Conference misery::feline_v1

    Sherry,
    
    What a wonderful thing it is that you're doing...  I find it
    reprehensible that someone could abandon a kitty like that (if
    that's the case and not that a mother kitty just lost one) but
    so fortunate for the little one that it ended up on *your* front
    lawn.  Best of luck to you...
    
    - Kathryn
    

    You are doing a wonderful thing - I know it's exhausting at times but
    the end result is worth it.  A friend and I shared the task of nursing
    four that had been abandoned by the mom - she took off with one leaving
    the others behind.  They all made it and have some real special ways
    about them.  Please let us know how things are going.
    
    Giudi +3

    There should be more humans in this world like you.   Your kindness
    to this little kitty will be rewarded with time.  thanks so much
    for caring!
    
    Keep us posted....
    
    Sandy

    Having done this myself many times, I can offer some help too.  Weigh
    the baby, and give her at least as many cc's as her weight at each feeding. 
    Also, since she is 7 days old, you can feed her a little more than her
    weight, less often.  The first 2-3 days are the critical ones, and she
    is past that.  By three weeks old, you can start weaning her to lapping
    from a plate.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Jo

    
    	I spoke to the vet again (who hasn't seen her yet), and 
    	her age is now down to maybe 3 or 4 days...The umbilical 
    	just fell off yesterday. She is eating every three hours
    	or so, she lets me know when she's hungry. (we're saying 
    	`she', but everything's so small I'm not comitted on the
    	sex just yet) She is able to crawl around quite a bit, and 
    	can raise her head for brief periods...she's sooooooo cute!
    	When I bathe her she throws her head back and howls in pro-
    	test, but then she starts to enjoy it and her face is so 
    	funny...she's already got a temper! 
    
    	We searched the entire area for more kittens, but didn't find
    	any. My husband thinks her mother left her because she's so
    	loud! :)     
    
    	I don't have anything to weigh her with! Should I bring her
    	to the post office? haha...hmm..My mother might have a diet
    	scale, I'll check. This should be an interesting `project',
    	I will keep you all posted...
    
    	Sherry
    

My words of wisdom are to keep the baby as warm as possible.  If you've got
her in a box of some sort, cover it to help her maintain her body heat.  Even
though it's real warm out (and probably in!), she needs help to stay warm
and there aren't any other furries to help out with this.  Also, don't use
towels for bedding as her claws will be easily caught.  I used flannel
baby blankets that I got at KMart or some place cheap.  They're warm and
easy to wash and dry.

They do scream like the dickens, eh??

Grandma Mary

    
    	Yes, this seems to be what makes her so mad - not
    	having anyone to snuggle with. We have, of course,
    	been allowing her to sleep on us while we're watching
    	TV...And I do cover the box. I have her on a big 
    	fluffy sweatshirt, she doesn't get caught on that. Those
    	little claws are sharp! 
    
    	

    Okay, more tips then.  Since she is younger than you thought, Mary is
    right, you must keep her warm.  I usually put a heating pad in a
    showbox, and then layer a thick towel on top, then put the baby in.  I
    leave the lid on the box, but put it on sideways so that there is lots
    of air flow.
    
    Newborns usually only cry when they are hungry.  If she is crying, she
    is probably not getting enough to eat.  You are taking care of her
    bodily functions for her, right?  They usually won't cry over that.
    
    Use a diet scale or postage scale to weigh her.  My kittens usually
    weigh about 4 ounces by the time they are 3-4 days old.  That would
    mean feeding her 4 cc's of formula every 2-3 hours.  If you can get her
    to eat more, then you can feed her less often.  I also weigh a orphan
    kitten everyday, to be sure that they are gaining.  If they are not
    gaining steadily, then something is wrong.  You may see a day were they
    hold steady, but if that stays steady or goes down the next day, then
    you aren't feeding her enough or something else is wrong.
    
    Also, I have found that in cases where the mom abandons a kitten, there
    is usually a reason for it.  Example, last year I raised a red tabby
    and white boy that was left behind when the mom cat moved her kittens
    from a friends covertible car.  We thought it was just an oversight on
    her part, but now we know that it was deliberate.  Once the kitten got
    to be about 12 weeks old, it was quite apparent that he had cataracts
    in one eye.  That eye is underdeveloped, smaller, than the other, and
    he will eventually be blind in that eye.
    
    Jo

    How about a stuffed toy to keep her company?  Something small
    enough so that it couldn't accidentally suffocate her.
    

    How about the "ticking clock" routine.  Isn't the sound supposed to
    pacify them?
    
    I also kept the room warm with a vaporizor because it was winter and
    the heat from the furnace was rather drying so this kept moisture in
    the air.
    
    Giudi

    
    	She already has a little bunny, the smallest stuffed animal
    	I had, and it's 4x her size...And a windup watch that ticks
    	pretty loud...Yes, she's only 4 days old and she's spoiled
    	already! :)
                                                    
    	To answer Jo (I think...?), yes, I'm using a warm facecloth
    	to stimulate urine and bowel movement. That's working just 
    	fine (PU!). 
    
    
    	She seems to be perfectly fine, physically...I mean, we counted
    	her fingers and her toes (and her eyes, and her ears, etc). :)
    	Nothing appears deformed, she's active and strong...I can't
    	see any reason for her mother to willingly abandon her. However,
    	we do have some outdoor cats around, and woods on 3 side of
    	us. I think she had it in the woods, was moving it, and perhaps
    	the dirtbikes that were around our house sunday afternoon scared
    	her into dropping it and not coming back. Unless someone spotted
    	the outdoor kitty run in our front yard and knew we were suckers
    	so they dropped her off, but I doubt it as we were around most
    	of the afternoon and she couldn't have been out there for more	
    	than an hour. 
    
    	Thanks for all of your suggestions...How soon before the eyes
    	open? 
    
    	Sherry
    

    With one of the kittens that I fostered, it's eyes were closed when I
    took it in, it was just about 24 hours old.  When the eyes opened,
    there was no signs that anything was wrong with them.  It wasn't until
    the light hit the kitten's eyes just right when he was about 12 weeks
    old that I noticed that one eye glowed normally, but the other was
    opaque.  A trip to the vet confirmed my suspicions.  The vet said the
    problem was congenital (present at birth).  Anyway, most mom's will not
    willingly abandon a healthy kitten.  They will fiercely protect one if
    threatened, and will frantically search if they are separated from one.
    
    The warm facecloth works fine, but is messy.  I use Coets cotton
    squares. They are portable (to take to work), and you can toss them out
    when they are used, no laundry to worry about.  You can buy them at the
    cosmetic counter of the drug store for about $2.00.  I think they come
    packed 100 per bag, but it might be 200 per bag.
    
    She should settle down between feedings and sleep quietly.  If she is
    really fussy and screaming, she is still hungry.  
    
    Jo

    The cotton balls/squares worked really well and I think it's also
    softer on them.
    
    The four the we found turned out to be quite healthy considering they
    came from a feral environment.  We guessed that the mom (turned out she
    was a baby herself at the time) got frightened by the construction
    going on on the street and part way into the garden - the workers could
    have gotten close to the nest and we guess that she got one kitten away
    and was to terrified to come back for the rest with the cement being
    jackhammered, etc.  By that time the alert went out that the babies
    needed help - so we just took over as they were in the open and
    exposed.  Three months later we got the 5th kitten and 3 years latter
    the mom.(slippery little wench).  During those 3 years she had quite a
    few litters but appeared to be a real good mom - so I'm sure she must
    have been terrified that first time around.
    
    Keep us posted
    
    Giudi

    
    	Cotton squares sound good, I have some and will try it.
    
    	I'm a little concerned about her today...I gave her a
    	heating pad, and she sleeps better. But, she isn't 
    	very agressive about eating. Her belly is round, so she
    	seems to be eating enough. Should her belly be really
    	round or is that bad? Also, it seems like her genitalia
    	and rectum protrude a bit, it that just kitten anatomy?
    	I mean, on an adult cat, you don't see them, but on her,
    	they look much more pronounced. I'm just worried that there
    	might be something wrong with her....
    
    	Sherry
    

    Sherry - if I remember correctly the protruding genetalia is ok.
    I had to think about it for a while.  
    
    I know of someone who adopted some kittens that the mother had
    abandoned.  In fact, he adopted the mom and the kittens she 
    didn't abandon.  His feeling was that she was malnourished, being
    a stray, and didn't have enough milk for the entire litter.  So
    she moved what she could support and abandoned the rest.
      N
    

    I should add, that once he got them all back together and fed her
    she happily cared for the entire litter.
      N
    

    
    		She's doing a lot better!!! Eating a LOT - she seems
    	to have gotten over her aversion to mommy-the-bottle and now
    	latches onto it whenever she's fed...I can just see a glimmer
    	of her eyes peeking thru the lids, they should be open by monday
    	from the looks if it. She is also sleeping thru the night, thanks
    	to the heating pad....Now we have to look forward to litter
    	training...or think of a way to diaper her, sometimes she can't
    	wait!!! (at least we know everything's working properly!!)
    
    		My grandmother has announced that she will take her	
    	when she is old enough, but I suspect that we will be too 
    	attached to her by then (8 weeks!!!). I have gotten permission
    	from my landlord to add an extra room onto the house for all
    	my kitties... :)
    
    	Sherry
    

    
    
    	Well, it's official, he's a he...the vet looked him over
    	last night and in spite of the usual case of kitten worms,
    	she says he is HUGE for his age, he's going to be a big boy.
    
    	Looks like the hard part is almost over...His eyes are open,
    	and he's soooooooooooo cute!! By the end of the week he should
    	be running all over the place....
    
    	Sherry
    

        > By the end of the week he should be running all over the place....
    
    
    And then the fun begins, she said knowingly.  (he he he he he)