Guys, I seriously need help for a kitten issue (short term and long term), please!

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in best southern redneck accent

I reckon the best way to take care a scraggly ‘ol cat is to pump him full of buck shot.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact somone who can come over and help you!!!Soemone who knows about cats should be helping you. You are not doing that great of a job so far. Why can’t you buy some cat food?

Try a non-kill shelter or a non-profit. They might take kitty from you. If you are in L.A. I’ll take it.

You have seriously depressed me. And I have no time to go into this. Maybe later.

A lot of questions in search of an answer. You seem to have a feral cat. The first thing you must do is to see if he(?) is carrying parasites or illnesses that could be contagious to other cats, or dangerous to, for example, pregnant women (toxoplasmosis) and he will need his routine vaccinations, and if he is appropriately aged, he should be neutered.

As for food, try to find a well-crafted dry food that seems to have mostly natural ingredients. On the bag, for instance, the first ingredient should be some kind of meat (say, chicken, but not “by-products”) and there should be little grain. Cats need protein.

Lets face it, cats can be destructive. Mine has clawed my sofa to bits, and it’s inhumane to declaw a cat, but many people have good luck training kittens to attack only scratching posts meant for them, so this is not an insurmountable problem.

I find being in the service of my feline overlord to be quite gratifying, but it’s been quite a long time since my mom was able to tell me what to do.

Oh, yeah! A healthy cat will clean itself – they are rather finicky, but a bath isn’t out of the question.

No expert here, but, you obviously need to get him to a vet ASAP. And, get him some half decent cat food. He’s dirty because he was probably hiding outside somewhere (out of fear).

Like tinyfaery said, get some outside help. Don’t play around with this.

Okay. I know lots about kitties…I’ve had them forever! I found one in my backyard in the same condition and here’s what I did (according to each question)
1: you can keep feeding him the meat and rice, it’s fine for now. But do try to pick up some dry and canned food, as having a mixed diet of both is what’s best. Milk definitelty IS a no no especially if he’s already sick.
2: Since you have a shih tzu… at least get the kitty a nice cage made for ferrets, etc. at the pet store. They’re no too terribly expensive, and it’s about 2–3 times the size of that kitty carrier.
3 He does need to visit a vet for his condition, although he should gain weight within a week or two if you feed him regularly.
4: He just wants love and attention if he’s meowing like that. Make sure you give it to him!
5: To clean him up, take a damp washcloth and very gently wipe away the dirt. He shouldn’t get too scared if he trusts you enough to want your attention…
6: The kitten I found was the same exact size, and he was about 6 weeks old. I’m not sure if yours is quite 3 months old, or if he still looks like that due to malnutrition.
7: Which animal you’ll like better is completely subjective, although cats are the kind of animal who will come and comfort you when you’re sick, where a dog will lie at the edge of the bed to protect you. It’s like a moher and father in the traditional sense:cats are the nurturing mother, where dogs are the protective, providing father.
8: For the scratching, my best suggestion is to buy him a post at the pet store, or give him something to scratch that is not the same texture as anything else you own. And this does take time.
9: I have both cats and dogs. They grew up together, so they get along fine. But since your shih tzu isn’t a baby, it’ll take more time. But the kitten should only have to slap him once or twice to get the point across not to play rough.
10: He shouldn’t need absolute constant attention. Just check in on him every once in a while and he should be fine!
I hope this helps =)

I’m not sure how particularly aggressive your breed of dog is, that would be a strong factor in my decision in keeping the cat or taking it to a shelter. If your dog is pretty territorial, considering that you do not have a lot of spare time, it’s probably best to take it to a shelter (no-kill, preferably),

I’m not even sure that cat is 3 months, from the picture, then again, I don’t have a good way to see the true size and actually see the cat in person. He looks very little and young. The constant meowing could be a many indications, one being loneliness – even though he appeared to be on his own, there might have been another cat – possibly a mommy that came back to the same hiding place. Or, he could be a vocal cat, like mine. —There are days when he just doesn’t stop talking!

I would wipe him down, but wait on the full bath.

As far as the vet, the cat – since he was outside, not being fed well, has a high chance at having worms. I would call a vet and let them know the situation. You need to make a decision to whether or not you will be accepting responsibility for the cat – there is the expense of meds, shots and vet visits. It sounds like dirt in the ear and that is probably dirt around the nose – or it could be flea eggs. Or a number of things.

A small bag of kitten food is not very expensive, I would purchase that, tonight and make sure the little one is getting the necessary balance of nutrients. This is a little animal, it doesn’t take much for it to not be balanced.

Trying to rescue an animal is always a kind thing to do; however, if you are unsure if you will be able to keep the kitten or even really want to keep the kitten, surrendering it to a no kill shelter is kind, too.

#3. The black spots around his nostrils are kitty-boogers. Ike has them every morning. Use your little fingernail and gently scoop them out. Also with your thumb, gently wipe the insides of his (although I’m guessing female by the shape of her jaw) ears out. Once you’ve cleaned his/her ears it will love you forever!!

If he’s purring, it means he’s happy. Some cats do purr when they are in pain, but it usually is in the context of ‘oh, good, here’s mommy, she’ll make it all better’ and you can tell they’re in pain because they’re limping or they’re bug-eyed or something.
Go to the grocery store and buy some canned food. I like Friskies Chicken and Tuna in Gravy, but whatever feels good to you. Cat food adds up over time, but for 3 or 4 days, you’ll spend under 2 bucks.
Buy some clay litter (normal litter, not the blue crystals). Put some in a shoebox, and he’ll probably just naturally start going to the bathroom in that as cats like to bury thier waste. Put a blanket in there sorta crumpled up so that he can not only lie down on it, but lie under part of it if he’s cold, just like you would.
He’s whining and meowing because he’s lonely and scared. He loves it when you take him out and pet him and snuggle with him, even when you’re just around him.
You can give him a bath. Fill up the sink with warm water, squirt some shampoo on him, grab on firmly, and dunk him very quickly (try to keep his head above water). They turn on the water and rinse him off quickly. Wrap him up in a towel, hold him close, and whisper soothing words to him.
Make sure if you keep him that you take him to a vet right away to make sure he doesn’t have any diseases and he gets all his shots.
Cats are less work than dogs (although they need tons of attention when they’re kittens), but there’s still work in changing the litter box, grooming, feeding, etc.
It’s really freaking hard to get them to not destroy your furniture with their claws unless you declaw them, but some people feel that declawing is inhumane.
Personally, I have 3 cats and love them and would recommend them to almost anyone, but make sure you’re ready for the responsibility before adopting the cat – you can’t return it in a couple months when he’s slightly less cute and you’re sick of changing the litter box.
Let me know if you have any more questions!

I’ll answer as best as I can.

1.) That looks like a much younger cat, so you need to get him kitten food. Seriously, it’s not that expensive. If you can’t afford it, then take him to a no-kill shelter. Let me know your county and I’ll gladly find one for you. There are also formulas at the pet store for young kittens, in case he is younger than he looks (I’m guessing 8 weeks)

2.) You cannot keep a cat locked in a cage. Maybe let it run around your bathroom, without the dog in there. That’s what we do even for our grown cats, when we want to get them used to the new place.

3.) It looks like he has ear mites or something. Also, looks like nose boogies. Have you even attempted to wipe him down with a warm washcloth?? Looks like he needs to be cleaned and cared for.

4.) He wants attention, that is why he is crying.

5.) Like I said in 3, wipe him down with a warm washcloth. Don’t submerge him if you don’t know what you’re doing.

6.) I’d say 6–8 weeks. He’s quite skinny, so that’s why I think he might be 6 weeks.

Owning a cat is very fulfilling. You do not sound like a cat person. You have a dog that could possibly be violent with the cat, which is not good. You need to find it a real home.

I’ve had 2 cats in recent years, both strays. So I’ve dealt with all these issues before and thats what I’m basing the following on:
Question 3 (because you seem to be doing alright on the food and cage front): You don’t have to bathe him with any special shampoos necessarily, although an anti-flea one is good if you end up keeping him, just a normal mild shampoo will do. Believe me, this is what I’ve done with both my cats as well as a stray I found by a restaurant once, it works fine.
As far as the stuff in his ears, it might be ear mites. You should probably keep him away from your dog, it doesn’t affect humans though, so no worries there. If you keep him, ear mites are not easy to treat and the stuff the vet wants you to use are not cheap. I’ve heard there are some at-home remedies you can use, but I heard this after my cat got over his ear mites, so I’m not sure. You can clean his ears out with gauze, be careful but short of getting really aggressive with it, there’s not many ways you can hurt him. Every cat website advises against this, but my cat’s vet actually told me to do it 2x a day when my cat had ear mites. Again, it is a kitten, so don’t be too aggressive and don’t use anything like a q-tip that could jab at his inner ear, but cleaning his ears out with gauze is not a big deal (expect him to not be pleased with you though).

Question 4: He is very small (not more than 2 months, most probably less, I’d say). He was probably separated from his mother very early. He just wants attention, bathe him (to minimize possible flea transfer) then hold him for a while.

Question 6–7: Preference for dogs or cats is entirely subjective, but I can tell you this for certain: cats are very independent and dont have to be taken out for daily walks, they also can be let out of the house and you won’t have to worry about them running away (they know who feeds them, lol). They are also just as happy living exclusively indoors and in my experience aren’t as likely to develop some of the health problems dogs can (things requiring expensive surgeries and the like), even mine’s super expensive ear mite treatment was under $80.
As far litter box training, just introduce the kitten to the litter box once and he’ll probably know what to do from then on in, both of mine have.
It is a responsibility to own a cat, but it’s really not a huge deal and I’m pretty sure you can handle it. Aside from the initial expenses (neutering, ear mites, shots, etc) it’s not too much of a financial burden either (just the occassional change of flea collar, litter, wet and dry food, really).

Hope that helps! and hope you get to keep it, too!

1) less carbs (cats can’t even taste them), more protein
2) bathroom, definitely. Put down a folded-up towel and a box with a hole cut in the side on top of the towel; he’ll love it.
3) if you have a heating pad, that would help him with the shivering. The black stuff might just be boogers, but that plus the ear trouble probably means that he has a URI (upper respiratory infection). The black in the ears might also be an ear infection, but is probably ear mites. Good news: his eyes aren’t cloudy, so he probably isn’t suffering too much from the feline herpes he almost certainly has (90% of cats have herpes; don’t worry about it unless his eyes get cloudy or he’s sneezing a lot).
4) he’s happy to be around you. Sit on the floor in the bathroom and give him some attention – 30 min 2x per day to begin with, more if you can manage it.
5) You can bathe him (but I disagree with the dunking method – that will scare him. I’d draw a little water in the sink, add some soap, and use a washcloth while keeping up a soothing babble) or use Wet Ones to wipe him down.
8) when you set him up with a litterbox, pick him up and put him down in it so he knows there’s sand in there. That’s it! You can get Softpaws (little plastic claw caps) to put on his claws if he is getting at the furniture. Also, make a “Tssst!” noise when he does it – cats are more trainable than most people think.
9) When Mr. Kitty is certifiably disease-free, switch the kitten’s towel with the shih tzu’s blanket, so they can smell each other. then let then have an encounter through a closed door or baby gate. Then carefully let them meet each other. Expect some hissing and barking at first.
Good luck!

You’ve got quite a few answers here. Most of the answers are probably better than I’d give, but I saw this thread and then got called out to move a car and chop down a tree before I could answer.
Q1: Keep to cat food. If you’re not sure how long you’ll keep him, you can just get small containers of it. What does the Shih Tzu eat? With a small dog like that, he may have similar food that may work in a pinch.
Q2: A cage is definitely not a happy place for a cat. Try just closing off one room for kitty for freedom from Shih Tzu.
Q3: I’d give him a blanket to sleep inside of. As for his looks, try to clean him off gently. Damp towel, don’t force anything.
Q4: Hungry, scared, wants attention, who knows? Living with a cat for a long time, you get to notice the difference in their meows, but it’s not something I’d be able to recognize early on.

Q7: I’ve had cats almost all my life (Anywhere between 1 and 3 at a time), and only temporarily had a dog (For about 2 years, and he was a big golden retriever, not a little shih tzu). Having a cat is definitely a lot less work, but it definitely feels less rewarding than dog ownership. With cats, as long as you have cat food, water, and a litter box, they’re happy as can be. They keep to themselves a lot, but do like to snug up with you on the couch.
With a dog, there’s all the exercise and attention that the dog demands, and you have to take them out to do their business (how dare them!) regularly. It’s a lot more chaotic. But it was amazing coming home seeing him eagerly awaiting me every time I left the house or even just left the room.
In the end, though, I felt that the increase in demand wasn’t worth the increase in satisfaction. Your mileage may definitely vary.

Q8: I was 8 the last time we had gotten kittens, and I really don’t remember much from litter box training. But it couldn’t have been too bad. I know at one point we had a little spray bottle filled with just water, a little spritz would scare the cats away from whatever they were doing wrong. We actually got our cats declawed when they were young, so we didn’t worry about that for long.

Q9: When we decided to take care of a dog, what we did to first introduce him to the cats was to put up a baby gate, with a small gap off the ground so that the cats could scoot under, but the dog couldn’t. You obviously can’t do that having a small dog.
However, since you do have a small dog, it’ll be very easy to control him.
What I would do is bring them both into the same room, and restrain the dog (hold onto him, or just have him on a leash) while the cat is free to test the waters.

Poor little kitty!

I think you are off to a good start. I can’t add much to the excellent advice above, but just want to say that I’m glad you are taking care of the kitten and want to do things the right way. The only thing I’d stress is to get some cat food as soon as you can, and then either take the kitten to a vet or to a no-kill shelter, depending on the outcome of that family vote. And if you want to sway the vote, clean the kitten up and make sure everyone has a chance to snuggle with it. My dad could never resist a snuggly kitten, no matter how many times he swore we’d never take in another one!

Let us know how he makes out.

Please, please, please give this cat to a no-kill shelter.
You’re woefully ignorant of the basic needs of cats.

He looks malnourished/dehydrated (his cheeks are sunken in folks – even in young kittens that doesn’t look right) if he was young enough to be with his mother he’d be cleaner, if he’s old enough to be on his own at that size and that’s what he looks like – he’s malnourished, filthy and may very well be carrying disease or parasites. You should not have brought this kitten into a home with other pets. You should have called a local animal shelter or your local police department. They are well-equipped to take the cat, find it medical attention if necessary and find a home that is suited to it.

Please take him to a shelter in the morning. If you care for the cat you’ll do right by him, not blunder through owning an animal with no preparation for selfish reasons. You want him, great. Someone else will as well. Someone who has taken the time to learn about a pet, understand it’s needs, buy the necessary items for its care and then attempt to find the one right for them. Animals are not playthings, or toys you can buy or find and have just to have. They’re living creatures with needs, not being prepared for owning them is not excusable.

Do yourself and the kitten a favor. Give him to someone who can care for him.

For the night, you’re doing fine. Keep him separate, a bathroom would be best. Hopefully, your mom wins, the cat is happy, healthy and loved and you can dote all the extra attention you planned on giving the kitten on the pets you already have.

And fifteen minutes a day is not ever enough for a pet. If it’s bigger than your fist, it needs far more attention than that. That would be rather unfair.

Thank you smone. I’m just too irritated.

@everyone

Yes, I admit that I haven’t been doing the best job. That’s why I’ve been asking for help here. And so….

I’ve read through all the answers on here. And after thinking about it, I’m going to give it to the animal shelter. My woeful ignorance aside, you guys are right that I need waay more preparation, planning and knowledge in order to raise a cat on my own. I guess that objectively thinking, I also don’t have the time myself to really give the kitten all the attention he/she deserves.

Apologies if I’ve offended/angered anyone on here. Looks like I’ve struck a few nerves..

Ah wells, all the best for the kitten and I.

And just in case you people were wondering, I didn’t go out to buy food as I’d need permission to go and buy it from my parents (and they weren’t in the country at the time). And if we aren’t going to keep the cat, my parents would see no need to buy cat food. Also, the only nearby accessible animal shelter is the SPCA. Unfortunately for those who want a no-kill shelter, I don’t think that there are any in my area. Interestingly enough, here’s an article on no-kill shelters I just found.

And @asmonet, I brought the kitten in because I did not want it to be exposed to the weather outside. Also, it has not come into contact with any of my others pets so you don’t need to worry about them.

I’d love to pass the kitten over to all those who offered to take care of it. Unfortunately, I live a few thousand kilometres away across an ocean, so that’s pretty much not a possibility.

I know that we all here want the best for the kitten, so I’m gonna do what’s best for it.

I seriously thank all who’ve earnestly answered my question. You guys have all helped a lot.

@Saturated_Brain You did the best you could with the resources you had to work with, and by simply not leaving the kitten to starve or die of exposure you did the right thing.

@asmonet Research is always good, but everyone always blunders through their first time doing anything. Saturated would have been as good a cat owner as the next schlub who sees the kitten in the shelter will be. And not to start a huge argument or anything, but taking him to a shelter is a death sentence for Mr. Kitty. I’m a volunteer foster for cats, and at this time of year a sick, underweight kitten will likely not even be put in the main room of an SPCA for that schlub to adopt, but kept in the back with the other less adoptable kitties for about a week, and then euthanized. Many kitties don’t even get that week during kitten season (which is now), but are put down the day after they arrive because there is simply no room.

@all If you guys are actually looking for kittens and you live in the northeast US (especially NYC and Philly), I can hook you up. PM me; I’d love to go to the trouble.

@Saturated_Brain A no-kill shelter does not euthanize healthy animals. The SPCA in my area is notrious for killing people’s pets that get loose, and even if the owner comes to try to get it, the cat or dog may be put down (it’s happened a couple times, and is devastating each time) Of course a no-kill shelter may euthnaize if necessary, they don’t want animals to suffer, but they are not a myth.

@wildpotato & @casheroo… That isn’t good… So what should I do? I seriously doubt that there are any nearby accessible no-kill shelters where I live. Save for one, but it’s very far removed from a lot of civilisation. And I need to check whether it even is a no-kill shelter..

As for right now, I’ve transferred it to a bigger cardboard box. I’m feeding it chicken that was boiled in soup. I used a damp cloth to somewhat wipe it down. I also picked off the boogers and tried using tissue paper to wipe inside its ears. There was a lot of black stuff coming out. Interestingly enough, it was purring the whole time… No, I still haven’t gotten catfood. The current existing verdict is that we’ll give it to the SPCA. But if there’s something that should be changed, I’m all ears.

You could try finding a home for it yourself with a friend or neighbor. If you haven’t completely given up on the idea of keeping it then I’d offer that the mere fact that you went to all these lengths to inform yourself on cat care is evidence that you’re not some hopeless idiot incapable of caring for him. In the end it is up to your family, but shelters are not good places for kittens, especially given that this one is sick (though not incurably).

If you absolutely cannot keep it, try finding it a home with someone you personally trust. Chances are no one who adopts this cat will do any better a job than you can, shelters aren’t a magical places where only loving, super-knowledgeable cat people adopt every single stray.
I know this isn’t something you asked for, and no one should be guilting you into doing something you aren’t comfortable with (myself included), so do what you feel is right for the kitten, I’m sure it’ll work out since your intentions are right. =]

Even if you let the cat live in your yard and feed it out of a bag of kibble, it’s better than giving it to a shelter. However, if its a kitten, it has a good chance of being adopted at a shelter. Or being put down. But, I mean… yeah. You can’t save them all, regrettably.

Oh yea….

give him a bath. He’s dirty, not diseased, I assure you. I’ve washed my share of dirty cats and no infections yet.

Cat food is cheap. Buying a small amount is possible, it’s not a commitment.

To give the cat space, just lock him in a room. However, make sure he has a little box with litter or sand or poupery or something to poop in or he’ll find something. Cats bury their waste, which means its not going to be conveniently in the center of a clean, non-porous tile.

@wildpotato: No Kill. Did you skip that part of my post? And besides that, your comment about the next schlub to come in and adopt it would be just as ill-equipped is put simply, false. There are responsible people who do research before they walk into a shelter. In fact, among those I know, the more educated about animals you are the more likely you’ll go to a shelter, rather than a breeder or pet store. But, your opinion is yours.

@erniefernandez: Please don’t advise people to handle animals with an unknown history. Your assumptions based on your own luck aren’t exactly sound and are in all likelihood dangerous.

@Saturated_Brain: I received your pm, please do not think I was judging you, or angry with your actions. I am however passionate about animals and have had many strays, and orphans come into our home. I know what they’ve all needed – the wide range of crazy you’re asking for and the amount of effort, time and energy that go into bringing a new and young animal home. Particularly one that has been in the wild. I was attempting to be as straightforward and honest with you as possible and I stand by my comments. I do not believe you are in a position at this time to adopt a new animal regardless of its health, background or species.

@asmonet Fair enough. I suppose it’s a matter of personal philosophy to assume the world (and most things in it) are safe until proven otherwise. And I’m not trying to be a smartass; I mean that!

As far as the kitten being in the wild, I must say it looks much too young to be feral and will probably take to socialization fine.

So, how is it going @Saturated_Brain? You’ve really mobilized fluther here and we all seem to love this little kitten, lol.

If you didn’t live so far away, I’d take the baby!

…I’m quite sure it’s very wrong to Fedex the kitten, too. ;-)

Okay folks.. I don’t want to send the kitten to the SPCA so here’s what I’ve done..

I’ve just sent out a mass email to the people in my contact list. Here’s how it goes:

Hey guys,

Here’s the thing, just recently I found a stray kitten at my house. It was mewing for its mom since morning till evening and I took it in. It’s now been with me for the past few days. However, I simply do not have the time nor the resources to take care of it in the long term. Thus, I was wondering whether anyone would be interested in taking it in. I’ve got some kitten food and have washed it (so now it doesn’t smell so much).

They’ll need to pay for its visit to the vet however to get it checked up, and for its food and milk and whatnot. I suspect that it needs to be dewormed.

Here’re two pics of it. The first shows what it looks like generally while the second shows its face in more detail (the dark stuff at the nostrils is cat booger, and I removed that already).

http://i26.tinypic.com/2vl88zp.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/72t7j6.jpg

Please contact me quickly if you want it and are going to be seriously committed to it, giving it the time and attention it deserves and taking care of it and making sure that it grows well. I don’t want to send it to the SPCA where it stands a 75% chance of being euthanised.

I hope that we can work something out. Again, reply quick! Thanks!

[name blanked out for purposes of anonymity]

~~~~~~~~

Out of the 200-odd people I sent it to, I’m hoping that there’ll be someone who can take it in. And if not, I’ve sent another email to a cat shelter I found on the net, hoping that they can take it in (although the people working there are currently quite overstretched with the cats already there).

In the meantime, it looks like kitty here is going to be staying with me for at least a few more days… And no, as much as I want to, I can’t take it to the vet myself because I’m still.. living under my parents’ jurisdiction (that’s one way to put it) and they will not permit me to spend the money on the kitten (although they did allow me to buy some kitten food for it).

But as to what I’ve done since the last update, I’ve fed it, and given it a wash with some cat shampoo that we apparently have here at home. Sigh.. I just hope that someone can take care of it and bring it to the vet. It’s mew isn’t exactly very strong and I’m not sure that it should be lying around. Also, it’s stomach is quite disproportionally large to its body, making me worried that it’s suffering from some malnutrition or worms or both.

So for now, all I can do is wait and hope.

To all who are interested in the welfare of this little one, here’s to hoping for the best!

He really should be seen by a vet.

Another possible resource that you could try is to find out if there are any rescue groups in your area—just Google it.

The primary difference between a rescue group and a shelter is the lack of a building. Therefore, these groups have a network of dedicated volunteers who foster the animals in their homes until a proper adoption placement can be found. Some also have connections with local vets for animals which need medical care and may be able to recommend a vet who will work with you if they themselves are too full up.

I’m very glad that you have decided against taking him to the shelter since he would stand little chance of leaving there alive. This is kitten season and they are up to their eyeballs in cats and kittens right now. This is the inevitable result of all the human dimwits who won’t get their animals fixed..sigh…....

@asmonet My bad, I did skip that part of your post. I’m still glad I posted about the issues with shelters, though, because it sounds as though a no-kill is not an option for Saturated and his/her I know we had a discussion about the his/her thing and I’m breaking my own rule, sorry bezdomnaya small companion. I agree with you about the chances of an educated person being more likely to go to a shelter – I just meant that a large number of uneducated people also go to them, and at least Saturated is smart enough to realize and try to correct his/her own ignorance. Many of those other ignorant folks might not be so on-the-ball about asking questions, and it’s always my feeling that a known quantity is a safer bet then an unknown. Given my limited knowledge of Saturated and his/her situation, I would certainly adopt one of our kittens out to him/her (if the parents were amenable), with the stipulation that she/he attend a few seminars (my group actually requires all their adopters, including us fosters, to attend at least one seminar – even long-time cat owners. There’s always something more to learn – like the fact that most grocery-store food is crap, and that cats will be dehydrated without access to running water don’t worry about these important but less vital issues for the moment, Saturated – you seem to have enough on your plate right now).

@Saturated_Brain I like your letter. You might also try posting on craigslist.org about the kitty, but be very careful about the people on there – some are awesome and have naught but good intentions; some want to use cats to bait their pit bulls. I would insist on a home visit at the very least, and maybe try getting some rescue organization’s adoption agreement/contract for the animal’s health as a template for the person to sign if you go this route.

If you consider giving the kitten to someone you don’t actually know (ie craigslist), you might want to sell the kitten, not give it away for free. We paid $15 for a puppy from woman who took in strays. She said she used to give away the animals, but later realized that charging just a nominal fee discouraged impulse adoptions or people who weren’t really interested in a pet as a friend and companion. She said once she put a small price on the dogs and cats, the attitudes of the people calling her changed drastically for the better. You cal also help to defray the costs of caring for the kitten until you find it a permanent home.

@MissAusten You are absolutley right about that and many animal organizations suggest a higher amt. A free pet is a disposable pet in the eyes of some .

I am constantly sending emails to those on the local Craigslist here who offer a pet for free with the link I will include here. They are very well-meaning but don’t realize how many callous people only want these free pets to make money off of them.

@SB f you or anybody else feels it isn’t fair to charge for a cat that was just found as a stray, there is a simple remedy for this which will still protect the kitten.

You could make it a refundable fee which will be paid to the adopter’s Veterinarian to be applied to the cost of the first visit and/or spay/neuter. Any responsible pet parent would be delighted with this arrangement. The only people who would try to talk you out of it are the type who would sell it for research or pit bull bait. It’s only worth it to these creeps if it’s free because anything else cuts into their profit margins too much. Don’t buy their line of BS about the bad economy or whatever else they use to get sympathy from you. A responsible loving pet owner is going plan on Vet care and neutering anyway so you can just tell them that you do not want your cat adopted by someone who has no plans to get it fixed in order to prevent the pattern which brought kitty into your life to begin with.Stick to your principles because this little kitten’s life depends upon it.

Please read the short article at this link.

http://www.petrescue.com/library/free-pet.htm

After taking care of it and waiting for someone to adopt it.. The kitten died.. I just found out today when I got home..

Oh, I’m so sorry!

:( That’s 2 this summer.

@tinyfaery what was the situation with the other?

Runt of the litter. No one acted until it was too late.

very sad

This was a terrible book. :( I am so sorry, but at least he had a few good days of security, warmth, food and friendship in his short life….

Guess what happened? Less than a week ago, my boyfriend found another kitten. There was this pregnant mother cat just outside his house, and when it gave birth some kids scared it away. The kids (probably out of kind-hearted ignorance) just placed the kitten at the side of the road. When my boyfriend tried to return it to the mother cat hiding underneath a car it seemed too traumatised to do anything (after a few hours he saw that the mother cat had gone to the side of the car and left the kitten underneath without changing its position). If my boyfriend hadn’t left a note on the car telling the owner about the kitten underneath, the driver would have probably driven off and killed it.

My boyfriend promptly took over. He brought the kitten into the house, placed it in a shoebox stuffed with rags and took it to the vet. He bought the milk and then began taking care of the kitten according to the vet’s instructions. Under his care, it did seem to be growing stronger (I saw it, it was so adorable). Of course, he didn’t want to name it lest he get too attached to it (his mom hated cats and wanted it out of the place, but he persisted).

Just yesterday, my boyfriend’s father told him that the mother cat was outside. Quickly taking the shoebox out of the house, he gently picked up the kitten. As always when he picked it up, the kitten started mewing loudly. The mother cat then ran straight to him, into the shoebox, and curled up with her kitten.

He carried the shoebox to a different spot and left both the cat and her kitten there overnight, checking on them periodically (I demanded it of him). This morning, they were still curled up there, but when he left later on in the afternoon they were gone. The very short spell of rain that occurred must have prompted the mother to transport her kitten to a drier spot.

He plans to bring back the slightly soggy shoebox back in when he gets back home.

Mother and kitten got reunited. Still, he’s understandably slightly sad that he couldn’t take care of it. He told me that he had gotten somewhat attached to the kitten, but he knew that it was all for the best.

Sigh… I really wish that my parents would have allowed me to take the kitten to the vet to buy the proper nourishment. I wouldn’t have had it die then under my care then…

But let’s not ignore the fact that some feline sunshine has been found. Let’s have a tiny celebration.

If he is a small kitten all he needs is one small can of KITTEN food from the store…should only cost a dollar or so….I WORKED AT A VET OFFICE so i totally think you should just go and buy him the food- especially if you may keep the little guy!!

OMG dude, if the cat is that dire, take it to the vet. As for the other info, im sure the people above me gave you sufficient advice.