Neighbours kittens

[ShadowsShadowsEverywhere]

We've recently had new neighbours move in next door. Towards the end of last week two kittens appeared in their garden, I'm not sure whether they'd just got them or had been keeping them inside for a few days.
One of the kittens kept popping its head over our fence and watching DCs playing.

Yesterday when I went to take the bins out the same kitten was sat on my path mewing. As soon as she saw the open door she was in the house. I ushered her out the back door, but she spent the rest of yesterday coming back in, or playing with the DCs toys in the garden. Every time something made her jump she ran to me and hid under my long skirt! By about 6.30 she was clearly hungry, had jumped up and eaten some scraps in my kitchen and drank DSs milk, so I shooed her back out the front door where I'd found her as she just didn't seem to want to go over the fence back to her own garden.

She was v v thin and seemed confused about where home was. Yesterday she was coming in the windows from the garden and mewing a lot. What do I do if she comes back today? It's obviously more interesting here as neighbours are out most of the day and we are home from lunchtime onwards most days and have a garden full of toys and balls etc which she spent hours playing with yesterday. I'm worried about how thin she looked but don't know a lot about cats or kittens so don't know how normal that is. Any advice would be v much appreciated!

Lovely cat, lovely name.

The vet will age her.

The RSPCA said ours were 3. They were 12 months and 18 months!

Hansie if she wriggled and squirmed and got the flea treatment patch wet though it would be good would it? She will be ok for a day or so, I'm going to trusts my instincts on this one. She's had a good explore and now she's curled of for a sleep. I'm going to leave her be, try and give her a pouch in an hour or so and hopefully she will have used the litter tray by then. Then she's got to deal with kids coming home. That's enough stress for one day. I will ring vets in morning and then hopefully they will advise re the flea stuff. And I might pop out Monday morning, as need milk, can get flea comb, toys and then aim to bath her Monday afternoon. If I do it right before giving her a pouch she might forgive me yes?

A flea comb has very closely spaced teeth, so you can snag the flea. When you get a flea, you can knock it onto a paper towel and squish it with your finger nail. A very satisfying pop when you kill one.

I should volunteer at the humane society. They must need someone to use a flea comb on cats.

flea porn Hansie!

I've put a pouch of food near to her hidey hole but she's still in there fast asleep, hasn't used litter yet either. But if she's asleep she wouldn't have done would she? I shall leave her be and see what happens. Hope she eats something tonight, but don't know whether breeder fed her before I picked her up.

She's lovely :)

LOL! Ah, the good old days when I had a new kitten with fleas.

She sounds very content. She just needs her nap so she can continue the fun of exploring.

It's just sinking in that shes mine, actually mine. I remember this feeling when I'd just given birth to DD. I'd only actually thought about having a baby, it hadn't sunk in that the baby would grow into a child that I'd get to keep! She's so bloody gorgeous though. Best birthday present ever to date, it's only taken 24 years

Delighted she is settling in well by the sound of it.

I used a nit comb I had for the kids on out lad if you have one of those about.

Enjoy your kitty.

You are both lucky! She has hit the jackpot, and you have a lovely companion for years and years.

What happened to boy kittens? I've just read this whole thread through hoping you got them back can't bear the thought of these babies being neglected. Oh shadows please steal them back. Please. PLEASE I know you have new kitty but those poor boys. I want to injure their owners (I'm not a violent sort either)

One thing I have learned from this is that I want to volunteer for the local cat rescue and will approach them tomorrow. I love cats

She woke up and had a tiny bit of wet food, she went back to hiding and had retreated even further so I've picked her up and brought her back in the lounge, I don't want her to just hide for days on end, she had got confident when she didn't have a huge stack of boxes to hid behind.

She's beautiful, Shadows

I think Buttons really suits her

She's gorgeous! So sad I'm allergic to cats, would love one!

So am I Hopeful, except my allergy has got better now! I used to have my asthma trigger if I'd been in a room that a cat had been in, was awful! I used to sleep with Merlin in my bed, snuggled up sharing my pillow! So obviously that allergy has gone now.

She's used the litter tray, had a bit more food and has now gone exploring upstairs. I've got no idea where she is but can't look too much as kids a asleep!

Interesting you say that shadow. DH was allergic until we got our cat. After a few days he was fine.

Yes the first few days they were here I was a wheezing sneezing thing, I was taking a daily antihistamine, four brown puffs of inhaler and I was swigging piriton all day! I went to bed that night expecting to wake up having a full blown asthma attack but woke up in the morning and was fine. I used to bury my face in the boys fur and not a wheeze or sneeze.

Buttons is getting brave! I'm sat on the sofa and it's got wooden arms. She keeps climbing up next to me and trying to walk along the arms and then falling off! She's pinched my tissue and run off with it and is now trying to work out if she's brave enough to climb on my lap.

Think she will be ok with kids. She hid from DS and cos she's so tiny and dark he couldn't actually find her! And DD couldn't believe how tiny she looked so was extra gentle and quiet.

Aww she's climbed up right next to my shoulder and put a paw on me!

Just read whole thread.

What a lovely kitten, she really is beautiful - I do love black cats. What a lovely birthday present for both of you!

I wouldn't wash her, or comb her yet, tbh. If you can get a vet appt in the next couple of days, and pick up some good treatments there, that would be grand. They have systemic treatment for the cat, and also sprays for the house; much of the stuff you get from supermarkets or pet shops aren't very effective. The stuff from the vet is more expensive, but worth it, ime.

I knew a girl who got a kitten with semi-long hair who got very muddy the first time she let her out. The girl just thought "oh sod it" and put her in the bath. Thereafter the cat got a bath once a month. In the end, she'd ask for one - just get in and yowl until someone put the plug in and turned the taps on! I'd never seen anything like it

I did read somewhere that a cat allergy is often 'cured' by getting a cat. Or at least, you become immune to your own cat, if not to others.

Just read the whole thread. Shadows - I'm so sorry you didn't get to keep those two boys. I'm still hoping for a happy ending somehow, but I know that's probably unrealistic. But I'm very glad you have your new kitten. She looks absolutely gorgeous.

Yes toffee it would be lovely to have the boys come back but I don't think that's very likely now. I can quietly hope though.

No I don't think I will be bathing her any time soon, she's getting more and more confident the longer she's here and I think a bath would set us back to the beginning.

Last night she was still avoiding me a bit so I picked her up and gave her a cuddle on the sofa. She snuggled up with me and went to sleep. This morning woke up to her miaowing like mad at 7am, she had eaten all the food I'd left for her yesterday and was hungry for more so that's really good. She's coped really well with the DCs. She's made a side table in the lounge her hidey hole and from there she can get up behind the sofa cushions so has an established escape route for when it gets too much. But she's tolerated DS squealing whenever he spots her, and DD has climbed in the hidey hole with her, stroked her loads and talked at her all morning.

She's getting very confident with me. She's shown me her tummy twice, purred like mad at me, bitten me twice (no teeth, and I moved away and ignored and she came over and played nicely afterwards). DS is in the bath now, and she's just pottering around after DD exploring. Really really pleased and just goes to show that it's good to trust your instincts re "timid" cats!

Shes very cute! This is my new little girl

Is she a tortie? She looks so small!

She is absolutely gorgeous. You sound like a natural with cats. I'm so glad it's all going so well.

OMG! I've come home to find Merlin in the living room!!