He was very sick and wouldn't eat and was tiny. I took a toothbrush and just petted him with it all day long, hoping it would feel like his mama's rough tongue. He actually started feeling much better after a few hours. He even glommed on to one of the moles on my neck which probably looked like his mom's nipple and started suckling. I fed him with a dropper. He lived and grew up to be a most handsome cat with a roman nose like this one.

I'll have to remember the toothbrush thing. Good idea.

I have a rescued cat, too. Fortunately I found him before anything bad happened to him. He had been abandoned for about a week. He was sure happy to be brought inside, and still is.