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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Kitten Turned up in Garden - advice needed

53 replies

MyAngels · 09/09/2012 11:07

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..

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 18:28

Plus cozie no microchip so not great owners. I assume she hasn't been spayed? I hope she isn't pregnant or about to be......

doblet · 10/09/2012 18:34

I knew a cat called Jingles! Named by a 3 year old

cozietoesie · 10/09/2012 18:35

Oh Lordy. She could well be if not spayed.

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 18:42

Can a vet tell if they have been spayed?

Original poster

MyAngels · 10/09/2012 18:45

Yes - essentially the vets view was to abandon her again, let her go hungry and suffer her flea affliction - then she'll " go home" .

She is currently finishing her tea on my patio [f**k the vet emoticon]

Yes, the garden room can be isolated (the kitchen can't), but it has a large sofa in it (whose covers I have lovingly washed yesterday). Is it bound to get flea infested? How long does Frontline take?

Thanks for the support

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 18:53

Hungry and possibly pregnant?

mollymole · 10/09/2012 18:59

You can Frontline from some chemists, or on line, or justwalk into a different vets to buy it.

The vet bastard you took her to needs reporting.

Feed her kitten food, give her water to drink and a good spray of frontline.

If you can't/won't take her inside until the fleas have gone can you put her a
dry box out lined with some old towels in a sheltered spot.

Fluffycloudland77 · 10/09/2012 19:17

So glad I'm not the only one who thinks like this.

I picked 6 fleas off our cat months ago and I've had no infestation despite not using advocate for another 2 months in the summer.

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 19:18

We use Advocate and have had no problems but it's from the vets only.

ratbagcatbag · 10/09/2012 19:42

Get a different vets, mine happily deflead and wormed my stray after one day of her turning up, even though I was looking for her owner.

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 19:43

I can't believe a vet would send an animal away with fleas and not treat it.

cozietoesie · 10/09/2012 19:49

If you can't get Advocate, just get some Frontline, OP. The spot on version is very easy to apply - you do it high on the back so that they can't reach it. If you get a flea treatment get one that goes for eggs as well like Frontline Combo.

You'll likely have to worm her as well. She may never have been treated and most kittens have intestinal parasites. I'd wait a week or two after fleat treatment before you worm her though - to avoid chemical overload on her system.

Any live ones should start dying off pretty quickly (get a nit comb and check0 but you might want to wait just a little before bringing her in - put out a box with towels as suggested above. I do realize what it's like when you get fleas inside a place.

cozietoesie · 10/09/2012 19:54

Some of them stand on their dignity Sparkling. (Not advising people what to do/helping 'just in case.....')

All the vets I've used in the past and currently have been pragmatic, caring people. They might well advise you, as they should, that treatment could cost you money you'll lose if the owner turns up and won't recompense you but that doesn't mean they won't treat immediately if there's a clear need.

Safe to say, OP, that if she ends up as your cat - find another vet. Personally, I wouldn't fancy taking an elderly or sick but treatable animal to that one.

Original poster

MyAngels · 10/09/2012 19:54

To be fair to vets as a profession, I don't think the cat saw a vet, just a nurse in the cat ward of the large vet practice at the end of our road. And the receptionist did point us towards our local Pets at Home as we were leaving, which sells flea treatments..., but yes, their view was - its not your cat, it will go home, you'll have to be a bit hard.

I was quite surprised, I thought they'd care a bit more for the animal..

OP posts:

AmbrosiaCreamedMice · 10/09/2012 19:54

Get one of the spot-on flea treatments and make her a little bed in the garden. Poor wee thing. What a shit vet. (Also, don't give her milk - it's a myth.)

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 19:56

Does your Pets at Home have a vets? Ours does called Companion Care-I take Sparkling Cat there and they have always been fab.

VintageEbonyGold · 10/09/2012 20:01

Tea tree oil diluted in water, in a plant mister and spray everything fabric. Use vinegar to wash non fabric surfaces.

And change vets.

Small local pet shops are good for getting stuff in for you and usually have flea/worm stuff. Big pet shop for carrier as usually cheaper. Sometimes charity shops have cat stuff too.

If you don't have tea tree tonight, mix half vinegar any and water in a mister and spray all the fabrics. Nit comb her over an old towel, outside, then transfer inside.

cozietoesie · 10/09/2012 20:02

Well, OP, I've always found that the vet assistants take their steer on things from their vets. (Or they don't last long at the practice.)

VintageEbonyGold · 10/09/2012 20:09

Sparkling, is the pets at home vets good, slighlty biased against pets@home after dealing with their irresponsible pet selling years ago when the pet charity I worked for had a sudden influx of abandoned pets a few months after they opened. Sorry for derailing.

I have two local vets and both would do all they could to help.

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 20:15

I was a bit sceptical but they don't seem to have any attachment to PAH except being in the same building Vintage. I was attracted by their being open 7 days a week and later in the evenings.

So far so good, especially as Sparkling Cat likes to have incidents at the weekend.

VintageEbonyGold · 10/09/2012 20:27

Both mine are available 24/7 it just costs more outside of clinc hours and one is emergency only on a wednesday as they do horse operations then.

Vets attached to p@h not affiliated with sounds like a good idea though, annual vacs etc could be displayed so shoppers know the costs etc.

Sparklingbrook · 10/09/2012 20:29

They do have all the charges on boards behind the counter so you know what it's going to cost. I don't think it's any cheaper though. The parking is a big plus.

sunflowerseeds · 10/09/2012 20:30

Sparkling, you don't have to wait for a kitten to be left on your doorstep, all the rescue places have kitties desperate for homes. Surely Sparkling Cat would accept another in time?
OP, a sports bag is good for transporting cats. Don't leave it open a bit or cat could push its way out.

Fluffycloudland77 · 10/09/2012 21:03

I've used companion vets too on Sunday whe the cats decided to liven up the weekend for me.

No problems with them.

Original poster

MyAngels · 11/09/2012 18:34

Hi, just wanted to update you..

I took your advice and took her to a different vet this afternoon (which had a much better vibe) She is now all checked out and had advocate flea treatment. He thinks she is about 8 months old from the look of her teeth, so if we are keeping her (which we are if no one claims her), spaying is high on the agenda (the vet couldn't see any evidence of her being done already)..

And on the naming front, the winner appears to be Molly, but I can't quite bring myself to use it, just in case she doesn't stay. I hope she will be though.

But she'll be coming inside tomorrow evening...

OP posts:

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