Need General Help With Former Stray Kitten

[mAcOdIn]

So here's the deal, I'm looking for general advice while I browse through these kitten school videos posted in another thread about rescues.

But the backstory is this about a week ago I rescued a roughly 4 week old kitten from work. We'd just had two severe storms and my work area is surrounded by poison traps which are mandated by the city. I could not find the mother or any of the other kittens and am unsure if they were alive, if they had gotten separated during the storms or what. But nothing that'd feed on small rodents lives for long by us because of the poison so after looking for the rest of the cats for awhile I gave up and took this little girl home. I still haven't seen another cat at work so I assume they've been poisoned or this kitten got separated.

I have taken this kitten in to the vet for her first round of vaccinations, blood work, stool sample, the works. She's luckily pretty healthy though still too young and small to be spayed and chipped.

I have little problem keeping this cat if possible but my real concern here is that I'm raising her wrong.

Already with just 1 kitten I fear she's not learning to play well as she has no playmates. My time on the weekdays with her is extremely limited, maybe just a few hours of interaction with almost a full hour being dedicated to just play. While she's not anti-social by any means, I have yet to get her to just settle down and relax with me while I've been awake. Never having owned a kitten that'd be around 5 weeks old now, is this normal? They seriously have this much energy?

My other problem is location, I have a small bedroom that I've given her to herself, I've kept her quarantined from my house cat while waiting on the last round of vaccinations the rescue kitten can get in another 3 weeks and I also wanted to get my cat vaccinated against some of the other more rare stuff that I never did due to her being a house cat and the kitten also had some fleas and ticks. Now, this is a decent sized room and she's free to do what she wants in it but she really, really wants out and I can't really do that yet as my apartment is not kitten friendly, cords she can chew through and get electrocuted on, crevices she can get stuck in like where the fridge is, just stuff I never had to worry about with my 14 year old 14 pound lazy cat that could be fatal to a kitten.

So I guess my real question is, can I do this? Should I be looking to surrender her, or would they be just as limited and she not be any better off? I feel I'm doing a terrible job here and don't know if this is something I can work through given a little time to reorganize the apartment.

I'm also totally at a loss as to how much to feed her. If I do Blue Buffalo their cans say to feed her what she can eat, and considering I watch her scarf down a full can twice a day I'm sure she can do a third, but if I look at the Purina's Fancy Feast Kitten can it says 1 can to every 3 pounds of weight when this girls just a pound! The caloric content's not too far off, is over eating an issue or not with a kitten?

My vet's not bad but they were clearly focused on her actual health and were pretty limited on real world practical advice for me when it comes to taking care of this girl when whether I could keep her alive or not wasn't really my concern, more could I properly raise her into a social cat that either I or some other family could adopt and feel safe with in the future and that's the part I'm unsure of.

As far as the good goes, she's litter trained and doesn't mind being pet or picked up.

Truth be told, if things can work out between her and my existing cat I'd like to keep her, we lost our other cat and since then I can tell this one's been different, she's lazier and more lethargic and I think having a friend here while I'm at work would be great. On the flip side she's already 14 and doesn't seem to like stress and I don't want her last years to be stressful years trying to adjust to a new cat. But I'd like to try, they're both already here so seems silly not to.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Bless you for taking her in!

Feed her as much as she can eat, maybe also add some kitten milk replacer to the canned food. She needs fuel for the tremendous amount of growth that's going on, and also for, speaking of....
Kittens really do have that much energy...it's too bad we can't figure out a way to bottle it lol

You could try some classical harp music, a ticking clock or heartbeat toy, and possibly a heating pad set on low with a couple towels over it to help simulate sibling warmth and heartbeats in her sleeping area.

The music may help your resident cat too, there's also an app called Relax My Cat and there is MusicForCats . com

Also have soft toys to replace your hands, you don't want to allow biting or chewing or kicking of your hands.

If you can, I think keeping her could be a good thing

 

[Furballsmom]

Hopefully there will be tips that will help in these short but informative articles;

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips

How Much Time Does It Take To Care For A Cat?

How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan)

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS!! Bless you for rescuing that tiny kitten!
There may be a possibility of you fostering another kitten or two as playmates - many rescues are very overwhelmed and just need a month or so of temporary placement. They could keep each other company. You might also be able to find a shut-in person who could volunteer kitten-sit while you are at work; one of my disabled friends does that - she gets her "kitten fix" without the cost and at the end of 8 hours, the kittens go home. it's an all around win, especially for the kittens.
I would still supplement feed with kmr (i prefer goat-milk based to whey) plus free feeding, if she has her molars and can crunch kibble. Some kittens do well with having a t.v. or radio around. Please keep us updated!

 

[mAcOdIn]

Thanks for all the replies!

So I've finally had some free time after work to go through the paperwork and the vet actually estimated her to be around 8 weeks not 4, not sure where I got the 4 from, it was a hectic day for me so I may have misheard. So she should be around 9 weeks old give or take now which makes all of this make a lot more sense.

So with that in mind I feel kind of better because I took the time to watch some of the videos yesterday and it seems that socially, she's actually in a pretty good spot. Likes my contact even if she can't sit still around me. Properly disengages from me in lieu of a toy during playtime, which is all the time I spend with her but it's good to know it's actual play energy and not actual aggression. Is confident in her space and doesn't hide from me when I enter. With her more accurate age in mind I now know that it's actually recommended to keep her in a safe spot up to 12 weeks so I have time to kitten proof my apartment for her before it's recommended to let them free roam, I was worried I was behind.

So feeding remained an issue for me because videos still were not clear but for now I'll feed her what she can eat and not ration her.

And since I've bought most of the things I needed last weekend and am free this weekend I'll look into what groups are around my area and see if there's another kitten that needs fostering or if someone wants to get a kitten fix while I'm at work(I think this one is harder since I don't get off until after midnight but we'll see), those are great suggestions.

I'm pretty sure at this point that her only "issue" is too much energy which is likely a side effect of not getting enough interaction but she's clearly social. So my personal homework is kitten proofing the house. Seeing if I can get another kitten to foster. Already got some new toys from Amazon to mix things up and got her a treat ball to play and feed herself with while I'm out. Still want a good cat tree because this one likes to climb. Will look into cat music. And work on getting my cat to like her, I think I'm in an ok spot.

Also, everyone browses cat sites for pics I assume.

That's here when I found her the first time.

This is her after she tried to climb as close to my car's engine as possible when it started storming again and I had decided to take her home. Getting her out was not fun. In the future maybe I'll keep my cat's carrier in the car in case I pick up another animal in the future.

That's her with my work sock in frame, after a few days when she transitioned to wet food.

And best more recent shot I could get of her a few days ago after play and a meal, she didn't stay still for long.

I've named her Mazikeen, or Maze for short, because she's a little demon lol.

So thanks for the replies I think I was just a bit worried since I was out of my element and I appreciate the helpful suggestions.

 

[Sarthur2]

Have you introduced her to your older cat yet? I think you could go ahead and let them spend time together since the kitten has already started her vaccines. I’ll bet in time they will become good friends!

 

[mAcOdIn]

Have you introduced her to your older cat yet? I think you could go ahead and let them spend time together since the kitten has already started her vaccines. I’ll bet in time they will become good friends!

I have tried a few things.

I have tried to get my older cat Elora to eat anywhere near the door that Maze the kitten is on the other side of and it 100% ain't happening, even though I know she's hungry. I want to work on this more tomorrow when I can watch the wet food I put down and pick it up if it's out too long as opposed to it sitting uneaten all day while I'm at work or in bed. Dry food would be easier as she has a higher affinity for that but she doesn't drink water often so I switched to wet food so she'd get more water a while back and she's been better off since then health wise and with her age, ehh, really want to monitor that so it'd need to be the weekend because if she's stubborn and doesn't eat for a while I'd need to step in.

But Maze has run out of the room a couple times when I've went in to be with her and since she was already out I have let her explore while I was there to see what would happen even if I had to grab her before she got to some unsafe areas.

And I've learned that as far as integration with another cat goes Maze the kitten will not be the problem. Aside from energy output goes, even with another cat she's still need a human to burn off some of that energy too I'd imagine but she genuinely wants to be friends with my other cat Elora. She followed Elora around with genuine interest and curiosity and none of the stalking behavior, I think she was downright happy to see another cat.

Elora on the other hand wasn't having any of it. Was distressed the whole time, hissing and low growling. The one positive I perceived from her behavior is she was clearly unhappy but she wasn't aggressive nor did she act too fearful. So she made her displeasure known but left the area the kitten was at, but at her normal pace not a run or tactical retreat or anything like that.

I'm not an expert with cats but it feels more territorial with her than outright fear or aggression and that was essentially her behavior when she was introduced to my late cat Reggie too and they eventually became friends. Well mostly. 95% friends 5% mortal enemies, but even human family fight sometimes.

Also, before Maze was super intent on escaping her safe room I did coax the other cat to the doorway with a wand toy and when they both shared the common enemy of the toy rat on a stick Elora would get pretty close to Maze and share the same toy. The minute playtime was up though so was her temporary truce with the kitten.

That's harder for me to do now because I can not leave the door open anymore, maze is ready to explore the rest of the apartment. I bought a child gate today but once I got it put together realized it's definitely too short so I'll need to get another. I derive some slight enjoyment that a true barrier for a human child is but a slight annoyance to be jumped or climbed over for a kitten.

I don't think they're in a terrible spot, but I'm kinda thinking more about the mental health of my cat Elora here. Elora can't climb, can't jump much anymore, was declawed(not my choice I think the practice is barbaric), I can't give her any safe spaces from this kitten unless one of them's locked up. I think at a minimum a coexistence with them splitting up the apartment between each other and having their separate turfs with the occasional scuffle is doable right now but I worry if that's the best I can get from Elora that that wouldn't be a good situation for her and I should probably find someone to take the kitten in. I like Maze but she's a cut adoptable kitten.

But I'm not ruling anything out yet. It's always been my goal to get Elora another companion so I don't mind the cost for kitten proofing my apartment, I plan to use the opportunity to go Marie Kondo on some crap and generally make the apartment more livable for myself while I'm at it as the place being nicer would be better for me socially as a single guy. So the real test will be to see how things shake out once Maze can roam around. I don't want to give up on Maze because I'm the one who found her, she's the only cat I've ever "rescued" and I want it to work with her.

Just, Elora's my cat of 14 years, she will be my first priority and I don't want to make her final years stressful or shorter.

 

[di and bob]

Elora WILL get used to teh kitten, and they will become family, but you're talking a few months time, not weeks. Growling, hissing, and even swatting are perfectly normal to set limits. So unless bites that draw blood are happening, don't worry about that. One way to judge relationship things here is to observe Maze. If she gets swatted but comes back for more, everything is OK, if she avoids Elora and hides from her she is getting hurt. Right now, it would be great if you could provide Elora with a place she can jump up onto to escape the constant movement and energy that kittens bring. Like on top a table or cat tree. A comfy bed would be nice. My Chrissy spent months on top the fridge.
Kittens are balls of energy, she will eventually outgrow that, but not for a couple of years. Get her toys and a kickeroo that are irresistable. Kickeroos can be found on Amazon, I keep one extra in a bag of catnip to keep them fresh and inviting. They provide a great way for kittens to get rid of extra energy.
Cats in general are more solitary creatures, so a slong as you can spend a little time with them they will be fine. Just try to provide toys and dry food to tide her over and keep her from bugging Elora too much. Give Elora extra pets and attention, I'm sure she feels threatened right now. Treats for both would be welcomed!

 

[catsknowme]

Maze is cuteness overload+!!! She hit the Big Win Lottery when she chose your car for shelter! She looks so much like a bobcat kitten
Things seem to be going fantastic in your home. I am so happy that you recognize Elora's rightful place as Senior Cat Not only is it important for Elora, it is beneficial for Maze to learn proper kitty manners....those young whippersnappers need to be taught their place And I feel that you will make a fantastic foster parent. You have marvelous instincts when it comes to cats - as a "newbie" to cat rescue, you are doing an excellent job!
Thank you for all the photos - they express much more than words ever could and I repeat - Maze is very blessed to be yours

 

[JoyM]

All cats are different so you can never be 100% certain your cat will adjust but the odds are she would after a few months. Even if they don’t become “besties”, she will probably tolerate her.
I foster and have 2 male cats of my own. One of my cats absolutely ADORES kittens and turns into Super Mr Mom every time he is in the same room as a kitten while my other 19lb cat just growls and hisses and walks away. But my cranky boy has even started coming around and cleaned my current fosters a few times. Keep in mind I started fostering last summer so it has taken him a year to start accepting them.
As for food, they are little bottomless pits at this age! I have 5 seven week old kittens and they go through a dozen cans of wet food and a bowl or more of dry kitten food a day. They grow so fast that they need every bite of it. Until they are around a year old, you don’t need to worry about over feeding them.
It would be a good idea to see if you could foster another kitten though. Solo kittens tend to have problems with bite inhibition and of course they are just happier having a playmate. Not to mention that fostering is the difference between life and death for shelter kittens. I currently have 8 foster kittens and a mother cat and had another that just went back to the shelter on Thursday. It’s a lot of fun and there aren’t nearly enough foster homes for the amount of kittens coming in this time of year (middle of kitten season).

 

[mAcOdIn]

Had a small setback when I tried to start free feeding her. She tricked me into thinking she'd transitioned to solid food but in reality she was kicking it all behind the door like it was trash lol. So, in a bit of a rush that morning had to feed her milk that morning, bought more of the wet food she liked and started mixing it with the dry food and now she barely wants to touch that either. I also tried mixing the dry food with the milk I had left over and she just lapped up all the milk and left the food. Ugh. Oh well, it's just an annoyance as she'll eat the wet food straight just gets picky when I mix anything in, I can work with this.

In fact, in a way I prefer it, forces me to check in before work to feed her where as I might think "I'm running behind I'll look in on her when I get back" so it's good for me to not have that temptation present, forces more interaction with her which is good.

Also, the child gate has now stopped being effective at all without distractions, lol. I knew it was a matter of time by looking at it. But again, her being dependent on me for the food means we still manage with just the one gate as all escape attempts stop once she sees the can, and once the food's down I get to prepare everything with Elora and get the toys ready as well as I've been getting them both together for about an hour each day.

And on that front we have really good progress. Including them both in play even separated has been a huge icebreaker as Elora's pretty calm around her up until food's involved. I've brought Maze out a few times since I've started playing with them together even up on the bed where Elora also sets up shop and no problemo there.

I think this is going to go great now. I don't see any real problems with Maze now that aren't normal. I was probably too spoiled from her switching to wet food so soon that I jumped the gun when switching to dry food by not gradually doing it so I'm not too disappointed that she wasn't really eating from her food ball dispenser thing and truth be told even if she hates dry food forever I don't think that's a problem, plenty of adult cats are picky eaters. And while her play isn't perfect, she's still more aggressive than I'd like when letting you know she wants to play or will still occasionally attack my leg or hand if the toy goes behind me she's quick to disengage when you tell her, eh, she's a kitten. And Elora's doing better than expected with her on her supervised walks around the apartment.

On a slightly related note I did apply to be a foster with our local Humane Society. Not sure they'll accept me or how well it'll work out, I'm sure there'll be some kind of interview but they put out a plea basically begging for fosters this week so fingers crossed. I've never done this before, they say on facebook that they're overflowing with cats, kittens, old cats, medical need cats, the works. Pretty sad as I never paid much attention to the whole thing before. If that goes through I may have additional questions or just general fears to be assuaged but since I can't really provide the attention necessary for a sick or newborn cat I'd probably be ok as that leaves just generally healthy cats waiting on adoptions.

And on the flip side I may see about getting some of the neighbors together and seeing if they'll put in for tnr'ing these cats around the neighborhood. Both my immediate neighbors leave food out and what started as two cats is now God knows how many, I saw a lot of eyes behind the dumpster on my way to work today. I see why this is kitten season. Getting them all fixed would actually save the complex money because soon they're not going to be able to afford feeding this many mouths if they keep breeding.

Too bad the original feral cat they started feeding first didn't want to be an indoor cat, she's the sweetest stray I've ever meant, maybe the sweetest cat ever. When Reggie, my other cat passed away I tried like hell to keep her but she wants to be free, hell, I think she thinks of us as her pets since she comes to check on everyone with a timed schedule and everything like she's making the rounds. I see why they leave food out and why they multiplied now with all the food being left out.

So anyways, thanks for all the advice and cheering on, I think I'm set for the moment, and once I finish kitten proofing the place or reinforce my barrier in the spare room I'll update with some new pics!

 

[catsknowme]

Wonderful update!! I am thrilled that you submitted an application to foster. Some perfectly healthy kitties are just terrified of the shelter environment (like being hauled off to prison) and their true personality is hidden; once in foster, they blossom into very adoptable cats. I am looking forward to seeing those pictures. Thank you for keeping us posted