Let me apologize right from the start about the length of this post.
For the last 10 months or so there has been a cat roaming around our house. We live in the woods with very few neighbors. She didn't come to close at first because we had a black lab up until the fall when we had to put him down. He was 16.
Approximately 8 weeks ago, while I was grilling, the momma strutted right up onto the deck and started weaving between my legs and purring. I pet her and she rolled right over for a tummy rub. Not being a cat owner, I only had tuna, so I gave her some and some water. A few days later she came back and brought with her a kitten. The cutest little version of herself! They are tortoise.
Since then my husband and I have been feeding them and spending time outside playing. As I stated the momma is very friendly. The kitten (we estimate 8 weeks old) is still quite skittish. He/she will play with toys and even sits on my husbands foot. At this point we are still unable to pet except when he/she is eating.
Again..I'm sorry for the length of this post but I felt I needed to give some back round in order to get the best advice.
I contacted a DNR today and they are sending an application. I was told it will take approx. 2 weeks for the momma cat to get an appt. We wont be trapping her in a trap though because she will let me pick her up. They are going to do the kitten at 5 months. She did say she would talk to me about worming and vaccinating the kitten when I take momma in for her visit.
I have an extra bedroom that I will empty out and refill again with cat trees, beds, scratchers, litter boxes etc. I was just wondering what to expect since they have been outdoor cats for so long. I don't want to traumatize them with such a big change.
Are there any sicknesses they may have that I should be worried about since they won't see a vet for 2 weeks or so. You should note that I did see evidence of tapeworms on the mother and I gave the mother and kitten 1/2 pill of Bayer Expert Care Tapeworm Dewormer and have seen no evidence of tapeworms since. I also gave them both 1/2 teaspoon of Nemex-2 for roundworms and there bellies are no longer swollen. We also ordered 2 Seresto flea & tick collars so we can get rid of as many fleas & ticks as possible before bringing them inside.
I welcome any advice you have as we plan on making these adorable fur balls members of our family.
For the last 10 months or so there has been a cat roaming around our house. We live in the woods with very few neighbors. She didn't come to close at first because we had a black lab up until the fall when we had to put him down. He was 16.
Approximately 8 weeks ago, while I was grilling, the momma strutted right up onto the deck and started weaving between my legs and purring. I pet her and she rolled right over for a tummy rub. Not being a cat owner, I only had tuna, so I gave her some and some water. A few days later she came back and brought with her a kitten. The cutest little version of herself! They are tortoise.
Since then my husband and I have been feeding them and spending time outside playing. As I stated the momma is very friendly. The kitten (we estimate 8 weeks old) is still quite skittish. He/she will play with toys and even sits on my husbands foot. At this point we are still unable to pet except when he/she is eating.
Again..I'm sorry for the length of this post but I felt I needed to give some back round in order to get the best advice.
I contacted a DNR today and they are sending an application. I was told it will take approx. 2 weeks for the momma cat to get an appt. We wont be trapping her in a trap though because she will let me pick her up. They are going to do the kitten at 5 months. She did say she would talk to me about worming and vaccinating the kitten when I take momma in for her visit.
I have an extra bedroom that I will empty out and refill again with cat trees, beds, scratchers, litter boxes etc. I was just wondering what to expect since they have been outdoor cats for so long. I don't want to traumatize them with such a big change.
Are there any sicknesses they may have that I should be worried about since they won't see a vet for 2 weeks or so. You should note that I did see evidence of tapeworms on the mother and I gave the mother and kitten 1/2 pill of Bayer Expert Care Tapeworm Dewormer and have seen no evidence of tapeworms since. I also gave them both 1/2 teaspoon of Nemex-2 for roundworms and there bellies are no longer swollen. We also ordered 2 Seresto flea & tick collars so we can get rid of as many fleas & ticks as possible before bringing them inside.
I welcome any advice you have as we plan on making these adorable fur balls members of our family.
