Starving stray kitten...

There's been a kitten (not a baby but still young-looking so I'm guessing maybe 5-6 months old?) who started showing up on my porch while I fed a different stray cat who comes around.   I'm not so worried about the original stray cat I've been feeding, as I know for sure that other neighbors feed her and she's obviously healthy and not skin & bones like this new stray kitty.    And the original stray cat was very friendly right from the very beginning.....it's taken a couple months before this new guy didn't sprint away every time I walked in its general direction (forget about trying to pet him!)  But now he's very friendly to me and rubs up all over me when I'm outside.    I could tell from first sight that he was really skinny and likely starving - I don't think anyone else takes care of this guy.   But it wasn't until a couple weeks ago when he let me touch him that I could feel how bony he was - his shoulder blades are really sharp and feel like they are right under his skin, and the scritchy spot at the base of his tail is just straight up BONE.  I feed him 2x a day on Sat/Sun, and just once every night during the week when I get home from work.   I feel like he should be gaining more weight (I mean he is a little bit, I just figured it would be much more by now).     On the weeknights, I feed him one single 9 Lives 5.5 oz can plus a handful of kibble - does that sound like enough food for an entire day?  I can't leave food out all night because it attracts a possum....but he scarfs that whole can in less than 5 minutes, so I hope he's not eating too fast and puking it up later.   

I already have 3 cats (the very first stray cat I made friends with around here, took her in and she was already pregnant!  she only had 2 kittens, so I kept them all - don't have any other pets).   I would like to integrate this new cat into the house once I get the spare bedroom emptied out (it's full of plants that will go out into the garden within the next 2 weeks, so that's the only hold-up).   I really don't want to add a 4th cat because I think that's creeping into creepy cat lady territory, but my heart just breaks for this little guy, alone out there all night and nobody who loves him.  I was just going to feed him and let him stay outside, but he has become so loving and you can tell he is super appreciative for any kind of help.......  anyways, I'm really just wondering how best can you feed a starving cat when you can only feed them once a day?   Does it sound like I"m giving him enough food?   I know when my 2 kittens were growing, they ate a LOT and I'm just worried that he's still hungry after I feed him.   I know something is better than nothing, but still..........I just don't think it's a good idea to give him over 10 oz of wet food in one sitting either.         Thanks!!  

Giving the hungry food is nice, but it becomes excellent first if you ALSO take the next steps - ie  spay / neuter  and or adoption.   Neutering is the key, foremost for the homeless (compare with TNR), but also for home cats, unless you are a breeder or had decided to take a litter after careful planning and deciding process.

You are going to adopt this emaciated male, I do hear it, you had alreay more than halfway planned for it.   Of course go ahead, my blessings follows you for this praiseworthy deed.

And yes, sooner or later you must neuter him.

But you dont mention anything about this young female cats.  If she isnt spayed yet, its a hurry now, she is old enough to get preg.

If you dont afford to spay them yourself, you have several possibilities.

You say several of the neigbours are helping this girl.  You can perhaps pool the money together?

You can probably find some cheap spaying clinic.  This would work for both the girl and the boy - and probably for your residents too. For a somewhat higher price, but yet cheaper than with a fashionable full payment vet.

This advice and  humble request of course also for all other homeless, or wandering strays, whom are in your neigbourhood.

I mean, once you know what to do, and found a cheap spaying clinic - the course is clear.   The exact tactics may vary, but the strategy is the same.

Tx for caring!

Good luck!

Yes that's been on my mind also - getting him neutered!     That wasn't even a remote possibility at first, since he would run away from me and I'd have to go back inside my house before he would touch the food.   But now he is friendly, still very skittish but friendly!   I don't know anything about trapping, so I'll have to lure him into a carrier with food.   I also admit, and I know this is selfish, but since we just really "became friends" recently, I don't want him to hate me after caging him up and going to the vet.   But it's been in the back of my mind to get him neutered as soon as I can get those plants out of the spare room so he can recuperate in there.    I guess it's normal to feel uncertain how the cat will regard me afterwards since we "just" established some kind of connection here recently.   I know once he's indoors the food issue will work itself out (well hopefully it will)

I honestly believe the stray girl cat outside must already be spayed - I've been feeding her for almost 2 years and see her pretty much every day, and there's no way she could have been pregnant or had kittens during that time without me knowing and seeing it.   She's never acted like she was in heat.    I don't know if there's a way a vet could make sure she's spayed without opening her up - which would be a real shame to go through all that and find out she's already spayed!    All 3 of my indoor kitties are spayed & neutered.    Thank you!!

Your male stray kitty may have parasites--most strays do, and until he is given a dose of Drontal or some other de-wormer, he won't easily gain weight. He will also likely need to be treated for fleas. Fleas and parasites sap the nutrition out of a cat, and even if they eat, they will not get enough nutrition. I think that you should get him to the vet and then into your home ASAP. I wouldn't wait until you get the spare room perfect--catch him now while he's showing up regularly. Male cats who aren't neutered often take off to roam, even if it means leaving their food source.    

In the mean time, you might consider feeding him kitten chow, which is higher in calories and nutrition, and filling a bowl and leaving it out all day. Add water to the canned food you give him for increased hydration. Eating once a day isn't usually enough to keep a stray cat healthy if the cat is malnourished to begin with.

This cat is a stray, not a feral--so no need to worry about him not forgiving you after the neuter and vet visit. He will quickly forget the vet trip as he settles into his new home and no longer has to worry about being hungry.  

Thanks MsAimee - I hadn't considered him roaming and running away.   He still looks so young to me  But you are right.   I was thinking about trying to worm him myself with Strongid, but that's probably best left to the vet anyway.

I just came home and there he was!   Here's some pics  -  he actually looks pretty good in pictures, he just feels so bony when you touch him....

jolie0216 said:

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• jolie0216
• Jun 9, 2015

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• jolie0216
• Jun 9, 2015

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• jolie0216
• Jun 9, 2015

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Well if that isn't 'take me, I'm yours' language, I don't know what is!

He will have no trouble 'forgiving' you for neutering him. 

He does look thin. I agree with the others up to a point. I do think you need to get the females spayed, right away if they aren't pregnant, they soon will be. Another thing, to keep in your room and feed him as much as he will eat. If you explain the situation your Vet may prescribe some wormer medication. I do not think he should be neutered in his current state, he's already weakened and thin, I would not risk having him put under and neutered just yet. At least have him gain a little weight so that you do not feel his bones as much.

nansiludie said:

 
He does look thin. I agree with the others up to a point. I do think you need to get the females spayed, right away if they aren't pregnant, they soon will be. Another thing, to keep in your room and feed him as much as he will eat. If you explain the situation your Vet may prescribe some wormer medication. I do not think he should be neutered in his current state, he's already weakened and thin, I would not risk having him put under and neutered just yet. At least have him gain a little weight so that you do not feel his bones as much.

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When the vet checks him over I'm sure she or he can make the call on whether he's OK for neutering.   And all of jolie0216's females have been spayed.

When I take him to the vet, I was planning on getting dewormer, flea treatment, FeLV/FIV test and vaccinated - once all of these things are done, I will feel OK about him being in the house.  I'll keep him in the spare room for a couple weeks by himself, but still I don't want any risk of contamination for the indoor cats I already have.    That's probably going to be enough "vetting" for his first trip!   Then I'll get him neutered after all that - I definitely WILL do it, since I have two other male cats I don't want any aggression or spraying.

I have no doubt I can get him healthy and at a good weight once he's inside - there really is only one thing I'm worried about (but it's not enough of a reason to stop me from bringing him in and helping him) is that he plays more aggressively than my own cats.   I know it's not a good habit, but I let all my indoor cats play with my hands - they are really gentle with me and keep their claws in so they don't scratch me.  I've always been amazed by that actually, they are so polite!!  The two kitten boys (ok they are 15 mos old) play wrestle with each other a lot, but they are brothers and they never hurt each other.    This new cat grabs for my arm or my hands a lot, and his claws are OUT so I get scratched up pretty bad.   As soon as he scratches me, I walk away and turn my back to him.....but he just comes up and rubs against my legs (and sometimes claws them lol).  I don't know how I make him stop doing this?   I'm hoping to redirect this with a toy once I have him inside, but I'm really worried that he'll hurt one of my other cats and they won't see it coming since they don't play with their claws fully out like that........I thought they learned as kittens in the litter to not play like that?   Maybe he lost his mama or got separated from his littermates, idk, but it worries me.....

I meant to add in my post that the vet may decide to hold off on the neutering if he is very malnourished, because a malnourished cat has a greater risk of having complications from the anesthesia. The risk is much greater for a female spay than for a male neuter, but there is still a risk. I think you should just take him into your home and feed him well for a few weeks before doing the neuter. Also, did you check to make sure he hasn't been neutered already? He is thin, but not too bad--I've seen far worse.

Ok I just read your last post. I think you have a great plan. Try playing with him with a wand toy--it will do less damage to your hands lol.

Okay, I'm glad to hear all the females are fixed. As for him, I think what you are planning to do will work out nicely. Hopefully once he is neutered he will not be so rough and tough.

MsAimee said:

 
I meant to add in my post that the vet may decide to hold off on the neutering if he is very malnourished, because a malnourished cat has a greater risk of having complications from the anesthesia. The risk is much greater for a female spay than for a male neuter, but there is still a risk. I think you should just take him into your home and feed him well for a few weeks before doing the neuter. Also, did you check to make sure he hasn't been neutered already? He is thin, but not too bad--I've seen far worse.

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Yep, I'm sure he hasn't been neutered -  hmm how to describe this....I can see his testicles but it looks like they haven't "dropped" yet....they just look kinda puffy

More than likely, being this thin and un-cared for, he's not neutered.

At the humane society, I once took a feral to be neutered and if you pay a little extra (still very cheap) they will give much needed shots and dewormer. That would help. Try calling up your local one and ask about packages.

I'm sitting here at work and another question came to mind - 

About vaccinations for my  indoor kitties (mama cat who is probably 1.5-2 years old, 2 boy kittens who were born in March of last year)...........

Mama cat was vaccinated for rabies (the 1 year shot, not the 3 year one), FeLV (since I do let her outdoors from time to time - not that I think it's a great idea to do this, but she really enjoys it), and FVRCP back in April of 2014.      The kittens had their kitten series vaccinations (just rabies and FVRCP -  no FeLV since they will never go outdoors) with the last shots given 9/19/2014.

I personally don't see a need to vaccinate every single year.  I think it is excessive and the only reason I even got them the rabies shots was because the vet required it in order to spay/neuter them.  

I just want to really be sure that no one has a chance of getting sick since I am going to be bringing this new cat indoors - I just couldn't live with myself if that happened.

Of course I will be taking my new hungry kitty to the vet to test for diseases, get his shots, de-wormer, flea meds, etc and will be sequestering him in his own room....... but do you think that all my indoor kitties should get another round of all these shots to be safe?   It hasn't been a complete year since the kittens finished up their vaccination series - regardless of this new hungry kitty or not, I just don't know if it's really necessary to take the 2 brother kittens back to the vet this September to get another round of shots or not?  I don't want to overdo it......... it has been over a year since mama cat was vaccinated last.    Do you guys have an opinion on whether it is necessary to get everyone shots again before I bring in this new guy?   I am sort of anti-vax for myself (I think flu shots are bogus and never get one) and believe in naturally boosting my immune system......but I am not a cat and I want to do what's best for them regardless of my own personal beliefs  -   what do yall think?    Thanks!!

I personally think, as long as they are kept separate until you know that they will get along well without fights and especially since the kittens and the momma cat had all their vaccines, you should be alright. Do have them run a FIV/FeLV test on him to be sure he doesn't have any of those. I personally do not have mine vaccinated every year except for my dog and he gets his rabies vaccine as its required by law and he is quite a large dog. I do think that the vaccines, once completed, are good for the life of the animal. I have read Dr. Piersons blog and agree with what she has written. I am leaving the link if you are interested. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines

I worry about sarcomas but thats a risk with any vaccine given at all. Be sure your vet gives the vaccines in the lower hind leg or tail, as if it were to get one, they could amputate it. Do not let them give them any vaccine in the thighs or upper shoulder area.

I've been told by the vet that as long as the cat had the FVRCP booster a month after the initial vaccination, then the cat doesn't need another FVRCP booster for 3 years.

My own experience with the FVRCP booster for my rescued and feral adult cats is that they only received the initial vaccination, not the follow up booster,  and it's still been effective in protecting them from the Herpes V virus that causes upper respiratory infections in cats for well over a year even without the booster. I have two geriatric cats who get URI's once or twice a year, and even though the cats all share the same water and food bowls, the others haven't gotten sick. So I think you're good to go with the FVRCP for a while. I don't believe in over-vaccination, either.  

You actually should get the rabies shots for them when they're due, not just because it's a legal issue, but because even if your cats don't go outside, bats sometimes come inside and your cats will of course mess with the bat, which could potentially have rabies. A lot of vets no longer want to give the 3 year rabies shots because of the slight risk of carcinoma associated with it, so you always have to ask the vet upfront if they intend to give the 1 year or 3 year shot.  If there's a Humane Society near you, check and see if they have rabies shots clinics. They give both the 1 year and 3 year shots and charge only 10 dollars. I've never had any problems with the 3 year shots.

Great news!  I found a low-cost spay/neuter clinic that is having a special for the whole month of June - any spay/neuter is only $20!!   I would be suspicious of such a low price, but I know several local rescue groups use this place, so I'm assuming it will be safe.   They give you extra pain meds for kitty to take home for an additional $10, so that is an awesome deal - other clinics are charging $60 to neuter and around $80 to spay.

So I said screw the plants (OK no I didn't, I just re-homed them haha) and brought hungry man inside last night.   I gave him a Capstar before I did so hopefully that will be enough flea control until I can get him into the vet this weekend for vaccines, etc.   (I wanted to do the vaccines and de-flea/worm before getting him neutered).    I don't know if he actually has a flea problem - I don't see him scratching himself, but he's been living outside for who knows how long, so I'm sure he has something.    Even though he's not vaccinated yet, he can't spread disease to my other cats as long as they aren't sharing bowls & stuff right - like none of these diseases are airborne for kitties??   

He seems like he will do OK -  he was crying to come out of the spare room, and my other cats were crying to go into  the spare room, so I hope I can deal with everybody's crying for the next few weeks -  I don't care how long it takes, I do not  want to have to look for another home for this cat so I don't want to mess up the introduction part - so slow & steady it goes.........at least he'll have my boyfriend at home all day to keep him company and check on him until I get home from work.    

Sounds like things are going wonderful! I'm happy you found a clinic Also, if he does have fleas the clinic might be able to sell you a individual topical. That way you don't have to pay for the whole supply. Ask the vet they might too (mine does). If he needs it that is... Keep us updated!

It sounds like things are going great. You may want to ask the clinic if they do vaccinations, de-worming and flea medicine for an additional low fee. Many clinics have a package deal to get everything done, and you might save some money that way.

There are some airborne viruses, but since your cat doesn't have any cold symptoms and your other cats are vaccinated, I wouldn't be worrying about him infecting the other cats. Once his FIV/FelV test comes back negative, you're in the clear. Also, you may not need to wait weeks before letting him out of the room. I've had new cats who had the run of my house in a few days. Sometimes there's a bit hissing, but this is natural at first, and no harm is done. Every new cat is different. Your other cats may already know this new guy, too, from seeing him through the window and smelling him on you. My indoor cats know my outdoor feral who is frequently on my porch--they see each other through the glass door between my sunroom and porch, and they smell each other when the windows are open. Whenever I've had one of them outside on my lap or on the way to my car, there has never been any hostility between them. Cats always figure out a way to co-exist.  

Your new kitty will do some crying as long as he's confined in a room--he's used to being able to go where he wants. Once he has the run of the house, he will likely cry less. If the crying doesn't ease up after a few months, you could consider having him be an indoor/outdoor cat if it would be safe for him in your area. You'll cross the bridge when you come to it.

Keep up the good work and let us know how it goes.