I'm hesitant to write this as I don't want to jinx myself or the situation, but I am planning on bringing home a kitten tomorrow afternoon
.
I'll be blunt here by saying that my aunt and uncle are not the most spectacular pet owners -- especially where their cats are concerned. The large majority are outdoor cats who are not spayed, neutered, or UTD on shots. I do not agree with their practices and have given them countless pieces of information about how better to care for their moderate feral-ish cat colony. Don't get me wrong, they love their "pets" but, due to financial constraints and some ignorance, they could do better by them. But, really, that's just some background information and we are now going to work together with the local humane society to spay, neuter, and vaccinate their cats so that this colony doesn't continue to proliferate.
Anyway, back to the kitten. My aunt and uncle moved into a new home at the end of September. At the time, they weren't able to bring their large dog house to the new house and left it at the rental property for just under 3 days. It's important to mention that they didn't know that one of their outdoor cats gave birth in the dog house just weeks (between one and two weeks) before. So, when they moved, they took the cats with them -- including the mama kitty. Two days later, they went back to the property to retrieve the dog house and found a litter of 4 kittens huddled in the back. They quickly grabbed the kittens and headed back home where they reunited the mother with her babies. But, as they lifted the kittens from the box, they noticed one small kitten had been bitten severely by what they suspect was a coyote. My uncle brought the kitten inside and for days cleansed, bandaged, and worked to heal the kitten's severe neck wound. The kitten healed remarkably well and was returned to the rest of the litter who had now developed bad upper respiratory infections. Two of the kittens died within days leaving just the injured female kitten and her male counterpart. My aunt and uncle took them to the vet and they were given instructions to put a warm compress on the kittens' eyes to help draw out the pus and antibiotics to fight the infection. At this point, they were about 3-4 weeks old and the kittens did recover well. Flash forward to now...
The ginger male kitten is terrified of humans and will not step foot into the house. He is feral and they don't know that they can do anything for him except for trapping him, neutering and vaccinating him, and setting him back outside. But, the female kitten is very dependent on her humans and needs a loving, forever home. My aunt refuses to allow the kitten to stay in the house and she has been forced to weather the elements while still recuperating from her wounds and her URI. Having heard this this evening, I followed my aunt and uncle home to talk about their feral colony -- including the baby girl kitten who is now somewhere between 7 and 10 weeks of age. And, when we pulled into the drive and I saw the tiny ball of fluff, I knew I was a goner and had to bring her home to live with me.
She is approximately 7-10 weeks old and is a ginger and white tabby. My Cassidy has the same coloring, but is much less white than the baby. Her eyes have turned from blue to a greenish hue and she appears to be a DMH (though she may lose that fluff as she gets older). She is as teensy as can be and looks to be just 5-6 weeks old though that is impossible based on the time frame of her injuries and illness. Her neck wounds have largely healed and there is fur now growing around her scar. In fact, it's hardly noticeable under most conditions. She has that wide-eyed kitten look and the smallest ears (almost folded at the tips -- just a bit, not like a scottish fold) and tail. She has what appears to be a URI right now and has a squinty right eye with some white discharge, but they tell me she is growing well and eating solid food. The mother's previous litter are also tiny so her small size isn't overly concerning though I do feel she is probably the runt of the litter and has some catching up to do. She's alert and playful in that baby kitten kind of way. She loves human interaction and touch and wants nothing more than to snuggle up with you for hours and hours on end. She's a total sweetheart and deserves to have a chance at a real life. Outdoors, she may survive, but she's been through so much that she shouldn't have to risk anything more. And, so, although I was not in the market for another cat...at all...she is going to come home with me tomorrow after my aunt drops her off at my work.
I'm definitely going to quarantine her (in fact, due to her size, I'll most likely crate her for a few days as well) and set up a vet appointment for as soon as I can (though I may not be able to get in until Monday). I'm also going to give her a bath because I suspect she has fleas and she definitely has dirty ears and fur. But, other than that, I'm just going to let her get acclimated and accustomed to her new home. I'm definitely concerned about possible illnesses as she is an outdoor kitty that's been through a lot, but the feral colony has existed for years with no knows FeLV/FIV cases and they're in a rural area not known to be overwhelmed with disease other than herpes and URI's (my cats have chronic URI's and are on L-Lysine so that's not a tremendous concern for the future). The baby hasn't had any shots and has not been tested for anything as of yet, but I will be working on that as quickly as I can. I'm up for the challenge, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared. I'm already so attached to the little sweetheart that I'd be devastated should anything happen.
For those of you who have done rescue and foster work, please reassure me that there is hope. I know I'm blowing the situation somewhat out of proportion as there have been many feral litters born who have lived long, healthy lives with only moderate issues (such as the occasional URI) and that is without vet care. But, regardless, it's different when it's my baby. You know?
I'm still cautious because my uncle has been known to be fickle and change his mind, but I am planning on the new baby coming home tomorrow. Any and all vibes would be appreciated. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to post as time goes on, but I would be so grateful for suggestions, ideas, and words of hope and wisdom.
This is an exciting and scary time, but I know, in the end, it will be more than worth it. What kitty isn't
?!
I'll be blunt here by saying that my aunt and uncle are not the most spectacular pet owners -- especially where their cats are concerned. The large majority are outdoor cats who are not spayed, neutered, or UTD on shots. I do not agree with their practices and have given them countless pieces of information about how better to care for their moderate feral-ish cat colony. Don't get me wrong, they love their "pets" but, due to financial constraints and some ignorance, they could do better by them. But, really, that's just some background information and we are now going to work together with the local humane society to spay, neuter, and vaccinate their cats so that this colony doesn't continue to proliferate.
Anyway, back to the kitten. My aunt and uncle moved into a new home at the end of September. At the time, they weren't able to bring their large dog house to the new house and left it at the rental property for just under 3 days. It's important to mention that they didn't know that one of their outdoor cats gave birth in the dog house just weeks (between one and two weeks) before. So, when they moved, they took the cats with them -- including the mama kitty. Two days later, they went back to the property to retrieve the dog house and found a litter of 4 kittens huddled in the back. They quickly grabbed the kittens and headed back home where they reunited the mother with her babies. But, as they lifted the kittens from the box, they noticed one small kitten had been bitten severely by what they suspect was a coyote. My uncle brought the kitten inside and for days cleansed, bandaged, and worked to heal the kitten's severe neck wound. The kitten healed remarkably well and was returned to the rest of the litter who had now developed bad upper respiratory infections. Two of the kittens died within days leaving just the injured female kitten and her male counterpart. My aunt and uncle took them to the vet and they were given instructions to put a warm compress on the kittens' eyes to help draw out the pus and antibiotics to fight the infection. At this point, they were about 3-4 weeks old and the kittens did recover well. Flash forward to now...
The ginger male kitten is terrified of humans and will not step foot into the house. He is feral and they don't know that they can do anything for him except for trapping him, neutering and vaccinating him, and setting him back outside. But, the female kitten is very dependent on her humans and needs a loving, forever home. My aunt refuses to allow the kitten to stay in the house and she has been forced to weather the elements while still recuperating from her wounds and her URI. Having heard this this evening, I followed my aunt and uncle home to talk about their feral colony -- including the baby girl kitten who is now somewhere between 7 and 10 weeks of age. And, when we pulled into the drive and I saw the tiny ball of fluff, I knew I was a goner and had to bring her home to live with me.
She is approximately 7-10 weeks old and is a ginger and white tabby. My Cassidy has the same coloring, but is much less white than the baby. Her eyes have turned from blue to a greenish hue and she appears to be a DMH (though she may lose that fluff as she gets older). She is as teensy as can be and looks to be just 5-6 weeks old though that is impossible based on the time frame of her injuries and illness. Her neck wounds have largely healed and there is fur now growing around her scar. In fact, it's hardly noticeable under most conditions. She has that wide-eyed kitten look and the smallest ears (almost folded at the tips -- just a bit, not like a scottish fold) and tail. She has what appears to be a URI right now and has a squinty right eye with some white discharge, but they tell me she is growing well and eating solid food. The mother's previous litter are also tiny so her small size isn't overly concerning though I do feel she is probably the runt of the litter and has some catching up to do. She's alert and playful in that baby kitten kind of way. She loves human interaction and touch and wants nothing more than to snuggle up with you for hours and hours on end. She's a total sweetheart and deserves to have a chance at a real life. Outdoors, she may survive, but she's been through so much that she shouldn't have to risk anything more. And, so, although I was not in the market for another cat...at all...she is going to come home with me tomorrow after my aunt drops her off at my work.
I'm definitely going to quarantine her (in fact, due to her size, I'll most likely crate her for a few days as well) and set up a vet appointment for as soon as I can (though I may not be able to get in until Monday). I'm also going to give her a bath because I suspect she has fleas and she definitely has dirty ears and fur. But, other than that, I'm just going to let her get acclimated and accustomed to her new home. I'm definitely concerned about possible illnesses as she is an outdoor kitty that's been through a lot, but the feral colony has existed for years with no knows FeLV/FIV cases and they're in a rural area not known to be overwhelmed with disease other than herpes and URI's (my cats have chronic URI's and are on L-Lysine so that's not a tremendous concern for the future). The baby hasn't had any shots and has not been tested for anything as of yet, but I will be working on that as quickly as I can. I'm up for the challenge, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared. I'm already so attached to the little sweetheart that I'd be devastated should anything happen.
For those of you who have done rescue and foster work, please reassure me that there is hope. I know I'm blowing the situation somewhat out of proportion as there have been many feral litters born who have lived long, healthy lives with only moderate issues (such as the occasional URI) and that is without vet care. But, regardless, it's different when it's my baby. You know?
I'm still cautious because my uncle has been known to be fickle and change his mind, but I am planning on the new baby coming home tomorrow. Any and all vibes would be appreciated. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to post as time goes on, but I would be so grateful for suggestions, ideas, and words of hope and wisdom.
This is an exciting and scary time, but I know, in the end, it will be more than worth it. What kitty isn't
