Rescued a stray kitten...

Hello... my husband rescued a stray kitten that lived near his co-worker's house on Saturday. We have decided that we want to keep him, we posted a CL ad at first and tried to find him a home, but when someone called for him, we got really emotional and had to tell him he was not up for adoption any longer. Here is the problem...
I am severely allergic to cats AND we have a beloved quaker parrot. So, as of right now, we are keeping him in our BIG screened in porch and attached bathroom. The bathroom is a normal sized half bath (a little bigger) and is like being in a room. The bathroom is where we feed him and we have 2 kennels in there with blankets and most of his toys. We lock him in the bathroom at bedtime. We spend at least 1.5 hours with him daily. He is going to the vet on Friday or Monday for inoculations and when he is old enough he will be neutered. We feed him once or twice a day, depending on how he eats that day. He is on flea meds and gets bathed regularly. He doesn't play with the toys we have gotten him yet and he doesn't always come when called. Although, when we first got him he ran and hid big time and now he does not hide from us so much. I did take him out today on a leash (he wears a collar with an ID tag too). We live in the country. We have 3 dogs also that we are slowly but surely socializing him with.
My question is... is this neglect in your eyes? He can never be an indoor cat with us, but we love him very VERY much and will always do what is best for him. We plan on letting him roam once he is neutered. I have specualations about that due to the dangers, my husband does not. I just want to know if you think we are doing right by him. I also want advice. My husband had a cat as a child. I had a kitten for about 2 weeks one time and that ended due to dire circumstances but that kitten went to a good home.
We just cannot let Loki in the house due to my allergies/asthma and the bird, but we want to keep him. We have decided together to keep him for sure and we will do our best to be the best cat guardians that we can be. So, for now he is in the screened in porch and attached bathroom. Thanks for your input!

Awww, thank you for rescuing this little guy!

I don't know anything about the situation with the Parrot - he's not in a cage? Cats and birds are not a good mix. We have friends that have a cat and a parrot that live together - the parrot loves to taunt the cat. But it's an accident waiting to happen, I think, one that will likely end tragically.

I do know how to manage the cats and allergies. I am HIGHLY allergic to cats (and a lot of other things), and I live in an RV with 8 of them, and they're allowed in the bedroom at night, and I have very few problems - and I've got what I need if any crop up. (Actually, now that we've had the oldest ones for 8 years, I've definitely developed immunities. I still have issues from time-to-time, but looking back on it, I think the allergy thing really started calming down a couple of years ago).

We live in a very small space - but what makes it work is interaction. The amount of space he has to live isn't so much the issue, but the amount of stimulation is. Also, the more you can do to give him vertical space the better, because cats live in a 3D world. Put out bird feeders so he can watch squirrels and birds - it's like Cat TV.

Most people have to go to work 8 - 10 hours a day, and only have some time in the mornings, evenings and on weekends to spend with their kitties, and this works. But kitty can curl up and be loved on while their people watch TV or read or whatever.... Your little boy won't have this.

Personally, 1 1/2 hours doesn't sound like much time to me. All of ours are feral rescues, and we don't live in a space that allows for proper introductions. Our most recent addition was just this past July. He is 3-4 years old, and we could not just neuter him and ear tip him and release him to become part of the feral colony, because he's FIV positive. So we used a rented trailer parked next to us to get him used to us, new routines, and living inside. We then brought him over for a few hours a day to make proper, slow introductions (cats are not social in the same way dogs are. They're territory-oriented, so introducing cats to each other is a totally different process than with most other animals). But Chumley lived off on his own for a while. We'd go over for a few hours to work, or for 20 minutes or so at a time to check in on him, play with him, brush and pet him.... and he was happy enough, but it was really clear he was lonely.

I think you should sit down and take a good long look at how much time you're actually going to spend with him. If all you get is 1.5 hours a day, I'm not sure I understand why having him is important.

If he's not old enough to neuter (differs from vet to vet. Most use 6 months as a guideline. Ours does it at four months when they begin to teethe. But it is safe to neuter them as young as seven weeks old - as long as they're at least two pounds. Many vets will not do early age neuter, just because they're not familiar with the study or don't have experience working on such small animals), then he needs a LOT of stimulation right now! He is full of energy - and being cooped up without much interaction is kind of like having a babysitter watch a three- or four-year old child and just making sure they've eaten or something.

He may not be "kittening" all over the place right now, because he's still scared, unsure, and adjusting to his new circumstances.

But given the situation with your allergies and the bird... I think the best advice is for you to sit down and really think hard about whether having a cat as part of your family makes sense. Is it what's best for him? That really ought to be the deciding factor. At the very least, I think he'd need another kitty pal or something.

That said, I do think this situation is FAR better than his being outside on his own. But I would put my foot down at allowing him to roam. We live in the country, and other animals, people who put out poison, cars on country roads, feral cats that could infect kitty with something... no. Many people do walk their kitties on leashes, or have built outdoor enclosures for them (some that they can access from inside), but ours are indoor only. If letting him roam is going to be part of his future, I'd really suggest trying to find him another home. IMO, finding little Loki a home where he can be part of the family is probably what is best for him. If finding him a good home isn't possible, this is definitely a better life than being out on his own.

If you want the suggestions on how to manage the allergies, I can help. I would suggest you stop bathing him. This does not help. I'm sure you're aware that what you're allergic to is the dander because of their saliva. They groom themselves, and their saliva is on their hair and skin, and the skin sloughs. Bathing them makes their scent all wrong, and you've noticed that basically he immediately just grooms himself? So bathing completely defeats the intention. What you need to do is wet paper towels or a wash cloth with distilled water, and just wipe him down. Don't get him "wet," and don't use kitty wipes with scents. This method picks up dander without making him need to groom himself all over when you're done.

...and that's just "how to manage cats and allergies" tip number one.

Welcome to TCS! I agree with LDG - that maybe Loki may have a more enriched life if he can interact more with the rest of the family. It's a myth about cats being aloof and "independent". They hang out with the rest of the tribe as much, if not more, than dogs. A dog can nap nearby you, but often the cat is nearby but following your every move. That said, if the dogs bond with Loki, they can give him the enrichment and companionship, too. And it certainly is much, much better for Loki than being in a crowded, no-kill shelter or ... back on the streets or at the kill shelter
...I agree, when he feels safe with you, he'll be the cute little scampster all kittens are meant to be
Bless you for taking him in

Thank you for your replies. The bird is in a cage but he is out when we are home, mostly on top of his cage or in the kitchen. We aren't going to move the cage, it is in a place he loves and he looks out the window all the time. I know that cats can stretch their paws into the cage between wires and get them that way, right? The main reason he can't come in is th allergies and asthma... last time i lived with my friend for a month she had an indoor cat and i had to go to the doctor, the doctor said i had the lungs of a 72 year old around the cat and that i was having a long asthma attack living there. I do take drops (like shots) to make myself immune, I also take advair, allegra, singulair and rescue inhalers.
I would like to try to let him in the house under supervision, but only when we are home, like after work or whatever we could have him in the living room with us or something. So what are your allergy tips??

If he's inside with supervision, and the bird is in the cage, there shouldn't be a problem. I don't know how much the bird moves around in the cage, but it may not be enough to trigger a "prey" response in Loki. This is something you may want to start a thread about in the Cat Lounge. I'm sure there are others on the site that have experience with birds and cats that can help you!

As to the allergy tips... I also have asthma. My Doctor thought we were nuts when we decided to rescue the first kitten and bring him inside full time. 8 years later, we live with 8 in an RV, and I'm doing fine. In fact, while I still have problems, I definitely have built up some immunities to the cats.

I actually went for allergy testing, because even after the initial precautions with the cats, things got worse for me. I noticed that mowing the lawn I had major problems. The allergist tested me for 40 different things, and I am allergic to all of them. Not surprising, as my mom and sister both developed allergies as they got older. I'm in my 40s now, and that's when both of them developed their problems.

But when I was at my worst, here's what I did to enable me to live comfortable with all these cats.

Medical Stuff I Do:

1) My first line of defense is Zyrtec or if seasonal allergies kicking in, Zyrtec-D (the one with decongestant). It's now available over-the-counter as a generic called Cetirizine. (I think that's the right spelling). It REALLY helps (me).

2) For the hives, when a problem, I have a prescription from my doctor for Ultravete, a 0.05% steroid creme. You can start with OTC steroid cremes, but if they don't help or if they stop helping, the Ultravete really works (for me). The generic doesn't. Bummer now that we no longer have health insurance.

3) Keep Visine handy. The one that works best for me is the regular one. Not the allergy, and not the long lasting. That was the worst problem, initially, was the itchy eyes, though the zyrtec pretty much cleared that up unless I was stupid enough to pet a cat for a while and then rub my eyes without washing my hands.

4) Take your Advair daily. It has decreased my use of the inhaler by HUGE amounts! My problems breathing are triggered by seasonal problems these days, not the cats.

Non-Medical Stuff I Do:

1) Wipe the cat(s) down every day with a wet cloth. USE DISTILLED WATER. Forget about bathing the cat - some people give this advice, and it does not work. When people are allergic to cats, what we're allergic to is their dander - the stuff that flakes off from their grooming themselves, not their fur. Bathing a cat just makes them groom themselves all over to make everything smell right again. But wiping them down quickly with a rag wetted with distilled water picks up some of the dander, but doesn't displace any of the smell. You don't want to soak them or leave them wet, just wipe them down. Our kitties just think it's part of being petted.

2) Before wiping them down, use a curry comb type brush to remove hair that would shed. Cats do shed a lot. This product (the Furminator) is AMAZING at removing the undercoat that sheds: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...PF1F45SAN2BV7B

So remove as much as you can with the brush. Most cats end up LOVING being brushed. They don't know they like it at first, and it has to be introduced slowly. I remember when I first joined, and people here were talking about how much their kitties loved being brushed, and I thought they were nuts. But it only took a couple of months, and now they beg for it.

3) Vacuum frequently. This is obvious - it pics up the hair and dander.

4) You can choose to not let the cat(s) in the bedroom. If this is something you enforce right from the beginning, it just becomes part of the natural routine. Personally, I can't imagine sleeping without being surrounded by cats at this point, and it's a pleasure I'm glad I never denied myself. But something to consider. Keep the bedroom cat free.

5) If you want to allow kitty(ies) in the bedroom, cover your bed and pillows with a blanket you do not use on the bed at night. Cats (generally) love sleeping on the bed, and this little step helps keep it dander free for when you get into it.

6) Get one or more HEPA air filters. We have two small ones in the bedroom of the RV and a larger one in the living/dining area. When we lived in a house for a while, we had one in every large room except the kitchen.

7) Do not leave laundry that's been washed out. Fold it and put it in closets/drawers right away. Cats are drawn to fresh laundry. Some people go so far as to put their stuff inside plastic bags. I have found that to not be necessary.

8) Wherever you hang out the most to watch TV or read or whatever, cover the furniture with throw blankets. Cats love sleeping on chairs and couches. It didn't occur to us the benefits of doing this at first, but it had two benefits: when we wanted to hang out in the living room, we'd just fold up the blanket on the couch - no dander for me. When we were done, we put the throw blanket back over the couch. Wash the throw blankets weekly. However, this also served another great purpose: when guests showed up, the furniture was already free of cat hair! I didn't have to vacuum the furniture anymore.

9) If a cat accidentally scratches me (happens when I'm holding a kitty and they leap off my arms, or I've got someone in my lap in the summer, and they accidentally scratch me when leaving my lap), I get a HUGE red welt that hurts and is insanely itchy. I wash it with a wound cleaner, and put the steroid cream on it. I know you're not supposed to, but it stops the itch and makes the red welt get smaller a lot faster.

10) Wash your hands any time you've petted kitty. Keep the visine handy for when you forget.

My experience is that I am far less allergic to the boys than the girls. We have three females, and I have problems with two of them - one in particular, because she drools when petted (not uncommon in cats), and when it drips on my hands or arms it's like burning itching fire. I do pet her, but when she comes for lovin', Gary generally takes over. I know others have had the opposite experience, so I don't know what to think. I just hope your little Loki isn't loaded with the stuff that triggers the allergies, because each cat is definitely different!

Honestly, the zyrtec revolutionized my life with cats. I found that none of the other stuff was really necessary after I started taking zyrtec (citirizine). One of our cats literally sleeps in my face, and I don't have a problem as long as I stick to the schedule of taking my advair. However, it sounds like your asthma is worse than mine. If you're not already using a nasal steroid, you may want to talk to the Doc about it. You may also want to keep an eye on the nasal drip, and keep both zyrtec (cetirizine) and zyrtec-D (cetirizine-D) on hand. Using the decongestant and/or the nasal steroids will help reduce the nasal drip, which will help your throat and your lungs.

The rest we kept doing - particularly the throw blankets - just because it really helps keep the cleaning we have to do down a lot. The brushing and cat wiping we continue to do for the same reason - less vacuuming because less cat hair around. But it's also just part of our ritual now, and time we really enjoy together.

I have definitely developed an immunity to the cats over time, so I expect allergy shots speed up that process a lot. And that should help with the asthma, keeping the immune response controlled.

Here are a few threads re: cats and allergies (probably the same advice from me LOL, but may have other ideas in there)

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207211
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=204106