I have recently 'rescued' a kitten who's mother unfortunately died (ran over) and of course left her kittens behind, she was ferral and spent a lot of time at the farm where the kittens were left, now all but 1 of the kittens have scarpered but this 1 ginger boy has stayed put and is too young to be alone seeking comfort in the farmers.  The guys at the farm tried to put him with other recent ferral Mums but they dont want to know so me and my partener said we would take him on.  I have had pups and know a little about hand rearing but as I am unsure how old he is I am not too sure what he should have and when and would therfore appreciate any advice.

I think he is about 2-3 weeks old, his eyes are well open and seem quite clear, he has nice sharp teeth and is getting about happily but still a bit slow and stumbly, he seems healthy enough, no signs of fleas or ticks but I should imagine he will need worming at some point soon.  The lads at the farm were giving him tinned cat food which he apparently ate but today I went and got some Lactol and a feeding bottle but he is not too keen on that however I am persevering so I thought I would see if he wanted some mushy food mixed with the milk and he was very keen which is why I think he is a few weeks old.  Do you think we are OK to continue feeding him the semi solids and keep on with the milk or just try the milk?  I will try get him to the vet tomorrow for a check up and est age etc but for this evening I am not sure how often I should feed him, if he should have a hot water bottle, etc - I am assuming its every 3 or 4 hours??

Any info appreciated, as I said he seems very healthy so seems promising :)

Hi
I would say if he is keen to eat the food with the milk then let him have it and as much as he would like. I have a kitten and feel he came away from mum to soon,. He is eating well but i made sure i had food on hand for him all the time. Make sure you give him kitten food and not adult cat stuff.

I wouldnt bother with hot water bottle as it is pretty warm but a teddy might be appreciated, And dont forget a litter tray as they learn pretty early how to use one.

Good luck with him, my ginger boy is a wee darling.

Wendy

If you can get Royal Canin kitten 34 I would get him onto that. 

I think he will be older than 2-3 weeks.  Goldmali is the best person to ask as she'll be able to age him from your description & give the best advice.    

Oh yes RC Kitten 34 is excellent, just not that easy to get hold of as only some petshops stock it -but yes it is what I feed.

He sounds about 4 weeks old (if the vet can weigh him I can probably give you a better idea. I have kept weight records for all litters I've had), what with having teeth and eating solids. So no need to give milk as frequently, first off I'd see if he would manage to lap it from a shallow dish. Lactol isn't much good for kittens, the best kitten milk is Cimicat which you usually get from vets. I use it all the time as I often have to bottlefeed smaller, weak kittens temporarily to get them going. If he doesn't want to lap, keep mixing it with the food, but also offer a bowl of water. Also make sure the food is kitten food and not adult as kitten food is more concentrated, adult food can give upset stomachs and all sorts of problems. Whiskas kitten junior is fine and easy to get hold of. He shouldn't need a hot water bottle at this age as over 2 weeks of age they can regulate their body heat quite well. Good luck!

This site stocks RC Babycat (Weaning to 4 months old) and also RC Kitten 34 would should take him up to adulthood.

Good luck! I hand reared a kitten last year and its the most amazing thing ever!

I had a cardboard box which he stopped in, it had tea towels on the bottom and a big fluffy gorilla which he cuddled up to! We fed him with a pippet (I think maybe he was a little younger than yours) and massaged his bum to make him poo.

Just enjoy every minute of them being little because they grow up so quick!

Thanks all!

I took him to the vet today who confirmed he is approx 4-5 weeks but more likely nearer the 5 weeks due to his big sharp teeth and size.  He gave me some liquid food and also some tinned stuff (think its RC actually) and I believe its weaning food as it can be sucked straight in to the syringe.  I gave him some of the liquid food and he lapped lots up, he needs to get some weight back on him which is why the vet gave me it and as soon as he had it he slept for hours bless him so he was clearly hungry and once full he caught up on some sleep.  I am glad he is a little older as this means he would have spent a good few weeks with Mum and litter mates, my only question is when it comes to grooming himself, using the litter tray, playing etc how will he learn if he has no example, and before anyone suggests it I aint getting it to strange yoga positions to 'groom' myself LOL!

Once again thanks and I will keep you updated!

Sounds good. :)

Using litter tray and grooming themselves kittens start doing automatically at 3-4 weeks of age so shouldn't be a problem.

I was amazed with my kitten using his tray, I knew they were good but not that good lol. He came from a farm and had lived in a barn. he came into my house and instantly used his tray. I was gobsmacked as he had never even been in a house let a lone seen a tray.

Wish you all the luck with your kitten, are you planning on keeping him? I didnt realise how easy kittens are compared to puppies so indipendant.

Wendy

Thats for that, I have not put his tray down yet so will set up the crate to put him in (rather than the cat carrier) and pop his try in one end with his snuggly bed in the other and hopefully he will go alone soon!  We will be keeping him but need to think of a name, there are a few on the short list but any suggestions welcome he is mostly ginger with white paws and a smidge of white on his wee head!

Cute or serious names ;)

Jaffa, Tango.

LOL :)  Good ones, he is currently Dexter but this could change the way we are going lol, I toook some pics of him today so when I have uploaded I will put the link on here ;)

What about the really obvious one of Garfield :D

Then of course there's Marmalade, Seville (after the oranges or Seve)

:D

Like Seville,  I also like Jaffa

Here he is:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/EnfielRotts/Picture491.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/EnfielRotts/Picture483.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/EnfielRotts/Picture487.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/EnfielRotts/Picture481.jpg

Aww he probably thinks that teddy is his mum with him being the same colour! lol. Aww bless. He is an unusual colour isnt he!

Awwwwww! what a little sweetie! hope he continues to do well

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa31/rogandboo/CIMG0069.jpg

Bless you looks just like my wee boy who we called Haggis. Here doing what he does best stealing form the dogs :rolleyes:

I would call him more cream & white rather than ginger (Red tabby) & white.  Link is for a British Shorthair cream & white cat just to show you the colour.

Oh maybe, I just assumed he is ginger, there is a stray male big ginger cat that comes in to the gardens from time to time and I assumed he was the Daddy but there are a few cats up at the farm so maybe I have a little unusual one :)

Today he used the litter tray (yay) and is eating out of a dish - I am still getting some millk down him as he isnt keen on any I have bought (maybe its cos its not a real boobie lol) but will let me syringe some in to the side of his mouth and he takes it ;D

Oh and he is also now purring and settling on my lap, he seems soooo much hapier ;D

Live and learn alwasy thought they were all just shades of ginger.  Genetically are they just shades of ginger or inherited differently?  Is it true that all ginger cats are male?

Nope to ginger cats being all male.   Like you can get a very rare male tortie but he'll be sterile.    I don't understand enough about cat colour genetics, there's people out there who can predict what colours they'll get in their BSH litters which amazes me.    I just stick to my black tipped (from proper lines) and I know I'll just get black tipped, if Jack ever cottons on to what he should do!

Enfielrotts' kitten is red and white, but the other one pictured was cream. Cream is the dilute version of red. You can dilute most colours, it's just the addition of a gene that bleaches the colour down. Dilute black and you get blue, dilute red and you get cream, dilute chocolate and you get lilac, dilute Tortie and you get bluecream (blue and cream mixed instead of black and red), dilute brown tabby and you get blue tabby etc etc. Two dilute parents cannot have a dominant colour kitten but two dominants can each carry the dilute gene and have dilute coloured kittens.

Clear as mud, yes? :)

I see, wow its all confussing but interesting, so he is ginger then?  I think he looks like a red tabby as he does have tabby markings (if thats what you call it) coming through benieth his fluffy coat LOL! 

I have another quick question for you (esp Goldmali), he has started to groom himslef now but when he licks his paws he makes a very strange meow type noise, almost like he has caught his foot but he seems to be licking away, not sure if its more of an excitement or what, its just weird cos I leap up thinking he has done something and there he is happily grooming??

He is also starting to play fight now, much to my hands dissapointment....ouch!!

Cheers for the advice ;)

The official colour name is Red -can be either Red self or Red tabby, most are tabbies but even the selfs have faint stripes. "Ginger" is just the every day word most people use about red moggies.

Not quite sure about the noise when he's washing himself but some kittens can be vocal in some situations for whatever reaosn, unless you see somethign wrong I wouldn't really worry.

Aaawwww....he is gorgeous!!! :-) Thanks for the pics. Any more??? ;-)

We are getting a little ginger kitten too. :D She is only 2 weeks old just now though. Need to think of a name for her.....any ideas??