Well, looks like SOMEONE has been in the bushes again. Or under the house. In either case, you’ve now got yourself a tiny handful of “OH GOD SO HUNGRY” and may not know what to do with it.

First things first: you’re going to want to know how old it is. Are its eyes and/or ears open? Does it have any teeth? Is there still an umbilical cord attached? These are important questions to answer because they will tell you how to proceed with the kitten as far as nutrition.

Newborn kittens retain their umbilical cord for 3-5 days after birth. If you find one and the stump is still wet, it’s still fresh out of the uterus and there is a good chance if you leave it alone the queen will come back and take care of it. Go about your business and come back in several hours to check on it. Mother cats are fiercely protective and will often move their kittens if you mess with them, so don’t be shocked if you come back and there’s no kitten to be found.

The eyes open around a week to 10 days of age and they will be blue for the first 6-8 weeks of age. The ear canals open slightly sooner than the eyes. Kittens don’t see well until about 10 weeks, so don’t immediately assume that they’re blind until they’re 12 weeks or older. I’ve made that mistake and now we have Rufus.

Teeth don’t show up until about 3-4 weeks and by that time you’re looking at a kitten who will possibly be in the middle of weaning. These kittens may or may not need bottle supplementation, but it has been my experience that they’re harder to get onto a bottle because they’re used to their mother’s taste and smell.

Taking these things into consideration, you’ll probably have a good idea of how old the kitten is. Next time we’ll discuss formula and nutrition. Questions thus far?