Kitten care!

nala2012

So i'm fostering a 9/10 week old kitten for a dog rescue so they don't have much advise for me and we found our cat when she was 5 months so i've never had cat so young. I've a few questions for people who have experience. First thing is about eating and toileting. I'm feeding him applaws dry food and natures menu pouches. I feed him one pouch and about 100g applaws spread out over four times a day and he eats everything i put out pretty much straight away. He's been pooping so much i'm afraid i'm over feeding and the poo's are runny and stink! He's drinking plenty of water and full of energy so don't think he's sick? Luckily he's only had one accident on the tiles. Second question is about interacting with our cat. She's alway been an indoor cat so only had contact with dogs. We kept kitten in crate in sitting room for first few day and our cat was interested in him and maybe a bit scared (bit of hissing but he was wild when i got him). Anyway i let them out together yesterday without the dog and they seem to be getting on. Thing is i'm not sure how they should interact. He chases her as much as she chases him and they hit each over but no hissing really or crying. He's very brave though and has no fear of nala who's 30kg. Does that pound like "normal" behaviour?

Nody

nala2012 wrote: »

So i'm fostering a 9/10 week old kitten for a dog rescue so they don't have much advise for me and we found our cat when she was 5 months so i've never had cat so young. I've a few questions for people who have experience. First thing is about eating and toileting. I'm feeding him applaws dry food and natures menu pouches. I feed him one pouch and about 100g applaws spread out over four times a day and he eats everything i put out pretty much straight away. He's been pooping so much i'm afraid i'm over feeding and the poo's are runny and stink! He's drinking plenty of water and full of energy so don't think he's sick?

He's not used to the food; that's normal. If it goes beyond a day or two try to get some kitten pate food (whiskas or RC will do) as that will usually help settle tummies and then stick to if for a few months.

Luckily he's only had one accident on the tiles.

Kittens at that age literally can't remember to go to a toilet if it's not in the same room and not even then if it's a big room; so if you can spread out suitable toilets (don't have to be big) for him and slowly remove them as he gets older.

Second question is about interacting with our cat. She's alway been an indoor cat so only had contact with dogs. We kept kitten in crate in sitting room for first few day and our cat was interested in him and maybe a bit scared (bit of hissing but he was wild when i got him). Anyway i let them out together yesterday without the dog and they seem to be getting on. Thing is i'm not sure how they should interact. He chases her as much as she chases him and they hit each over but no hissing really or crying. He's very brave though and has no fear of nala who's 30kg. Does that pound like "normal" behaviour?

That's very normal behaviour and that's what they do with siblings as well. The fact they are both chasing and there's no hissing is great as this indicates that he's been accepted by your cat as a kitten and not someone who's there to take their territory. Make sure your cat has some place relatively high up to loaf on though as this gives your cat a "time out" place in case the kitten get to much for them. Also make sure you lift up and touch the kitten a lot so it's used to human interaction.

nala2012

Thanks for all the info. My cat has a cat flap to escape upstairs from the dogs and the kitten hasn't discovered how to use it so she has the option to leave if she needs. It's gonna be hard to give him up he's such a character. You'd never think he was feral. He looks for attention all the time. I'm trying to make sure he see's different people because our cat is shy when people visit. I had such a laugh watching them this morning, the kitten was chasing the cat who was chasing my dog!

Themadhouse

The applaws is fantastic food but it might be a bit too rich for a kitten that young.
I would try Royal canin babycat for a few weeks and then wean onto either the rc kitten or applaws kitten.
Has the kitten been wormed? Parazole 3 days in a row from 6 weeks old is advisable (every 2 weeks) until 12 weeks old. Then a milbemax tab 3 months in a row.

A kitten should have dry food available at all times, it shouldnt be restricted. They need to spread out their feeding so they can eat all they want when they want. Just give the wet food as a morning and evening treat.

another tray somewhere might help as kittens do need to be very near their trays and they need access at all times.

Rosier

Themadhouse wrote: »

The applaws is fantastic food but it might be a bit too rich for a kitten that young.
I would try Royal canin babycat for a few weeks and then wean onto either the rc kitten or applaws kitten.
Has the kitten been wormed? Parazole 3 days in a row from 6 weeks old is advisable (every 2 weeks) until 12 weeks old. Then a milbemax tab 3 months in a row.

A kitten should have dry food available at all times, it shouldnt be restricted. They need to spread out their feeding so they can eat all they want when they want. Just give the wet food as a morning and evening treat.

another tray somewhere might help as kittens do need to be very near their trays and they need access at all times.

Very wary re dry food with cats as they do not always drink enough and I would never ever give it to so young a cat. Always wet food at that age. Wary too of so many chemicals on so young a system; after all where is a kitten who has been wormed once going to pick up worms

boomerang

You need to do a little reading, Rosier...

Kittens have very high rates of roundworm infestation.

The eggs are passed on in mother's milk and larvae in prey brought by the mother for the kittens to feed on. Once the worms mature in the kitten, more eggs will be shed into the environment through the kitten's faeces, and can persist for a very long time. So kittens are very susceptible to being re-infested. Plus not all life stages of the roundworm may succumb to a specific wormer. With a single dose, you may have killed the majority of adult roundworms in the small intestine, but not the larval stage that's two weeks behind in development. So it is important to follow a specific worming regimen up to six months of age.

Veterinary-approved wormers are proven to be extremely safe when used correctly and some such as fenbendazole have been in use for a very long time in many different species, from farm animals to wildlife.

boomerang

nala2012 wrote: »

SSecond question is about interacting with our cat. She's alway been an indoor cat so only had contact with dogs. We kept kitten in crate in sitting room for first few day and our cat was interested in him and maybe a bit scared (bit of hissing but he was wild when i got him). Anyway i let them out together yesterday without the dog and they seem to be getting on.

When we foster out kittens, they are always quarantined in a single room for at least the first three weeks, without having direct contact with the household cat(s). The kitten may have ringworm or be incubating a virus. Your cat may not be vaccinated against the virus in question. And some illnesses cannot be vaccinated against. Ringworm is tricky to diagnose in kittens, which is reason alone not to take the chance.

twomonkeys

I would agree with boomerang, keep the kitten isolated from your own cat for a few weeks until you're sure it's not harbouring any viruses or diseases that can be passed onto your cat. Especially since the kitten was feral, you can't be too careful.

Themadhouse

Rosier wrote: »

Very wary re dry food with cats as they do not always drink enough and I would never ever give it to so young a cat. Always wet food at that age. Wary too of so many chemicals on so young a system; after all where is a kitten who has been wormed once going to pick up worms

RC babycat dry is the best food you can give to a kitten for weaning and after. It is also recommended for mother too for pregancy and after birthing. Wet food is advisable with it for extra calories but they should be encouraged to eat dry from a young age as the majority if wet food is a complimentry food not a full time food. Water fountains will encourage a cat/kitten to drink enough water. If you only feed wet food you will have serious dental issues in the future unless you are also feeding something like raw chicken wings to help clean teeth.

Boomerang answered the worming question. It is very important that it is done correctly with kittens and something like parazole is very gentle on their tummies. I have used it for yrs with young kittens without any problems.

nala2012

Poor little kitten's got cat flu been to vets this morning and got antibiotics and something else she said is like exputex and eases congestion. Anyone got any advice on what to do?

Themadhouse

The poor kitty.
Keep her confined and away from your other cat. If she cant smell she might not eat so keep an eye on that as you might need to get some smelly food for her.
Just keep her warm and make sure she is drinking too.
Keep eyes and nose discharge free.

Hopefully she recovers quickly. Lysine is good for immunity too, you can get tablets in chemists and just crush and sprinkle some on the food.

nala2012

He is still eating and drinking. Just sneezing and snotty nose. Eyes are clean and he doesn't mind me cleaning his nose. He's definatly not as playfull as he has been but hoping with the antibiotic he'll perk up. He's so small he's only getting 0.2ml of antibiotic, i'm so used to dealing with big dogs not teeny kittens!

boomerang

You know, I'm really not happy with the level of support you are getting from the dog rescue group on this one...

nala2012

What do you mean by that? They don't know much about cats and only took him in when nobody else would. They've paid for the vets if thats what you mean?

Southern Belle

Have a 4 month old kitten just recovering from gastroenteritis. Actually seems fully recovered on that front but has started to bawl....CONSTANTLY..if she's in she bawls to get out, out bawls to get in, bawls before she's fed and then afterwards - pretty much the only time she's quiet is when eating and if she's being played with - any suggestions?

nala2012

Our kitten's the same. I guess they just need loads of attention at that age!