The saga of the feral kitten
So I ran out in my undies to get some onions from the garden last week. When I hit the 'dog yard' I heard a cat, crying loudly and sounding injured. Since we live on a fairly heavily used rural highway, I prepared myself for finding a cat hit by a car in my bushes out front.
I scrambled all over and couldn't see anything but the cat was still screaming bloody murder. After a couple of minutes, I thought it best to go inside, get the wife and at least put some shorts on.
So out we got, cat carrier in hand, trying to find the cat. It's over here, it's over there, it's going this way and that way. Yet neither of us has SEEN a thing.
Then I see the vinca ground cover move ever so slightly. Were tilting out heads from side to side, listening for the cats next cry. It took both of us to corner the beast! All 1 pound of it. A teeny tiny little kitten, screaming it's head off and trying to bit me while I held it by the nap of the neck. It's a girl and she is scruffy and scared shit less.
We feed it, give it water and a binky and put it in the garage. After much debate, we decided not to keep her and called the Small Animal shelter and took here in the next morning.
Oh course the wife checked in on her the next day and they said she was feral and they would probably euthanize her. This was unacceptable as far as we were concerned and we told them that we would take her. They told us the shelter vet would see her on Wednesday and we could pick her up after noon.
Wednesday at 10, we get a call from the shelter and they tell us that the end of the kitten's tail fell off and that she needed surgery. Did you still want to take her.
Well of COURSE we still want her, stumpy tail or not. Sheesh!
So we go in at 3, after her surgery and pick her up and her tail is taped up and she's doped up.
We have her in a cage in my office. She's eating well and doing fine UNTIL on Saturday I followed the vet's instructions and took off the bandage.
BIG MISTAKE.
Screaming and biting ensued and her tail started to bleed. YIKES!
Off to our vet we go, which in this world of COVID is a totally 'curbside' experience.
$150 later, kitten has her shots, no more bandage, pain meds and a cone on her head.
Her name is Blue.
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Meet the new addition.
So cute. My feral kitten is 16 now, that's him in my avatar.
Great job Dulay - she's gonna be giv'n ya'll all kinds of lov'n.
Well so far the dog is iffy and our other 2 cats are irate!
The dog will come around, she loves cats. We just got a kitten from the pound a year ago and our older cat was NOT happy. They are now best buddies. I hope this works out the same.
I've had cats for 50+ years and very rarely added a cat to the pride that just didn't fit in. Fingers crossed.
Hope it all works out.
I miss having a cat. The big rescue dog I have now would probably think one was a chew toy.
Had a Manx once that adopted me. No tail and jack-rabbit hind legs. She played rough. She insisted on being outside at night and one day didn't come home. Several coyote packs around here.
Good on you Dulay.
Hi Blue.
Four years ago our mini doxie and our mix-breed (40lbs) found a feral kitten on our driveway. Less than a week old, eyes still closed. It was hot that day and with all the predators in our area for her to survive more than 1/2 hour would not have been possible. Our dogs protected her and once she was in the house they took over and became surrogate moms.
She survived and a lady that had lost her cat a few months earlier adopted her.
Had a 90lb Belgium Shepherd back in the day who allowed a whole litter of kittens to crawl all over and sleep on top of him. I couldn't even play with his adopted kittens because he licked them soaking wet.
good for you and good luck with your new kitty
Well the neighbors got a show for a little bit.
She is pretty.
Aww, precious baby. I hope she's feeling better soon.
My ex and I adopted a feral cat years ago. My ex's asshole coworkers were going to drop a pallet of lumber on a litter of stray kittens, and my ex talked them out of it. He managed to catch one by dipping his finger in some canned tuna. Little Oliver, as he would soon be known, sank his teeth in (poor ex) and was captured.
And he was not happy.
We lived in an old farmhouse that was drafty and cold, and Oliver would climb under the covers with us every night, then wake up in the morning, hiss at us, and run under the washer. But he became an affectionate boy who lived to a ripe old age.
Most of our cats over the years were strays..one would pass on and in a matter of weeks another one would roll up..I am sure there was a "vacancy" sign flashing outside my Mums house as it was just such a co incidence..Thank you dulay for taking her in..Many would not bother...And with all the doom and gloom around the world at the moment...the tiniest of bright lights, can bring much joy in the darkest of times...
You and the wife are good eggs and now you have a lovely baby Blue. May she bring you many years of happiness.
Charming l''il critter...
Keep us posted.
She's so sweet! So glad that you and your wife kept her! It won't be long before she's cuddling.
my secret for taming feral cats is a stiff bristle hair brush, or worn out toothbrush, and lots of patience.
Hi there, Blue! Aren't you a little darling? And congratulations on finding a good home with Dulay and Mrs. Dulay. I do believe you will all live happily ever after.
Now be nice and don't bite!
She's a bitter. Maybe 'Shark' would have been a better name. But I hung her older sister's toy from the top of her cage and she's wearing herself out enough to cuddle a bit. Her tail stump is coming along. Hopefully Friday we can nix the cone at night. She's already spending most of the day out of it. Her woe-begotten look was too much for me...
I like her "cage". It's roomy and she won't be cramped up
It's been our 'quarantine' cage for decades. I added the 'loft' and for some reason, every cat we've put in it likes to play with the zip ties holding it up more than most of the toys we give them.
Dogs just chew the foam...
Good that she's feeling well enough to play.
No fever and I give her the last pain meds tonight. She's been going at it almost none stop all day. I feel sorry for our other cats and dog once we set her loose for the first time this weekend. I have a feeling that she's going to be a terror until someone puts her in her place and clarifies the 'pecking order'.
Welcome to our NT family, Blue!
I have been with cats of all types all my life, and indeed, most were strays that adopted us. I can't imagine living without a kitty fur baby in my life.
Thank you for rescuing Blue and giving her a forever home. I am sure that once she becomes more comfortable with her new family and environment she will be a very happy little girl.
Here's an update. Not so feral, in fact barely awake...
Note the 'short' tail. It totally healed and doesn't hold her back a bit. This is one of the few pictures I took that isn't too blurred because she's usually moving like a bat out of hell.
Thanks for the update and your care of Blue. Good luck with your pretty kitten
Sweet kitty.
Thanks for the update! Such a sweetie face. She's so tiny... I'm used to my fat-ass cat, Palooza.
She does tricks for nom noms.
Oozing out of the Monopoly box whilst we played Monopoly.
Adorbs! Welcome to your family Blue! Hope you have years of happiness there.
You did good, Dulay. I miss my cat - he was my buddy for 17 years.
I had mine for about 13 1/2 years, and he has been gone just as long. I still miss him every day.
My first wife collected cats for 7 years before she offered to move out and take 5 of them.
Or else what? Apparently she wanted a baby. I said no. My logic was that the house was run by the cats who listened to no one but me.
She moved out never to be heard from again for 45 years.
Last week some one emailed her obit to my wife and I.
Wife1 passed suddenly last year at 64 years leaving behind her sons, mother & sisters, grandchildren
.
My wife asked me how I felt about that.
.
I said that I was curious what had happened to the other five cats...knowing that that they had all eventually passed.
I missed all of them.
It sounds like you have a very busy household!
Update:
After investing in feather toys and mousy toys and fishy toys, Blue entertains herself for hours by playing with a piece of dog food.