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Yesterday, my mama found 2 kittens under the bush hog of her tractor. They were so young that their eyes hadn't opened and none of the neighbors had a cat that wasn't either male or spayed so we took the kittens b/c when mom moved the tractor it would have left the kittens exposed to the livestock. We got some milk re placer and are trying to feed them, but one has fleas and Idk what to do for that, with them being sooooooo young. Any suggestions?

Hi grits - -

Check out this link and read the fourth one down.

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090816160510AA9J4Tf

i couldn't access the site, said they were having problems

if the vet can't help you with a mom cat, call your animal rescue places, we have friends that foster, mamas and kittens, sometimes they bring in extra kittens that have no mama, the babies have their eyes closed so they are very very young
thank goodness you rescued them grits

Very good advice from Eppy about stimulating them for bowel movements. We found that aout the hard way!

Also, grits - - I have been a member of a cat site for many years and it is absolutely wonderful. You can get all the information you need on ANYTHING! They even have vets who come on. Try it.

It is Catster.com - - you will love it.

puddy i got it, i don't think it will be a problem so i am going to bring it here, you found a great site, i am going to e mail it to all of my friends, thanks

Maybe a vet tech will answer too, but I've raised 2 batches of motherless kittens, as well as lots of other hand-raised baby animals.

You'll need
*a heating pad or hot water bottle (depending on how cool it is where you live..I live in Texas and it's hot here),

*a safe cardboard box, pet carrier or laundry basket for the baby. Put an old towel and the heating pad in the bottom. * IMPORTANT: Make SURE that the heating pad is covered with a towel so that is isn't too hot or it will burn the baby. If the heating pad or hot water bottle is too hot for you, it's too hot for him. At first the basket won't need to be too big, as the baby won't be able to crawl out. Later he'll learn to climb and he'll be all over the place. You'll probably keep his basket in your room or somewhere convenient, because you'll be giving him milk every few hours.

*a tiny kitten bottle and milk replacer (available at Wal-mart, a vet hospital or feed store)

If it's warm enough, you might could do without the heating pad or hot water bottle, but kittens usually snuggle with their siblings and mom, and they enjoy a warm place. They sleep most of the time.

Your kitten (if it's newborn) will have its eyes closed. They'll open in about a week or so.

The milk replacer will have instructions on how much and how often to feed the baby. At first you'll have to feed the baby every few hours (yes, at night too!) Get several bottles and nipples, if you can. You'll need to keep the bottles very, very clean. IMPORTANT: the milk will need to be warm but not too hot. Ask your mom or another mom to show you how to test milk for a baby. If the milk is too hot, it could burn your kitten's mouth and throat!

After baby drinks his milk, you'll have to take a damp paper towel and gently rub his bottom so that he will urinate and poop. Mama
cats lick their babies to help them do this. Baby can't do this on his own yet. You're Mama now...so you'll need to do what Mama Cat would do. When he starts to poop on his own, you can stop doing this.

You might also gently wipe his eyes with a warm, damp cloth occasionally while they are still closed and of course clean up his chin after nursing. Getting him to nurse may at first be difficult, but once he understands where the milk is coming from, he'll be meowing whenever you come near.

Other than that, just hold him gently whenever you can and love him. Talk to him. Mama cats are usually devoted mothers and spend lots of time with their babies. The more time you spend with the kitten, the better chance he'll have of growing up big and strong.

Later, when he's a few weeks old and walking fairly well, you can occasionally offer him a tiny bit of moist cat food or hamburger meat. When he starts to be interested in it, start offering him some kitten food. By this time, you'll also have to provide a small litter box that he can get into (put him in the litter box at first and gently make him "scratch" with one front paw. Kittens usually get the idea pretty quickly.) He'll also need a water dish.

Raising a kitten is a lot of work. If you don't think you can handle all this, contact your local vet office, pet rescues or even put an ad on Craigslist to see if someone will take an orphan kitten to raise.

Good luck with your baby. I hope that you are able to keep him and give him the care he needs. God bless you for your tender heart.
Source(s):
Farm Owner

Sorry, cats, but I keep seeing mods coming in and saying not to cut and paste. Will someone please help me out with that - - can we or can't we? It sure would have made things easier.