Socializing single kitten

[Pickle's Mom]

Hi, we found an abandoned 3 week old kitten we have kept and named Pickle. So far we think it's a female and we've taken her to the vet to be checked out. Everything is fine, she's just tiny.

Our question is this. How can we socialize a single kitten properly with no litter mates or mother? I have heard these kittens usually end up biters as they have no siblings or mother to teach them how to play, etc. Is this true? She does try to bite when playing but then again she is only 3 weeks old.

Any suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated as to raising a happy, well adjusted kitten into adulthood.

Thanks,

Pickle's Mom :)

[starr]

i think whenever possible bring her around other animals, dogs and cats. that way she is used to other animals.

[Pickles1986]

I think as long as you play with her and handle her and she get's a lot of human interaction, she'll be fine with little or no other animal contact, however as starr said, it surely is good to give them the opportunity to pounce around with other kitties her age or at least kittens, just for the fun of it.
:)

[jubjubair]

I think if you want to keep the little Pickle, well I read that if you have a baby bottle with a soft nipple thing you should fill half of it with low fat milk and the other half with water and pop if in the microwave for 3-4 seconds and give the kitten the milk... Then start on soft foods about 2 month then work your way up. I wouldn't start until it is about 1-2 months old to feed Pickle cat food soft to hard...... If you are planning to keep Pickle, I would suggest getting or buying another cat.. Older would help it learn house manners and could play with Pickle and comfort her/him. A younger one could be a play mate for Pickle.....

[2cats1dog]

Many cats and dogs are lactose intolerant and drinking milk can make them very ill. I found 3 abandoned kittens 9 weeks ago. I'm sure your vet told you to buy liquid or powdered KMR milk to bottle feed with. I started using the 2nd step KMR formula at 8 weeks along with 2-3 bottle feedings a day. Slowly i added dry food to the KMR to moisten it and make a gruel while weaning them off the bottle. Kitties are now 10 weeks old and eating solid food. (nice-n-fat, too!) The following link is a great site with some wonderful suggestions:
http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

As far as socialization, to avoid him/her becoming a skittish cat, he/she needs to be regularly socialized with no less than 4 different people. He/she should have a large variety of toys to play with and as human parents, you should be involved with play, cuddle time and discipline. A playmate would help but having regular visitors play with your kitten will be of tremendous value.

Oh, yes, my kitties were biters. Without a mom-cat to discipline Pickle, you get to be the disciplinarian. It is a fairly easy thing to fix, though. If a kitten gets too rough, a mom-cat will many times just get up and leave. When Pickle bites you, tell her "no bite", put her down and ignore her. Or you can put her down and put a toy in her mouth to chew on. Be consistent and she will learn that biting will not get her anywhere.