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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

New tiny kitten

683 replies

Fatiguedwithlife · 21/01/2026 13:34

Hello! We have acquired a teeny kitten (supposedly 9 weeks old) but she’s the runt and is very small.
i haven’t weighed her, we only got her today.
We’ve kitten proofed the lounge and are keeping the dog and the other cat away.
She has one snotty eye which I’m cleaning every couple of hours with cooled saline solution
I’ve bought kitten milk and dry and wet food (the same as she was having where she came from).
Shes done a wee and a loose poo in the litter tray and mostly slept. She wasn’t interested in the food or water or saucer of milk so I syringed about 5ml warm kitten milk into her and that woke her up a bit. she then ate a little wet food.

are we doing the right things?

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HatStickBoots · 13/06/2026 08:02

I’d be late for work every day. That gorgeous little paw. Does she give you a wash too @Fatiguedwithlife ? Sorry you’ve got to work all weekend.

cherrytree12345 · 13/06/2026 09:47

Look forward to seeing your updates on Penny. Such a lucky girl to have been adopted by you

Pudmyboy · 13/06/2026 17:47

I love that you and your family have taken her in and loved her @Fatiguedwithlife and also that Penny clearly returns that affection 😻.
She could have turned out all aloof, but instead, wonderfully, she seeks you all out for cuddles and fishy kisses 😻😻

Fatiguedwithlife · 13/06/2026 20:35

Today she got her first Big Girl collar with a bell 🔔

New tiny kitten
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Allseeingallknowing · 13/06/2026 20:36

Fatiguedwithlife · 13/06/2026 20:35

Today she got her first Big Girl collar with a bell 🔔

She just keeps getting more adorable!

justthecat · 13/06/2026 20:38

That bell says, look out world here I come!

Pudmyboy · 13/06/2026 20:42

Fatiguedwithlife · 13/06/2026 20:35

Today she got her first Big Girl collar with a bell 🔔

She's looking more like a young adult cat now, not so kitten-y

Davros · 13/06/2026 20:51

She’s so grown up. Especially with her collar

Onlyforreindeer · 13/06/2026 22:28

Oh she looks so cute in her new collar, that smudge on her nose is just adorable x

HatStickBoots · 14/06/2026 06:56

Awwww 🩷 I can’t believe it was so easy to put it in her and for it to stay on! We bought a special very lightweight collar for ours which snaps apart in an emergency complete with a lovely name tag. I don’t think he even allowed it around his neck and we made many, many attempts before giving up for good.
Adorable photo 🥰

Chemenger · 14/06/2026 07:25

Collars are not a great idea for cats. Make sure it comes off at the slightest pressure if you really need her to wear it. They can cause awful injuries. Google cat collar injuries but don’t look at images.

Davros · 14/06/2026 08:02

I think it’s very hard to buy a collar that is not quick release these days. I listened to a friend who is against collars and bitterly regretted it when Mewler went missing one Xmas day. DH had let her out the front (where she wasn’t allowed) when he went to get something out of the car. We did get her back many hours later, she was only a few doors away, thank god those neighbours took her to the vet - on Christmas Day! I had a miserable time as did the whole family. If she’d been wearing a collar with our phone number we would have got her back much quicker and Christmas would have been saved!

Fatiguedwithlife · 14/06/2026 15:10

It’s a quick release catch. I like cats to have a bell to alert wildlife so they have a chance to escape before they pounce, also if she wanders off anywhere. In the old days our cats used to wear those solid ‘flea collars’, thankfully none of them came to a sticky end.
DD has bought her a harness too, to take her for a walk (I don’t think she will enjoy that quite so much!)

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HatStickBoots · 14/06/2026 15:22

That’s exactly why we want ours to wear his collar: to alert the wildlife and to show whom he belongs to 🙂

Fatiguedwithlife · 14/06/2026 15:36

Well, I’ve just got home from work and she’s managed to lose the collar already 🙄🤣

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 14/06/2026 16:20

Fatiguedwithlife · 14/06/2026 15:36

Well, I’ve just got home from work and she’s managed to lose the collar already 🙄🤣

You sound surprised Grin

HatStickBoots · 14/06/2026 19:45

Typical! 😀 At least you got it on though, that’s a good start! Ours walks backwards and keeps ducking his head away, round and round the house, even the treats don’t help. I’m surprised Penny managed to wriggle out of it although she managed to get out of her sleeve/bandage thingy as well so she’s obviously got the knack!

Davros · 14/06/2026 21:37

Fatiguedwithlife · 14/06/2026 15:36

Well, I’ve just got home from work and she’s managed to lose the collar already 🙄🤣

That is hilarious!

Fatiguedwithlife · 15/06/2026 20:23

Who doesn’t love a game of “Murder in the bag”?

New tiny kitten
New tiny kitten
New tiny kitten
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Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 20:36

Fatiguedwithlife · 15/06/2026 20:23

Who doesn’t love a game of “Murder in the bag”?

Too cute!

tinyspiny · 15/06/2026 20:47

So cute .

justthecat · 15/06/2026 21:10

That’s hilarious 😻

Letsgoforaskip · 15/06/2026 21:50

So lovely to see how well they’re getting on. She’s keeping him on his toes 😂

CatLovesMeBest · 16/06/2026 09:25

I’m glad I still follow this thread as it just gets even better … astonishing pics and it’s so lovely to see Merlin and Penny enjoying each other so much !

HatStickBoots · 16/06/2026 09:43

They’re so lovely 🩷 thank you for sharing their antics! I had to look through the whole album to date and it’s just wonderful.