Need Info on Cats/Kittens

[hooligan]

Well we were considering taking her in for a spay earlier and then they could take care of any kittens she might have been pregnant with then, but I am glad we did bc they had already been born and may have starved being away from her so long.

Yeah we are in it for the long run with these guys...animals in need always seem to find us.

One of the things I really like about her is that she cares less about the house chickens...she is pissy with the dogs though. She is just like Nermal in the Garfield comics LoL

 

[AngelzFyre]

Our "inherited" cats always seem to be so grateful and the BEST mousers. We don't have anything around our house cos of all the cats. We have squirrels only out in the woods and nothing gets into the coops or pens or barn with all of them around.
I've got 6 right now.
Everything finds us too and I get calls and emails daily to try and find homes for more.
Thank goodness I've got a sweet, understanding husband who lets me keep almost anything.
We also feed several feral cats. Can't catch them but we keep all of ours vaccinated and spayed/neutered and they've been fine so far.
Our cats sleep with our dogs but woe be to the strange dog that wanders through!!! They attach themselves to their faces and fur flies everywhere.
Haven't ever seen a dog return after the cats showed them who's boss! LOL

 

[texasreb]

I wouldn't recommend giving you cat ivermectin unless it is marketed specifically for cats. Don't try giving her a partial dose of Heartguard or horse wormer. Cats can take it, but they are much more susceptible to toxicity than other animals. The safe dose is quite low: 50 micrograms/pound body weight. See what the vet says when you take her in for her spay.

As for the cat food. I don't recommend Purina at all, ever. I don't really like the company, it's politics, practices or products, but to each his own. If you have a PetCo near you, they are starting to carry more of the ultra premium brands of dog and cat foods.

Here are some brands to look for:

EVO
Pinnacle
Instinct
Core Wellness
Flint River Ranch
Nature's Variety
Innova
California Natural
Wysong
Fromm
SOrganic
Solid Gold
Eagle Pack
Wellness
Addiction
Evanger's
Merrick
Precise
Spot's Stew
Tiki Cat

 

[hooligan]

Yeah I wasn't sure about the ivermectin, just wanted to know. I figure I'll just have the vet worm her since I don't trust the OTC wormers sold.

I will go to Petco this week and pick up some better food for her, should she just get dry? And should it be cat or kitten food?

ETA: What about FELIDAE, I used to feed Canidae to my dogs and I can get it at the feed store.

 

[texasgirl]

Felidae is pretty good food. If it's easy for you to get then that would be my choice. I don't think cat or kitten type matters for mom other than when the kittens are old enough to eat "mush" it should be kitten food, so it might be better to just buy one bigger bag of kitten food for mom rather than cat and kitten later.


Off-topic to texasreb:
I just finished a bag of Merrick and wanted to try something else, picked up a bag of EVO. Nearly crapped at the checkout but it seems like good stuff and their marketing pamphlet won me over as a raw + dry feeder. I'll let you know what I think of it

 

[texasreb]

Felidae is good stuff too. It's not on my list because I keep forgetting to add it! Cat or kitten, either is fine. As far as the wet or dry debate that's another story. Veterinarians for years insisted that wet food was bad because it caused dental problems in cats. Well newer studies have shown that wet is actually better for cats as they need the extra moisture because as a species cats are notoriously dehydrated. Dry will certainly certainly stay fresher longer and it is generally cheaper. For some unknown reason a lot of cats in recent generations will refuse wet food. Conspiracy theorists think that the pet food manufacturers have put something into dry food that makes it addictive. I'm not sure if I believe that or not, but my own cat refuses all but one brand of wet.

texasgirl,

Evo will give you sticker shock, that's for sure! My mastiff goes through 4 big bags a month.

It's totally worth it to me though. He has so many food allergies (corn, wheat, soy that I know of) that I have to feed grain free to him.

Several stores around here give you a punch card so that you can get your 11th bag free. If you're going to feed it anyway, that's fifty bucks saved every few months. Ask about some of promotion, every little bit saved helps.

 

[texasgirl]

I've been feeding Wellness Core for a few months now to my cat. It's expensive in comparison to other cat foods but it is also much better than most cat foods too, so you get what you pay for. Pickles is lucky she's such a small cat or she might not be eating so well!

 

[hooligan]

Fester (our 11 year old Persian-rescue) will not eat any canned food or anything other than HIS food and it has to be dry. This new kitty however, LOVES canned food and doesn't care for the dry as much LoL
I tried to catch the other kitten (Lucas thought he may have seen 2 but it was only one) but its fast and was gone as soon as the garage door opened. Its a grey tabby. The one he brought in is a black tabby (a bit odd but mum has a blue tabby pattern in the light). He has all his teeth (not even sure of the sex) so maybe they are about 4-5 wks old?
I will try to get some pix in a bit.

 

[hooligan]

Ok pix...

Nermal-mom

Kitten

Kitty bits, boy or girl?

Kitty teefers, age guess?

 

[Southernbelle]

Female kittens have 2 openings close together on their behind - the vagina and anus.

Males kittens have the 2 openings farther apart - the anus is obvious and the penis is internal and a smaller opening.

Based on the photo, I think you have a girl kitten. It's easiest to tell when you can compare a male and female next to each other.

As for age, it looks about 3 weeks old, but I'm not that great at telling from a pic.

Congrats! Thanks for taking responsibility for a stray - they're lucky to have you!