Cat in the house.

[DonBattles]

I have never, and I mean never had any particular affection for felines. However the other day at work someone left five kittens behind the dumpster at work. They couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. One of my co-workers took them inside and was going to take them to the animal shelter after work. The next day she returned with all five. Seems that they were under weight and if left at the shelter they would simply have been put to sleep. As it turned out however our sales manager has a client that does animal rescue and was willing to take them a place them in homes so all should be good for hour of them
But for some reason I simply cannot explain I brought number five home with me. So it's been about a week now and I'm not sure I realized what I have gotten myself into. Bottle feedings ever 2-3 hours and more poop and pee than should come from something so small, LOL. And since I don't want my carpet to pay the price I picked up a BIG pet transporter and this is where Smoke is spending a fair amount of time. So naturally he soils the towel's I place inside so I change them out daily. So since I've never owned a cat before any tips for a safe and sanitary kitty?

[Masterlu]

I think you'll make a Purfect Dad! Wish I had more tips for you; kudo's for saving a life!

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by DonBattles

I have never, and I mean never had any particular affection for felines. However the other day at work someone left five kittens behind the dumpster at work. They couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. One of my co-workers took them inside and was going to take them to the animal shelter after work. The next day she returned with all five. Seems that they were under weight and if left at the shelter they would simply have been put to sleep. As it turned out however our sales manager has a client that does animal rescue and was willing to take them a place them in homes so all should be good for hour of them
But for some reason I simply cannot explain I brought number five home with me. So it's been about a week now and I'm not sure I realized what I have gotten myself into. Bottle feedings ever 2-3 hours and more poop and pee than should come from something so small, LOL. And since I don't want my carpet to pay the price I picked up a BIG pet transporter and this is where Smoke is spending a fair amount of time. So naturally he soils the towel's I place inside so I change them out daily. So since I've never owned a cat before any tips for a safe and sanitary kitty?

Nice story ! Thanks a lot and congrats on the kitten. We have 2 fantastic cats.
Cats are wonderful. You will love him.
One problem you will have is to teach him how to be clean. Normally, the mother takes this role and kittens are clean at 3 months. For one that did not have his mother, it will be a bit more complicated.
Stephen ( Puma Cat ) and Julian could give you best advices than me and I'm pretty sure that they will jump here.
Cheers

[gtubes]

Cool story. A curveball in your daily routine for sure I would think. I don't have anything in the way of advice (no cat experience), but did want to say you did a good thing, very kind of you.

[MC352]

It's nice that you gave the cat a home. I've rescued 3 dogs over the years. The one I was attached to the most was one that was found on the side of the road in a box with 4 other pups. That dog turned out to be the best dog we ever had. She died about nine years ago, and we rescued another one.

I am not knowledgeable on cats, but try the internet, or call a local vet, even a pet store.
I'm sure your both adjust after a while and you'll have yourself a wonderful companion. Pets become a family member pretty fast. Enjoy!

[Audio 1]

Don,

I really admire and respect what you and your co-workers did to rescue these animals in dire need of a good home.
We have two cats and they are like children to us, so I very much can relate to wanting to providing proper care.

I do not have experience with raising a young kitten without its mother. I would definitely recommend visiting a veterinarian for necessary vaccinations and assistance with proper care. The vet should be able to help you answer your questions and others pertaining to litter box training and necessities like scratching posts and proper diet.

It sounds to me like you are off to a great start and Smoke should provide many years as a loving and entertaining companion.

[Rilands]

1.litter Box - easy to train
2.tall scratching post with a compartment in it to hang out. Bite the bullet and buy a good one, he'll love it. $60.-100.00
3.some toys
4.take anothher kitten. Two will ahve a lot more fun together.

Arf, Tony LaRusso's animal rescue foundation in Walnut Creek will usually assist in pets without homes.
ARF - Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation

Thanks for taking in the kitten Don. All any pet wants is someone to love them.

[Puma Cat]

Don,
Kudos for adopting a kitten. They are actually pretty easy to incorporate into a household.

First order of business: Get a cat box and fill it with litter. DO NOT get the clumping clay or silica gel litters (litter pearls). These are coated with silica and your little cat will ingest silica when it grooms itself. These litter cause digestive tract cancers and diseases because of the silica (glass is silica, for example). Get a natural litter like corn cob, e.g. Nature's Miracle, etc. A non-clumping clay litter is okay, but the corn cob ones are the best. Put the cat in it several times a day and see if it can figure out how to do it's business. Generally they are very quick to figure this out; cats bury their scats by instinct in the wild, so it is natural for them to use a litter box.

2nd order of business. Give your little cat it's own room for a week or so to live in and keep the door closed. Let the cat feel that the room is it's safe place. Put the food, water and litter box in there and let it get secure with the room by itself. DO NOT continue to enclose the cat in the pet transporter; cats need to move to be healthy, both psychologically, emotionally and physically. They also need exercise to develop their muscles and bones, to do this they have to MOVE. A cat is one of the nature's great athletes and needs to move to be fit and healthy. A spare bedroom, office, study, bathroom, or even your bedroom are are good ways to do this and give your cat an opportunity to come out and explore around when it feels secure. If in a bedroom, your cat may want to hide under the bed for a day or so, this is natural. They will come out when they feel secure. My cat Lucky, who has been with me for almost five years, still hides in the bed in my bedroom when he gets scared. All cats need a place where they can feel safe and secure.

For feeding, as your cat is still very young, you can mix some wet food with water or canned chicken gravy to make it easier to feed itself at first. Get real kitten food, not dog good. Cats have to have the amino acid taurine in their diet or they get heart disease. This is added to commercially available cat foods. They also need a lot of fat in their diet, especially when they are kittens, so use kitten food (Nutro Max would be a great start). You can also get some vanilla Ensure to give to the cat by syringe to give some calories. A ml or two is enough. (NO Chocolate; chocolate is very toxic to cats and dogs) Be sure to put fresh water down every day for your cat in a small bowl. You will need to allow your cat to eat several times a day; cats do not eat like we do; they tend to nibble all day long. This is part of the reason they poop a lot; cat have short digestive tracts and food passes through more quickly than in people.

When it gets older and it's teeth come in fully, you can start giving it hard food. Consult a vet for how best to nourish such a young cat.

As your cat is only a few weeks old, it is VERY important you handle the cat with love and physical affection several times a day so that it imprints on you as it's mother, and gets used to human contact. Give it a LOT of love and physical affection, hugs, petting, cuddles, etc. so that it will socialize, otherwise it will become feral. The cat needs this for it's emotional development and you and the cat will bond as a result. Play with it a lot, give it a lot of love, and it will be a happy cat and reward you with wonderful, unconditional love.

Cats by nature are pretty highly-strung predators, and they need their own time to settle in. Most of all, they need to feel secure and safe in their new home.

[Audio 1]

Puma that is so spot on and very well communicated.

[woodlander]

I would say Puma Cat's advice is very good. I would add that what you feed your cat is very important over the long haul. You will find some difference of opinion as to what the 'right' food is, but most of the high end cat foods should be OK. The best advice is to talk to your vet. My wife and I have had cats for 25 years or so and I have been able to observe the difference. Just like people, regular vet care is a good idea.