Please Help, My new kitten hasnt gone to the bathroom!!??!! How do I take care of my young, rescued, kitten?

Question
QUESTION: Last night, I found a kitten in a bush outside my apartment.... Crying. Me being the animal lover that i am and seeing how incredibly small and young this kitten was brought her inside. After looking at her coat and checking to see if was injured, I wrapped her up in a blanket and let her sleep. She is about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old.Healthy coat, very friendly, has green or blue eyes(cant really tell though) I am unable to to take her to the vet yet, but I will be able to next week. I wasn't planning on keeping her at first but she has COMPLETELY won me over. I have no idea on what she needs as far as food, cat litter etc. due to her age. She started drinking milk today but has not urinated or had a bm since i got her last night. I was told to use a warm wash cloth to wipe her private area so she would go but that doesn't seem to be working. I know that if she doesn't go to the bathroom soon she will die because of the toxins in her body. I have never had a kitten so young before and i can't take her to any pounds in my area because they are all full. I AM capable of giving her a good home with the right information on how to. ANY help on this matter would be GREATLY appreciated. :)

ANSWER: Tee,

Sometimes it takes patience and persistance to get these young babies up and thriving. I've had orphans who wouldn't urinate or defecate for 24 hours or so. She may be dehydrated so keep the fluids coming, but avoid cow's milk, instead offer her a kitten milk replacer like KMR as it has the nutrients she needs right now without quite as much risk of diarrea which could result in life threatening dehydration. My favorite mix for babies this young is KMR mixed according to package directions, some plain organic yogurt and a jar of chicken and broth baby food (just be sure your brand doesn't contain onions, onion powder, garlic, garlic powder, etc. See if this baby will lap this mix on her own, if not you can use a brand new oral syringe (the kind pharmacies sell for giving liquid medicine to babies) and gently syringe it into the corner of her mouth. Offer this baby a tiny litterbox to see if she understands how to use it - she may not yet, but be sure you use a food based litter (corn, wheat) in case she eats it as many young kittens will when they're first learning to use the box. Keep her clean, dry, fed and warm, nature will do the rest unless she seems sick. Don't overdo the wiping of her anal and genital areas because you don't want to cause unnecessary irritation - once after meals and after she wakes up from her naps is sufficient. So long as she seems willing to eat, play and sleep going potty will come. The sooner you can get her to the veterinarian to be accurately aged the better - checking to see if she has any teeth is helpful in determining her age because teeth start appearing around 3 weeks of age. Weighing your kitten on a digital kitchen scale that measures in lbs is helpful too - the general rule of thumb for kittens is one lb of body weight per month of age up until about 6 months or so of age... Please be sure to feed your baby about every 3-4 hours or so, more frequently if she hollers for food sooner - she needs all the nutrition she can get right now! If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you SO MUCH! That helped a lot. Sadly though, i have already given her about a 1/2 of whole milk mixed with water. Only because i called around to a place that specializes in cats and she told me to mix about 3/4 cup of milk with about 1/4 cup of water. I told her that i heard that regular milk was bad for her but she said thats why she said mix the water in so it wouldn't be so hard on her stomach. Do you think that was enough to harm her? I have not given her anymore milk since earlier and I bought her some wet cat food. She immediately started meowing when she smelled it and started eating. However she didn't eat as much as i would've liked. I won't be able to take her to a vet until next week. So i was trying to see what i needed to do for her until then. She doesn't seem sick, she plays when she awake not a lot but your basic biting, playing with my fingers or string. Every since i got her last night i have on the internet finding out information and i found out how to tell her age. She has her teeth because she bites my fingers when she's playing and i checked they are very small though. Her ears are up, she can eat food, and she's walking pretty good but not pouncing yet. What do I do if she doesn't eat.? Do you know how I can bathe her? What do i do if i have no cat milk yet? I'm sorry for asking so much i just am at a loss. Thank you again

Answer
Tee,

If your baby is eating canned kitten food it's all good, you can wait til you have kitten formula (there's a difference between cat milk and kitten formula, kitten formula is meant for tiny growing kittens, cat milk is a treat that should only be given once in awhile. Your local Petsmart will have kitten formula). When you have kitten formula you can mix it in with her food just to give her that extra boost of nutrition. Don't worry about the milk, unfortunately people who are less informed about kitty care sometimes make this mistake (not referring to you, referring to the person who suggested cow's milk to give her).

As for your kitten's style of play it sounds like she's a perfectly normal, happy baby predator! It's best if you play with your kitten using toys rather than your hands because you don't want to teach her that your hands and feet are toys - when she gets older and stronger that could be very painful!

Your kitten may be as old as 4-5 weeks old, but it's difficult to tell without examining her thoroughly. If she doesn't want to eat at a meal, just make note of it, don't panic - try her again in awhile. It's okay if she skips a meal, just be sure she's not going without food for more than 6-8 hours because she is so young and you don't want her blood sugar to drop too low as this can be a medical emergency. You will know if her blood sugar is low if she is very lethargic, she could even become semi-conscious or unconscious - if this happens rub some corn syrup on her gums and get her to a vet immediately. Feeding her as often as she wants food will most likely prevent this. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time, I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali