scared new kitten

Question
Hi norm, I am currently stationed in south korea and while i was out in my tent a few weeks ago, I saw a momma cat and her new kitten running around, momma wouldn't let me near the kitten, so I left food and the heater on at night for them. Today, I recieved phone calls that the kitten was stuck in a drained pool. Momma was no where to be seen and the kitten was trapped, so I climbed in and got that cat. She was very upset as you can imagine, I brought her back to my room, and all day she has no eaten or drinking anything. She has gotten better with me, such as letting me pet her, and pick her up, she has become very attatched to a blanket of mine which she will no where without. She is about 7 weeks old, has a pretty good temper on her, she doesn't use her claws to protect herself, rather she is very fond of using her teeth which are VERY strong and sharp (as i found out the hard way). I tried to open her mouth and make her eat that way but she refused. How can I get her to eat and drink? Thank you.  

Answer
Amanda,

In South Korea, I do not know what is available to make the kitten eat.  She is capable of eating solid food.  Have you had her to a veterinarian?  In case the kitten has a medical problem as to why she won't eat, you need to find that out.

In the USA there is something called STAT which is very liquid like and can be used to feed cats who do not want to eat. Vest have something called A/D which cats generally love to eat. You need to get a syringe without the needle to force feed a kitten, and mix up a puree.  You can take some normal wet cat food and water and pedialyte (or other electrolytes) and some goats milk.  A vitamin B12 shot would certainly help the appetite.  The kitten will get hungry, once it gets over its fright, but, will that be in time?

I would syringe the kitten with whatever mixture you make at least 3 times a day.  You are a little better under feeding than overfeeding.

A couple of things that we have found can help stimulate the appetite are tuna, boned chicken or boned turkey, and the like.

Good luck and best regards... Norm.