I walked Ginny at 6 am today and we did our normal route round our place – down the sidewalk to the front yard, around the back, then into the house. The kids were about to get up and we started our mad-morning routine getting ready for another day of school. Kids were fed, teeth were brushed and lunches were packed…and out the door we lit at 7:10 am. As we headed down the same sidewalk Ginny and I had walked, we came upon a wet, slimy looking pile of…fur. Or at least I thought it was fur. Anyhow, I figured a rat had given birth or something. I decided I’d just pick it up and bury it. I bent down to have a closer look and discovered it was a kitten…and it was alive…sort of. I picked it up and ran in to get a box. We put it in the box and jumped into the car hoping the heater would warm the poor little wet thing.
Sure enough, as Isaac held it on his lap, is started to move a little more. It really didn’t move by normal definitions but it did meow like crazy. I didn’t think for a second that it would survive another 30 minutes but we headed to the vet to see what they said. I had planned to leave it with them and let them “take care of things”…and the kids would know that the vet had done everything they could. Right in front of the kids and the cat and everyone, they basically told us it would not end well and that they wouldn’t try. Gee whiz, now the kids knew what would happen and they were having no part in that. “Please Dad, can we try to save it?” I asked the vet for some milk replacer figuring it would be a nice (read cheap) gesture. I promised the kids I would do everything I could to save the poor little kitten.
I dropped the kids at school and proceeded to work with my tiny box of kitten. It meowed and cried and gave it all it could. I got to work and one of my co-workers helped me clean it up, cut the umbilical cord (yes, it was still attached!), and start feeding. I still didn’t think it had much of chance, but as the day went on, this little thing has perked up and squalls and crawls and bawls constantly! I am amazed at this little critter and think it may have a chance. We’ll feed it every 2 hours and watch as this little thing shows us what it is made of…
I am breathlessly awaiting your next update!!!
I found a 4 week old kitten and had to kind of nurse her a little. She wasn’t old enough to even pee on her own, I had to “stimulate” her so that she would go (I called the vet to find this out, and the vet said, “Oh, yeah, the momma licks the baby’s bottom to stimulate it to go to the bathroom, you have to do that.” To which a confused me replied, “With my TONGUE?!!”). Anyway, it wasn’t quite a one day old kitten. My goodness, Warren, you’ve got your hands full and uphill battle. But if anyone can do it, you can….
Good luck! I’ll be praying for you!
yep, you have to use a towel and make that baby go potty every time you feed him/her!
I would watch closely for a possible MaMa cat… there are probably more around.
I’ve raised babies before, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
.-= Caprilis´s last blog ..Those Amazing Animals =-.
Oh, how PRECIOUS! I want it!
Mrs. Schmenkman does indeed have much experience bottle feeding many of God’s creatures.
Praying that it makes it and you all have a surprise addition to your ever expanding family.
Warren Jolie-Pitt!
.-= Capri Kel´s last blog ..The Traditional Easter Pail =-.
Go kitty, go!
Please keep us posted.
I hope all the sweet efforts
work.
Sweet little thing. You are a good person Warren, I don’t care what they said about you.
Hope the kitty will survive and get stronger & healtheir.
.-= YDavis´s last blog ..Happy Tail-Wagging Day =-.
Oh, a tiny orange kitty! Good luck with him, Warren. I’m sure you’ve been on Google finding out the finer points of keeping the little guy going. Heat, food, and helping potty.
.-= Ceecee´s last blog ..1+1=6 =-.
Wow. Still had the cord attached. Looks like the mom just ran off or it was threatened by something. I sure hope the kitten makes it.
Cats will sometimes adopt kittens. If you can find another new mom she might take this one in. If it’s about the same age the others probably won’t harm it.
Awww, such a warm heart 🙂 Hope he will make it!!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Sometimes, you have to have a celebration =-.
Awww, how sweet! I hope the baby makes it!
We thought he wasn’t going to get through the night last night as he seemed to have just stopped but Emily warmed him up pretty well and he seems to be much better today…plus he let out a huge poop all on his own!
He needs a heating pad for at least the first couple weeks. He can’t regulate his body temperature at this age. Where ever he sleeps, set it up so the heating pad is on half the sleeping area. That way he can get away from the heat if he gets too warm.
.-= Ceecee´s last blog ..1+1=6 =-.
You had to go and show us your tender side…sniff.
Hope the little one makes it, for your kids’ sake of course! BTW, we sanded everything down to bare wood in the hives and repainted. Everything inside the boxes was soaked in bleach, rinsed and laid in the sun to dry. Hope it works…thanks soooo much for the advice! Kim
.-= the inadvertent farmer´s last blog ..The sun is out…hurry RUN to the Garden! =-.
Such a cutie. I found a kitten in the school dumpster when I was in high school, he wasn’t very old, maybe a week. Brought him home, nursed him to health and he grew to a whopping 25 lbs of cat.
.-= Chiot’s Run´s last blog ..Plant Spotlight: Siberian Squill =-.
Wow… good luck; I’ve tried that with bunnies too and they almost never make it. I hope you’ve got a survivor!
.-= Beau´s last blog ..Everything’s Growing! =-.