Rescued Kitten

bartooseboy

Hi Guys,

My Girlfriend found an abandoned kitten in a car-park in Dublin at the weekend and of course i have been giving the responsibility to mind him as i live down the country. He (i think he anywyas) is pretty young, he can walk but is not fully steady on his feet and is just starting to climb etc. id say he's 5 or 6 weeks old at the most.

Ive made a cot and a kitty litter up for him and got some kitten milk. Just wondering what else should i do to keep the little rogue happy / alive!??

appreciate any info.

MsFifers

Well, most kittens would have worms so you will need to get that done - call into a vet for the tablets and advice about that (you might only need to give a half tablet for such a small kitten - so check about that at the reception). If the kitten was living rough it may also have fleas/ticks so a spot-on drop is necessary - they have small sized ones for kittens/small cats. (You wouldn't give the worm tab/spot on at the same time btw)

Your kitten will probably also need vaccinations in due course, and between 4 and 6 months should be neutered/spayed.

I'd say it is probably ready for solid food now too - so get some good quality kitten food from the vet when you are in (supermarket brands aren't the best option).

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/care-new-kitten.htm

bartooseboy

hi again. well i had bad luck with the first kitten who only lasted 2 days with me. I brought him to the vet but she said that she was too ill and put him down.

but i recued another kitten at the weekend and got 'it' vaccinated last night. i say 'it' because the vet was unable to tell me if its a boy/girl yet!! is this weird???

Anyways as i work most days i need some advice on how to keep the kitten happy when its on its own. i leave food and water out and have a scratching post and its bed and the kitty loo. its locked in a reasonable sized room for the day. anything else i should be leaving with it?

cheers.

Heroditas

bartooseboy wrote: »

hi again. well i had bad luck with the first kitten who only lasted 2 days with me. I brought him to the vet but she said that she was too ill and put him down.

but i recued another kitten at the weekend and got 'it' vaccinated last night. i say 'it' because the vet was unable to tell me if its a boy/girl yet!! is this weird???

Anyways as i work most days i need some advice on how to keep the kitten happy when its on its own. i leave food and water out and have a scratching post and its bed and the kitty loo. its locked in a reasonable sized room for the day. anything else i should be leaving with it?

cheers.

That's an awful shame about the kitten but at least it knew some form of comfort and kindness before it died.

You should get the kitten some small toys like a small ball that it can chase around the room, maybe also a little toy furry mouse. You'd be surprised how much small cats like things like that. One o our cats used bring a toy rat to bed with it when he was younger!
They'll sleep an awful lot during the day but be prepared for kitten mayhem when you get home in the evening!

bartooseboy

funny you should say that actually, i thought it was gone mad yesterday evening when i got home cause it ran (well kinda ran) and was climbing and jumping over me all evening!! just trying to get as much attention as possible before i disappear for the day again so.

ya i have a few toys and things. although she spent a good hour playing with some fluff that came from my dryer yesterday!!!

what kinda food would you recommend? im feed it royal canin kitten food and whiskas milk at the moment?

MsFifers

I feed mine Royal Canin & am happy enough with it. I wouldn't bother with the Whiska's milk except for a treat - fresh water is the best thing. Cats prefer if their water bowl isn't right beside their food bowl btw! :rolleyes: Put it in the other corner of the room.

Sounds like a right cheeky little devil! Enjoy your new baby!

bartooseboy

hi msfifers,

thanks for the tip on the water, i had the bowl next to her food and she wasnt touching it so ill move that now later.

ya she is a cheeky devil, a right bundle of energy in the evenings when i get home.

i have 2 worries though.

1) when i put her to bed at night she doesnt seem to move from her cot until i turn on the light in the morning when she makes a mad panicked dash to the kitty litter. Is this cause shes scared to move from her cot in the dark? should i be leaving a light on at night?

2) she doesnt seem to eat any food during the day when im at work. she munches away happily when im in the room with her if i put her nose in the saucer though...

any suggestions welcome!

bartooseboy

hi msfifers,



thanks for the tip on the water, i had the bowl next to her food and she wasnt touching it so ill move that now later.



ya she is a cheeky devil, a right bundle of energy in the evenings when i get home.



i have 2 worries though.



1) when i put her to bed at night she doesnt seem to move from her cot until i turn on the light in the morning when she makes a mad panicked dash to the kitty litter. Is this cause shes scared to move from her cot in the dark? should i be leaving a light on at night?



2) she doesnt seem to eat any food during the day when im at work. she munches away happily when im in the room with her if i put her nose in the saucer though...



any suggestions welcome!

Heroditas

She sleeps all the way through the night maybe. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If she really needs to go to the loo, she'll go.

Re. the food, she probably sleeps a lot during the day.

Looking at the two issues together, I'd say she feels very comfortable with you and likes doing her little chores when you're around.

Our cats won't use the litter for absolute hours on end until we get up. then all hell breaks loose and they stink out the tray as soon as we go into the kitchen. :rolleyes:

(Don't worry people, the tray is nowhere near any food and is sitting by the back door)

bartooseboy

Thanks heroditas. hopefully thats it anyways.

Milly33

Sounds like a bundle of fun..We recently fostered a kitten from Animal Care. I had forgotten how much energy they had and how they get at everything...

Id say you kitten is a happy chappy and like Heroditas was saying she probably feels more comfortable around you that is why she eats more when you are around.

That or perhaps if you really got worried try moving the food tray normally cats/kittens will only sit down and eat in a spot that they are comfortable in, perhaps something is scaring her where the tray is at the moment..Unless though she is looking very skinny I would not worry Cats will find food when they want it.

I got lots of toys for our chap when he moved in and all the toys I brought him are gone he played with them for a day or two, I made him a pom pom from some wool and tied it on a big piece of string (he is a little older though be carefull with the string part) tied it to the door and he loves it, that and a knitted blanket both for attacking it and sleeping on it his happy to do..And a ping pong ball he chases it for hours outside in the hall..

Glad to hear good stories again about animals finding good homes....

bartooseboy

thanks milly,

ya my gf is on to me to buy toys and stuff but to be honest i gave her roll of a toilet roll and she spends all evening pushing and chasing that!!

ya i was gutted i lost the first one but this one seems much healthier. i actually look forward to going home to play with her and im a 30 year old man!! sad or what..

bartooseboy

just a little update on my kitten. she has survived and is thriving at the moment thanks to all the advice above.

Just wondering what age is safe to let her outside on her own? shes's approx 6 weeks now. i was thinking maybe 12 weeks??

mymo

If its a girl, I would get her spayed first as its just too risky. Most vets will do it at about 4 or 5 months.
Really same goes for the boys too.

Whether to let her out or not is the real question, is it safe where you live(roads, dogs, etc), are there lots of cats around?
Stray toms can attack kittens, and most cats are territorial, so defend their area.
Do you have a garden you could cat proof? Just some fencing with an over hang at the top, or you could build a run. There was a thread all about it a week or two ago, try a search.
Cats can live happily indoors all there lives.

Dixie Chick

Any chance of a wee photo of the kitty to add to this thread?

Am delighted to hear she is doing well

bartooseboy

hi mymo thanks for that.

ya i have a big garden and a big yard but there are big dogs and evil cats next door so she may have to remain indoors til i teach her some self defence moves!!

just a bit worried that she'll become bored and fat stuck indoors all the time.


and hi dixie chick i might take a photo of her tonight seeing as you asked so nicely..

dan_d

She definitely won't be bored, cats are very good at amusing themselves. If you can, get her neutered before she goes out, especially if there are other cats around.

To be honest, once the thrill of the outdoors has worn off, the likelihood is that she'll want to be in the whole time....:rolleyes:

As for the litter tray - I really think they wait until you're in the room just to stink the place out.:eek: We could sell cat litter at this stage, the amount of the stuff we go through - I'm actually beginning to think ours are intentionally waiting til they get back in the house before they go, instead of going in the nice big fields around the house...:rolleyes: