Unsuccessfully bottle feeding 4 week old kitten. NEED HELP!!!!!

[Dogs Cows Chicken]

Short version: I've been trying to feed this kitten 'for' 24 hours. He hasn't gotten a drop from the bottle. I don't know what I'm doing. Please advise. (

Long version: On Saturday afternoon, I got distracted while replacing plexiglass in a broken window of the ranch vehicle I drive. The window was open and unattended for about 45 minutes. When I retwined to the task, I sealed the window and went about life elsewhere.

Twenty four hours or so later, I was moving the pickup and heard a kitten from a mystery source that ended up being under backseat. Kitten had not been fed or pottied in at least 74 hours. I got potty handled, acquired replacement formula and failed at feeding.

I returned Kitten to the pickup, secured in a box and covered by cameras. In the course of about four hours I Momma cat visited the kitten at least 3 times but never took him with her.

I brought him in for the night and back out to wait for mom in the morning. No sign of mom and baby still hasn't eaten that I'm sure of.

Please help me figure this out!!!

 

[nuthatched]

He may be old enough to lap, try a dish.

 

[cassie]

Kitten does not need a bottle. He is old enough to lap.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What a lucky guy he is that you found him!!

Good advice above so I can only add that I am rooting for him.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I saw so many stray cats, in South Korea last week. One boy in our group came out of the bathroom, and said there was a box of kittens in his bathroom. Good thing I didn't see that, I would have had them all. (My last cat, I had only one, I had for 18 years. That was 6 years ago.)

 

[Dogs Cows Chicken]

He may be old enough to lap, try a dish.

Kitten does not need a bottle. He is old enough to lap.

What a lucky guy he is that you found him!!

Good advice above so I can only add that I am rooting for him.

Y'all were 100% correct! Little guy wanted food, not formula. He's eating a small-but-sufficient amount over 3-5 feedings. I put a small box with a shopping bag liner in his big crate for litter and he's used the litter box every time since Saturday afternoon. Thank goodness! He was about to become a pain in the butt. Instead, he's just cute.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[21hens-incharge]

That's a great update!