Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, my tribe of kitties, (sadly fewer, since the neighbors moved in and their dog ate the two that were favorites for my hubby and I), has produced kittens. We plan on capturing and getting fixed all of the kitties that frequent our home. We knew that one of the females had had babies, and hoped she would bring the babies to us, so we could get them shots, fixed, and people friendly.

Yesterday I heard mewling, and found a little cutiepie out in our garden, crying his eyes out for his mommy (we haven't seen her in a few days and are afraid she's been killed). I walked right up and picked him up, without a single scratch or hiss. He's approximately 6 to 8 weeks old, I would guess, with a VERY solid little body and huge feet. Orange tabby, with white bib, tummy, paws, and the tips of his ears are also white. We name all cats that visit, and when the mother cat was in heat, one of the visitors was "Agent Orange" an orange tabby, which makes me think he must be the father kitty. So we've named this little guy "Napalm". We've spotted one other kitten, a little long haired gray tabby, hiding under an outbuilding. We are hoping to catch him/her too and already have a name picked out: Dynamite.

The thing that baffles me about little Napalm is that he hasn't had any appetite. WE've had him 24 hours and he hasn't had any water, milk, softened kitten food, or even some finely chopped steak. He HAS used the litter box we provided him. We have him in the spare bathroom and hope to get him a kitten flea collar. Once we catch "Dynamite" we hope to bring both in to the local veterinarian and find out what the tab will be to get them all their shots and also to get them fixed. We know of a place that is 100 miles from us that does spaying and nuetering for free for feral cats, and we hope to catch the three main cats in that to get them fixed, but we'll be paying for the two kittens, as we hope to make them OURS and also to break the cycle of kittens by having them fixed.

should I be worried that Napalm hasn't eaten or had anything to drink? He was frightened when I first caught him, and is more alert now, preferring to be held to being set down.

Anyway... I've rambled a lot, I look forward to any input that can be provided.

What have you tried so far? When I was a kid I had lots of pet kittens. I got them started on milk by dipping their nose in it, then the would like the milk off of their nose.

Maybe he just needs a little more time to get aclimated?

Good luck!

Don't give the kitten cows milk it will make him sick. If he is around 6 weeks old he may just be starting to learn to eat solid food. I would try picking up some KMR kitten forumla and mixing it with the dry cat food. If you don't have time for that try mushing his cat food with a little warm water. If all else fails eye dropper the food into him. Kittens' health can fall very quickly from not eating. So he really needs to eat soon.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Well I got him to eat some milk soaked bits of food while I was holding him. Offered him a single piece at a time, and then he wouldn't stop eating! Now he's a little Rocket-Powered Furball! We've named him Tigger and this week intend to take him to the vet.

We knew there was another kitten, and hoped to catch that one too. Just Sunday afternoon I saw kitten and momma sitting on a pile of wood.... I approached carefully, and the momma cat ran behind something, but the kitten stayed put. As I got closer and closer the momma cat started to yowl at me (she still hates me for taking the other kitten) and then with a huge intake of breath, and the knowledge that I might get scratched up by the kitten, I swooped in to grab the kitten. Sure enough the little girl spat at me, turned fluffy, and raked me right down the back of my hand... but I had her. Of course I didn't expect the momma kitty to come out from her hiding place like Ninja Calico... all ten of her fore-foot daggers edged out a good 12 inches (or so it seemed) and ready to slash me to death for thinking I could steal her one remaining kitten... I had to run from her, all the while holding tightly to the kitten who went passive after the first bloody attack on my hand (thank goodness). Both kittens were treated for fleas (they were CRAWLING with them) and will both go in to the vet who will probably worm them, give them their shots, and treat them for ear mites and for a slight cold (they are both sneezing a bit). The little girl is the most exotic in coloring! She's on first appearance a Tabby Cat.... but she's so odd in coloration. For example her flanks and hind legs look like a gray tabby. Her body is more a black and tan swirl of stripes, her forelegs are a lighter tan color and black swirl, she has little patches of light orange interspersed without reference to her stripes all over her body... her ears have light orange bases, her tummy is a light tan with black spots and the bottoms of her feet are pure velvet black. One of her toes is a light creamy white color. To me she looks like a combination of a tabby and a tortoiseshell... is this possible? I haven't gotten a good picture to really show up her coloration. She's only slowly becomeing used to being a "kept" kitty, though her brother is doing his best to make her feel welcome. He just loves to tackle her!

The little orange one, the one we got first, seems to be psychologically mixed up. He's started trying to "nurse" on my neck and will sit there for twenty minutes, sucking on my neck, making all the sounds of a kitten trying to purr and swallow milk at the same time, kneading his claws even. Funny little guy. I figure he misses mommy, so he does this and will stop on his own as he gets older. Meantime I'm afraid I might start getting kitty hickeys!

Can anyone tell me his age visually just by looking at him?

>>Can anyone tell me his age visually just by looking at him?
>>
It's hard to tell ages but I would guess around 4 weeks old, maybe five since he has been living with a feral mom outside he could be small. He looks like my Tucker when he was 4 weeks old.
Tucker was about 5 weeks in this photo. BTW tuckers head never grew.

I loved your story of catching the girl kit. She sound beautiful. I can't wait to see a picture of her!!

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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker