IMMEDIATE HELP! How should I care for a one week old stray cat who appears to be orphaned?
Ok, my knowledge about cats is very limited. A seemingly one week old stray cat has entered our house and is reluctant to leave. I have grown a liking for the little devil but I dont know how to care for cats. I gave him some milk half of which he lapped up eagerly. It raises its tail up completely straight and rubs itself on my body. What does this mean. Also it keeps on licking itself. I do not see any wounds or any such thing on his body. Its a female cat and I have decided to name him Vaska.
Thank you very much!!!!!!!!
narsi_hunter Said,
March 27, 2010 @ 2:43 am
give him hot milk and like a blanket for him and get a litter box. and much love
dani Said,
March 29, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
first, take them to the vet and have them completely checked over. From your description, I doubt it is a week old but a few months old. She’ll need shots. You could get a good kitten food like Iams or Science Diet.
Mary S Said,
April 1, 2010 @ 7:04 am
Call a vet! Keep him warm and buy some kitten formula…not just plain old milk.
radiokacy Said,
April 3, 2010 @ 3:59 pm
It’s probably older than a week if it wandered into your house. Do not give the kitten regular milk. Go to an animal supply store and buy kitten milk replacement.
It's me Said,
April 6, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
put it in a box with lots of cloths. Get a water bottle and fill ot with warm/hot water, then put it inside a sock and put in in the box with the kitten (this will recreate the feeling of a warm mother).
Feed her with warm milk through a pipet every few hours.
jusme Said,
April 9, 2010 @ 10:33 am
Take him to the vet right away and follow the vets advice. He sounds like he’s more than a week old though.
CG Said,
April 11, 2010 @ 5:29 am
Call the vet. They’ll telll you what to do and what to feed it. DON’T give it cow’s milk (the milk you drink). It could get very sick.
Kaska Said,
April 13, 2010 @ 2:22 am
First if he walked in your house he is older than 1 week.
Sounds like he is closer to 6 weeks. Feed can food and kitten chow. Science Diet
Have him checked by a vet and get him started on shots.
Rubbing against your leg is normal. He is happy and telling you so.
Licking himself – He is cleaning his fur this is normal also.
deelberger Said,
April 13, 2010 @ 7:03 am
How do you know that the kitten is only one week old. They normally don’t have their eyes open and cannot eat on their own at that age and they don’t have the ability to walk, let alone rub against you. I would guess that the kitten is quite a bit older than 1 week. The first thing I would do is take him/her to the vet, to get a clean bill of health. They’ll also be able to tell you approx. how old she is. If she’s younger than 8 weeks, you can get some replacement kitten milk (it replaces the milk the Mom would have supplied, which is important because it contains very specific nutrients required for the kitten to become and remain healthy). You’ll need to bottle feed her until she’s at least 8 weeks old, which means bottle feeding every few hours, even throughout the night. It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. My husband brought home a 2 week old kitten that he’d found at his work (he runs a paper recycling plant and people were always dropping off their cats there). We bottle fed him and he turned out to be the most gorgeous wonderful cat we ever had.
If you decide that you cannot keep this kitten, I would suggest you contact your local animal shelter or cat rescue and have them take her in.
Glad to see you have a great heart too…great question.
Horsefanatic922 Said,
April 15, 2010 @ 1:02 am
well this doesnt sound like a one week old kitten! at one week they dont even have their eyes open it sounds more 4 weeks old! well i would goto petsmart and go get some 9 lives lil nibbles (specially designed for weaning kitttens) and u should pick up some cat milk or kitten formula! (just ask they will show where it is and how to use it) and all cats lick their bodies its nothing to be worried about their just cleaning themselves. so i would also deff. take her to the vet! make sure she healthy then when she turns 6 weeks get her first set of shots and dewormed! hope this helps! good luck!
rats"R"cool Said,
April 15, 2010 @ 5:45 am
cow milk is bad for them.you need to go buy a special formula from your pet store.and a bottle. if it licks itself,its just grooming,be thankful you don’t have to give her a bath,shes doing it herself.the rubbing means she likes you and is comfortable around you. this doesn’t sound like a one week old cat,it sounds more like a few month old. you should take her to the vet for shots and to be checked. best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
daniel b Said,
April 17, 2010 @ 8:17 pm
take her to the vet, it will cost but they will help.
Mom3inc Said,
April 19, 2010 @ 11:10 pm
Make sure it is warm by putting him in a warm blanket in box and place a heating pad on low on the bottom of the box on LOW SETTING so you don’t cook him- if it is still too hot to the touch, then add a towel on top of the heating pad, then the blanket and put the kitten on top). Now for feeding, you need to get an eye dropper so that you can feed him some warm WHOLE milk. He needs that ASAP so he does not get dehydrated. Please call a local vet to ask exactly what else he may need. He will need to go to the vet.
PS. You can get a heating pad and eye dropper at a local drug store. Follow up on the phone to your local VET office for how much to feed. He only needs whole milk at this time if he is in fact only one week old. Good luck!
CHURRO Said,
April 22, 2010 @ 3:31 pm
buy cat food feed it. Water or milk! would do!. And it licks itself because it’s cleaning itself.
shortstack Said,
April 23, 2010 @ 3:59 am
first off you are doing great. the cat loves you and when it purrs and rubs itself on you it is tryint to show affection just reachover and scratch lightly between it ears and the purring will get louder. It loves you. Go by some dry cat food or can a good brans and just love it and if it stay indoors i would get a litter box.
Cats constantly lick themselves because they are cleaning themselves. it is perfectly normal and it shows it is happy and content.
CF_ Said,
April 24, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
a 1 week old kitten COULDNT enter your house.. it couldnt walk more than a foot or two at best.. heck mostly its eyes wouldnt even be able to see that well, having only just opened
MILK is VERY bad for cats – the like the taste of it but are lactose intollerant.. milk like that can actually kill a small kitten over a short period of time…
the ONLY thing a young kitten should have is KMR (kitten Milk Replacement) it is VERY expensive
take the kitten to a VET, or SPCA, or other shelter and they will look after it.. if you want to keep it you need to report FINDING it (incase somebody lost it you could be charged with theft) and take it to a vet for an assessment on health and age..
kittens rubbing on you is a sign of affection.. and wanting attention.. a 1 week old kitten certainly wouldnt do this I suspect the kitten is probaby 5-7 weeks???
** Science diet is NOT good food.. people are being fooled if they think it is
smalls8802 Said,
April 28, 2010 @ 4:21 am
i have been in the same situation before only i had to take care of more then just on kitten. u need to go to walmart and get some milk thats called milk replacement. it should b located in the same place as the cat food. make sure that when u make the milk replacement that u read the directions carefully. after u mix the milk replacement u should get out a piece of bread and tear it up in lil pieces and put it in wit the milk. then when u feed it u need to pick out the milky bread and let the cat eat it outta ur hand. yes feedin it outta u hand feels nasty but its something u gotta do. and make sure that u DONT give the cat milk that u drink. of course the cat will drink it but its very bad for the cat. if u let the cat drink the same milk as u do(whether its vitamin d or 2%) it will eventually kill the cat. i nkow that it sounds stupid but i know that its a fact.
old cat lady Said,
April 28, 2010 @ 7:46 am
That’s a relief! A one-week old cat would not be able to walk into your house so care will be much easier. You keep referring to “him” and then say he is a female so you are confusing us or yourself on that issue. The sex of the cat doesn’t make any difference.
Any stray coming into your home needs to have a vet exam, testing for really bad feline diseases such as FIV or leukemia, worming, defleaing (might explain the licking), some vaccinations. This might require a financial outlay of up to $150 depending on where you live.
Sounds like you have a nice, friendly cat who has chosen to live with you so I hope you will be able to take care of Vaska and give him a great home.
Cow’s milk can upset some cats intestinal systems so I hope that doesn’t happen. It is best to get canned cat food. Cow’s milk doesn’t do it nutrition-wise for a cat and it’s OK in small amounts.
The book “Cat for Dummies” is available in most book stores and on Amazon. It is a terrific “primer” for a new cat owner, with easy reference to issues of cat health, diet, behavior, first-aid etc. You will find it immensely helpful and will feel more secure in your cat ownership because it will answer so many of your first questions.
Jackie Said,
April 29, 2010 @ 6:15 pm
First of all, take her to the Vet ASAP to be checked, and her age can be determined. If she is only a few weeks old, she’ll need to be fed a special formula. Don’t give her milk until you talk to the Vet – it could cause intestinal problems. If you think she’s older than 4 weeks old, and can’t get to the store for a day or two, give her a tiny bit of chicken, for a day or two, cut very small. If you buy her food, get moist canned cat food, for kittens. And, just in case she belongs to someone, I’d call the local newspaper and see if they run free ads for “found pets.” Or, if the owner is looking for this little kitty, they may call the shelters. So, I would call local animal shelters and give my name and number, so the owner can contact you. In the meantime, get a litter box, and some litter, a litter scooper, and some Kitten food. But, PLEASE, take her to the Vet, too, to be sure she’s healthy.
If she sits on your lap, and starts rubbing you with her claws (kneading you) that means she likes you and is very comfortable with you. Sometimes when cats are nervous, they lick themselves a lot. And, when they’re checking out people, they put their tails straight up and rub on people or things. Good luck!
wolfboy Said,
April 30, 2010 @ 5:40 pm
if the cat is rubbing up aggaints you it has glands on the side of it’s cheaks and body it is marking her terroitorie it is not harmful and it is just saying that it likes you and wants you. make sure kittens need a lot of water if you buy wet canned food make sure you get kitten food and read on there to see if there is water in it and don’t give the cat the whole can intill it is older email me and we can chat about the cat
night_princess8 Said,
May 1, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
Raising his tail up completely straight and rubbing itself on your body means that he’s Thanking you and loving you. Please take care of him.
God Bless You.
steff k Said,
May 3, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
I’ve had cats for almost 30 years, so I can help you with this. First of all, no more milk! Milk causes cats to have diarrhea then they get dehydrated. When this happens, they sometimes then die. So milk is a definate no-no. Go to a pet store and buy kitten milk. It’s made just for them. You also want to make sure to keep them warm. A couple of nice thick towels would be great but make sure she doesn’t get buried in them because that can happen. Kittens should be fed their milk every 2 hours around the clock for a few weeks, too. Also call a vet and make an appt. to have her get a check-up. It rubs on you because she likes you and is marking her territory and when she’s licking herself, she’s just giving herself a bath. Good luck!
babycalirotten Said,
May 6, 2010 @ 7:47 pm
well first of all this kitten is not a week old. you need to get her to a vet a.s.a.p and get her checked out. and if you have a good vet he will tell you what to do. she will need lots of live and attention