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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 I have found a kitten in my garden

89 replies

technicallychallenged · 07/12/2013 21:23

So yeah just that really
It's a little tabby kitten and it looks youngish I would say less than a year old.
DD(5) told me there was a strange cat in the garden I told her to leave it be. (She usually says things like that to get out of going to bed)
Anyway I went to take the rubbish out and there was a cat looking at me. It looks very thin and pitiful and it had no collar and it broke my heart so I took it in and gave it a little water and a little tuna.
I am wondering what to do now. Any help please?

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 07/12/2013 23:33

My vet uses an OOH and it's halfway across the city rather than just down the road. £90 though!

sashh · 08/12/2013 05:16

Of yo are not interested in having a pet then you may be able to hand him/her over to the RSPCA or a local shelter at the vets.

I did this when I found a young cat a few years ago, I just filled a form in saying where he had been found. It cost me nothing and this was a Sunday.

If you phone first and they are actually open then they probably won't charge you just to scan for a chip.

sunseasurf · 08/12/2013 06:07

This isn't madratlady's cat which she lost outside the vets? I don't know how to link threads? (I know it's pretty unlike but ...)

Mildpanic · 08/12/2013 06:19

RSPCA and Cats protection all open on a Sunday. You are better contacting them. You don't need to be going to the vet on a Sunday. Why would you want to incur a charge for a cat that isn't yours.
Lots of local cat rescue places also, have a look. Most open on a Sunday.
Someone may be missing their pet dreadfully so please check out these options first before considering keeping it. The times any of ours have gone missing have been awful until we got them back. Going missing is unfortunately a regular hazard with being a cat owner.

Original poster
technicallychallenged · 08/12/2013 11:42

We are going to take cat to the cats protection this afternoon to get her checked. DH and out two eldest are currently knocking around our village ask if anyone has lost their cat.
She seems fine and she has used the make shift litter box (thanks for that) and she is quite happy for our DCs to stroke her which makes me think that she is someones lost pet rather than a random stray. She doesn't seem interested in going outside again either.

mildpanic of course we will check every option first I would hate to take someones pet plus I am not sure if we would keep her anyway.

Oh and when DD came down this morning she said 'I told you so mummy didnt I say so, silly mummy' and she won't let it drop either

OP posts:
Madratlady · 08/12/2013 11:48

Not mine sun my girl is a black cat.

cozietoesie · 08/12/2013 11:53

Hah! She won't let it drop for the next 30 or 40 years.

Original poster
technicallychallenged · 08/12/2013 12:11

madratlady sorry to hear about your cat

Oh I know cozietoesie I will never hear the end of it.

OP posts:
Original poster
technicallychallenged · 08/12/2013 19:29

Cat update
We took her to the vets and she is thin and it looks like she had a broken tail which has healed funny. She is not microchipped. The vet has our details and have given us a hand making posters to stick up around the village. We have brought her back with us and we have some food to give her. DH is going around the village again asking around and we have called the local cat charities and some other vets asking them to contact us if someone asks for her.

OP posts:
Gileswithachainsaw · 08/12/2013 19:38

Aw poor baby. Could you take her? Any chance at all Envy

Original poster
technicallychallenged · 08/12/2013 19:47

Maybe we could take her but I want to make sure she doesn't belong to anyone first.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 08/12/2013 19:47

Poor lass. No wonder she's so friendly to you - sounds as if she's had a rough old time and that would be particularly hard if she was an abandoned pet with few feral type skills.

Fluffycloudland77 · 08/12/2013 19:47

I wonder if she was abandoned when her tail broke because vets treatment was needed?

cozietoesie · 08/12/2013 19:50

Who can tell. The Lodger was abandoned because his owners moved house. (And he was past the real kitten stage so maybe his charms didn't quite outweigh the preservation of the new decor.) I'm long past being surprised by people dumping animals. Shocked and saddened yes - but not surprised.

Gileswithachainsaw · 08/12/2013 20:05

Aw don't say that fluffy :(

Mildpanic · 08/12/2013 20:13

Sorry technically, of course you will check it out thoroughly.
She sounds lucky that you have found her. Hope you get a good conclusion.
We took in a stray 3 years ago and she is the most amazing girl, full of character and we are sure she somehow found us really.
Just lost one of our older boys so feeling a bit sensitive at the moment.
Well done for your efforts.

TheGonnagle · 08/12/2013 20:16

Sounds like the newest member of your family has just moved in Smile
You know you want to......

TheBunsOfPanettone · 08/12/2013 20:22

TechnicallyChallenged well done for looking after this lost little cat.

You are probably aware but it's best to make a poster with a picture only of the cat's face, or maybe a profile, leaving some identifying marks out so that these can be verified with the owner, should one come forward. Sadly some people out there who want to acquire cats for less than innocent reasons.

Did the vet tell you whether or not she has been neutered?

Original poster
technicallychallenged · 08/12/2013 20:48

Thebunsofpanettone yes thank you the vet told us about that. The cat has not been spayed either.

DH has just come back he called at the houses they didn't get to and those that were empty this morning and no-one has said she is their cat so it looks like she is here for another night.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 08/12/2013 20:51

The first of many, I suspect.

sashh · 09/12/2013 09:23

Aw she has a new home.

You know we need pics don't you?

crazyhamsterbackonthego · 09/12/2013 09:35

Try posting on mymoggy.com & also your local Facebook pet sights as they were the first places I looked when my cat went missing

cozietoesie · 09/12/2013 09:36

Thinking about it, she was real lucky. A broken tail could so easily have turned quite nasty.

thecatneuterer · 09/12/2013 11:09

I would get her spayed straight away. If someone does eventually claim her well they should of course spay her anyway. At least this way you can be sure it's done and you could always ask them to reimburse you.

You certainly don't want to risk her getting pregnant.

TheBunsOfPanettone · 09/12/2013 11:27

If she has "owners" at all they don't seem to be very responsible.

Did the vet say anything about the possibility of her being pregnant? It's sure to be a possibility as she's not neutered but I'm not sure at what stage it becomes detectable.