I have been pretty light on blogging this past week because my wife took the week off so that we could spend a lot of time house hunting. Yesterday, we went out to see a small estate under construction. Typically, they at least roughly finish one house quickly to give buyers an idea, but the place is still pretty much a construction site. After we finished looking around the show house, we stepped out the front door and heard this loud crying sound. It was a very small kitten, trying to climb up on the curb from the dirt. A young construction worker walked over, told us the mother had disappeared (probably hit by a car), and wondered if we would take the kitten, because he lived with his parents and couldn't, and didn't really know what else to do. So we took the kitten to our vet, who said he (or she, couldn't tell yet) was about ten days old, two weeks tops, and without a mother would need to be nursed on a bottle, plus a lot of other stuff. We can't take him to the pound, where they would just put him down, and although the excellent Irish Animal Care Society has a good cat shelter, where they would take care of him until he got an owner, they aren't really equiped to handle a ten day old abandoned kitten. Fortunately, the dog is being pretty well behaved, but we have kept them apart because the dog could inadvertently hurt the kitten. The first time we let the dog near, she started licking the kitten, so we're hopeful the dog will be maternal about the kitten. A good friend came over to stay with us and help feed him (every two hours, day and night). She said she would do the first shift, and instead stayed up most of the night and let us take over in the early morning. She said every kitten deserves a good Jewish mama. Since the vet said we caught him on the edge of starvation (he would died by the next day), and he weighs only seven ounces, our friend suggested we name the kitten Mazal, which is Hebrew for lucky.

So, world, this is Mazal. Say hello to the world, Mazal.

Adorable. And very good of you to take her in and give her a home.

Yep, I'd have done the same. That's why I'm really not allowed to touch kittens! That one is irrestible though.

A thousand thanks for your kindness! We took in an older stray last year whom we named Pepper. He has brought us nothing but happiness. God bless you and all kind-hearted people.

P.S. Mazel is a very cute kitten!

Dog will be fine with the kitten. And congrats!!! We have done two teeny kitten rescues. I used to live in a neighborhood that was near the animal shelter, and for some odd reason people dump animals near shelters. Can't bring themselves to actually go in, I guess. It's a weird phenomenon. One kitten we found in the parking lot of the nearby convenience store. She was so dehydrated she needed intravenous hydration.

Anyway, I love the pics. Thanks for sharing. We're going "woo-- cute kitty!!!!!" over here, bigtime.

Bless your heart for adopting this little sweetie; I bet your dog will accept Mazel as her baby, and you'll just end up with a slightly bigger, happier family than before. (So what's not to like? ;-)

I love the pictures, too -- please post more as Mazel grows!

Bill, you old softie. Good for you. I'm going to find it hard to believe the curmudgeonly-old-bastard routine from now on.

This is very good karma for you.

I have five strays myself, and they have given me much more than I could ever give them. Be careful, though. Remember what Hemingway said: "One cat just leads to another."

What a wonderful thing to do, Bill! The kitten's expression in that first picture is beautiful - it would melt ice in the Anarctic (and explains why you succumbed, I think). Keep us posted on Mazal's progress. She's going to be a cutie, so you might as well resign yourself to regular Friday updates with pictures. That reminds me, what was that you were saying the other day about about Calpundit cat-blogging? Heh.

Awwwwwhhhhhhhhh. 'nuf said.

3 years ago, our van was parked elsewhere and when we brought it home, we found 2 tiny (maybe a week old) kittens in it on a HOT July Thursday night. We fed them with a bottle. Monday, we found the 3rd kitten. Poor little thing had been there all that time in the hot hot van with nothing to eat. My roomie immediately soaked the poor little thing in water and tried to get the fleas off him then gave him to me to run the blow dryer to dry the baby. The poor little thing was unresponsive until I started drying him and he made some movement. After that, we fed him (oh, he was so small compared to the other two and such an ugly little thing - totally white, looked like a little baby alien). We gave away the other two but kept him. He is such a funny creature. He likes to get under the covers and curl up and suck the cloth under my armpit. The dog was fine with the kittens - she is about 80 lbs. I think your kitty and dog will be fine together. Good luck.

May Mazel bring you nothing but mazel! You did a tremendous thing and she will be grateful to you for the rest of her hopefully long life. Thank god, cats are incredibly resilient(I have 3, including a 3-legged one). Please keep us posted!

My wife's a veterinary technician, so we've raised quite a few babies from literally day 1. I'm sure she'll comment tonight, but here are my thoughts/tips:

* Mazel is a *very* good size for two weeks old. I'd tend to lean more toward three weeks, just because (s)he seems to be moving around pretty darned good.

* Don't forget to rub the kitty's bottom to make them go potty, if they're not going on their own right now. They'll gripe at the indignity of it, but it's required.

* Very important to keep them warm. We fill two condoms (shut up! we do so!) with water and drop them into socks. Stick 'em into the microwave for a minute or two and presto! instant portable warmth!

That's all I can think of for now. Best of luck, and don't hesitate to send my wife an e-mail if you have questions or problems. Our site is in the URL of this comment :).

OOO!!!! what a sweet baby! :) I remember when Coconut was a bitty baby like that, they are so much fun to watch grow! :)

Scott's right. Im a licensed vet tech that specializes in cat medicine in a cat only hospital.

Keep your baby warm, feed every 2-5 hours until content and full.(make sure you are using KMR or other kitten only formula- other formulas lack taurine and essential nutrient a cat needs)
Make sure you get a kitty pee after each meal and at least one poop per day. I see already your baby has a rather large belly. (most likey worms or gorging itself) Another fun trick to do is get an old fashioned alarm clock for the tick and wrap it in a towel or inside a stuffed animal to mimic a heart beat.

Most all, have fun with your baby, they grow up fast. The earlier you can take your baby to the vet the better. :)

If you have any questions, feel free to email me. :)

Hello! wow that is a cute kitten. Just yesterday I heard my other 2yr old tabby hissing and growling while looking out the window(while raining) and i saw 2 very wet kittens and later did find the mother who left them so later that day I ended up catching 2 kittens and cant gettin to one being as it was stuck between two fences and there was no way to get it and it was too far from the fence to grab it and i had to leave it there then earlier today i got woke up by its cryin so i went out there and it was so close to the fence and i ended up feeding it. Im not sure of the age but it does walk and it can drink milk normally but its very small. We have 4 hopefully we can find the other 3 a home. I am keeping the one i got today ive became attached to it. Bye

Hi! A group of my friends were at this party where everything was very run-down. This place was (not meaning to offend anybody reading) white-trash. They stayed for a few minutes to be nice. As they were getting ready to go they heard a noise from the ceiling above them. The ceiling had a few small holes, damaged by water leaking from old, rusty drains. They all stood directly under the hole where they heard the noise, and to their shock a tiny kitten came tumbling out, lukily it was caught by my reliable chap Jones. I didn't believe the story till i heard it from all three, but i wasn't convinced until i saw the kitten myself. They looked for other kittens and possibly a mother cat, but alas none were found. None of them have ever had kittens around this young before. I have multiple outdoor cats on my parents farm, and know they really depend on the mother for warmth, shelter, food, etc. Anyways i was clue-less as to what to feed it, how often to feed it, and other important factors. I found this website just cruising the web. I read your article on how you obtained your kitten. I also read the comments posted below. I was just wondering how your kitten is doing and if you could email me with any suggestions helpful advice. As of now i am following the advice left by other commentors. Thanks to those who shared information. Also, if you or some one reading this knows of a place that sells baby kitten formula, could you email me at torchy1386@hotmail.com Thank you again!!!

Taylor 4-26-04

Um yeah i just found a kitten who about a week old and i have no idea wtf to do with it! if u can just email me and some one help me he's really week and his mother got hit by a car! please i need help