Expert: Jessica - 10/23/2009

Question
I have a kitten that got bite by a dog and now it only has three legs but I don't know where her mother is. What do I do?

Answer
Hi Darien.  The only thing you can do for this kitten is to bring her to the vet.  An injury this serious cannot be treated at home.  Infection is almost certain to set in, and the kitten will die.  It's just about guaranteed the kitten will need sutures to close the wound, and she will probably need some surgical repair on the amputation site, depending on how clean the break was.  If none of this is feasible for you, then the kitten will need to be put to sleep, but she shouldn't be left to die on her own.  It can be a very long, painful death.

If the kitten was still nursing and wasn't eating any kitten food, you will have to feed her a kitten milk replacement until mom returns.  This is available through the vet or a pet store.  You will need to heat the formula to 100 degrees F, and I would recommend starting with an eye dropper or syringe to feed her.  Once she takes to the formula, you can graduate to a bottle, sold at pet stores.  You will need to cut a small hole in the nipple.  I do this by cutting an "x" in the top instead of snipping the tip off.  Make sure milk does not flow freely out of the bottle, as this will choke the kitten.  Instead, milk should squirt out only if gentle pressure is applied.  The feeding schedule will vary depending on how old she is, but a good general rule is to go the amount of weeks she is old between feedings.  If she's three weeks, feed every three hours, if she's four weeks, every four hours, etc.  

If she's under four or five weeks, she will need to be made to go to the bathroom after each meal.  This is done by using cotton balls moistened with warm water to gently massage the genital area in a circular motion.  Kittens will urinate after each meal and should defecate at least once a day.

The kitten will also need to be kept warm.  If she is over three weeks, any room warmer than 70-75 degrees should be okay for her.  If she's a week old, she needs 90 degrees, two weeks - 85 degrees, and three weeks, 80 degrees.  Or, you can wrap a heating pad in a towel and set it on low heat.  Keep the kitten in a crate with the heating pad, but allow her room to move off the heating pad if she gets too warm.

Please keep the kitten indoors and away from all animals except her mom.  Kittens are considered prey to nearly all animals - dogs, racoons, even other cats.

I hope she pulls through!

Jessica