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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.

Original poster

HELP! Garage have found a tiny KITTEN under my bonnet!

328 replies

timtam23 · 19/08/2013 10:39

Took car in for service this morning and garage phoned to say they'd lifted the bonnet & found a tiny tiny kitten...After recovering from the shock I walked over to pick it up & it's absolutely tiny - maybe 5 weeks? Eyes are open...All I've managed to establish so far is it's male - white with tabby patches - it's hungry and it's covered in fleas! We are a cat-loving household & have 2 very geriatric cats, hadn't bargained on a kitten at all but have to admit it's very cute. But I'm clueless about kittens - 18 years since I had one! Have given it a bit of chicken/ham food for adult cats, which it devoured, and phoned the vet, but what else should I do?

OP posts:
MexicanHat · 20/08/2013 13:34

Awww he is just gorgeous!!!!

NicholasTeakozy · 20/08/2013 13:47

Wow, he's gorgeous.

RabbitsarenotHares · 20/08/2013 16:13

He is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous!!!!! Any sign of his mother?

georgedawes · 20/08/2013 16:15

Such a cutie! How is he today?

MyBoysAreFab · 20/08/2013 19:03

If you don't keep him, I think there will be a MN bunfight over who gets custody. This may have to go into Relationships Smile

cozietoesie · 20/08/2013 19:11
Grin
Original poster
timtam23 · 20/08/2013 20:31

Thanks everyone Smile

Today's update - He was ok in the cat carrier overnight, cried a lot at first and I almost went down to him but he then fell asleep and slept all night - today he's been pottering around and fell asleep a lot on DS1 (who is distraught that we could even be THINKING of not keeping him). I also gave him a quick bath, the water was filthy afterwards and there were lots of dead fleas floating around Shock hopefully that's the last of them!

DH's input today was to get the old playpen out of the loft & make it into a Dudley-pen so that he can eat & sleep in there if he needs a bit of peace & quiet, & we can keep him in it at night with the carrier door open, rather than lock him into the very small cat carrier - also means that the older cats can potter around without meeting him in the night

Geriatric Cat #1 has just been in there scoffing the kitten food though!

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 20/08/2013 20:42

Could the bath have washed away flea killer which should have been there a little longer? (I simply don't know but another poster might.)

I applaud DH's industry. Unless the playpen also has a top, I think you're going to be talking chocolate teapot within a few days (if not immediately) - but it keeps him involved and happy.

The oldies eating his food is actually quite good. They'll be at a place that smells of him and feeling positive (food) thoughts about it.

Good progress.

Smile

PS - if the oldies are near their next flea treatment, I'd do it pretty soon. .

Original poster
timtam23 · 20/08/2013 20:44

Treated the oldies yesterday as soon as I saw the first flea jump!

Grumpiest old cat is sitting down here in the armchair looking at the kitten, which is great progress since yesterday.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 20/08/2013 20:48

It may be that his being so little and a tad subdued by his ordeal has helped. If they had been faced with a 12 week old, in fine fettle and torpedoing all over the place, it might have been a different story.

moonbells · 20/08/2013 22:54

Turn playpen upside down if it's one with a base... that ought to work!

edam · 20/08/2013 22:59

If you turn the playpen over, maybe you can make a few quid, like these people? Grin

Aprillisa · 21/08/2013 02:11

Oh Tim your story is a bit like mine-went to the vets with my dog for a checkup a few months ago and someone came in with a 6 wk old kitten they had just found on the roadside and I ended up bringing her home.Dh was never a cat lover but has really grown fond of this scallywag.She has wreaked havoc on the house,terrorises the poor dog,would climb through the eye of a needle and is a right handful but we wouldnt be without her and are really glad we took her in.My one looks quite like your Dudley actuallySmile.

SoupDragon · 21/08/2013 07:01

Holy crap - you bathed a cat?? Shock I can imagine FatCat's reaction if I tried that!

Dudley is so staying with you. He may boost your older cats a bit :)

FatCat was only a young cat when the late SoupKitten came to live with us but they fought for a week and then were best of friends, curled up together to sleep.

ZebraOwl · 21/08/2013 08:00

So nice to read a Happy Kitteny Thread. Dudley looks exceptionally cute - hope you get to keep him Smile

changeforthebetter · 21/08/2013 08:42

Aww! Smile

I want one (totally out of the question and ChangeCats would be livid but still...... [wistful])

bobblypop · 21/08/2013 12:09

awww he is sooo gorgeous!
I have also recently "acquired" a kitten!
Went to work as usual one day, was out visiting a patient...and found tiny filthy kitten hiding under a car in a car park. No sign of any owners despite asking locally... Ended up bringing him home (despite having 2 dogs who have never lived with a cat!) as rescues all full... walked in the house and greeted DH with a tiny kitten head peering out of my work bag! Told DH it was just for a couple of days...which he said was good as there was "no way we could keep it" ...lots of very good reasons why not...
3 weeks later he is curled up fast asleep next to me on the sofa. DH loves him, dogs are great with him..older one mostly ignores him and younger one keeps bring him his tuggy trying to get him to play LOL DC all love him and he aint going anywhere! Vet reckoned he was about 12 weeks old when we first got him - bit small though.
oh and I also bathed him when I brought him home...thought it would be like bathing a dog LOL. The scars have almost healed...Hmm
I think Dudley is there to stay! Wink

Original poster
timtam23 · 21/08/2013 21:31

April & bobbly so pleased your kitten stories had happy endings too!

Soup I've tried to bath older cats, and my arms have been well & truly shredded, so I thought I'd get Dudley washed while he was still small enough to hold in one hand!

Anyway today I spent yet more money on the creature & bought him a scratching post thing, as he's shredding my sofa & carpets

The playpen last night was hilarious, he kept escaping & we found him scuttling around at 1am spooking the oldies, so he ended up shut in the cat carrier again, we'll have another think about how to keep him safe & contained at night!

DH has admitted that Dud is probably staying Grin

The old cats are still not very happy about it but I think they are going to tolerate him, they were my main worry because I didn't want them upset.

Off for some Wine now to celebrate!

OP posts:
chezchaos · 21/08/2013 21:39

Oh he's gorgeous!!!

Sparklingbrook · 21/08/2013 22:28

timtam have you seen this?

Original poster
timtam23 · 21/08/2013 22:48

No I hadn't Sparkling! The poor little thing! He looks lovely - I hope he has a family to go back to.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 21/08/2013 22:48

Me too. He's very oily, but looks a lovely cat.

Aprillisa · 21/08/2013 23:10

Tim We had the problem of what to do at nightime also and we simply put her in the spare boxroom which only has some spare furniture in it,no carpet or any electrical wires so is in fact ideal.She has her bed (well I say bed,but we bought her a lovely cat house bed thing and she far prefers the laundry basket full of spare blankets that is on top of the wardrobe in the room), her litter tray,some toys and food/water at night.It was the only way to keep her safe and give the dog some peace at night also.It sounds a bit extreme giving a kitten her own room but it is idle and empty anyway.
Jeez,we got terrible fright today as she was playing with a large gift bag with those cord handles and I heard a squeak from the ground and when I looked again I realised she was choking..the cord had been doubly wrapped round her neck..I have no idea how she did this but I had a job cutting it it was so tight.If I hadnt been there..Sad.
Sorry Tim for thread hijack.So pleased your Dudley is doing great.As for your dh..Grin.

Scarletohello · 21/08/2013 23:21

Oh I want to see the kitten! How do I see him? Not v tetchy so don't know how to see people's pics on MN! Who can tell me how I can view the kitty..??

Sparklingbrook · 21/08/2013 23:25

Click on timtam23's name on one of her posts Scarlet.