Update of the kitten situation.  He stopped mewing last night but still responded to my voice.  This morning he was lethargic and I found he was full of worms but still struggled to get close.  I knew he was losing his battle even the fighter that he was so called SPCA and they told me to take him to the county shelter.  Before I did that I called a vet and they told me euthanasia would run me about 89 bucks.  I knew the county does it free.  I took him on over and surrendered him.  He's in a far better place now and out of pain and suffereing. 

I was willing to fight with him even with the blindness and bad leg but the infestation of worms told me he didn't have a chance. 

That particular vet will never see another dime from me.  To charge that much money for a simple injection is outrageous  I used him once for Zacks shots and he charged almost double what Stine Veternary charges me so they were sliding downhill in my rating already.   

In any case, the crisis is over and the little guy is in happy kittyland where there is no more suffereing.

The kitten is still alive and about the same as last night.     The eyes are still oozing and matted shut but with the saline cleanser I get them open a little.  I remembered I have antibiotic drops from when Allie had allergy discharge so started using them last night.  This little guy is a fighter...he bucks up and tries to pull his head away when I put the drops in.  He doesn't like the dropper routine either but I'm trying to keep him hydrated til I can get something solid. 

I'll try Shwains formula and vets are not an option on a holiday weekend.  I don't have $300 bucks to hand to the ER vet on a stray only to have the little fella die.  Especially when there's no chance of me keeping it. 

Either way it goes, on Monday there will be a resolution. 

(Shwaine..for you...I hadn't gotten around to reading this blog this morning.  You wound me with your impatience but thanks for the recipe.)

Hey Nancy.............how is the kitty today?  I just read your last post and am wondering if the mom knew this one was not right and pushed it away. They do that. Or, he just hasn't got the hang of the back leg thing!

We have been "adopted" by two adult cats and 3 kittens. We are thinking the adult cats maybe were with a family as the male & female stick together and both protect the kittens. Usually if both are feral the male takes off and the mom keeps the male away from the kittens.

Hey SCR......................want some cats to catch the mice in the barn?????!!!!!!

Here's two homemade kitten formula to use in a pinch. You should get kitten formula in the morning, because cow's milk is not well-suited for kittens. It has too much fat, too much carbs and not enough protein.

Formula 1: 1 part boiled water, 5 parts evaporated milk.

Formula 2: 8 ounces whole milk, 2 egg yolks.

Mix well and make sure it's warm but not too hot. Use a dropper and slowly (very slowly) drop it on the tongue. Aim to feed at least a tablespoon (preferably two tablespoons) every 3-4 hours. After feeding, put the kittne somewhere you won't mind getting messy. Then wipe its rear with a warm cotton ball to stimulate "elimination" (as the vets like to call it). Young kittens can't poo or pee on their own, so you get the joy of doing that.

The swollen eyes are likely due to one of two upper respiratory viruses that are common in ferals. Usually this requires veterinary treatment to clear up and even then, not all kittens can be saved from it. Clean the eyes and nose regularly with warm water right now, but it probably needs to see a vet if it makes it until morning. Oral antibiotics and antibiotic eye ointment are the normal course of treatment. Three of my cats had to be hand-raised through this sort of infection. One was only half a pound at about 6 weeks and still pulled through. The big thing is quick veterinary treatment and lots of feedings.

You come by it honestly..I have a soft spot for strays too.  The little guy is in the ebay room mewing his head off and I feel so bad for him.

Awwwhhhhh MOM!  You know what a sucker I am for strays and babies.  <wondering as I type how well babygirl would like a little kitty around...I can just see her now, "oooohhh! a new toy!">

LOL...no cats allowed here Sioux.  Zack the house dog gets hysterical and almost jerk my arm oout of the socket when he sees a cat and Allie already killed one.  My lot is a no cat kill zone.  Even the strays know better than to go near the back yard.  They walk in the fronnt yard and torment Zack all the time.

 nancy..His back legs seem deformed too.  He walks on what would be his knees. 

quality of life nancy..you know what im talkin about sis..if you dont have someone who can help you ..they used to have a drop box at the pound..somethings you cant fix..if you need a healthy one we have a couple ferrils out back that need a home *grin*

yup pet smart has a good vet ..and takes walk ins..hopefully its something like an eye infection..they also have prescripton feed at his age i would use an eye dropper though  some babys wont know how to suck off a bottle and he needs the nouirshment..the karo and water can get him through until the AM...for weight baby food is a cheap alternative to the script foods though..no spices etc..bland made for youngins

If he has any sores you can apply plain sugar to the wound..clean it first..some will use honey so it sticks..has a natural antibiotic in it..we had a female border ripp herself open on a fence and she kept rippin out her stitches so the vet had us use sugar and wrap it..healed up perfectly..like Martha says.."its a good thing"

His back legs seem deformed too.  He walks on what would be his knees.  My guess is that's what got him in trouble and the flies did the rest to his eyes.  They're open a little now that I've cleaned them and they're drained.

I doubt there'll be a vet at petsmart tomorrow..it's a holiday.  I may be stuck til Monday or Tuesday.  I'll keep him in the crate except to water him and clean his eyes. 

I can't deal with any more  crises with animals.  I already have to keep the big dog and little dog completely seperately and on top of that am dog sitting the grandkids lab as well.  pfffftttt....  the dogs hate cats.  Allie already killed one that got in the yard right after I moved in here.  Got the little guy in a crate, dog gates up to keep Zack away from the kitten just in case he's contagious.  Sally on a cable running the entire lawn because she's an escape artist, Zack in the liv room and dining area, Allie on the back porch.

Happy 4th everyone.......

The little guy is very active...meowing, crawling all over.   He's not hot but is very skinny.  I'd say he had a hard time nursing and may not have been fed for a while.   I doubt he's more and a couple of weeks old.

Pet smart has a vet Nancy - possibly you could get him over there on Sat. Pet smart also has kitten milk and bottles for feeding if he is too little to eat.

yup if you have karo syrup you can use that too wit the water..see you got it you just havent had to use it for awhile..just take deep breaths and do what comes natural..if hes that young and hes worse by morning?? well you will know if its time..natures way of culling out the weak..sometimes its better..its sad but its better for the kitten if hes ill and his temp hits him hard..honest it doesnt take long if hey ge that bad..and you need to think about exposure to your other pets..since you dont konw whats wrong..once hes gone you should probably bleach or toss things to get it out of your house..some diseases can hang up to 6 months later..

use anti bacterial soap after you handle him every time just in case

I think he's too young to eat on his own.  I tried that.  Best I can do is dilute some propel...don't have pediolyte.  I could make up a little sugar water..we used to do that with kids.  Criminy...why always on a weekend?  A holiday weekend at that.  I'd take him to SPCA but that wont happen for a few days now prolly.  And as for Mark...lol..I doubt he could do it. 

There may be more, the run loose and breed yowling all the time. 

spam code....GIRPS...that's the way I feel doctoring the little guy.  And I havne't had any dinner.

does he have a fever..is his paws and tummy hotter than they should be aside from the ambient temp outside..he might have distemper..is he boney..when you pull a piece of hide does it remailn standing or does it go back down when you release it....up would indicate dehydration and that will kill him quic,..you need to get some pediolite and dilute it with water..dont overdue it if they are sick they will usually get worse before they get better..if he has a temp it need to come down quick..high temps for just a couple hours can cause brain damage and death..do you have a plastic botl you can freeze or try a ziplock baggie with ice cubes..let him lay on it to help bring it down..

use an eye dropper and put it in his cheek slowly so it doesnt go itno his lungs,,let him swallow..if hes bad you might have to do it every couple hours..if he gets real bad you might need to call mark over and take him out back..letting one suffer aint what the good lord intended when he made us watchers over the other species.....

see if he will eat some tuna or drink some body temp milk..if hes not hungry its not a good sign..

has he gone to the bathroom?? was his poop watery or normal?? im assuming all this since your not posting so ill stop..

We just inherited an orphan kitten a couple of days ago, too.  It wasn't sick, but it couldn't have been more than 6 weeks old.  We've been feeding it.  If your kitten has a Mama then there's probably more where he came from. 

The only thing you can do is set a cat trap and take them to the SPCA or pound. 

Poor little guy.  I would take him for you, Nancy, but my husband is already fed up with the Mama Kitty we've already got, plus her two babies, and now this new kitten. 

The odd thing is the little guy came running toward me when he heard me but couldn't see at all.  He's not feral obviously. 

I found a tiny kitten crawling in the neighbors yard and no ones home.  I left a note on the door but seriously doubt this kitten belongs to anyone.   We have probably 6 cats running loose around here.

The little guys eyes were swollen shut so I used a saline eye clenser I'd bought for my dog and wiped his eyes with a cotton pad.  Both eyes erupted with pus and dripped while draining.  I kept wiping til they stopped draining.  I managed to get water down him since I knew he had to be dehydrated.  I saw the mama cat peeking around the corner but I couldn't leave that poor kitten in the yard  that close to the street...and ill.

Any ideas out there?  I put him in my small dog crate since any of my dogs (inside or out) would eat him alive...I CANNOT keep him.

kinda stuck on all of the critters nancy..whats up

911 for cat lovers, I have a serious problem.

adam  For those keeping animals that breed its time to pay for the problem you have greatly contributed to.

shallow thinking on your part adam..goes deeper than that..youve been here long enough to know what im talking about so I wont go into the details again..short side is these laws wont change the Irresponsible breeders and you and I both know it..this could drive people into abandoing animals or being afraid of takin them to a vet if they get injured or sick..wake up and think about it before you post..

No, the state is not taking away your right to own an intact pet. A pet owner who wants to keep an unaltered Fido or Fluffy  simply has to pay for an unaltered dog license when you license your pooch in whatever California jurisdiction you reside.

Your comment is not the truth. Further, Californians now spend more than 250 million dollars per year housing and euthanizing unwanted and discarded pets. For those keeping animals that breed its time to pay for the problem you have greatly contributed to.