Unneutered feral cats result in 100,000's of kittens every year. It is cutely coined Kitten Season, but there is very little cute about it. Here are some tips to help increase the chances the baby will survive.
Assess the kittens age.
a) Eyes closed 1-7 days old
b) Eyes open, no teeth, ears folded 8-20 days old
c) Eyes open, teeth, ears folded 21-31 days old.
d)Eyes open, teeth, ears pointing up 5 weeks up
A) Kittens this small are known as neonates. A neonate is between 1-3 weeks old and they need to have a constant external heat source, because they cannot control their body temperature. If you are not prepared to give this neonate 24 hour care every 2 hours immediately put in a box with a heat source. If you give to a shelter make sure you're aware that if they do not find a foster they will be euthanized. The best chance for this baby is for you to care for them or contact a local rescue.
If you choose to care for him or her make sure you do not give water in a bowl or cat food. They must be bottle or syringe fed a kitten formula. KMR is a good choice. Your local pet store should have it or you can buy on Amazon. Go to our blog post How to Care for a Neonatal Kitten for a comprehensive write up on how to care for these extremely vulnerable felines.
B,C) Once a kitten has hit the 3 week mark they may begin to show signs of teeth. At the 4 week mark they are now considered a kitten and can regulate their own heat. Make sure the kitten lives in a warm environment ( not hot) and away from any drafts.
D)This kitten can now be weaned off kitten formula and given wet food. I mix kmr with a kitten wet food and make it into gruel. Mash up the wet food really well, and put in a shallow bowl so they can learn to lap it up.
2) Determine if a single kitten is orphaned or there is a nursing mom around. If no nursing mom or litter mates can be found, you have got yourself an orphaned kitten who will need a lot of love and care from you to survive.
It doesn't really matter where you live. You most likely have a feral cat population in your town. These felines suffer greatly on the streets and at one point or another will need our help. Actively becoming involved will give these cats and kittens the greatest opportunity at a rich , full and comfortable life! Unmanaged feral colonies can quickly become an enormous problem. If you have any questions on what to do if you find a kitten or cat that needs help contact us here at Kitten Season.
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