A little shrieking kitten was floundering about my side yard last night. Thinking mama cat was around l put it in a shallow box so it wouldn’t wander…but this morning it appeared untouched, ignored and shrieking even louder. Maybe three weeks old, a helpless little thing.
So a friend agreed to care for it; we got formula and cleaned the fleas away. He (we think a he) inhaled about a weeks worth of formula in the first feeding. He is still too young to potty independently but obliges when patted with a damp paper towel mimicking what mama cat would do. He is vigorous and loud! He is still mostly blind and cannot walk but crawls up a storm.
Also, he needs a name…
He will get seen, vaccinated and tested by my vet in a couple of weeks.
“Patch”
You might think about taking him/her to the Vet a bit sooner,he/she looks like the eyes are infected and that usually goes along with Upper Respritory Infection.
Good luck with the little thing
He will defininitely go to the vet if it appears he has a URI but once he was cleaned up (washed with Dawn dish soap to get rid of fleas) his eye gunk disappeared. I took those photos with my cell phone right after l brought him over to my friend’s house and he was a total glutton with his first feeding. He was somewhat dehydrated, flea infested and very hungry, poor wee thing. I stopped by after work and his little tummy is round, he is clean and very vocal and wiggly.
I wish l could care for him, but one of my dogs does not do well with cats other than the two l have. My friend lives a block away and she is retired and home all the time, so he is better off with her. Even better, she has two cats (one named Patches, actually) and her not-Patches cat Georgie has assumed mommy role with the kitten, sleeping in his box with him and grooming him. And the neighbor kids have already been over to see him. So he is getting all sorts of attention! I will bring my cat-friendly dog over so he gets used to dogs early on - he will be extremely well socialized and easy to adopt out (l have friends in rescue) if it comes to that.
I am pretty sure l know who his mama cat is, she is a young feral calico. I am going to trap her and get her spayed and vaccinated in the next few weeks.
I like Shriek! Linda will be the one to name him ultimately (and of course she is already smitten with teh kitten, so he might already be home) but l will suggest it tomorrow.
No clue if there were more in the litter. I did look, l have woods and l tromped around there this morning listening for more meowing but nada. I hope there weren’t any more…
I promise to get some better photos later. He is a very active little thing and it’s hard to get a good shot. This evening after he ate and eliminated l put him under my shirt and he crawled up my belly, over my boobs and then out my sleeve. Then he sort of tumbled into my lap and fell asleep.
When they are that little they cannot poop or pee on their own, mama cat stimulates it by licking them. So we use a damp paper towel and pat his nether regions and he pees like a champ practically on command, after each feeding. I think he is about three weeks old? So in about two more weeks he should be able to feed himself and start eating some solid food.
Oh, that picture made me make funny noises and now the dogs are a little worried. How sweet!
I love people who, finding a kitten squalling in the yard, just take it in and care for it without question, like it’s just a regular thing. It makes me happy to know such people are out there in the world and not just in my own peculiar little house!
It’s official, his name is Cecil!
(Or Cece if he is actually a she.)
Cecil is active and loud and gets bitey when hungry. Which is most of his awake time. He actually walked, or tottered anyway, for a short while today. And he seems to enjoy roaming around my torso under my shirt. Heh.
Sucky Mom cat has a Sept 2 appointment for spay and shots. She is around every day so she will be easy to trap.
Good on ya for helping.