Kitten Turned up in Garden - advice needed

[MyAngels]

Hi wise people

Yesterday a hungry ktten arrived in our back garden, DH gave it some milk, and lo and behold it doesn't want to go away! This isn't really a problem - we'd like to adopt it if it hasn't anywhere else to go, but I'm not sure what to do with it (I never had a pet larger than a hamster as a child, so am a bit clueless!)

She (we think its a she - no obvious male bits(!?)) has fleas I reckon, so haven't let her in the house. She is pretty friendly with me and the kids, purrs a fair amount and is definitely hanging around.

She looks like a mix of the ginger cat and tabby cat I have been shooing out of my garden since we moved here 6 months ago, but this is the first time I've seen her - she's not a tiny kitten, but no idea how old.

What should I do? Take her to the vets to check for a chip/get flea treatment (any other treatment?) How do I best transport her there? (bearing in mind I don't want to spend too much money in case she belongs to someone nearby we don't end up keeping her).

Anything else I need to know?

Yours, clueless about cats, but keen to do the best I can..

xx

Yes to taking her to the vets for check up, cardboard box and old towels fine.
Being as its Sunday ring local rescues and ask if anyone has reported a kitten missing. I was advised by cats protection when posting online not to add a pic of cat we'd found but let people who contacted us send one so we could compare.

Good luck - sparkings going to be green with

Flea treatment and wormer probably. Also if you do keep her, like I did my stray I managed to negotiate with RSPCA reduced nuetering fees as they didn't have to take her off me.

You named her yet?

This is getting beyond a joke. When's my kitten coming?

I am glad it found you Angels and not the water chucking people.

I've just thought, dont use the bob martin stuff.

My colleagues kitten nearly died after having a bob martin flea collar put on her, it was only a quirk of fate that meant she went home for lunch and found her in time.

When you've got the fleas sorted make sure you keep her in until she's neutered, one cat can become 6 very quickly. She's probably old enough to mate by now if you've been seeing her for 6 months.

Well done for keeping her, lots wouldnt have bothered. You'll have a very loyal cat after all this.

Can we have a look at a picture? Please?

Yes pictures please.

Cardboard box and old towels, vet check asap, saucers for food and water, kitten food.

I let my flea bag gorgeous cat in straight away but he was treated straight away for some reason I've never suffered an infestation, touch wood

Can you confine her to the kitchen at all? or a porch?

Hopefully you'll get to keep her, she sounds lovely. Mine was overly affectionate to start with but is gaining trust now and has chilled a bit. Cat behaviour books might help

Hi

Thanks for the messages - I'll call the vet first thing and sort out the best flea treatment. How long does it take to work? At the moment the poor thing is looking at me through our garden room window, begging me to let her in!

Haven't wanted to name her properly until we know that we are keeping her - although have looked at another kitten naming thread and am taken with Hera - I wanted to call DS that if he was a girl! DH suggested Jingles - honestly!

Too dark for photos at the moment, but will see what tomorrow brings...

x

Ah right - so you have named her !

Aw she's suckered you let her in

How fleay is she? are they obvious or is she overly scratchy? we saw one live one and none came off using a plastic nit/flea comb, he stopped scratching about 2 days after the treatment.

If you have a nit comb you could try and groom out the bigger ones to see how bad it is.

Yes, we are all rather taken with her, but still wondering if she belongs to someone...

I saw one live flea, and she was pretty scratchy yesterday.

We've just suffered a big nit infestation here, so yes, I do have a comb, and I'm probably super sensitive about the fleas as a result!

I'm slightly hysterically anti flea/nits.

I took mine in on the assumption that he needed food and shelter, didn't name him for a week or so, put up posters/contacted vets/rescues etc and told myself he was a guest for a week. If someone is missing her they'll appreciate her not being left at risk of car accidents etc.

The only problem is if no one claims her, then you are fully responsible for her

I was wondering if the big cats have had a litter outside somewhere? Ask around the neighbourhood

Get the vet to do the flea treatment - they take them in a back room and they come back a bit soggy but it is virtually instant. If she has no chip then she is yours.

And get any treatment done today. Having her inside will save you waking up in the night worrying about her. (Bet you did last night!)

The Kitty Stork seems to be doing brisk business at the moment.

Yay! More babies

Twinkie is a nice name.

No business round these parts Suocera.

Want me to post you Lilly ?

She is driving me up the wall this morning. Tap dancing on my head, standing in her poo and running accross the room before I can catch...leaving a nice brown paw trail behind her, trying to scale the radiator to get to the (formerly) open window, and and going Vampire Kitty on DH's beard

She is lucky she is well cute.

don't worry, The Kitty Stork will come just when you expect it the least. I thought I was done what with 7 cats and all and then there was a phonecall blackmailing me into taking on another foundling.

But that is it now. Absolutly NO MORE KITTENS!

I mean it !!

I think Sparkling Cat is scaring them away.

V cute picture-your DH seems to be quite accepting of being attacked.

Hi

I called the vet (which is at the end of my road), who tell me noone has reported a cat matching the description missing and so will go out later and knock on doors and ask about a bit.

No sign of the cat since the kids left for school, so may be back home, or enjoying free hospitality at someone elses house!

She may be out hunting or just strutting around. They usually do in the morning.

Hi all

So back from the vets and the upshot is

• no chip
• girl cat
• definitely has fleas

Advice from them

• probably does belong to someone(or has once)
• don't feed it
• don't let it in due to the fleas.

I now feel totally awful, as poor cat is thin and flea ridden, no collar - so either very lost, uncared for or abandoned, and now we have to abandon it again. I have left details at both vets in town and asked around neighbours who were in and have cats.

I have put a collar on it with one of those ID wotsits with our phone number in, so if it is going home, hopefully someone will ring to let us know it does belong somewhere.

Vets wouldn't de-flea it as "its not your cat", but will probably go to pet shop and buy some tomorrow.

Feel awful - yes, cat has completely suckered me...just wish I knew for sure where she came from...

So the vets advice is to abandon it again?

Thats disgusting.

So your just meant to abandon it? I wouldnt. I'd have the frontline on order and the cat in the kitchen.

No, I wouldnt just let an animal out who is clearly either owner less or being neglected.

I'm cross at the vet btw not you.

We got our ginger boy because he had owners but they had been banned by the rspca from having pets and the dog they had was biting him and leaving wounds. We gave him a happy few years before he died of age.

I agree Fluffy. Plus find a new vet?

I agree - that's dreadful. If she had local owners, they can't want her that much or she wouldn't be flea ridden/ starving and minus any sort of flyers round the neighbourhood to say there's a cat missing. I know that if I had a cat missing, I'd be going berserk with worry and out at all hours looking.

Do what your heart tells you. (Can the garden room you mentioned be shut off from the rest of the house?)

And yes Sparkling. Find a new vet.