Orphen Kitten: Need advice

[ChristianKitsune]

I am sure this kind of thread has been started before, and if it has I am sorry, but this is kind of an emergancy..(kinda not)

Today my dad brought home a tiny kitten, he looks to be about 2-4 weeks old (his eyes are open, but they aren't open enough that they have changed from blue to green, or whatever...)

We took him to the vet and asked what to do for him, and she gave us some kitten formula.

The good news is that he appears to be doing great! when we first got him, he was soaking wet and shivering and he was hardly moving, but he is almost all dry now and romping around.

So any advice on what we can do with him? Especially when I'm at school (one more day of course ^^; ) but we have to keep him away from my other cats I don't know what they woudl do with him. Should I just let him go about his business?

[Doubleshadow]

Your orphaned kitten should only interact with the other cats under close supervision. When you can't watch them keep them in separate rooms or crate the larger cats.

If you aren't taking him to the shelter, are you going to find a home from him or keep him?

[ChristianKitsune]

we are probably going to keep him, he will just be an outside cat.

yeah, he's gonna stay in my room (although my cat, Pocky isn't gonna like this XD)

At least that's the plan, maybe when he's stronger we'll find another home for him, we've only had him for abouty 2 hours so...

[Doubleshadow]

If he's going to be an outside cat you'll have to take addition precautions for his health. He'll need all his shots, to be neutered, a good idea anyway, and you'll have to make sure you check him for signs of injury and illness.

[Sheenar]

Also, make sure he wears ID if he goes outside--just in case he gets lost/somebody finds him.

For now, just give the formula as the vet directed, keep the kitten warm. Put him in a box with a towel and a warm hot water bottle (warm like the mother). Maybe a small clock to simulate the mother's heart. Rub his stomach gently to stimulate his bowels (the mother would lick her kittens to do this). Be careful not to feed him too much formula at once--he has a small tummy, but will need to be fed frequently (every 5 hours or so probably).
Keep an eye on him and take him back to the vet if anything concerns you.

I'm so glad that you and your family are deciding to help the kitten! I am a total cat geek, so yay! Kitty!

[Raiden no Kishi]

I would strongly urge you to keep the kitty inside. That's what domesticated breeds were bred for. It's much safer that way.

.rai//

[ChristianKitsune]

umm

I have a firm belief that Cats were meant to be outdoor animals XD I've kept cats inside and they don't do well indoors

When this little guy is old enough (keep in mind, he's only 3 weeks old!) he will be going outside. He will come in occasionally, but yeah...

Thank you all so much for the advice! I wish I had a hotwater bottle right now.. :< and all my alarm clocks are digital... :/

[TriezGamer]

Sorry Rai, but I must heavily disagree. I've had over 30 cats since I was a child, and I've learned a lot about how cats handle themselves, both indoors and out.

From my experiences:
Whether a cat should be kept outdoors or indoors depends greatly on the environment, and the availability of caretakers. Generally, in an urban area, you're going to want to keep the cat indoors as much as possible. In a rural area, however, a cat will be WAY healthier if it's allowed outside because they will get far more exercise. Also, most cats are very capable of defending themselves, and very rarely will suffer major injury from aggressive animals unless a neighbor has particularly aggressive dogs. I have had cats, and particularly male cats, that have fought off even large breeds of dogs.

And of course: NEVER. EVER. DE-CLAW. Triple that emphasis for an outdoor cat. De-clawing a cat actually removes part of the toe, equivalent to cutting one's finger off at the first joint -- and particularly for an outdoor cat, claws are a cat's primary means of defense, the cat will be in extreme danger.

I could go on ranting about cats, but I have other things I want to get done today.

[ChristianKitsune]

Sorry Rai, but I must heavily disagree. I've had over 30 cats since I was a child, and I've learned a lot about how cats handle themselves, both indoors and out.

From my experiences:
Whether a cat should be kept outdoors or indoors depends greatly on the environment, and the availability of caretakers. Generally, in an urban area, you're going to want to keep the cat indoors as much as possible. In a rural area, however, a cat will be WAY healthier if it's allowed outside because they will get far more exercise. Also, most cats are very capable of defending themselves, and very rarely will suffer major injury from aggressive animals unless a neighbor has particularly aggressive dogs. I have had cats, and particularly male cats, that have fought off even large breeds of dogs.

And of course: NEVER. EVER. DE-CLAW. Triple that emphasis for an outdoor cat. De-clawing a cat actually removes part of the toe, equivalent to cutting one's finger off at the first joint -- and particularly for an outdoor cat, claws are a cat's primary means of defense, the cat will be in extreme danger.

I could go on ranting about cats, but I have other things I want to get done today.

Yeah, I live in a Rural Area so most of my kitties go outside XD. I made the mistake of keeping Pocky and her Sister, inside for three years and now they are getting so hyper that they need to go outside! DX which stresses me out because Pocky was gone for 2 days before she came home.

We made the MISTAKE of de-clawing my sister's cat, Earnie. It's a horrible thing to do to a cat, because now Earnie can't go outside.

No, the kitten we have now, will definately be outdoors.

The only thing I don't like about having them outdoors is the fact that they can get diseases if not properly vaccinated. About 10 years ago, we lived in a different part of our town and Feline Leukimia was VERY dominate there and we didn't know it...until one of our cats got it. It was very heartbraking, Now we vaccinate and de-worm our kitties so they won't get sick.

[Smile:)]

I Don't think cats should live outside. But thats because everyone that lives around me has outside cats, so now they're all over the place and it freaks me out.

What are you going to name your kitty?