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Original poster

Help? I've acquired a very young kitten?

962 replies

softplayfail · 20/10/2022 16:21

We've had a female cat visiting in the garden for about 7 months. We actually thought she belonged to someone but we discovered she had no home and was a stray. We were planning on catching her a couple of months ago but she disappeared. Anyway she reappeared and had a litter in my garden. Well I say litter. One kitten. Numerous attempts to catch her have all failed. She was happy to take food from anyone but would never let us touch her

Mum cat was found dead on the side of the road this morning. I feel so guilty as it is.

Anyway I've got the kitten inside. It's pissing it down. He's soaked. At a guess I'd say he's at most 6 weeks. He's been eating the food we've left for mum. He fits in the palm of my hand. I know nothing about cats really. Especially one this small

So I've booked him into the vets tomorrow. Earliest appointment

I have a 2 year old and a husband in bed from an appendicitis emergency.
So I'm on my own really

So questions
What do I do?
What do I feed him?
I've dried him with a towel and he's now all fuzzy but he's screaming murder

My 2 year old won't leave him alone but I can't split them cos she can't be left alone and he's like a tiny little thing. Any suggestions? Could I put him in a box for now? Just so he can sleep without being poked

Ok I don't know what to do.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
73
RoachTheHorse · 26/10/2022 17:47

We once woke in the middle of the night to our cat dangling from the picture rail by his two front paws. He was absolutely barmy

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 12:34

🤣 these are hilarious

My friends cat destroys blinds at night in attempt to look out the window so they're not cat-proof either!

Not a cat but I like this story www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a35251213/limping-lurcher-copying-owner-viral/

TheMadGardener · 26/10/2022 12:12

When my current tortie diva cat was a kitten she learned that she could jump from halfway up the bannisters to the top of the kitchen door. Then she'd teeter on the top of the kitchen door and scream until rescued. Repeatedly. She also learned how to climb up bookshelves. That was also when we learned to always keep the toilet seat down so she would stop jumping into the toilet.

We took her to stay at my MIL's house when she was about 3 months. She worked how to unclip the base panel of MIL's fitted kitchen cupboards so that she could crawl underneath them.

Good luck with the teenage kitten stage OP! Hope Peppa recovers from his bruises soon. Then he'll probably do it again...

Papergirl1968 · 26/10/2022 12:10

Poor Peppa!
We had a kitten that would run full pelt down the hall, use his little needle claws to climb whoever was washing up at the sink, and appear on their shoulder. It was agony!

Soubriquet · 26/10/2022 12:03

I remember when I was a kid and we had kittens, my mum had these thick velvet curtains in the living room.

The amount of times we had to climb on the back of the sofa to rescue them was ridiculous.

Their pitiful little mews broke your heart.

Then the fuckers would do it all over again.

She got rid of the curtains and put in blinds

ZandathePanda · 26/10/2022 11:39

Ahh I remember the hessian wallpaper of the 70s. Wish we had video back then. That really was like Spider-Man with our old kitten.
Btw OP the needle-like kitten claws don’t stay like that forever.

PeloFondo · 26/10/2022 11:26

They are clumsy chaos demons
Mine had a sore front leg so I took him to the vet
Me "walk for the nice vet"
Nope. He sat himself down and refused to move Confused so we went home
30 mins after arriving home I hear howling so I go to check, only to find him dangling upside down from his back leg, with his claw stuck in the radiator
Vet "oh yes they do that, with kitchen drawer handles too"

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 11:22

@ChaosDemon that's hilarious! I knew one that climbed the wallpaper

ChaosDemon · 26/10/2022 11:20

ZandathePanda · 26/10/2022 10:17

If he is only about 6 weeks, you have the ‘Spider-Man’ phase to look forward to in about three weeks. It usually involves climbing any curtains that trail on the floor, then balancing precariously along the curtain pole meowing pitifully until you get a chair out. Then shimmying down the curtains once you are on the chair. It only lasts a couple of weeks.

Mine did this, but would get halfway up the curtains, get tangled in them, panic, and let out the most noxious silent farts to get our attention so we would rescue her...

We also had kittens when I was growing up who would climb up your legs when you were sitting at the kitchen table. There was no warning, you'd just randomly get 'chosen'. Normally when you had a mouthful of breakfast and were rushing to catch the bus to school, but no, now you had to change your shredded trousers/tights...

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 11:16

ZandathePanda · 26/10/2022 10:17

If he is only about 6 weeks, you have the ‘Spider-Man’ phase to look forward to in about three weeks. It usually involves climbing any curtains that trail on the floor, then balancing precariously along the curtain pole meowing pitifully until you get a chair out. Then shimmying down the curtains once you are on the chair. It only lasts a couple of weeks.

My favourite is when they climb up you lol

Toddlerteaplease · 26/10/2022 10:35

Poor Peppa, get well soon.

ZandathePanda · 26/10/2022 10:17

If he is only about 6 weeks, you have the ‘Spider-Man’ phase to look forward to in about three weeks. It usually involves climbing any curtains that trail on the floor, then balancing precariously along the curtain pole meowing pitifully until you get a chair out. Then shimmying down the curtains once you are on the chair. It only lasts a couple of weeks.

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 09:52

Oh no, you're really having a baptism of fire as a cat owner! V pleased he's OK- poor mite. Its always horrible when they're ill or hurt but he's still quite bouncy so should recover quickly.

vodkaredbullgirl · 26/10/2022 09:49

softplayfail · 26/10/2022 09:40

Not sure who was more upset. Me or him. Text to my husband at 10 pm was 'I am a horrible cat owner, he is broken!'

Don't worry accidents happen. My lab when we just got him, followed my other dog jumping off a 1 foot wall. He yelped and was limping, took him to emergency vets. He was okay after an injection, got insurance the next day. Good job I did as when he was a year old, he had to have an op on his leg to have a benign tumour. Cost £500 and he had to go back again as he took some of his stitches out.

MidnightConstellation · 26/10/2022 09:47

Remember, cats have nine lives!

Original poster
softplayfail · 26/10/2022 09:40

Not sure who was more upset. Me or him. Text to my husband at 10 pm was 'I am a horrible cat owner, he is broken!'

OP posts:
Fuckallthetories · 26/10/2022 09:02

op, you have to write a book called peppa gets in a pickle. Grin

ShakeYourFeathers · 26/10/2022 09:00

Awwww! Hope he feels better soon, that sounds like a very traumatic experience

Fuckallthetories · 26/10/2022 08:56

Awww bless. Feel better soon xx

vodkaredbullgirl · 26/10/2022 08:45

Aww bless him, good job you got insurance.

Original poster
softplayfail · 26/10/2022 08:42

So we ended up at the emergency vets last night. 😐
Peppa decided it was the master plan to climb up the stairs which he conquered very well. And then he decided to go down them and tripped over his feet and went tumbling down.
He cried. He was limping so we went to the emergency vets. Whoever suggested pet insurance is a lifesaver. He got 4 weeks free with pet plan and it kicked in immediately.
He's not broken anything thankfully. Just bruised and sore. In the dog crate today recovering.

OP posts:
Fuckallthetories · 26/10/2022 08:06

Settled in now isn’t he? Bet you can’t get anything done with him about!

ThaliaLuxurySpa · 25/10/2022 20:58

Oh, Peppa, you grow ever more beautiful!

Thanks for the updates, OP.
He's clearly thriving under your loving care and attention.

Hope your daughter got on ok at the dentist, and that your DH is recovering well from his op?

EmmaH2022 · 25/10/2022 16:23

softplayfail · 25/10/2022 15:47

@EmmaH2022 i will do one when home. I'm just convincing my daughter to go to the dentist

Thank you 😍

LeMoo · 25/10/2022 16:13

softplayfail · 25/10/2022 15:17

Peppa update

He looks so much bigger there, does he still fit in your hand?

Glad he's liking the crate :) Not to sound patronising but if you're a cat novice do you know that their hind quarters always need to be supported when picking up? Picking up under arms like a child is uncomfortable for them.

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