Just saved a dumped kitten

[shadowsmum]

Hi all.
We've had a little skinny black kitten hanging around our house for the last few weeks. I started feeding the poor little thing and two nights ago we caught it in a humane trap. It was scared when we first brought it inside but we were able to pat it almost immediately, which leads me to think it was a dumped cat with some experience with humans and not a feral cat. She's doing really good, loves getting pats and her purr is amazingly loud. Here is my problem. I have never been a cat person at all, I'm actually allergic to them so have never had much to do with cats at all, although strangely, I've had no reaction to Shadow so far, which is great. Unfortunately I don't know anything much about cats and am just trying to use my common sense as to how to look after her. I've been feeding her kitten specific food and kitten milk. She doesn't clean herself, I'm guessing because she was taken from her mum too early and never learned? So I've been using a damp facewasher to wash her, is this ok? I have an appointment at the vet in a couple of days to get her checked over and have her immunisations etc. Is there anything else I should be doing? I'm lost. But I am definitely in love, she is a sweetheart.

 

[shadowsmum]

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• shadowsmum
• Feb 18, 2017

 

[abyeb]

Thank you for doing this for her! You saved the life of a beautiful, sweet kitten! Allergic reactions to cats is caused by a protein in cats' saliva. Some cats simply produce less of this protein which is why you have no reaction to Shadow. That's awesome! It sounds like you're doing everything right so far, giving kitten-specific food and kitten milk and washing her with a damp washcloth. Just make sure the cloth is warm, cats, especially kittens, are sensitive to temperature. If it's too cold, she could catch hypothermia, but you also don't want to burn her if it's too hot. Basically, if the cloth feels a comfortable temperature for you, it should be fine for Shadow. As for other suggestions, just continue to interact with her, to show her that humans are okay, and buy the essential cat items, toys, scratching post, and a litter box. Your vet will also have some suggestions. I'll be following this thread, so just hit reply if you have any other questions or issues. I'm glad to see that Shadow found such a purr-fectly kind and caring human!

 

[IndyJones]

What a cutie. Good on you for taking her in. You probably will want to set up a time to get her fixed and chipped. She probably will need to be wormed and have her series shots too.

 

[shadowsmum]

Thanks for your replies. I have already got her a bed, set up a permanent area for her food and litter box, which she has been using, I thought I might have to train her for that, but she is amazingly clever and has worked it out herself. I'm taking her to the vet in a couple of days, will get her needles, microchip and asked about having her fixed. I'm not sure of her age and so not sure if she's old enough for the surgery but she'll be inside and we have no other pets so will deal with that when she's ready. She's such a sweet little girl and I'm amazed at how well she's settled in already.

 

[SeventhHeaven]

If she allows it you can wash her in the sink she may have fleas from being outside...

the vet charges around 20.00 to apply one dose advantage II topical flea treatment. 

Good of you to grab her 

 she's lovely!  I've used clarityn even better the doctor

prescribes a nasal spray for allergies works great.

Welcome to the site 

 

 

[Norachan]

Hi @ShadowsMum

It sounds like you are doing a great job with her already. A trip to the vet is a good idea, they should be able to answer all your questions for you.

She looks like she has green eyes, which means she's older then one month. Kittens are born with blue eyes which change colour later. Your vet will be able to tell you how old she is when they weigh her and check her teeth.  

I guess her Mum taught her how to use a litter box, even feral kittens who are outside all their lives seem to pick this up fairly quickly. She will get the hang of grooming herself. It's sometimes a case of being too nervous and stressed outdoors to find the time to keep themselves clean. A warm, damp washcloth is great for now.

If you don't want to risk bathing her (very few cats enjoy bath time) you can go over her with a flea comb to check if she has fleas. A fine toothed comb is good for this. Have a bowl of warm soapy water close by to drown any fleas in.

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

 

[shadowsmum]

*UPDATE* I gave Shadow a wash with a wet facewasher this afternoon, she loved it, stood there and let me wash all over her. I then wrapped her up in a nice warm towel and dried her in front of the heater.
Thanks to everyone for there amazing advice. I've gone from not being a cat person at all to beimg desperately in love with her xxx

 

[abyeb]

*UPDATE* I gave Shadow a wash with a wet facewasher this afternoon, she loved it, stood there and let me wash all over her. I then wrapped her up in a nice warm towel and dried her in front of the heater.
Thanks to everyone for there amazing advice. I've gone from not being a cat person at all to beimg desperately in love with her xxx

Awww... glad to help!

 

[Norachan]

That's good. A warm facecloth must feel a lot like her Mum's tongue to her.

They get their little claws into your heart quickly, don't they? Welcome to the Crazy Cat People Club.

 

[ganesha0]

@ShadowsMum

Welcome to The Cat Site and thank you for saving another abandoned living creature. I'm glad to know you're not allergic to her.

 

[Primula]

*UPDATE* I gave Shadow a wash with a wet facewasher this afternoon, she loved it, stood there and let me wash all over her. I then wrapped her up in a nice warm towel and dried her in front of the heater.
Thanks to everyone for there amazing advice. I've gone from not being a cat person at all to beimg desperately in love with her xxx

Judging from the photo, Shadow looks like she died & went to heaven.

 

[bigbadbass]

awww...so cute. Looks like a young version of my Bug...

 

[shadowsmum]

Judging from the photo, Shadow looks like she died & went to heaven.

I hope so, she is such a sweet little kitten, I hope I'm doing the right thing for her!

 

[kittens mom]

I hope so, she is such a sweet little kitten, I hope I'm doing the right thing for her!

Yes you are and she will enrich your lives beyond your wildest dreams.

 

[crazy4strays]

Thank you for taking in this sweet baby! You saved her life. 

 

[kittylove14]

oh my goodness you did a wonderful thing. she would have great success with local shelter. if they are smart they will put her with another kitten or cat to socialize her- teach her grooming etc. please reach out to them- good luck!

 

[kittylove14]

If she allows it you can wash her in the sink she may have fleas from being outside...
the vet charges around 20.00 to apply one dose advantage II topical flea treatment. 
Good of you to grab her   she's lovely!  I've used clarityn even better the doctor
prescribes a nasal spray for allergies works great.

Welcome to the site   

remember flea treatment is by body weight. my guess is she's not infested yet. my younger ones were outside months no issues. be careful with the dosage i honestly wouldn't give her the kitten dose even right now she looks small.
and if she's stollen your heart she's right where she needs to be!! [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

 

[kittens mom]

remember flea treatment is by body weight. my guess is she's not infested yet. my younger ones were outside months no issues. be careful with the dosage i honestly wouldn't give her the kitten dose even right now she looks small.
and if she's stollen your heart she's right where she needs to be!! [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Good old blue original dawn will treat fleas if she only has a few.

 

[IndyJones]

Good old blue original dawn will treat fleas if she only has a few.

If you mean the dish soap I wouldn't want you to make the same mistake I did with my first cat. I was naive and uneducated about cats when I gave my first cat a bath with dish soap. She was so itchy after she made herself bleed. She was scratching for a week.