found my first stray - very skinny

Hi,

i found my first stray tonight, a friend stopped by and mentioned she'd found it in the one of the cabins at the caravan park, it had been locked in there for a week without food or water, she fed it a bit but said it had been dumped because she knew the person who once owned it.

my husband and i went down to the caravan park on the off chance we might spot it, we must have been out of the car for about ten seconds when i heard a very loud cry and next thing this balck and white cat came sauntering out of a nearby bush, it was so scraggly looking, my husband picked it up and put it in the cat cage we brought with us.

it's in the laundry at the moment, it has a bed, litter tray, water and has had a very small meal, i didn't want to make it sick.

what i need to know is what else can i do for it at the moment? there's a lady in the city we go to every two weeks who recues strays, i'm going to call her to see if she can take him/her, not sure of the sex yet lol.

it's a lovely and very friendly cat, purrs a lot and loves to rub against me, i can't believe anyone would abandon it, it makes me so sad.

we have the cat for at least two weeks and i just need some advice, this cat is very very skinny, you can feel all it's bones, i just want to do the right thing.

here are some photo's, i'd never live it down if i didn't post any













thanks!


felicia

Good on you for doing it!!!

I would just keep on with some good quality kitten food to fatten him/her up a bit.

And definately try and take to the vet for a checkup - He/She could have fleas or worms or both.

Yes, kitten food, lots of small meals per day so it doesn't make itself sick. I supplement starving cats with beaten up egg yolk in goat milk or water - they usually love it. But a vet visit is a must, as soon as possible. If it really was without food or water for a week, then it might have liver damage - the vet will need to do some tests.

Thanks guys,

i'll give her....better than 'it' lol some egg in water a bit later on, before bed time and will take her in for a check up, i was told she is desexed so that has to be a plus, also she's very very friendly, i would love to keep her but really can't at the moment.

i have tinned cat food, small tins of gourmet stuff, biscuits and gourmet raw beef mince for cats.

i also need to know how easy it is for one cat to catch cat flu from another, at the moment my cats are seperated from her just incase, if i touch her do i need to wash my hands before i touch my cats?

sorry for all the questions, i just want to do this right.

thanks again


felicia

I would definitely keep her isolated till the vet has seen her, and yes, wash your hands and if possible wear an apron or work coat when you handle her and take it off before you do anything else. Just in case!

Thanks

she has used the litter tray for the first time, sometime last night

i still can't believe how skinny she is, she doesn't look very skinny but i can feel every bone in her body, she's just such a lovely friendly cat and i can't understand how anyone could be so damn cruel

i'm just so glad i founf her.


jess

Bless you for picking her up!!, she does look awfully thin..but I'm sure a week or 2 with you and she'll be in great shape!!, she is beautiful though

Yes, she is on the skinny side, but she's a lovely little girl, and she seems to be quite content. As Tracey says, give her a week or two with you -- and she'll be filling out and looking quite splendid.

Thanks guys,

i just love her hey and i wish i could keep her but if i pester my husband he may not let me look after strays, he says i can do it only if i find them homes, it was actually his idea to go and find this one

do you think it's okay if she comes out of the laundrey and roams the house for a bit? f i put my kitties in the bedroom?


thanks


felicia

She is a beautiful girl.
I would not expose her to my other kitties until she has blood work & is cleared of contagious disease.
She needs to be isolated until you know.
You don't want a tragedy on your hands.
Thank you for taking care of this sweet innocent kitty.

Originally Posted by xocats

She is a beautiful girl.

I would not expose her to my other kitties until she has blood work & is cleared of contagious disease.
She needs to be isolated until you know.
You don't want a tragedy on your hands.

Thank you for taking care of this sweet innocent kitty.

Click to expand...

What a sweet girl, and how good of you to take her in.

i posted in the stray/feral forum that i found a very skinny stray last night, he's absolutely beautiful and very very friendly, i was going to take him to the cat rescue in the nearest city but they can't take any more cats.

i remembered my best friend saying she wanted a companion cat for her cat kitty so i called her and she wants him!

i'm taking him to the vet soon for a checkup and he needs a collar, by the time he gets to his new home he should look like a new cat, she's already named him max and best of all, her cat is strictly indoors and max will be too, i don't think he will care about going outside again after the life he's lived anyway.

i'm just so happy because not only will he have a fantastic home, i will get to see him too






felicia

Thats fantastic!!!

awe... that is such a great thing!!!

Thanks guys,

as you probably know, he has a home now with my best friend, i'm going to drop him off when we go down for Christmas, we are taking our two cats and dog too so the car is going to be very crowded we couldn't find anyone to look after the cats so they are going to stay in the caravan with us.

the little strays name is now max, his new meowmy told me over the phone what she wanted to call him, he has a little sister to play with and will be an indoor cat


felicia

How wonderful!

Although I would have named him Charlie - with the Charlie Chaplin mustache and all.

Yay for you! Yay for you!

Very sweet kitty - and although a little skinny I'm sure will fatten up nicely in a couple of weeks, especially with lots of love and affection.

Good for you!

Originally Posted by valanhb

How wonderful!

Although I would have named him Charlie - with the Charlie Chaplin mustache and all.

Click to expand...

lol that's so true! i did notice his moustache but couldn't think of charlie chaplin

he's such a lovely little guy, i can't stop spoiling him



felicia

Max is a beauty! Hope he fattens up!!

Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Yay for you! Yay for you!

Very sweet kitty - and although a little skinny I'm sure will fatten up nicely in a couple of weeks, especially with lots of love and affection.

Good for you!

Click to expand...

thanks

he is actually a lot skinnier than he looks, his back feet look huge because his body is so small and when you touch him you can feel every bone

it made me cry because the poor thing was locked in a cabin in 40 degree heat with no water or food for over a week and after such a horrible ordeal didn't even have anywhere nice to go but back on the street

cats are so resilient it just amazes me.


felicia