HELP!!!! Stray kittens!!!

[NorthernAutumn]

Nate found two stray baby cats under his parent's shed (2 hrs north of me) They are vicious little fellas, and look very malnourished! I think he's bringing them home to me, but what if they die on the way???

What do I do? Can't really afford to take them to the vet right now, but what if they're diseased? Can't let my guys get FLV!

DO I take them to the shelter??? What the heck do I do?


EDit: vet isn't totally out of the question, but it would take up most of Evie's Spay money...

Nate's dad is no cat lover. He said take the cats, or I'll shoot them. He will too.:grumpy:

 

[seniorcats]

If they are feral, they will need socializing. Most shelters will immediately euthanize cats or kittens that are not friendly unless you can find a no-kill.

Definitely quarantine them to a small room or better yet a large cage. That way you can handle and observe. When they arrive, just give them peace and quiet for a while along with plain water. After an hour, try them with food canned food if possible. Any idea how old they are? They will influence what you feed. Also you can heavily moisten dry food to make it easier to eat. Do not give cow's milk.

To keep your cats safe, wash up after handling these. Wash all bowls in the diswasher or use a disinfectant. A vet visit is really recommended to test them for Felv/FIV, parasites, etc.


If you really can't keep or can't keep them away from your own cats, I would call shelters and see if they can help.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Thanks for the advice, seniorcats. I'll build an NIC pen in my spare room.

NO idea on the age, but they're apparently big enough to give a big bite:biggrin2:

"No-kill" doesn't exist up here to any great extent. I think these guys will wind up with me, as I hear you get blacklisted by the local shelter if you even try to surrender a stray (they just figure its your own cat).

I'll write more when they get in. Seems to be taking Nate an awfully long time to drive the 2 hrs tonight...

 

[NorthernAutumn]

The kitten got in here at about 10:30 last night.

So far, it has wolfed a 1/4 of a can of tuna, and 1/2 can of cat food. Hasn't been drinking much... The belly feels very full, and there are only two tiny poops in the litter box from yesterday. Should I be expressing the bowel at this point, or let him/her do it by himself/herself?

I really don't want the kitteh to be constipated...

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Other challenge is that it appears to be a Cabbit (stupid concept yes, but that is the best way to describe his hindquarters) He is tail-less, and lacking wrists on the hind feet. I have palpatated the feet, and it feels like a bunny's feet. :shock:

Is there potentially a digestive tract problem stemming from this deformity, that is further complicating the poop issue?

 

[seniorcats]

A big round belly on a kitten usually indicates worms. You would need a stool check to determine what kind. Kittens can carry several kinds but you usually get round worms. You probably won't see them in the stool. I would think it's worms but it could also be a digestive tract problem. Kitty could have some deformities if the mother was severely malnourished.You could try gently wiping his backside with a wet cotton ball and see if that stimulates him to poop. It seems like he is able to do it on his own though. He may just need food and water. I would definitely get his stool checked soon.

How old does he appear to be?

 

[undergunfire]

As sad as it is taking money away from your bunny's spay...If it were me, I would take the kitten into the vet. You just never know what could be wrong with it. You don't want heart break in the end :?.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

My age estimate is at least 10 weeks. Apparently, Nate's dad first saw them under the shed about 2 months ago.

Yes, I'm taking him to the vet on Tuesday (Tomorrow is Civic holiday:grumpy. I'm not cruel: I know he needs to be seen as soon as possible. Universityis starting this week, so with tuition payments and all that, money is a bit tight. I just wish that this was a situation that I can take care of without the huge vet bill.

[ Trust me, I'm looking forward to awell-paying job at the end of school!]

seniorcats, Iwent through with the manipulation of the anus. He purred a heckuv a lot, but no poop. Well, at least I can pick him up now )Tail is a bony stump, and the anus is tucked into the "tail" base, almost hidden. Thanks for all of your help:hug:.

If he poops for me, I'll baggie it for tuesday.

PS: Kitty hates Nate!!! Doesn't appreciate his rescuer at all; lots of hissing:biggrin2:. Purrs for me tho!

 

[undergunfire]

NorthernAutumn wrote:

Yes, I'm taking him to the vet on Tuesday (Tomorrow is Civic holiday:grumpy. I'm not cruel: I know he needs to be seen as soon as possible. Universityis starting this week, so with tuition payments and all that, money is a bit tight. I just wish that this was a situation that I can take care of without the huge vet bill.

[ Trust me, I'm looking forward to awell-paying job at the end of school!]

Oh, no...I am so sorry . In my post I wasn't meaning to be negative or harsh...I really said it in a nice way. Sorry, it is so hard to express the emotion. I never doubted you wouldn't take the kitty to the vet.

I know how tight money can be...and I am not even in school . In fact, I can start when I have the money...lol. Talk about vet bills, arg...don't we all wish they weren't huge? I think along with free/low cost health care for humans...animals should get it too...haha!

:hug:

 

[NorthernAutumn]

undergunfire, I'm sorry if I snapped at you. I was feeling frustrated with my situation when I posted, not frustrated with you.I know anybody with half a heart would take him to the vet. I appreciate your concern for this little kitten, and thank you for posting with your support. I always enjoy your posts/advice inthe forums. :hug:

---- Should quit university and become a vet tech!!!

(I know about the challenge with expressing the exact emotion in posts: its hard sometimes. Telling wry jokes is hard )

Poor guy still won't take a crap. Just gave him some canned food (beef flavour, about 1/4 small can and he wolfed it :?. Stomach is tennis ball size right now. I took the rest of the food out for now, hopefully poop is coming soon. He's had about 1/3 cup of water in the last 5 hours.

Getting friendlier everytime I check in with him: this will be one nice puss! I think he should go to undergunfire's house... :biggrin2:Wanna cabbit?

EDIT: We're spoiled rotten with human health care here in Canada, but the vet bills more than compensate. $200 (at least) to spay Evie... can you believe that!? Free healthcare for all, I say!

 

[undergunfire]

No more kitties for me, but I would love pictures once the little guy (or girl?) gets settled in. I am interested to see this "cabbit" of yours.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!


WHOOO, CAT POOPS!!!! He finally did it. And man, what a load of kitty krap! Pretty solid considering his physical state. Pees like a racehorse too

Poopity poop poop poop... AWESOME!!!!

 

[seniorcats]

That is excellent news! It probably took him a while to 'process' the food. I'm still betting on round worms. Hope he doesn't have them though.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

OK, so here's the bad news. My parents found out about the kitten. Freaked out, to say the least. I got an extensive lecture about how I am "ditching the financial responsibility for this cat on them" "have too many cats already (Yeah, like 2 cats is a lot)" & "We're responsible pet owners, why should we pick up the slack for other people"

Well, HELLO! That is the #$%(#% point! I didn't go "oooh, I want a feral kitten to blow money on!" Fact is, she was brought to me from a bad situation. What was I supposed to do... say, "too bad" cat?':shock:

As I'm in school right now, with no independent income, I am reliant on my parents for financial support. They give me access to a bank account, which is monitored. So, just figure out what'll happen if 100 bucks goes out without any discussion, huh? I mentioned that I had $100 left over from my books this year, can't I use that? "NO, we pay for everything anyway!":grumpy:

Anyhoo, point blank, I've been told I can't take the cat to the vet if it isn't SUPER sick, and I have to find a good home for it very soon, while it is still an adoptable kitten. Went to my vet, and asked if there was anything they could do to make this more managable. They directed me to a cat rescue lady.

So here it is: I'll attempt to find a home for it among my animal-loving friends, who will take it to the vet for a through checkup. If that doesn't work out , it'll have to go to the rescue (before it isn't so cute & adoptable). That lady will know how to screen potential adopters, and probably has a deal with one of the vets for treatment.

In the meantime, Kitten is eating dry kitten food with a bit of wet, drinking lots of water, and the poop is now normal cat poop. Clear eyes, no nasal discharge, and belly is no longerswollen. Very playful and curious. Am considering using a commercial dewormer early next week.

If anything goes wrong with kitten, guess I'll have to get cash out of Nate...

BTW, mom isn't talking to me right now....:X

(Seriously, super mad I am "not permitted" to take it to the vet!!!!)

 

[Koumyou_69]

when i got my rabbit i only paid $125 all together i didn't use a vet they said 250 i went to a animal hospital and it was a flat rate they charged and yes vet bills are alot but my rabbit has to have his teeth clipped every three weeks but i found a place where it is only $14.75 instead of $250 every time and the rabbit im talking about is my wild rabbit

 

[Cove]

Any news on them?



-It's an old post I know but just wondering-

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Sorry... never wrote the ending of the story!

The little puss lived with me for about 3 weeks. I met a wonderful cat rescue lady in my area, who managed to place her in a home in under a week. The lady brought little cat and me to her vet's for a checkup (I paid her back, though). They receptionist at the vet office was smitten.
She was a Quebecois lady in her late 40s, with a huge cat tattoo on her chest. When you looked at her, all you saw were two huge ears and eyes popping out of her neckline :biggrin2:.
Can' t ask for a more devoted person than that
The kitten's stomach stabilized before she left me... Man, I like kittens, but that was a constant barrage of diarrhea! I've never cleaned carpet so much!
The day before the kitten (named Heidi by her new owner)left, Sigmund took a huge crap on my couch. Good thing she was going! He was not a happy cat. (There's a whole thread about that if you're inclined to look)

Yep, so that was the end of the cat saga... And here I am starting a new one... you think I'd learn...