{"id":26992,"date":"2019-08-23T15:42:43","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T19:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/?p=26992"},"modified":"2023-11-28T14:54:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T19:54:34","slug":"orphaned-kittens-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/en\/orphaned-kittens-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Orphaned Kittens: What to do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So you found a\nlittle kitten who seems abandoned? No need to panic. By following these six\nsteps, you\u2019ll be able to properly\ncare for the kitten until you can get to a\nveterinarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 – Make sure the kitten actually<\/em> needs your help<\/strong>
Before removing the kitten from where you found her, get a sense of the surroundings. Unless the kitten is in danger, leave her where she is, for up to three to four hours, and keep an eye on her from a distance to see if her mother shows up. She may simply have gone scavenging for food or she may be relocating her babies one at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2 – Provide a safe and comfortable space<\/strong>
If the mother does not return, bring the kitten home and set her up in a closed room \u2014 especially if you have other animals at home. Place a blanket at the bottom of a box and place the kitten in it, taking care to add a heat source (see next step).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 – Provide heating<\/strong>
This step is crucial, because kittens cannot regulate their temperature. Provide her with a heat source, such as a heating cushion or bag (i.e. Magic Bag). The heating cushion or bag should be covered with cloth (you can use an old t-shirt), to avoid the kitten\u2019s skin from being in direct contact with the heat source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must provide\na heat source before feeding the kitten. If she seems famished but you\nfeel she has not raised her temperature sufficiently, you can apply a drop of\ncorn syrup to her gums. Her glucose levels will go up, which will provide her\nwith enough energy to sustain her until she can be fed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 – Feed her\u2026 the right way!<\/strong>
Before feeding a kitten, try and estimate her age, because there are two possible scenarios to consider when planning to feed a kitten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario A: the kitten is between 0 and 21 days old<\/strong>
Less than 7 days: The kitten\u2019s eyes are closed, her ears are folded, the umbilical cord is still attached;
Between 7 and 14 days: The kitten\u2019s eyes are open, her ears are beginning to unfold, the umbilical cord is absent;
Between 14 and 21 days: The kitten\u2019s ears are fully unfolded, her front teeth are visible, she awkwardly tries to walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 0 to 21\ndays old, the kitten must be fed kitten formula, every three to four hours,\nwith a feeding bottle. You can find the formula and everything else you need to\nfeed a kitten at a pet supply store, the Montreal SPCA\u2019s Boutique or\nveterinarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re unable\nto purchase these items immediately, you can, as a temporary measure and for a\nfew hours only, feed the kitten using a syringe with no needle (which can be\nbought at any pharmacy). Use the following recipe: 1 raw egg yolk, mixed\ntogether with a small can of unsweetened dehydrated milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning!
– Never give cow\u2019s milk to a kitten! This could cause diarrhea and lead to more serious health problems.
– A kitten should always be fed on her stomach, not her back. If fed on her back, milk could find its way into her lungs and she could develop pneumonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario B: the kitten is 21 days old or more <\/strong>
Between 21 and 28 days old: The kitten explores her surroundings with a higher degree of confidence, her canine teeth are visible, she can retract her claws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From four weeks\nold and onward, you can feed the kitten canned cat food, mixed with a little\nbit of water, four times a day. If she refuses to eat, you\u2019ll need to revert\nback to the feeding bottle (see scenario A).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 – Stimulate her so she \u201cgoes to the bathroom\u201d<\/strong>
It is the mother cat who stimulates her young to defecate and urinate, during the first three weeks of their lives. In her absence, you\u2019ll need to take care of it! Using a soft and humid tissue, gently rub her abdomen and her anal region, in circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 – Clean her<\/strong>
Generally speaking, we don\u2019t recommend you clean a kitten, because if she isn\u2019t dried appropriately afterwards, she could easily develop hypothermia. However, if the kitten is really quite dirty, you can gently clean her using unscented baby wipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sequence of steps (1 to 6) should be repeated every three to four hours, until you can bring the kitten to a veterinarian.<\/strong> If you find a kitten but are unable to care for her, find someone you trust and who has experience caring for kittens and entrust the kitten to them. Then promptly call a veterinarian<\/a> or local animal shelter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you found a little kitten who seems abandoned? No need to panic. By following these six steps, you\u2019ll be able to properly care for the kitten until you can get to a veterinarian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cats","category-tips-and-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOrphaned Kittens: What to do? - SPCA de Montr\u00e9al<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/en\/orphaned-kittens-what-to-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orphaned Kittens: What to do? - SPCA de Montr\u00e9al\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So you found a little kitten who seems abandoned? 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