File :-(, x, )
Stray Kitten Anonymous
Hey /an/

I just found a stray kitten in my backyard. I found the kitten in a thorn bush, since I live in the desert and there's tons of those around. The mother is nowhere to be seen. I put him in a box and gave the kitten some milk, but he's not drinking. It's also very scared. It curls up in the corner of the box when we get close to it. ALSO, the kitten has a wound in the neck. I plan on taking it to the vet as soon as possible, since there's no vets open today. I've never dealt with cats and I really don't know what to do right now. Pictured is the kitten. I'll try to take a picture of the wound soon.
>> Anonymous
My one suggestion is to the little guy water, not milk, milk is hard for cats to digest.
>> Nagi
I'd also be a little worried about that eye. Not sure if it's the lighting or not, but the right eye seems to bulge out more than the left.

Definitely get it to a vet ASAP.
>> Anonymous
OP here. I've give it water and yes, the eyes does seem to be a little swollen and watery.
>> Anonymous
Put in plenty of warm blankets and put a clock under them if you can. The ticking will make it think of its mothers heart and help calm it.
>> Anonymous
another hing with milk is there is a liklyness that it will give him worms.

>>45099
wow thats cool i didnt know that.
>> Anonymous
also put some neosprn or something on his neck so it dosnt get infected.
>> Anonymous
In before OP sits on cat and it dies.

I support the notion of taking cat to a vet.

Milk isn't that good for most animals. Pretty much all of them are lactose intolerant.
>> MeSpecial
>>45099
Do what he said. And I hope the kitten will be okay. Poor thing.
>> Anonymous
actually kittens can drink milk, it's only the grown-up cats, who can't have milk.
Water is the best thing however.
>> Anonymous
put something warm and soft in the box for him to curl up with,get some canned food, and make sure he has water. The neosporin is a good idea to... there's not really much else you can do till you can get him to a vet. Poor baby, misses his mom, so talk softly to him, at least he wont associate you with trauma
>> Anonymous
OP here.

Thanks, guys. I've already put some blankets and he seems to be more calm. I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow hopefully.
>> foureyedmonster
>>45124
go kittie go! =3
>> Anonymous
>>45124
hows his neck?
>> Anonymous
I second the vet for the wound.

A heating pad with a blanket is good. Keeping at kitten warm is very important.

Oh, cow milk is bad for cats, especially kittens. They can drink goat milk, but it doesn't have everying a kitten needs. Puppy formula is not a suitable substitute, as it also lacks the amount of nutrients a growing kitten needs. You'll need some kitten formula to mix with goat milk/water. The powdered stuff has a tendency to become clumpy and impossible to mix, and it can constipate them, so get the liquid stuff if you can.

As for litter, there's some stuff made of wheat that you can use. You don't have to worry about the kitten eating it's litter, then. >.>

Good luck!
>> Anonymous
I second 45133's comment about the powdered kitten formula. It's almost impossible to mix. Also it tends to settle out of solution within a few minutes.
The grocery stores where I live sell the liquid kitten milk. Try a grocery store if the pet stores where you live are closed.
>> Anonymous
Aww, poor baby.

Yeah, kitten formula > water > milk.
Warm blankets are good.
You've cleaned the wound with a clean rag and water I hope.
>> Anonymous
the powdered stuff will mix if you warm it gently
>> Anonymous
Why do I feel sad for this kitty, yet laugh at zippocat threads?
>> Anonymous
OP here. The kitten is doing fine. I cleaned his wound, but it was already dry since I found him. I tried taking a picture of his wound but I couldn't take one that came out clear. His eye looks much better too.
>> Anonymous
You should eat it
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
The first thing, of course, is to make sure that it's warm. Heated blankets will probably almost be TOO warm for the kitten. As animal body temperatures can fluxuate faster than a humans and overheating can occure.
Instead throw an old towel in the dryer for a few minutes and place it in the box or crate that you have the kitty in so that s/he has the option of crawling into it when needed. Placing a ticking clock will also help calm it down. Hydration is the second most important thing you want to make sure of. If after a day and the water has not gone down some in his cup, you'll probably want to think about either getting it to a vet ASAP or perhaps buying an eye dropper and squeezing it into it's mouth. (See picture I drew for you to help. SHUT UP! I'M NO ARTIST!) Press the eyedropper full of liquid into the back crook of it's mouth while holding the cat securely. (I strongly suggest gently but firmly wrapping it in a towl to prevent wiggling and clawing.) Once properly hydrated, I would check it's wound and with a clean warm wet cloth, gently clean off as much of the caked on gunk as you can. Once clean, pour a small cap full of hydrogen peroxide over the wound (it won't harm or sting the cat) and then dab it clean. Repeat until there aren't any or little bubbles after each pour. Once the wound is clean, apply neosporin, but only a little!! Cats are capable of reaching between their shoulder blades with their tongue to clean and I'm unaware if it's bad for them to ingest, so don't use a lot!!
>> Anonymous
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(CONT!)

As for it's eye, I wouldn't use anything other than a warm wet cotton ball to wipe it clean. Leave that to the vet so that you don't make it blind. Gently clean the kitten of any hydrogen peroxide that may have poured over and into it's fur and make sure that it's fully dry and warm. Place it into the container with the warm towel and his ticking clock, as it's probably been quite a drama for the little guy and place a towel over the top. Dark safe little "nooks" will help him keep calm and secure. (Especially if it's not used to humans.) You'll want to eventually put a can of cat food in for him to eat over night. Not the entire thing, because too much of it will give him the squirts and you'll have one hell of a mess to clean up the next day. Just take a spoon and give him about two generous spoonfulls of food to start. (If he eats it right away, give him a little more.) Just keep in mind that he's extreamly young and will either poop/barf it up and/or actually be able to handle it and fall asleep shortly after getting it's fill.
>> Anonymous
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(CONT - LAST ONE!)

Extreamly young kittens actually need help going to the bathroom. The mother licks it's behind to encourage it to go so, again, depending on how nice and frisky you're feeling, you can take a cotton ball and gently use it to stroke it's anal area until it either urinates or deficates. (Do this with the kitten placed gently in a sink for easy clean up.) You probably don't need to do this, because the kitten looks like it might be old enough, but just in case...Tomorrow, please please PLEASE invest the dime to take it to a vet. They can either take it for you (in which case they may euthanize it if nobody adopts it) or you can adopt it permanantly. Make sure to bring a pad and pen with you when you go so that you can get a complete how-to from your vet as far as how to take care of your new little buddy.

Thank you for being wonderful enough to care for this kitten. It speaks novels about how cool of a person you are. <3

I've enclosed the following links to help you further. Good luck!

http://www.homeatlastrescue.org/html/aboutcats/kittencare.html

http://www.petpublishing.com/catkit/articles/kitten.shtml
>> Anonymous
One last thing!!

You'll need to do do the eyedropper water/formula thing multiple times a day!! Do it every four hours to prevent the little guy falling into dehydration and dying!
>> Anonymous
>>45193
>>45194
>>45195

OP here. That's a lot of great information. Thanks!
>> Anonymous
This thread has restored my faith in 4chan. Good on you Animals & Nature. Good on you.
>> Anonymous
USE BLACK MARKER TO WRITE 4CHAN ON THE CAT'S HEAD OR IT'S FAKE!
>> Anonymous
>>45209
Shut up.
>> Anonymous
OP - How's it doing?
>> Anonymous
When is OP going to sit/step on cat?
>> Anonymous
>>45193
>>45194
>>45195

*Thumbs up*

Way more information than I have the attention span to give. :3

Oh, and about heating pads...

They're not all bad, really. But only use one when you're there, and have a thick, thick blanket to cover it. A pillowslip won't do.
>> Anonymous
in a pinch, if you can't get kitten formula, use chicken broth.

Cow milk == BAD.
>> Anonymous
Aw, poor little guy. Make sure to update us on his condition as soon as you take him to the vet.
>> Anonymous
>>45102
How in the world is that even possible? There are no parasites in pasturized milk. D:
>> Anonymous
>>45461

Lactose and stuff.
>> Anonymous
>>45461

That's an old saw that's got a little bit of basis in truth.

Not having mother's milk means that the kitten doesn't get all the antibodies it would otherwise receive through the milk. It's more likely to get infections and parasites that it can't destroy without outside medication, but not from the milk itself. It's the lack of the mother's milk that does it.

Why kittens shouldn't drink cows' milk:

Unlike humans, Cats are almost 100% carnivorous. They get the vast majority of their energy from fat. Humans and other omnivores get energy from fat, starch, and sugar.

(Incidentally, What few proteins that they need from vegetables, cats get from eating herbivorous or omnivorous prey. Big cats eat the stomachs of their prey animals. Small cats, including house cats, typically eat their prey entirely, including bones.)

Kittens need fats in vast quantities. However, the fat molecules in Cow's milk are too large to be absorbed into a kitten's bloodstream. Older cats can absorb a little more of the fat out of cow's milk, but not much. All a cat really gets out of cow's milk is the taste.

All you'll really do to a kitten by giving it cow's milk is give it diarreah.
>> Anonymous
KILL IT NOW
>> Anonymous
>>45522

No...
>> Anonymous
Op here

I sat on it
>> Anonymous
http://www.mpmproducts.co.uk/acatalog/KMR_Liquid_8oz.jpg

you should try feeding it this. when i got my cat when it was a stray kitten she was so young we had to feed her this formula with a special bottle.

good luck!
>> Anonymous
You can buy milk spicifically made for kittens at pet shops like petsmart or petco.
>> Anonymous
>>45087
OP here. Too much milk made the kitten explode with gas. :'(
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Have you ever seen that episode of the X-Files when that Parasite infects Helpless Animals so that people will bring them into their house then it eats them all????????? Maybe? Kinda sounds like that.....Be Careful!
(Pic Related)