swatkat: knight - er, morgana - in shining underwear (blackout)
[personal profile] swatkat
LJ is back! Don't go away ever again, do you hear that?

Guess what happened? I seem to have got myself a new pet. A kitten. I found her lying on the footpath last monday - that's right, on the footpath, on a cold winter evening. It also rained that night, right after I brought her home. She couldn't be lot more than a month old - five or six weeks. Doesn't even know how to feed herself, and most likely has just learned to walk (she trips over while walking, and has a very cute way of running *g*).




She's an absolute delight - smart, curious, and always in a good mood. I cannot believe the people who left her there. I'm not sure how long I'll keep her - till she learns to take care of herself, at least - but I'm glad I brought her home. I couldn't have left her there to die.

Litter training is going quite well so far. Any tips, O Wise Ones? I've kept cats, but never this small - my kitties usually had mummies to take care of them.





Date: 2005-01-16 10:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mincot.livejournal.com
See this on orphaned kitten care: http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/orphans.shtml She should be old enough to poop and pee on her own, but check her bowels and bladder anyway. She should also be okay with some solid food, but have some KMR around anyway, In Case ;)

Date: 2005-01-17 08:24 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
Oooh, thanks so much for the link and the tips. *g* Just wondering - in case you *do* know - at what age do they start feeding on their own, i.e licking the food instead of having to be fed?

Swatkat

Date: 2005-01-16 10:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com
She is so seriously cute!

Why don't I ever find a homeless kitten? I'm struggling with myself whether to get one or not, and if one happened to fall into my lap, it'd clearly be an act of fate.

Date: 2005-01-17 08:25 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
She is so seriously cute!

I can't believe how fabulous she is!

I'd vote for getting one - if you're up to caring for them, they're absolutely fabulous to have around. *g*

Swatkat

Date: 2005-01-16 10:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] delle.livejournal.com
oh! what a cutie!

how kind of you to take her in; you know and I know she would have died without you. do you suppose she was abandoned on purpose? my mom got her cat that way - she lived in the country and someone dumped an entire litter of kittens. three were already dead by the time she found them. she kept one and found homes for the others.

:bites back a rant about people not fixing their pets and not taking responsibility for the inevitable babies...:

Date: 2005-01-17 08:27 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
I'm pretty sure she was abandoned on purpose. She was on the footpath, curled up in a little ball. I've kept enough kitties - mother cats don't take out their kittens this young. I even waited for an hour to check if the mother was around - if she was, she would've come back and taken her away. Maybe I acted in haste, maybe the mum really did intend to come back, but then she'd be one weird kitty...

Swatkat

Date: 2005-01-16 06:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chrysantza.livejournal.com
Oh, now I've just expired from the cuteness! And she's a calico, too, just like my Stella.

If you can get "kitten milk replacement" for her that's the best, if not, try to find some kind of lactose-free milk or goats' milk for her. And give her kitten food or very finely chopped cooked chicken; baby food works fine but be SURE it does not have garlic or onion in it because those are poisonous to cats. And keep her warm. Try filling a plastic soda bottle with hot water and wrapping it in a towel for her to snuggle with.

Date: 2005-01-17 08:33 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
Oh, I seem to run into calicos all that time, lol!

I'm wondering about the kitten food - what is the right age to start solid food? I haven't given her any yet, mostly because she can't feed herself. I will, if it's time. She's very warm and snuggly in her cosy box with very warm blankets and two soft toys to snuggle up to, although she keeps jumping up the moment someone passes by ("Play with meeee! Look how I can bite your ankles!").

Swatkat

Awwww...

Date: 2005-01-16 09:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catsma.livejournal.com
Poor little thing. We've gotten 3 kitties in the last 15 years the same way.

As for feeding her, whatever you do, don't give her milk. That gives kittens diarhhea and it should only be given to adult kitties and even then, not very much. The KMR is a good idea and your vet should carry it. If there's none available, water should be fine.

Kitten chow for sure and we used to mix in a little water for ours when they were just learning how to eat solid food. Makes it easier for them to chew.

Keep her warm too, we used a heating pad covered by a towel and set on low. The bottle filled with warm water and wrapped up is good too or if all else fails, make her a little nest in a box and cover it up. If that doesn't work..snuggle her..LOL

Keep us posted..:)

Re: Awwww...

Date: 2005-01-17 08:38 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
She's very warm in her little box so far (where she's been put to sleep, after much whining, "I want to plaaaay!"), but if she ever shows signs of being cold, I'll definitely use it.

As for updates - she gets naughtier by the day. She just spent the whole afternoon trying to grab my ankles and my hands (when she really should've been sleeping), was taken away from mum's knitting wool right in time, hid in the bathroom and raised hell when she realised that she was lost, chewed my slippers...

Swatkat

Date: 2005-01-17 01:21 am (UTC)
ext_17412: (Default)
From: [identity profile] msgenevieve.livejournal.com
*kiten fangirl squeeing* Oh my, that is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time.

Yah for you for taking her in. *g*

Date: 2005-01-17 08:39 am (UTC)
ext_7700: (Default)
From: [identity profile] swatkat24.livejournal.com
Oh my, that is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time.

Me too, me too. I'm glad I took her in. *g*

Swatkat

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