I guess I may have to consider giving up my day job for a full time position finding new homes for abandoned kittens!

I get a phone call from my friend, telling me that one of her clients has found a little, all black boy kitten in a snow bank this morning. The client cannot keep a kitten – his landlord will not permit it.

So, I get the call. I’m asked if I can call around to my friends and see if anyone wants a little black kitten – which is reported as being very affectionate.

Now, here I am thinking. I have four cats now. I lost Floyd – who was my all black love bug last June. Can I keep another cat in my house? Will it upset the balance – the harmony that I have going on right now, etc? How can I separate a kitten now, when I’m going through the process of fixing Monday’s frozen pipes and related flooding, etc?

All these things can be taken care of – not sure how, but I know I can do it.

So, next phone call is to the vet. They know me by voice now. I take the earliest available appointment to get the little one checked out. It’s next Thursday. Kitten is now known, for medical purposes, as “No-Name Stray”

The client can keep the kitten for a few days. My friend can’t take him in; she already has two kittens that she is fostering.

Go down the hallway to talk to one of my co-workers. We’re the two cat people in the office – we both have 4 cats and a dog. As I tell her that I may be taking in a new kitten, her office mate tells me that she is looking for a kitten.

Will the kitten be an indoor only cat? – Yes. Will the kitten be declawed? – No. Good answers. She offers to reimburse me for the vet visit. I told her I would gladly pay for the vet visit if that is what it will take to find the little one a good home.

So, it looks as if I may have already found a home for him. This is assuming that I can let him go once I take him in for a few days and get him to the vet!

This will be the 5th kitten that I found a home for. Two little white kittens (boy and girl) went to my co-worker’s babysitter. Christmas 2004 she was looking to adopt two white kittens – and I just happened to find two up for adoption for her. My friend took in her two from a lady who already had nine kitties. My co-worker adopted one after she tragically lost a kitten a year ago (she had taken in a stray / semi-feral mother. Mom had kittens – 3. She found homes for two of the kittens and kept mom and the baby. Mom is now a happy, indoor cat.).

Mark

Margaret:

Jane said 6 weeks - which is very young. But, I'm not sure how she is making that determination.

When we were found by Ranger, I thought he was only 6 or ss weeks old. Turned out, the vet said 12 week, based on his weight of 2.9 lbs. I guess a kitten puts on about 1 lb every 4 weeks.


I'll have more info later this afternoon. She is at a client, so she can't talk now.

As soon as I know more, I will pass it on.

Mark

How sasd that a kitten was left in a snowbank , but how great it was that the kitten found it's way to you, and then a forever home. . I hope things turn out all right for the little guy.

Mark,
What a great story......with a happy ending too! I was very moved reading your post. The little black kitten found a real home. Wow! you have some great co-workers.

Thanks for sharing it here. You made my day!

Maria

Here is the latest update on “No-Name Stray”.

I’m told he is smaller than Ranger was when Ranger adopted me in August 04. This would make the kitten under 12 weeks old.

The kitten was literally buried in the snow bank. Now, considering that it was raining here today (some 2 inches of rain had fallen), well, let’s just say the little guy did not manage to get into the snow bank by himself.

He is all black and shorthaired. He has a little bald patch at the base of his tail (which could be a problem).

I’ve arranged for a vet visit for him next Thursday. We’ll do all the necessary vetting. I’ll also have to ask when I can arrange for a neutering.

It looks as if the contractors will be done fixing the frozen pipe / burst pipe mess tomorrow. That means I can create a safe room out of a spare bedroom for him. Today, I had to keep the current occupants of the house in the two spare bedrooms while the contractors were engaged in destruction, construction and the lightening of my wallet. I’m going to see about bringing him to my place tomorrow or Friday.

The kitten is very affectionate. All you have to do is touch or talk to him and he purrs.

The most difficult challenge of this may be giving this one up to the co-worker. I may find that the kitten is not “good with children” and end up having to keep him myself.

Mark

Guys:

The little boy is safe and sound in one of my spare bedrooms. He was brought over at about 7:00 PM.

I have been able to dig up some more information about him. I am the third person to have custody of him since he had been abandoned. Family A rescued him from the snow bank, but were not able to keep him. Person B, a person who has had a traumatic brain injury took him from Family A to give to person C – who already had nine cats. He did this without asking person C. Person C could not take him – hence, me coming to the rescue here.

He has been out of the cold since at least last Sunday. He is a little thin – he does not have any baby fat or the roundness that one would normally see in a kitten. He does have a scabby, irregular round bare patch near his tale – about half the size of a dime. I’m pretty worried about that – it may be ringworm.

As soon as we set up a safe room, we let him in. Earlier today, I had run to the local pet store and purchased some Eagle Pack kitten (dry) and Wellness kitten (wet) for him. As soon as he was out of the crate, he ran right to the food and ate about an ounce of the wellness. About two hours later, he ate about an ounce of Friskies salmon (it the only food I can now mix up with Little Bit’s pill and get him to eat). We also ate some dry and drank water. He has not yet used the box, but he has climbed into it to check it our.

I would estimate him to be about 2 lb – which would make him about 8 weeks old. Other than the bald spot near his tail, he looks pretty good. His eyes and ears are clean and dry. His hair is soft and clean. He smelled faintly like Franco-American Spaghetti O’s (he had gotten into person B’s garbage before being brought here). Movements look fine, too.

I’ll try to take some pictures tomorrow. It’s late, I still have to clean up after the construction crew (who managed to lighten my wallet by some $750 for the emergency work.

Margaret: In the short term, besides keeping the little one quarantined in the safe room, what safety precautions should I take to prevent the spread of the suspected ringworm? I know that I’ll have to wash up after going in to take care of him. Also, assuming he is between 8-12 weeks old, what type of feeding schedule should I have him on? I’ll free feed dry – but how often should I feed him wet kitten food? How much should I feed at a setting?

I set up his litter box with Swheat Scoop – so that should not be a problem. We also got some toys for him – but, we’ll not let those toys out of the room if he has ringworm. We’ll dispose of them.

Also, looking ahead, assuming the worst and it is ringworm, how do I disinfect the bedroom. It has a carpeted floor. I’m assuming it will be best to keep sheets, etc on the bed for now – will it be easier to clean the bedding than the mattress itself?

I’ll post more tomorrow, along with some pictures.

Mark


PS: I talked with my co-worker earlier today. If the kitten does have ringworm, she will not be able to take him in. She has two small children - 2 and 4 - and ringworm in a house with kids is not a good thing.

I am glad the little guy is safe and sound with you now, getting lots of good food.

Quote:

Also, assuming he is between 8-12 weeks old, what type of feeding schedule should I have him on? I’ll free feed dry – but how often should I feed him wet kitten food? How much should I feed at a setting?

It would be good if you could serve wet food three times a day, but if not, then twice a day will have to do. I'd offer 1 ounce at a sitting, since you also free feed dry. If the kitten gobbles it all up and seems to want more, (as indicated by licking the plate cleaner than it's ever been and sniffing around it for any dropped bits) then I'd add a little bit more.

I hope he doesn't have ringworm, but it is a possibility. For carpets, vacuum a LOT. The spores will be on infected shed hairs.

Quote:

I’m assuming it will be best to keep sheets, etc on the bed for now – will it be easier to clean the bedding than the mattress itself?

Oh yes, indeed! Keep sheets on so you can toss them in the washer. Also wash any fabric items you can that the kitten had contact with, such as a pet bed.

I'd make a cozy "nest" bed out of a cardboard box with a thickness of old towels for bedding. If you make so the kitten likes it and uses it, that will help limit the areas the kitten will lie on. Then, if it is found to be ringworm, you can just throw the box away, and the towels (but I'd wash them first to help stop the spread of spores).

I'd also put a towel or old small blanket or sweat shirt on the bed for the kitten to lie on. Cats seem to prefer to lie on an item on a bed, it one is on it. That will then help keep the spores more confined to one smaller spot. But you'd still have wash the sheets.

I never had a cat with ringworm, thank goodness. But here is info on dealing with ringworm. One is info for breeders, who really need to get things cleaned up!

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Quote:

If the kitten does have ringworm, she will not be able to take him in. She has two small children - 2 and 4 - and ringworm in a house with kids is not a good thing.

No, ringworm in a house with kids is not good. But neither is a small kitten in house with small children. They get too rough with animals, and can easily hurt a small kitten when hugging it too hard or picking it up wrong. They tend to treat animals like stuffed toys. Plus, one kitten alone is not good for the kitten.

So I think you will need to keep the little guy.