I've found a newborn kitten in Lara Beach Turkey. What should I do?

[whatisdrowsybutawake]

Hi, posting here as I've tried every other avenue with no luck. This morning I found a newborn kitten outside our hotel in Lara Beach. It still has the cord attached to its belly so can't be more than a day old? Mother was nowhere to be seen, hotel staff looked everywhere and couldn't find her. We left kitten where we found it for ages but nothing. There were four other mother cats in the nearby area and we tried to merge kitten with those families but no joy, mothers rejected and hissed.

I took kitten to my hotel room and have fed it baby milk (I know not ideal but tried supermarket and there is no kitten milk). Couldn't find any condensed milk etc either as I've heard you can mix that up in an emergency. It's drinking and peeing as normal.

We leave tomorrow night, the local vet will not help as they can't commit to looking after a kitten so small. Reception unhelpful too. I've reached out to local groups on fb and nothing.

I don't suppose there are any mumsnetters in the area who would like to take the kitten when I leave? I'm honestly considering putting in my cardigan pocket and bringing back to UK but I know there's a hefty fine attached to that option if caught.. On hol with husband and 2 toddlers but managing to keep regularly feeding kitten, feels like having a newborn!

Picture below of course!

Is there any chance you take take him home with you?

Oh just read your update.:(

The kitten died.

What? The remains of a dead cat?

That's fucking bonkers.

Oh, what a shame

The fact that you’ve described a perfectly normal looking newborn kitten as ‘mangy’ just because it’s a stray suggests to me that you probably don’t love cats very much. You might love your cats, but that’s not the same thing.

I was really sorry to see your update, OP. I would have done exactly the same as you and done everything I could to get it somewhere safe. Unfortunately if the poor thing had made it through the night I think the only humane option would have been to have it PTS, as you couldn’t find anyone to take it, so this was probably the best way.

Hope you’re OK 💐

I'm so sorry to hear that OP 😥.
I don't know if it will help, but the mother probably abandoned it because she knew it wasn't going to make it - it's not anything you did or didn't do.

Some of the replies of this thread show a great empathy and it’s nice to know there are other people out there that can spread their compassion beyond humans, including yourself, so I thank you for that. I think it makes the world a much better place.

RIP to the kitten and well done for trying your best ❤️

I adore cats, but I am horrified at the number of posters saying they'd attempt to bring back to the UK!

"I'm really sorry to update but it's not a happy ending. I spoke to security who said they looked for the mother but she was nowhere to be found, and the kitten didn't make it through the night."

Well, there's a surprise. 🙄

Im sorry Op, but I don't think there was ever going to be a happy ending.

Sorry to read the update but well done OP on all that you did.

You really should have left it where it was and let nature take its course. They clearly have a cat problem at the hotel.
No one else is going to take over looking after it when you leave.

It's dead.

Sorry to hear that, op. You did what you could.

Neither would a cull of moronic humans!

You're a kind soul OP - but your update isn't any surprise and I still think you did the wrong thing from the outset.

As PP suggest, please make sure you get a jab to protect yourself.

That’s what the vets said about the cat we rescued, he’s now a happy, healthy, 3 year old cat, you would have never known he was malnourished, dehydrated and had hypothermia and was unconscious when found. He was named the miracle cat by the veterinary staff.
Life is precious.

I'm sorry OP that it wasn't a happy ending. Maybe it had health issues that the mother was aware of- hence the abandonment.

As someone else posted- if you were licked, scratched or bitten by it or any other cats/animals abroad- please see your GP for rabies vaccines. Its amazing how many people are bitten or scratched by cats in Turkey and require post exposure vaccination!

Aw how sad.
you are a very nice person to have looked after him like you did.

I'm so sorry. I would be very upset too.

This thread is one way to add to the reasons I won't be holidaying in turkey! Hotels with cat houses next to the pool for rabies ridden strays 🤮

As if anyone thought the security guards were out looking for it's mother 🤪 they just needed to make sure you didn't keep bringing it into the hotel! Or worse, shove it in your bra and try to smuggle it onto a plane. Ridiculous.

You need to go and get a shot OP and for your toddlers, I bet they've touched it too.

@whatisdrowsybutawake poor little kitten. It was ovely you tried to save it. I remember my first cat, it was a stray and she was pregnant. She had four kittens. Two died. Two survived, we kept one and gave one away.

Oh do shut up!

What an unpleasant post.

Of course OP wasn't really going to try to smuggle anything through customs. It would be foolish, and futile, to attempt.

I know someone that did that! It ended with the police, a huge fee for quarantine (£££) and a very traumatized cat that couldn't live in a house afterwards as used to a street life.