I have a feral kitten but know nothing about cats

Definitely a brown tabby.

Here's the first web site I came across on the subject. Follow the links there for photos, etc.

http://cats.about.com/od/felinegenet...orpatterns.htm

I don't take my cats outdoors, since that's where they'll pick up fleas, etc. I know those who do walk them, and we walked our first cat all the time.

I COULD point you to the youtube video of a cat on a leash that gets frightened. Trying to hold onto a cat in those circumstances is a little like wrestling with a running chain saw.

And don't underestimate the power of a cat sensitivity in a young guy. Just ask the women! When I taught high school, I told the girls to mistrust any guy who didn't like cats, because usually what they don't like is the cat's independence, and if they don't like it in a cat, they won't like it in a girl.

Oh also,

which of these books should I get?

http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Dummies-G.../dp/0764552759

http://www.amazon.com/Kittens-Dummie.../dp/0764541501

I've seen recommendations for both.

Wonderful job in saving that poor kitty....cat ownership....its a wonderful ride..enjoy !

Nancy

I see in another post that your kitty is rumbling.

Yep, that's purring. One of the mysteries of the cat.

I volunteer at my local shelter, and we see kids in there on a regular basis who have never even touched a cat. We always have a few cats that are purrboxes, so I pull one of those out and hold them up to the kids' ears so they can hear what purring is actually like.

I once started a thread here about what non-cat people don't know about cats. We have a friend whose son, who is rapidly approaching 30 years old, had no idea what we were talking about when we mentioned the cats' "sandpaper tongue."

And one thing everyone agreed on is that non-cat people just don't know how individual cats are, and how funny they can be.

"we mentioned the cats' "sandpaper tongue.""

I had to look up online about the purring. The first time she did it I put into Google "kitten little motor sound" and got a Yahoo Answers page that confirmed what I thought it was. It is a weird noise!

The sandpaper tongue I've also figured out. I assume you're referring to how a cat licking you kind of stings?

Originally Posted by LawGuy

Is she a tabby?

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she's most definitely a tabby - mackerel. here's another good place to read about coat patterns: striped, spotted & ticked cats

Originally Posted by LawGuy

As for the t-shirt.... I'm not sure that's going to get me women.

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deiniftely would've caught my attention - especially w/a pic of your little darling? what's her name, btw?
sandpaper tongue - cats' tongues have little 'hooks' in them to assist them in grooming - here're some images to help you...
drawn pic

actual close-up of a cat's tongue during grooming

Oh wow. That's interesting.

I knew that it kind of stings when she licks me, I didn't know why until now.

Your law professors DID tell you they aren't teaching you everything there is to know, right?

WHAT A DOLL!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure Mike meant not to let her roam outside on her own - though leashes are no guarantee they don't run away, as Mike showed. We had a kitten get off a leash. Took me all day to get him back - and I knew where he was, we were NOT in an urban area. It was a horrible, gut wrenching day. Cats bolt when scared, and they do NOT come back when called. As Mike already pointed out - they are not like dogs and don't follow human logic.

Cats are territorial - and while there are some that enjoy walks on a leash, ours did NOT want to explore. We thought maybe it was the smell of all the ferals around our property, so we took them to a soccer field. They belly crawled back to their carriers (on leashes) - and they did NOT like their carriers, because they were associated with going to the vet.

As to her wanting outside - I'm pretty sure that's just you projecting. Indoor-only cats have great lives! There are so many great toys out there - especially the interactive wand toys. We put up bird feeders with suction cups on our windows - and while I'm sure they'd love to be out there chasing birds if they knew what that was - they have a great time watching all of the activity and pouncing at the window. Our kitty, Tuxedo, chatters at them, Billy talks to them, and Shelly stalks them. It's like "Cat TV."

Also - she'll start teething at around 4 months. That's when she should be spayed (though you can do it as early as 7 weeks safely - that's up to you and the vet). But when she starts teething - buy a couple of boxes of bendy straws and scatter them everywhere! Make sure you don't play with your hands or let her think feet are play things either, because that behavior is really difficult to change.

I think she and your dog are going to miss each other.

Laurie

Originally Posted by LDG

WHAT A DOLL!!!!!!!!!

Make sure you don't play with your hands or let her think feet are play things either, because that behavior is really difficult to change.

I think she and your dog are going to miss each other.

Laurie

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I'm working on that but am a bit confused. The first day or two she did it I just let her as I wanted to get her happy. Shortly thereafter though I read online about why it's a bad idea. Now I'm trying to get her to stop, but the confusing part is as follows:

When she bites my finger or hand as a play-bite I say "OUCH" and then pull my hand away for a few minutes.

The problem arises when she goes to play-bite my finger, kind of puts my finger in her mouth, but then doesn't bite. Do I still say "OUCH" and pull away? I wonder if that would confuse her since it isn't the same as biting.

Some clarification on the proper protocol for this would be great.

... and thanks to all for the help thus far. You all seem to have all the answers I need so I'm sure I'll be sticking around this forum for a while either searching threads or asking questions.

PS: She and the dog are both going to the vet tomorrow. I will talk to the vet about when to spay her as well as if she's healthy enough now for her shots.

ETA: As for her missing the dog when I move away with her... it's probably true. - not to mention how much I'm going to miss the dog (I've already dealt with that through college and I really missed him). I think I'll make up for it with her though by getting her a friend via adopting a cat for me to take care of in addition and also so that the two of them can keep each other company. She'll benefit by having a friend. Another cat will benefit by getting a home and avoiding the horribleness of being euthanized, and I'll benefit too by having yet another furry friend. Nobody loses and everybody wins. The funny part is that as of Dec 30, I thought of myself as being exclusively a dog person and never would have even thought of having a cat. How quickly things can change.

It's great you're learning about kittens and cats. They can be very puzzling, annoying, even maddening at times, especially if you don't know where behaviors come from.

There is nothing as soothing as a purring kitten next to you in a warm bed, however.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

There is nothing as soothing as a purring kitten next to you in a warm bed, however.

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I look forward to that. Having her in bed with me hasn't worked out too well so far though. I have a few hurdles to get over before she and I can enjoy the bed together.

The first two nights I had her in bed with me, her digestive tract was still really getting used to food that didn't come from her mother. As a result, I woke up a few times with my sheets and even myself covered in poo (always fun).

After her stomach got settled and I thought she had the litter box thing down, I ran into another snag (see my thread in the Behavior forum for details). So she's sleeping again in her bed from Pet Supermarket with her blanket down in the area I created for her in the living room bar.

As soon as she's more used to the new litter box and I've figured out a way for her to easily get down off the bed and back up (I don't like the idea of her jumping off the bed at her age) I might give it another go.... or I might wait until she's a little bigger and stronger.

Right now I'm going to bed myself, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous about her second vet visit tomorrow. Tomorrow she gets tested for FeLV, FIV, and the like. My worry is that what if she was abandoned because her mother died of something like FIV? If that's the case, she'd have it too wouldn't she? .... it's just my nerves. I'll just have to wait and see.

Some encouraging news is that the mother MIGHT be ok afterall. The same neighbor who coincidentally found 4 of her littermates is now telling me that he's seen what appears to be yet another littermate (same age) still out in the neighborhood following a female feral (and nursing from her too). So, either that's the mother, or a female feral with a big heart. My neighbor and I are going to discuss what to do about the remaining kitten (must be 6-7 weeks old) and this feral that the kitten is with.

I'm leaning towards trapping them both, and considering getting both adopted. The kitten won't be a problem to be adopted. If the feral adult is, maybe TNR is the best route. We'll talk it over tomorrow. He knows much more about cats than I do (which isn't hard considering I still know very little).

ETA: I have to admit, if we do go about trapping them both... I will kind of feel bad about separating them. Either the feral is the mother and I'd be taking her baby away from her, or the mother has adopted the kitten as her own and I'd be taking her adopted kitten away. I'd hate for a sweet cat to be almost punished for doing the right thing.

Congrats on your kitty its great to hear stories like yours!

Any questions you have, please feel free to pm me or ask away

Originally Posted by LawGuy

I'm leaning towards trapping them both, and considering getting both adopted. The kitten won't be a problem to be adopted. If the feral adult is, maybe TNR is the best route. We'll talk it over tomorrow. He knows much more about cats than I do (which isn't hard considering I still know very little).

ETA: I have to admit, if we do go about trapping them both... I will kind of feel bad about separating them. Either the feral is the mother and I'd be taking her baby away from her, or the mother has adopted the kitten as her own and I'd be taking her adopted kitten away. I'd hate for a sweet cat to be almost punished for doing the right thing.

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Great! Splendid!

Do not have bad conscience. As long you know with yourself you are getting them good solutions everything is OK.

Even a catmother repels her kittens when that time is coming. More important: cat mothers, like human mothers, knows instictively what is best for their kittens. Thus taking care of a feral mother and her kittens is usually surprisingly easy. Once she realises nobody is mean to her or the kittens, and nothing bad threatens them, she accepts the situation. Ie, she being feral is still very shy but she accepts humans touching the kittens, handle them and fostering them as long they are gentle and non-threating... Yes, pregnant ferals may even allow the human rescuer to help her deliver...
Thus we see the most important for a cat mom, even feral cat mom, is NOT "freedom" but the welfare of her children.
Im sure this feral mom will understand in some way her baby is going to get adopted and have a good life. This being, after all, the most important for her.
Adopting her, or adopting both, is an option. Perhaps the optimal option. But the adopter must know it is much of time, patience, job fostering a grown up feral... TNR of her is easier and a feasible solution: she IS a survivor. Spayed, and with some help from your neighbour she will manage quite fine. (Unless, of course, she is a dumped homecat, dumped because she got pregnant. She still did survive the worst, but is of course no feral).

....................

"When she bites my finger or hand as a play-bite I say "OUCH" and then pull my hand away for a few minutes.

The problem arises when she goes to play-bite my finger, kind of puts my finger in her mouth, but then doesn't bite. Do I still say "OUCH" and pull away? I wonder if that would confuse her since it isn't the same as biting.
"
Excellent! You are educating her, precisely like her littermates would usually do.
In the second case, dont say ouch. Let her play OR take away the hand.

The standard advice is as mentioned earlier, not to play with the hands. I myself have different experience. I let both our cats bite on my fingers, as they always did it very gently. - If necessary, I did this Ouch me too...
They played so when kittens, ended with it when grown ups.
They are still VERY careful when "biting". Our younger sometimes bites a little
when Im petting with him and he is in extase... He is VERRY careful.
Our older, "threatens" sometimes when we are clipping his nails. VERRY careful, it does NEVER hurt.
I think actually you can proceed as you do here.


Last remark. About her coming to the door and "wanting to go out". I agree with LDG: You are reading in here too much. She is simply too young to want to go out. And the outside is NOT a land of joy to her. It is sooner where she was often afraid and had to hide, where she also was going to die a slow, horrible death.
No, I think she feels safe and comfortable in your house, so she tries to explore it. And the doors are such an interesting boundary...

Gotcha guys on me projecting. Maybe she's just peering through the window and thinking, "Oooh. It's a nice day outside. Huh. Look at that."

I took in a stray last summer (dumped or abandoned pet, not feral) she'd been outdoors for at least 3-4 weeks by the time I brought her in the house. She loves to sit at the window or door looking out, but if I open the door she just sits there still looking out. She KNOWS it's a big bad world out there.

All three of our cats were picked up as strays, so they had to be outside for a little while. However, the signs are that none of them were out very long...except for Ella, who is a Katrina rescue.

Punkin will go out, then panics. Sterling will go out exploring; he's the worst one about trying to get out.

Ella, however, you cannot drag outside. Open a door, and she goes the other way as fast as she can.

Keeping the kitten in a small room, with its food and litter, is a good idea. You ARE dealing with the equivalent of a toddler, with all that implies about bathroom habits.

In addition, not to try to worry you, but outdoor cats are subject to worms (no danger to you, by the way) and intestinal parasites. Some are quite nasty, such as giardia, coccidia, and TTF. All three are fairly common, and all three can be treated.

As far as FIV and FELV is concerned, while there is no cure, it is possible for a cat to live a fairly normal life with them, although usually the disease will shorten its life significantly.

Definitely get the vaccinations the vet recommends.

I just got back from the vet. My dog is great for his age... but this is a cat site, so I'll skip the dog portion and get straight to the cat.

She got her first shot today. She will get another in 3 weeks.

She was tested for all parasites today and is 100% free. The last vet tested her too at the emergency animal hospital on new year's day, but I wanted a second opinion from the vet that I've known for 17 years or so with my dog. So she dodged that bullet.

Unfortunately, contrary to what I was told on the phone by the vet's assistant, they did not test her today for FIV and FELV. Supposedly she is too young for the test to be accurate. She will be tested for them in a month or two.

Glad all went well! It's so usual for outdoor kitties to have internal parasites, but I think she was young enough to have avoided that - and she was.

And yup, she's too young to be tested for FELV and FIV. But like Mike pointed out - FELV and FIV cats can live longer-than-we-expect but very happy lives. It's just that if she turns out to have either ( that she doesn't), all that means is that you get to rescue another kitty with FELV or FIV and THOSE kitties REALLY have a hard time finding homes.

The biting your finger without biting? More like suckling. Also, our kitties ALL give us "love bites." When we're petting them, they'll turn put their mouths on our hand us to say "enough pets for a minute" - but it's so gentle, we think of it as a "love bite" because they don't bite down.

So.... long answer - don't play with her with your hands with your fingers being the "toys," but if she gives you a "love bite" or suckles on your finger, let her do it. If she's trying to play with your fingers or feet, or is actually biting/chewing, tell her "ow" and give a short, sharp puff of air directly in her face. That's how her mom would get her to stop if she were doing something she shouldn't - by hissing at her. Hissing by people doesn't work so well, but that puff of air in the face is absolutely the best way to teach her "no." It works for everything. Does it mean she'll stop doing it? With time. If accompanied by the word "no," she learns the meaning of "no" VERY quickly. But if it's something like jumping on counters you don't want her to? Like most cats, that kind of "no" means "while they're not looking." :lo3: Does that help?

Glad to hear your dog is great for his age!

BTW - when you're nearing move time, you may want to read up on how to make a move easier on the kitty. I know I've said it before - but cats are territorial, so moving, for a cat, is much more difficult than moving for a dog. There are, however, lots of things to do to make it not traumatic. And she'll also be young enough it won't be as hard as if she'd lived in the same place for years and years.

BTW - it sounds like you have a TOTAL sweetheart on your hands there! And you're doing great with her!

My hubby HATED cats. He had NO idea the range of emotions they have. He is constantly amazed by the length and strength of their memories, they depth to their personalities, etc. etc. etc. Now - he loves dogs still, but he totally thinks Cats Rule and Dogs Drool!

Funny thing is - so many of those cutsy sayings are true.

Dogs come when called - cats take a message and get back to you.
Dogs have owners - cats have staff.
You're nobody until you've been ignored by a cat.....

OH! I totally forgot - our cats were all rescues so all lived outside. They ALL hate the door, and one of them runs to hide whenever he hears it. NONE of them ever approach it - in fact - none of them even go near it when it's closed!

OH! In case you haven't figure it out - cats and kittens LOVE paper bags and boxes to play in! (Just make sure the bags don't have handles - they can get caught in them. And don't let her play in plastic bags, even though they're just as fun - they're insanely dangerous).

Little example - one of our foster kitties, Mae Mae:



Laurie

OH! Something to have fun with - making cat condo mazes. Lots of cardboard boxes, taped together with holes cut in them to match up for a large, 3D configurations. Toss toys or treats in there and watch kitty go nuts!

Also remember - cats are 3D. Giving them lots of vertical space is great for them. Don't know where you're going to be living, but you can buy movable cat trees and condos - or I've always dreamed of being able to do stuff like this: http://www.katwallks.com/

How cool are these? http://www.katwallks.com/customerphotos.htm

Laurie