to stay as close to the heat as possible. I put a pillow over part of the box to try to retain the heat.

I feed him every 3 hours, except I miss a feeding when I am at school for 6 hours. I was told that this would be ok as long as the other feedings are on time. When I get home, he was awake but not meowing for food. I heat a glass of water for 2 minutes in the microwave, I put the bottle of KMR in the glass of water and let it sit for 2 more minutes, and I squirt a little of the milk on my finger to test the warmth. I have been heating it to about the warmth of bath water, which I think is about 97 degrees or so. I guess I should have it a little warmer? I just didn't want to burn his little tounge...

So far he has pee'd just about every time I stimulate him, and he poops every few times. (Hes cute when he eats, but I won't miss the pooping part! )

He seems to be doing quite well, knock on wood. We might have to evacuate because of the fire, and I am trying to figure out how to situate him along with the 4 dogs, other cat, 5 rats, and rabbit. I will make it work.

 

[catherine896]

Aww he is so cute! I hope he gets through!
Well done for helping him!

 

[WILDER]

Sound like a very caring person, the kitten is in good hands.
Keep us all updated on his progress, sweet looking kitten.
Good luck.

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

I think I might name him 'Rowdy,' after the dog on the TV show 'Scrubs.'

Its an odd name for a cat, but not so odd as Hachimachimoremeon, another name I considered.

I hate normal names, with just a few exceptions.


He has been eating, peeing, and pooing great all day, and even climbed out of his box once, the little PITA!

I think hes fugly in a cute way, or something like that.