Feral kitten HELP & advice, please!

[~*mikie*~]

Dear fellow animal lovers/rescuers, need input/support/*help*.

On the furbabies thread, I introduced you to Lil Bits.

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She/he(?) is the smartest of her family,lol. A group of people from work, Animal Care Council, etc, managed to capture/adopt the mother & the rest of the family. We THOUGHT we got 'em all. THIS one, hungry as she was, would NOT be lured into the humane trap or a cat carrier...she went *around* it. Apparently she/he has a twin littermate because we congratulated ourselves on finally capturing her.

Days later, out popped *this* little one...now all alone & living in the cellar of a druggie-infested apartment bldg. Everybody else was tired of the kitten patrol already; I mean, this was not exactly a fast project. I took over looking after her, making sure she was fed & watered, & I talked to her every day before work & at lunch & breaks. I began calling her Lil Bits because a dear, dear friend had a dream that someone close got a dog & named it Lil Bits & called it Bitsy. She's not a dog,lol, but she's Lil Bits to me.

This little one is terrified of people, as was her whole family, but her other littermates adapted very well in their new homes & are very loving pets now. Lil Bits is very skittish, but after weeks of talking to her & feeding her & playing with a stick with her, we have *bonded*. She now will run TO me & will rub against my ankles & will let me pet her. I LOVE this little abandoned baby. She ran to me IN THE RAIN yesterday to be petted....& cat people *know* about cats hating to get wet,lol.

I WANT THIS BABY. My hubby has not agreed *yet*. We HAVE 2 furbaby cats both of whom were rescues. I believe hubby will come around; he's a softie. Now for the sticky-wicket parts & advice & opinions needed. There is a guy at work who says he & his wife will take her in....this was weeks ago. HOWEVER, *I* am the one who devotes my time & energy & attention to feeding & caring for her. They think *I* will "catch her" & Hand Her Over. NOT BLOODY LIKELY. I could NEVER be the one to *trick* her...I am the ONLY one who's been able to get within 4' of her, *period*. The 1st human she's ever let touch her & whom she trusts ~ like I would trick her??? As I've said, we've bonded. This guy & his wife seem nice ~ & they HAVE 5 cats already....& I was FINE with THEIR catching her & giving her a good home UNTIL I had a conversation with his wife which gave me pause. She is between jobs right now, so I know things must be tight. She told me about the 5 others they have & said one more wouldn't make a difference. Hmmm. When I told her that Lil Bits *desperately* needs to see a vet & get checked/shots/deworming/defleaing, the woman said they had flea stuff & dewormers at home...which led me to suspect that Lil Bits was not going to be visiting a vet anytime soon. I can't pass judgement on that, or shouldn't. But it bothers me. Lil Bits tugs at my heartstrings. Please feel free to tell me I'm unfair, nuts, mean, whatever. Won't bother me a bit. But THIS morning, I was out on my sunporch drinking my coffee & suddenly it "came to me" that I SHOULD GO GET LIL BITS & bring her HOME WITH ME. I had not allowed myself to complete that thought before.

Now then. IF hubby agrees & we attempt to rescue Lil Bits, how to handle? Flea Shampoo outdoors before ever bringing her inside? A better, more natural method? What? I know you gals are a wealth of info. OK. Next step ~ she can live on my sunporch until after the VET oks her & starts her shots...& meanwhile furkids can see/sniff each other through windows & under doors.

*help*

Thanks! mikie

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[mgmsrk]

I think you’re correct to be weary of giving her to your coworker. One of my huge pet peeves is people who have animals but who do not properly take care of them. And that means you have to bring them to a vet at least once a year and whenever they need it because they are sick or injured.


It’s a good idea to keep her separated on the deck until you can get her to the vet, I had a very bad experience with one of my ferrets when we introduced a new one too soon. After the vet gives the OK I would be cautious about fully letting her free in the house. Cat’s notoriously hate new additions to their home and you don’t want to go back to the vet for stitches. Since the new baby will be used to fighting to survive she may be more prone to lashing out if she is scared. Do you have a room she could live in for a while? Maybe when you do the finial face to face introductions you could use a pet carrier.

[karen]

I can't imagine a better mamma for a scared feral kitten than you Mikie. I'm sure the other folks are great, but some people just have a gift in dealing with animals, and it sounds like you have that gift. We've had feral rescue cats, and if they're not comfortable where they live, they'll always be skittish and "on edge".

If it were me- I'd scoop her up and take her directly to a professional- be it a vet, or just a good groomer before I took her home. She's probably miserable with those fleas, and the groomers will have more tools and equipment to make her as comfortable while giving her a bath- a vet might even sedate her, and that doesn't sound like it would a bad thing in this case. Hartz makes an essential oil flea treatment- the kind that you apply down their back and it keeps fleas away for a few months. We used it on my mother's dog, and it has worked really well!

Good luck with the new fur baby!

[~*mikie*~]

Thank you for the input, Maryah. I couldn't agree more!!! YES, she *definitely* needs a vet visit pronto. Since it's a holiday weekend, even IF hubby agrees AND we manage to bring her home, the odds are the vet visit will have to be during the week or next weekend. Here's my tentative plan: Capture hubby,lol. The 2 of us could go to where Lil Bits is currently hiding out...feed & water her...& hopefully she'll be her loving self & let me pet her. IF we can get her in a cat carrier, bring her here. *Bathe* her outdoors to deflea her, & then bring her onto the enclosed sunporch. We'd use the larger cat carrier & leave it out there on the sunporch. Alum foil "roasting pan" w/kitty litter will fit in that cat carrier, as will food & water. Door could remain closed & then open when I'm out there, of course. She'd have the security of a hidey-hole (the carrier) & she'd be out with me & likely hubby,too. The current 2 furkids could remain inside the rest of the house. Abie, the nosy one who thinks he's king & is always in the pics with me, will DEFINITELY be checking out the new baby through the DR windows. It's the same way we introduced *him* to the household 3 yrs ago...this same time of yr, matter of fact...& Abie remained living on the sunporch for about 3 wks as I recall, with the peeking through the windows & sniffing under the doors,lol.

mikie

[~*mikie*~]

Oh, goody! Thanks, Karen. Hadn't even thought about a pro groomer. I agree about the fleas, that's why I was desperate to give her a bath 1st thing! When Michael rescued that whole litter 3 yrs ago, we did the whole litter & mama that way...outside in a bucket, one at a time. Can't remember what we used!!! I DO recall using Unicure on them directly afterwards to soothe their fleabitten skin & then rinsing & drying them in towels. I *will* look into the Hartz eo stuff & see if there's anything for kittens. I've read many eos are dangerous for cats, so we'll see...& she's still little (maybe 8 wks old, if that). Hmmm, my Frontline says for cats 8 wks & older, so if I could bathe her & apply the Frontline afterwards....I don't know. We'll see. I'm just pondering "aloud" here...but I will look into the eo stuff as I'd MUCH rather that than the chemical stuff.

mikie

[Xarata]

mikie, if you love her and are putting the time in, then there is nothing wrong with YOU keeping her. If the coworker asks about her just say, you know I was spending a lot of time caring for her everyday and I fell in love so I've decided to have her come live with me.

I agree about just bringing her to a pro for all the unfun stuff. They'll probably give her some of those calming down treats.

Good luck with the new baby!

[~*mikie*~]

Thanks, Samantha. I keep hoping Michael will return & be surprised (or feign surprise,LOL) that she's not here already. I'm dying to go see her & feed/water her but do NOT want to miss his return lest he decides it's a good idea (keep hoping!) & will go *with* me. That's key. I figure if he SEES where she's living, he'll melt even faster . He has a VERY big heart.

mikie

[tizzylou]

After the defleying( is there such a word), I would continue to keep her in the carrier, but when you are on the sunporch with her, even though she is in carrier, I would let her and the other cats do a face to face several times, that way she can still hear your voice talking to her which will help with calming her. I introduced to 2 out of my 3 cats to each other this way. They both lived in a cat carrier in the house for at least 2 weeks, while Tizzy came and sniffed, snarled what ever, then when I was home after this period I would let them out and watch the interactions, but back in the carrier they would go until they were all nicely aquainted with each other, then I just started leaving them out, with the carrier door open so that they could crawl in if they needed the security. Now they all just run all over the house and kennel with the 3 dogs that share their living space. The nice thing about using a carrier for housing, is that they get used to being in one, and when you need to put them in one to go to the vet, etc, they don't mind being loaded up. Good luck , I can't imagine a better person to be a mother for a scared little fur baby.
Hollis

[tizzylou]

After the defleying( is there such a word), I would continue to keep her in the carrier, but when you are on the sunporch with her, even though she is in carrier, I would let her and the other cats do a face to face several times, that way she can still hear your voice talking to her which will help with calming her. I introduced to 2 out of my 3 cats to each other this way. They both lived in a cat carrier in the house for at least 2 weeks, while Tizzy came and sniffed, snarled what ever, then when I was home after this period I would let them out and watch the interactions, but back in the carrier they would go until they were all nicely aquainted with each other, then I just started leaving them out, with the carrier door open so that they could crawl in if they needed the security. Now they all just run all over the house and kennel with the 3 dogs that share their living space. The nice thing about using a carrier for housing, is that they get used to being in one, and when you need to put them in one to go to the vet, etc, they don't mind being loaded up. Good luck , I can't imagine a better person to be a mother for a scared little fur baby.
Hollis

[tizzylou]

Sorry about the double post , the computor is being wierd today.
Hollis