I Didn't Order a Kitten!

[cassie]

I have tamed any number of feral kittens by holding them by the scruff of the neck, putting them on my lap, and offering them bits of tuna fish on my finger.

 

[cassie]

Went to let my birds out the other day, and I found a tiny, filthy, terrified kitten in the chicken coop. It was terrified and super spicy, so I put on my welding gloves to pick it up. I put it in a cat carrier with some water. I spent a couple hours searching for a mama or other wayward babies, but I couldn't find any.

The little thing was too spicy and terrified for me to look at it much, so I just left it in the carrier in my guest room. I called my vet to see what she wanted me to do with it until the shelter opened that afternoon, and she said she had a cancellation, so I could bring it in.

We get there, and the vet tech took it out of the carrier expecting a hissy, bitey, scratchy feral, but the kitten just wanted pets and loves. The vet examined it and determined the following:

• It's a female
• It's probably between 4 and 5 weeks old
• All 4 of its paws were burnt so badly that the skin had flayed off
• It had punctured its upper lip on its canine, which was protruding from the lip
• Its bottom lip had been pulled away from its mandible and would need surgical intervention
• Its tail had nerve damage

So of course I decided to keep her because I had $700 to spare, right? And I have a bazillion critters to care for, so what's one more?

No idea where she came from or what the heck happened to her. We live in the middle of nowhere off a one lane, private dirt road. Regardless, no one here ordered a kitten, so the Cat Distribution System is broken.

Anyway, here's Cooper after I gave her a bath this afternoon:View attachment 4159498

Been there. Done that.

 

[Livia Ammon]

Been there. Done that.

How did it go?

 

[BGcoop]

Awewwwwweee!!! Congratulations on your new addition. FYI I do not think the cat distribution system is broken at all. It knew exactly where this baby needed to be placed to get the help and loving family she deserves.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Poor thing
Congrats on being graced with a cat. Just remember that just because she wants to sleep in your bed... you have to let her. That's hers now.

I miss my childhood cat (who was a feral kitten originally). I'd wake up and she'd be sleeping on my stomach, my hip, the crook behind my bent knees, cradled by my arm, on my pillow above my head. Occasionally wake to her literally draped across my neck. (What a loving way to disrupt my breathing).
She also knew how to open certain types of doorknobs, which is absolutely not nightmare fuel when you hear scratching and doors opening during the night...


*tangent not very related to original post*

Also, to anybody who has heard the myth that "cats hunt better if they've had kittens", that's ... I want to say "false", but it's at the very least not a reliable myth and not a reason to have kittens. (It also means some people justify that EVERY female cat has to have kittens... and that's a lot of cats being born.)
I grew up with a cat who was spayed at about 4 months. Never had kittens. Literally the best mouser. Even though she knew kibble was available, she opted for hunting rodents. She was raised on kibble, in a house, until she healed from spaying and was moved outdoors. (*middle of nowhere farming area. This may not apply to city/suburbs)

Meanwhile, I've met other cats who can hunt, do hunt (or rather, play with the poor mice they find) but exclusively eat kibble and never eat rodents...

 

[ShrekDawg]

Is there a dog distribution system? And if so, can someone please send a stray/in need puppy or even slightly older dog to me please?

 

[ShrekDawg]

 

[Livia Ammon]

Poor thing
Congrats on being graced with a cat. Just remember that just because she wants to sleep in your bed... you have to let her. That's hers now.

I miss my childhood cat (who was a feral kitten originally). I'd wake up and she'd be sleeping on my stomach, my hip, the crook behind my bent knees, cradled by my arm, on my pillow above my head. Occasionally wake to her literally draped across my neck. (What a loving way to disrupt my breathing).
She also knew how to open certain types of doorknobs, which is absolutely not nightmare fuel when you hear scratching and doors opening during the night...


*tangent not very related to original post*

Also, to anybody who has heard the myth that "cats hunt better if they've had kittens", that's ... I want to say "false", but it's at the very least not a reliable myth and not a reason to have kittens. (It also means some people justify that EVERY female cat has to have kittens... and that's a lot of cats being born.)
I grew up with a cat who was spayed at about 4 months. Never had kittens. Literally the best mouser. Even though she knew kibble was available, she opted for hunting rodents. She was raised on kibble, in a house, until she healed from spaying and was moved outdoors. (*middle of nowhere farming area. This may not apply to city/suburbs)

Meanwhile, I've met other cats who can hunt, do hunt (or rather, play with the poor mice they find) but exclusively eat kibble and never eat rodents...

I haven’t found that mothers make good mousers either. There is a somewhat feral cat that eats my nice barn cats’ food, and I tolerate her. I need to spay her, but I can’t catch her. (Because of her feral-ness and she’s pretty smart) She kills songbirds all the time, but she ran off when she saw a mouse. What a baby.

 

[RoyalChick]

Went to let my birds out the other day, and I found a tiny, filthy, terrified kitten in the chicken coop. It was terrified and super spicy, so I put on my welding gloves to pick it up. I put it in a cat carrier with some water. I spent a couple hours searching for a mama or other wayward babies, but I couldn't find any.

The little thing was too spicy and terrified for me to look at it much, so I just left it in the carrier in my guest room. I called my vet to see what she wanted me to do with it until the shelter opened that afternoon, and she said she had a cancellation, so I could bring it in.

We get there, and the vet tech took it out of the carrier expecting a hissy, bitey, scratchy feral, but the kitten just wanted pets and loves. The vet examined it and determined the following:

• It's a female
• It's probably between 4 and 5 weeks old
• All 4 of its paws were burnt so badly that the skin had flayed off
• It had punctured its upper lip on its canine, which was protruding from the lip
• Its bottom lip had been pulled away from its mandible and would need surgical intervention
• Its tail had nerve damage

So of course I decided to keep her because I had $700 to spare, right? And I have a bazillion critters to care for, so what's one more?

No idea where she came from or what the heck happened to her. We live in the middle of nowhere off a one lane, private dirt road. Regardless, no one here ordered a kitten, so the Cat Distribution System is broken.

Anyway, here's Cooper after I gave her a bath this afternoon:View attachment 4159498

She is a very pretty kitten - she will turn into an extremely elegant house cat and you will be serving her every whim for the rest of her 9-lives.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Cooper because chicken coop?
(Cooper is a popular name here, so I didn't even think of coop)

Also, looks like she might be a little older than 4-5 weeks? (Is my guess).
Month old kittens need cat milk (or a kitten formula)