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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
72
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.

Toddlerteaplease · 26/10/2022 10:35

Poor Peppa, get well soon.

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

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 11:22

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

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"

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.

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

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!

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...

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/

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

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 17:53

I hope Peppa is okay.

I have a question about the cat body language posted earlier. It shows a swishy tail as irritable, but neighbour's cat often sits on the windowsill with her tail swishing round the plant pot. She seems to like hanging out there and doesn't show any other signs of irritability. Could the guide be wrong?

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 17:54

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

too much TV, was he imitating a cartoon? 😂

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 18:35

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 17:53

I hope Peppa is okay.

I have a question about the cat body language posted earlier. It shows a swishy tail as irritable, but neighbour's cat often sits on the windowsill with her tail swishing round the plant pot. She seems to like hanging out there and doesn't show any other signs of irritability. Could the guide be wrong?

Just alert and watching strangers go buy. If their owner came up to stroke then they'd probably purr but in the meantime they're watching strangers and birds and dogs and other cats.

RoachTheHorse · 26/10/2022 18:43

@EmmaH2022 😝

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 18:51

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 18:35

Just alert and watching strangers go buy. If their owner came up to stroke then they'd probably purr but in the meantime they're watching strangers and birds and dogs and other cats.

Show quote history

thanks

to be clear, this is in our house, not her house, if that makes a difference. She will just sit there, swishing her tail round the plant, looking at us doing whatever we are doing.

Donepaying · 26/10/2022 18:57

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/

Yes I loved this too .. saw it on the news- dog limps along with dad and then went into a field with mum and was doing zombies 😂😂😂😂

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 19:03

@EmmaH2022 do you mean she swishes it from side to side constantly or just likes wrapping it around the plant pot?

The tempo of swish can be quite telling!

From what you've said, I'd guess she's just not entirely relaxed being in your home. Interested but might not appreciate being disturbed.

You sometimes see it when they're watching prey, it can be a sign of concentration almost.

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 19:21

LeMoo
i love your username!

she swishes it round the pot slowly, then back round her arse, then back to the plot. It would be like a human using a yo-yo while thinking about something. Mum often says "ooh she's got a lot on her mind today". If one of us goes to another room, she will jump off the sill and follow.

basically, when she comes by, she likes to know what we are doing at all times. If I go round the garden deadheading, she will sit and watch. Same with my sister, she tends to follow her a lot. She always sits on my sister's chair.

she followed mum into someone else's house the other day.

she's mum's neighbour's cat, I just say "neighbour" as I spend a lot of time there.

I have pneumonia so obviously have to keep away from mum and I miss the cat so much ☹️😳

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 19:22

*pot not plot!

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 19:33

@EmmaH2022 thank you :)
Sounds like you've got it sussed, she's interested and thinking

LeMoo · 26/10/2022 19:34

And sorry you have pneumonia :(

EmmaH2022 · 26/10/2022 20:44

Thanks LeMoo.

iloveeverykindofcat · 27/10/2022 13:16

He's looking great! We had exact same thing when one of mine was a baby. She had a fall on New Years Eve. Rushed her to emergency vet, £80 to walk in the door.

Her leg was bruised.

Both my cats are insured now. Kittens are generally quite....bendy though. And they heal fast.