Abandoned kitten stole my heart

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend & I found a stray cat/kitten (she looks about 4 months old) yesterday, I spent a couple of hours with her outside, gave her some food & water.. & plenty of attention. The two of us really bonded & she obviously trusts me a lot. We left her out there for an hour or so but as it got darker & colder we couldn't take it any longer & went out to see if she was still there. She was, & she pretty much raced up the stairs & into the house without any coaxing..

Now, here comes the trouble (two of them) - 1: We have another cat.. she's really shy & has never been faced with another cat before.. there was a bit of hissing (my they're scary when they do that huh?) but she handled the situation really well.... they both slept for a few hours in the same room..albeit on opposite sides. And 2: If our apartment wasn't open plan, they'd never have met last night... but we don't have a separate room & the bathroom is too small to have penned one of them up in... I honestly didn't expect her to come running up so readily you know?
The plan was that she'd stay the night & we'd ring animal services in the morning but I really didn't want her to feel trapped or to stress either of them out too much... so after the kitten woke up & started properly exploring, I showed her the way she'd come in... I opened the door & she obviously wanted to go outside, so I took her. Once we were out there she was all over me... I swear, it was a total "Come run away with me! I can show you cool things!!"... After a minute or two she started scratching at the door to get back in again but I made the decision to leave her out for the night since it had grown really humid & well, it was already 3am!

So anyway, should we bite the bullet & properly take her in & ring animal services? I guess we should really, wouldn't be right leaving her out on the streets.. If we did that, could we then adopt her? Pending on how the other cat is with her of course. How much would her shots & such cost? (I'm in America - Kentucky to be precise)

If anyone has any ideas I'd be really grateful.

... My oh, my, Isn't it amazing how you can bond with an animal in so little time?

You should definitely adopt her! Cats never get along at first because they're territorial....but they will be best friends eventually. Just make sure you get the kitten tested for leukemia before she is exposed to your other cat.

Sounds like your cat did REALLY well with the kitten! Most cats would not react that well to a new cat in the house, so I think they will get on fine before long.

I think she's here to stay Just make sure you put notices up in case she has just managed to escape from someone's house - she may have a family desperately looking for her.

As for costs of spaying/vaccinations etc., search for a low cost spay and neuter clinic in your area and ask them - everywhere is different.

Eek. Don't encourage me!! Like I really need any persuation ha!

I scoured through craigslist & other local lost pet sites & found nothing, but I'd definetely put notices up around the area too. Would hate to take someone elses little ball of hapiness away.

I guess a call to the animal services & having a chat with them is the best plan, see what they can do for us.

Thanks you two.

I would just adopt her without calling animal services. I don't know which animal services you are calling I'm assuming animal control? They euthanize cats and dogs.

It sounds like you have a wonderful kitten who has taken to you.

It wouldn't be animal control, as like you say, they will put her down. That's not an option.

So, if we prepared a little better... scooped her up into a cat box & took her to a low cost vet to get her checked out, shots, microchipped & all...brought her back home, perhaps put up a baby gate at the top of the stairs so the two of them can live seperate but in the same house for a little while... I don't know.. She does have fleas so getting that dealt with is a big must before she's here properly..

Originally Posted by evepie

It wouldn't be animal control, as like you say, they will put her down. That's not an option.

So, if we prepared a little better... scooped her up into a cat box & took her to a low cost vet to get her checked out, shots, microchipped & all...brought her back home, perhaps put up a baby gate at the top of the stairs so the two of them can live seperate but in the same house for a little while... I don't know.. She does have fleas so getting that dealt with is a big must before she's here properly..

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It sounds like you have a good plan!! Your other cat may have issues but that is normal. They will become friends after the pecking order is established! I go through it everytime with my cats when a newbie is brought into the house! They still pick on each other when one is taken to the vet and has a different scent from the Dr's office.

Please post pics of your new baby!!!

Bless you for taking her in!

So we've just got back from the pet store with the basics.. some comforts for her & a gate we can put up tp keep them apart. T

The kittens there were SO cute there, so docile & cuddly but they only make me more sure about helping this little one.

All we have to do now is wait I guess Hopefully she'll show up sometime this evening.

Please update and let us know how it goes!

Update when you get a chance!
I am glad you decided to help this little one.