The Chronicles of Samson: Olympic Diver

[Bunnylady]

Congrats on the new addition! He's adorable!

Squeaky and Tiger give you a big "tails up!" for taking the little guy on (eeks! A lawnmower? He's used up one of his nine lives already, huh?) I had put my name in the hat when I learned from a friend of an unwanted litter-about-to-be. The mother cat had 8 kittens, and decided she'd had enough of motherhood when the kittens were just shy of 4 weeks. The owner did the same thing, put 'em in a box and pretty much said, "there they are, they can't come back." I had in mind adopting only one, but I was afraid the stress of being separated from everything familiar at that age might prove too much, so I let my DD pick out 2. IDK what anyone else thinks about it, but we fed them dry kitten food softened with kitten milk replacer. They never had any problems adjusting. At 11 months old, they are wonderful, friendly cats.

I'm having trouble typing this, because I frequently can't see the screen for the furry bodies that keep getting in the way. I long ago decided that cats have a strange affinity for printed matter - they constantly want to sit on it or place themselves between it and their owner. That attraction seems to extend to computer monitors as well. Trying to protect the house from computer mice, perhaps?

Whatever you do, don't let your kitten learn about Sparta:

 

[rrrmamma]

Sampson is adorable and one lucky kitty. Bunnylady thanks for the laugh. I have 3 eight week old "Spartas" running around here now. They do keep each other entertained. We rescued the mother from a neighbor that was taking all her barn cats to the pound. Guess who was pregnant. We re-homed one of her kittens, but DH is in love with these 3 and I guess they are here to stay. Brings our total to 6. It is sort of like chicken math

 

[ChicknThief]

OMG, a lawnmower!!!!!!!

Glad he's OK.
He is a cutie.

Gotta warn you, a few years ago I bottle raised my namesake and his 2 brothers. Imp was the smallest. Well he grew and grew and grew, now he's a big boy, about 24 lbs. I have changed his name to Blimp. The first comment anyone makes at my house is "That cat is soooo fat". Doesn't help that he has chronic bowel issues that gives him 'pasty butt' and gas that peels paint off the wall.

Imp- please help please

24 pound kitty!!!!??? Blimp... now THAT'S funny

You really do need two kittens. They love to keep each other company.

Bad MomaRoo! Trying to destroy my marriage are we?

Congrats on the new addition! He's adorable!

Squeaky and Tiger give you a big "tails up!" for taking the little guy on (eeks! A lawnmower? He's used up one of his nine lives already, huh?) I had put my name in the hat when I learned from a friend of an unwanted litter-about-to-be. The mother cat had 8 kittens, and decided she'd had enough of motherhood when the kittens were just shy of 4 weeks. The owner did the same thing, put 'em in a box and pretty much said, "there they are, they can't come back." I had in mind adopting only one, but I was afraid the stress of being separated from everything familiar at that age might prove too much, so I let my DD pick out 2. IDK what anyone else thinks about it, but we fed them dry kitten food softened with kitten milk replacer. They never had any problems adjusting. At 11 months old, they are wonderful, friendly cats.

I'm having trouble typing this, because I frequently can't see the screen for the furry bodies that keep getting in the way. I long ago decided that cats have a strange affinity for printed matter - they constantly want to sit on it or place themselves between it and their owner. That attraction seems to extend to computer monitors as well. Trying to protect the house from computer mice, perhaps?

Whatever you do, don't let your kitten learn about Sparta:

I love Sparta! I have seen this before. Makes me laugh every time.

And yes, a Lawnmower. My poor co-worker is so traumatized. He was mowing the grass that had grown to about 2 feet tall. The kittens were crawling around in the tall grass and he didn't see them until it was too late. Luckily everyone is ok. Samson was the only one that was injured, and he is recovering nicely. I am keeping antibiotic wound ointment with a little menthol and benzocaine for pain on it. It looks like it was just the very tip of his ear. I am sure it will be hardly noticeable when he is older.


On a more serious note. I am having trouble feeding him. I fights the bottle really hard. He actually figured it out and suckled it the very first time we tried, but hasn't done that since. I am only getting a very little into him at a time. It seems to mostly just dribble down his chin. Also, he hasn't pooped yet. I don't know if this is normal or not. I know I am supposed to stimulate him to potty with each feeding, but so far it's just urine. I'm sure I am just paranoid because he is so very young, but I am worried all the same. And I am starting to think he is younger than four weeks. His ears aren't "glued" to his head, but they aren't standing up either. Also, he doesn't really get around very well. Just kind of wiggles. Some people here have talked about moving him to wet kitten food already, but I just can't imagine that he would be able to eat it. He does chew the nipple though, which I understand is a sign he might be ready....

 

[caj1985]

I rescued a kitten 5 years ago that was barely past eyes open stage. She wouldn't take a bottle but would lap kitten formula out of a saucer like crazy. You might go to your local Wal-Mart and get some. It is in the pet dept and just looks like infant formula. To this day DC (Darn Cat) loves milk.

 

[MamaRoo]

What are you feeding him? It should be KMR, not cow's milk. And are you massaging his cute little bottom with a warm washcloth? (I'm assuming that's what you mean about stimulating him.) Maybe try a warm bean bag or something for him to knead his paws against while feeding?

 

[canesisters]

I've raised scads of kittens so - FINALLY - something I can talk about on BYC with some confidence.

You're gonna need to pick up some KMR from your vet or a pet store or maybe Walmart. Look for the big can of dry powder. Don't worry if he's not taking the bottle right off - it's got to be WEIRD for him. Just keep offering it every hour or so, when he's hungry enough, he'll eat. I'd use a little jelly jar to mix up just enough for a day. Toss it after 24hrs and mix up new.

When you feed him, resist the temptation to lay him on his back like a baby. It's best to let him lay on his tummy. What's worked best for me is a bath towel folded into 3rds and one end rolled up - so it looks sorta like a lounge chair. Let him drape over the roll when you feed him with the bottle, it gets his front feet out of the way. They instinctively want to push where the nipple is, to help the milk along. But they're stronger than you'd think and once he gets the hang of the bottle he'll get REALLY exuberant about it and push the bottle away by accident.

Don't worry about over night feedings. Once they got their eyes open, I would feed them good just before bed and they'd be fine till morning. But be prepared to do it FIRST thing in the morning. It's amazing how loud they can get when breakfast is late.

Be prepared, he's probably gonna get nasty runs from the sudden diet switch. It'll pass - but if it goes more than 2 days, call your vet to pick up something for him.

As soon as he's up an running on those little legs, he's ready to try formula in a dish. A lid, like to a mayo jar or peanut butter jar works great. He'll wear way more than he eats the first few times but he'll get it.

Keep a roll of TP nearby. I used to give their little bottoms a little rub every time I picked them up, just in case.

Put a heating pad in a carrier and lay a folded bath towel over it. On low this will just keep him warm without a risk of cooking him.

 

[willowbranchfarm]

Congrats on the new addition! He's adorable!

Squeaky and Tiger give you a big "tails up!" for taking the little guy on (eeks! A lawnmower? He's used up one of his nine lives already, huh?) I had put my name in the hat when I learned from a friend of an unwanted litter-about-to-be. The mother cat had 8 kittens, and decided she'd had enough of motherhood when the kittens were just shy of 4 weeks. The owner did the same thing, put 'em in a box and pretty much said, "there they are, they can't come back." I had in mind adopting only one, but I was afraid the stress of being separated from everything familiar at that age might prove too much, so I let my DD pick out 2. IDK what anyone else thinks about it, but we fed them dry kitten food softened with kitten milk replacer. They never had any problems adjusting. At 11 months old, they are wonderful, friendly cats.

I'm having trouble typing this, because I frequently can't see the screen for the furry bodies that keep getting in the way. I long ago decided that cats have a strange affinity for printed matter - they constantly want to sit on it or place themselves between it and their owner. That attraction seems to extend to computer monitors as well. Trying to protect the house from computer mice, perhaps?

Whatever you do, don't let your kitten learn about Sparta:

Ive seen this before and love it lol

 

[ChicknThief]

Success! Samson latched onto the bottle! It took him a while but I think he finally figured it out. Hopefully feeding will get easier from here. He is sleeping in the crook of my elbow now. I love being a Momcat!!



Get a load of that big ole full yummy

 

[EweSheep]

 

[MamaRoo]