Little Orphan Annie

There comes a time in a man or womans life when they are ready to take on parenthood. This decision is ideally well thought out, planned and prepared for. On some occasions, it is a sudden and unexpected welcome. Either way, an event like this calls for gentle caring, adjustments, and round the clock attentiveness. Making the decision to adopt an orphaned kitten is along the same extreme lines of reformation, and for many, is equally rewarding.

There are many important factors that are essential in providing baby kitty with the security, nourishment, and care it needs to survive the first few weeks of its fragile life. First, it is helpful to determine how old your little orphan is. Cats rapidly mature in the first few months, so paying close attention to the cats physicality will aid you in deciding the kittens age. The umbilical chord can often stay attached after birth for 1 to 3 days, and the kittens eyes will open within the first 10 days of its life. If the babys eyes are open, you can look inside her mouth and check for tiny nubs of teeth. If these are seen to be poking through, you can guess your kitten to be about 2 weeks. Kittens will attempt to stand between 2 and 3 weeks of age, and start to play at around 4 weeks. During the first 3 weeks of a newborns life, it is crucial to feed little Orphan Annie every couple of hours, including throughout the night. It is just as important during this time to keep the kitten warm.

Aside from kitty proofing the house, similar to how one would do for a human baby, it is important to immediately provide the proper security for baby kittens. A crate or even cardboard box layered with clean, dry towels will suffice. If there are other cats in the house, the kittens must be isolated in a bathroom or other area, kept away from the other residents. Keeping the kitten warm is necessary to keep your little orphan alive since it doesnt have the constant body heat of its mother. The average body temperature of a kitty should maintain around 92 degrees. If not keeping your kitty next to your skin for warmth, try using a heating pad, set to low and wrapped in a towel or thick flannel sheet, to heat part of the kittens makeshift home. (Be sure to also leave an area away from the heating pad so if the kitten feels too warm, it can move away from the heat.)

Feeding your new baby takes time and gentleness, and in the beginning will need to be done every two hours. K.M.R., or kitten milk replacement, will be needed along with feeding tools such as a syringe, bottle, or eye dropper. Warm the formula a bit under hot water, but refrain from using a microwave as it will likely cause hot spots that could injure the kitten. If you have found newborn kittens at night or when the veterinarian is not open, a makeshift formula consisting of mixed egg yolk and evaporated milk (not the sweetened condensed kind) will suffice, but should not be used as a supplement to the K.M.R. formula. In any case, start with a very small amount. The first few feedings will probably consist of only a couple of ccs worth of milk. (There are 5 ccs in a teaspoon to give an idea of the orphans consumption.) As the kitten begins to eat more during each meal, you can gradually increase the time in between each feeding.

After mealtime, your newborn will need assistance in using the bathroom. During the first few weeks of its life, mama cat usually licks her babies clean and stimulates the elimination of waste after each feeding. Since mama cat is not there, it is mama humans responsibility to take over. Dampen a cloth or thick paper towel and ever so gently wipe your kitten from head to tail in short strokes to mimic the grooming of Annies mother. Make sure to also softly massage or wipe the anal area and urinary opening to stimulate potty time, which should cause the kitten to urinate or defecate immediately. Afterwards, dry the kitten to keep her clean, being careful to handle it with caution and gentleness. Once your new babe starts going to the bathroom on its own, you may desist the manual stimulation and introduce a short box (such as the top of a shoebox) with litter in it, to train your cat where to go. During these young stages it is vital not to use the clumping litter as kittens often experiment eating the litter and the clumping type could severely damage or kill the tiny tyke.

As your kitten matures, it will no doubt develop good habits, given the proper love and care during its first few days. Just as there are classes to prepare people for bringing a new child into this world, there is a great amount of information pertaining to orphan kittens that need to be cared for from their newborn state. Of course, involving a veterinarian to examine and treat the kitten is always important. It is dire to issue the proper care needed to sustain such a fragile life. This care is not an easy task, but is rewarding to know you saved the life an adorable, grateful creature. It is a small chapter in the book of your life, as it is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.