Semi-feral stray kitten...what am I doing?

On Monday night my bf heard some meowing outside and after a whole bunch of searching we found a baby kitty behind the propane tank of our bbq. I managed to catch her before she darted away and tossed her screaming and scratching into the house.

Brought her to the vet the next day and she got a clean bill of health. She's about 6 weeks old and a tortie.

Issues: 1. She meows loudly ALL the time. Granted it's only been 2 days, but she's a bit of a stowaway. (Pretty sure I'm over the kitty count here). This will stop right?

2. She does not use the litter box. This is driving me crazy and I have no clue what to do. How long does it take to fix. The constant cleaning of kitten poop is driving me nuts.

3. Should I even keep her? I know you guys can't really help with this. My bf has bonded with her and wants to keep her. I tentatively agreed to the same, but really it's just more work for me. He's only around 2 weeks of the month. I have a really good home available for her and I think if it was just me I'd give her up, but I don't want to break my bf's heart.

Thanks in advance. I've never had this happen before. Pets have always been planned for.

That was sure nice of you to rescue this poor girl . Are you confining her to one room or giving her the run of the house? If it's the latter...than that's why she is pooping everywhere.  Keep  her in one room, preferably one that has linoleium as it's easier to clean. Make sure you put some her misplaced poop/pee in the litterbox and make sure the litterbox has low sides. Let her out for short periods and continue to take her back and plop her in her box. She will mature and she will catch on. It could take another week or two but keep her confined for now.

What food are you giving her and how much? Perhaps she is not getting enough. Did the vet treat her for worms? Does she have fleas?

Only you can say whether you have the time and means to keep her. How many cats do you have now?

Thanks for the reply. Currently we have 2 cats, which is quite a lot of work for me. We tried to confine the kitten to the bathroom, but it's really inconvenient and she makes a dash everytime we open the door. The other 2 rooms are not exactly kitten safe but I think we'll try her in the main bedroom when we get it cleaned up from our trip.  We tried building a little pen in the hallway but she figured out how to get out of there. Once she's out she's really hard to catch. She doesn't seem to trust humans very much. She did pee in the litter box last night. Currently though she has run of the house cause I couldn't catch her before going to work. Sigh >.< I have a potential home available for her but my bf is super sad about maybe giving her up...I feel terrible. Why did you pick us little kitty?

Apparently the edit button doesn't work at work - she  is being fed Evo cat/kitten dry, and has a little dish with food always at her disposal. She hasn't eaten much. She tried to steal some wet from my cat this morning but only had a nibble before moving on.

Give her more canned food. . .her little teeth aren't quite big enough for dry food yet. You can make it mushier with water or kitten formula if she seems to need it.

I agree that she should be confined, both for litter training and to help her become tamer. Even a large carrier would work. At this age she's very tameable, so make sure to handle her gently as much as possible.

Thanks for the advice. Went home at lunch and gave her some wet food. She nomed it up pretty fast. She also peed and pooped in her litter! My bf said she also almost came to him. She's super squirmy when we do catch her. She probably won't be a lap kitty.

Lokilove said:

My bf said she also almost came to him. She's super squirmy when we do catch her. She probably won't be a lap kitty.

Click to expand...

Some forumists manage enormously well with wrapping up these kittens like a burrito, and then when they are helpless, carry them around near the chest, speaking friendly and softly... Half a hour perhaps.

It shouldnt be necessary here, but you can try with this anyway.  And as said, talk friendly a lot... 

Good luck!

ps Good homes is nice, but they must be prepared for doing the fostering work.  If they want a clear cut, ready kitten - wrong kitten for them, or at least - too early...

Otherwise, there is ALWAYS a need for good homes for cats.  If not this cat, you can surely find them some other nice kitty who desperately need a home.   

Contact a rescue group, or even still better - a no-kill shelter...

 *vibes*