Current Events > Someone left some kittens near our house and I have no idea what to do.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://imgur.com/a/tUuuD9W

We managed to catch one, but we can't find the other after it ran from us earlier.

They're very young, and the one we caught was starving as well as roaming near a busy road. Taking it in was all I could think to do.

None of our awake neighbors knew where they came from, and it's too late to call anyone (animal control is the only number I could find and they close at 4:30, and I'm not sure what they'd do with the kittens anyway).

I don't really know what to do now. I feel horrible for splitting the kittens up but they're far too young to be wandering around and the one we caught ate a lot once we offered it food, so they're clearly hungry.

The best I can think of is to keep the one we found for now, and look for the other, and look into who I can call tomorrow. I feel genuinely terrible splitting the little kittens up.
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awwww youre awesome
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more pix
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1. Find second kitten
2. Adopt both
3. ????
4. New bigger happier family
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You werent suppose to touch it. Now the mother wont take it back
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HeyPuff posted...

You werent suppose to touch it. Now the mother wont take it back

i wouldn't even matter anymore. the younger the kittens are. the easier they can be domesticated toward people (makes em less feral) though the only 2 options i can give is either to adopt the cats yourself or bring them to a no kill shelter.
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If you call animal control, they will set traps and take it your local shelter. You could do that on your own but if ya dont wanna do it yourself theyre an option.

Also please make sure they arent taken to a kill shelter.
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Riosiogo posted...

more pix

It's asleep for now. I'll get some tomorrow if I can.

ThePrinceFish posted...

1. Find second kitten
2. Adopt both
3. ????
4. New bigger happier family

Sadly, my parents won't go for it. I'm down for it, but we have two dogs and a cat and my parents said there's no way we can keep the kitten (or kittens if I can find the second, but no luck thus far).

HeyPuff posted...

You werent suppose to touch it. Now the mother wont take it back

I'm 95% sure the mother isn't around. I've searched the whole neighborhood and only found the two kittens. Based on their age, I think someone may have been giving the kittens away and/or selling them, had two left over, and just dumped them off somewhere. They were initially hiding in a bush, and I searched everywhere around it and only found those two, and then were later roaming around near the road.

Both were loudly meowing in distress, too, and as close to the road as they were getting, I felt like it was time to step in. I had initially just left some food and water out there for them, but I'm pretty positive that they were abandoned.
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SSJCAT posted...

If you call animal control, they will set traps and take it your local shelter. You could do that on your own but if ya dont wanna do it yourself theyre an option.

Also please make sure they arent taken to a kill shelter.

Absolutely. Anywhere I take it (or them if I can find the other, but no luck thus far), I'd want to be sure they'd take care of it/them and give it/them a good home. I couldn't live with the prospect of them being put down.
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HeyPuff posted...

You werent suppose to touch it. Now the mother wont take it back

That's literally not a thing.
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I sadly may have to give up searching for the second one. It's past midnight now and I've searched the whole neighborhood with a flashlight a few times over, with no sign of it in the last two hours.

I feel really uneasy leaving the other kitten on its own like that, especially near the busy road like we are, but I don't think there's anything I can do at this stage. I'll keep looking in the morning.
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the thought of that second kitten makes me sad. I hope it will be ok

More pics. It's warmed up to us pretty quickly and actually fell asleep in my arms a few minutes after those pics were taken.

Still nothing on the second cat. I searched a few more times last night and as soon as I got up today, but no sign of it thus far.
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Congrats new cat owner!
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make some kitten pot pie.
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dotsdfe posted...

Still nothing on the second cat. I searched a few more times last night and as soon as I got up today, but no sign of it thus far.

:(

Perhaps the reason that you can't find it is that another family found it and gave it shelter for the night.
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Zikten posted...

the thought of that second kitten makes me sad. I hope it will be ok

Same
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KILBOTz posted...

make some kitten pot pie.

I was going to suggest a stew, but this works too. Make sure to fatten him up first TC.
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call animal control
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To be honest, either someone found it or it got eaten :(.

You can set up a little shelter and see if it will go in it but there's no certainty either way. Just try and feel good that you did.
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mail him to me, I'll keep him in my desk drawer and name him something adorable

Aww you gotta keep him. It was fate. Destiny. He now sees you as his mother. Your parents would be monsters to deny him your love.
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ShotgunSilencer posted...

Aww you gotta keep him. It was fate. Destiny. He now sees you as his mother. Your parents would be monsters to deny him your love.

if he had the room i bet he would keep it. having the set up like he does is alot. rather give good quality of life to all than not giving the best.

only have the income barely enough to keep a dog alive.
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Yeah, unfortunately, I don't think that we'll be able to keep it. We have two dogs and a cat already, and it's already pretty much at capacity here. I'd be down to try another, but my mom seems fairly against it.

None of the shelters in town seem to be no-kill (wtf), so if we take it to a shelter, it's going to have to be one in another town later in the week. My sister has also expressed interest in adopting it, if her husband says it's okay.

Either way, I won't give it up unless I'm certain that it's going to be okay and be given to either a home that would love it, or a shelter that would care for it.
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i would try for the sister option. cat's aren't hard to take care of at all. definitely easier than dogs.

guess the only thing would be cleaning the litter box every few days. even better maybe you might be able to see the cat as it grows up provided you are able to visit.
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Cats are decorations that poop and vomit. A little messy but out of the way usually.
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Ki_cat_ posted...

Cats are decorations that poop and vomit. A little messy but out of the way usually.

in my final days i had to witness my cat getting sicker and sicker. there was nothing i could do even the cancer progressed too much to do anything except to end her suffering by bringing her to be put to sleep at the vet.
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It is sad to see a pet get sick. It's good as a pet owner to recognize red flags.

White foamy vomit? Could be a lot of things but it's nothing usually. Still somewhat common.

Hairball.

And finally, might be a food allergy or their body rejecting the protein.
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Yes, be careful with strays. They could have a number of parasites and or viruses.

Try to keep it in a room that you can clean lots until a vet can examine and test it.
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SpinKirby posted...

HeyPuff posted...

You werent suppose to touch it. Now the mother wont take it back

That's literally not a thing.

thank god someone mentioned early, dont spready actual bull fucking shit.
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I thought it was a joke. Only birds and a few other wild animals are strictly no touch as babies.
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Could make chilli.
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Asherlee10 posted...

Please keep the kitten isolated in your house from the rest of your pets. Looks like she/he has an eye infection which could spread to your cat. Be sure to wash everything well and wash your hands often after handling the kitten.

The kitten needs to get vet treatment soon or get it to a rescue place as soon as possible.

Ki_cat_ posted...

Yes, be careful with strays. They could have a number of parasites and or viruses.

Try to keep it in a room that you can clean lots until a vet can examine and test it.

Yeah, we've been keeping it isolated for the time being. I know it wants to roam around and stuff, but yeah, best not to for the time being.

Not sure when we'll be able to get a vet appointment, though. My work schedule is really erratic and my mom is busy with her own work + is visiting my grandpa and helping with him as he undergoes chemo in the meantime. My dad works full time and is rarely home, so...It's going to be difficult to find a chance to get it to a vet, but we definitely need to.

Small update on the second kitten, my dad thought he saw it roaming around a ways away from here. I went to look but couldn't find it. It's possible that it's just hiding, though. At least there's hope. I've been really worried about the other one.
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CommonJoe posted...

Could make chilli.

stagg brand is best but it's never on sale.
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Go to Lowes and buy a safe trap. Set the trap out to catch the other kitten, then take the trap back for a refund.
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Asherlee10 posted...

Ki_cat_ posted...

I thought it was a joke. Only birds and a few other wild animals are strictly no touch as babies.

That is also not true. You've just heard that from someone and assumed it's true.

Yeah, there was a bird nest on my outside light a few years ago and I reached up into it and felt eggs. They were not abandoned afaik. The shells were broken when I checked again in the fall and there was no evidence to suggest anything other than they hatched and the baby birds had flown off when they were able.
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Well, my parents evidently had the kitten out and roaming around with the other animals while I was asleep. I'm definitely concerned about that, since we haven't had time to take it to the vet.

Apparently our cat hates it and was hissing at it. I'm hoping it isn't sick or anything, but it's seemed relatively healthy thus far at the very least. The only big issue is that it seems to have a limp in one of its back legs. My parents think that it may have been abused or possibly just physically thrown from a car by someone trying to get rid of them. I don't know about that really.

It's a very nice kitten either way. Within 24 hours, it had already basically gotten used to us. I was petting it late last night and it started purring at me right away.

No luck on finding it a home yet either. My sister really wanted to adopt it but her husband gave a flat-out "not happening" without even considering it.
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You might just have to foster it until you can give it somewhere. Make sure to educate your family about possible viruses and stuff. A lot of the time it won't seem bad until it worsens and then you get a fat vet bill.
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Kitten seems to be recovering well. It's doing good with eating food, but we also got it some supplemental cat milk too just in case. It seems to really like it.

It's actually noticeably more active today. It hadn't been lethargic or anything, but it had just been walking around and stuff more than anything prior to today. Today, it was running around, and actually climbed most of the way up my couch when I had it out for a bit earlier. It definitely seems to be feeling quite a bit better.

Unfortunately, it's still quite scrawny. We got that milk because it's still very thin. When we found it, it was virtually skin-and-bones, and you could feel its spine pretty clearly just from petting it. I think it has gained weight since then, but it's still thin. But at the very least, it's eating a decent bit, seems to be healthy enough in terms of waste (IE, solid enough, and no worms), and seems to be regaining its strength. I'm hoping we're getting closer to being in the clear in terms of its immediate health.

I may be able to take it to the vet tomorrow. I've got an hour off of work in the middle of the day when I may be able to take it in if I can get an appointment. I'd really like it to at least get checked up on, but the timing is a bit tight.
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Take food and treats with you when searching for the other kitten, and pit food in the safe trap so it is more likely to go for it.

Also call me an asshole but I would call out or say you cant come in for work one day just to get the thing to the vets. There is no telling if it is sick or has a health problem until checked out by a vet, an animal is more important then one day of work.

@dotsdfe
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Put them in a cardboard box.
Drive 5 - 10 miles away
Let them out of the box.
Go back home.
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Aw it looks just like my cat did when i got him
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@Esrac

I hope someone does that to you one day.
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If you're going to keep them you should have a vet check them out to make sure they're not infected. If you're at capacity I would rec giving them to a shelter that you've made sure won't put them down.
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RiKuToTheMiGhtY posted...

@Esrac

I hope someone does that to you one day.

I have no love for cats.

Besides, they're already pretty well equipped to survive without human attention.
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RiKuToTheMiGhtY posted...

Take food and treats with you when searching for the other kitten, and pit food in the safe trap so it is more likely to go for it.

Also call me an asshole but I would call out or say you cant come in for work one day just to get the thing to the vets. There is no telling if it is sick or has a health problem until checked out by a vet, an animal is more important then one day of work.

@dotsdfe

You're not wrong.

If I'm being totally honest, I'm a bit intimidated to do it alone. The vet is across town and while I have my license and a car, I almost never drive very far, so I've been kind of hoping that my mom will get a day off and can do it. It doesn't help that my work schedule tends to be all over the place. I can't deny that I should do it when I can, though. I'm just very anxious about it.

I'll say this though, the kitten has bounced back really hard. It seemed a bit weaker the last few days, but it's climbing, playing, and running. It's like night and day since we got it. I think that food, rest, and the supplemental milk have all helped a lot.

It's also looking like we're going to keep it. My parents have been discussing it more actively, and I think they're getting attached too. The kitten had climbed onto a couch and was playing on it, when my dad sat down on another. It hopped to the other couch and laid down on him, and was playing with him and purring the whole time. He seems to really like it and I think my mom does too, so I feel like things are going in the direction of us keeping it.

We'll see what happens, but as sad as it is to say, I think I'm already getting attached to it. It's a very good-natured cat and is very very cute.
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People drop them around here too but nobody likes cats, they like their dogs.
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