Found a small kitten next to a busy road!

Aylana

I was on my way home from work last night and spotted a tiny kitten sat on the edge of a field right next to an extremely busy roundabout and 2 main roads. I tried to call it over but it was very frightened and could only have been about 8 weeks old. Too young to be out and about. I came back with some food to try and bribe it to come over to me. However a passing man decided to "help" and ignoring me chased it all over the field and caught it (getting a good biting in the process!). :rolleyes:

So I brought it home and it is currently residing in the spare room. It is absolutely petrified after it's ordeal and has wedged itself into a tiny gap under the bed. It is coming out for food but won't come anywhere near me so I can't check it over or anything! I don't know if it is a feral kitten or just an extremely traumatised lost kitten! It is so tiny.

I am going to make up a poster saying I have found it to see if any owners come forward. Does anyone else have any useful advice? Is there anyone I should notify that I have found it? How can I get it to trust me?

It could really do with being checked over by a vet and being de-flea'd but I don't want to upset it anymore at the moment as I think it has been through enough. I also think I should probably go back to the spot I found it in case there is a litter of feral kitties there, although it is just a flat football field so I don't know where they would be hiding?

Engadine

Awww poor little kitten, no wonder it is traumatised after being chased by that man. Some people should just not bother trying to "help" if that's what they are going to do.

You could check to see if you have a local branch of Petsearch http://www.ukpetsearch.freeuk.com/
If you have give them a call with the description of the kitten, they keep lists of local lost and found animals. You could call the local vets to see if anyone has advised them that they have lost a kitten.

It will just take time for the kitten to trust you, after a couple of days you could try moving it's food a little further away from it is hiding to encourage it to come out futher.

Optimisticpair

Hi,

Well done, you have no doubt saved a small feline life. What to do next? Well, only dealt with tame kittens myself so I found you a couple of links to pages about dealing with feral kittens.

http://www.haws-animals.org.uk/news/focuson/TamingFeralKittenApr06.htm

http://www.catchannel.com/adoption/rescue/article_20419.aspx

Could a vet come out to you to check for health and do as the the first link suggests?

Aylana

Thanks Engadine, I do have a local branch of petsearch so will give them a call and register the kitten with them. Will ring the vets also, and the local cat and dog shelter is probably a good idea thinking about it.

I guess the kitten probably does just need some time to recover. I won't rush the process. I don't want it permenantly nervous of people!

Aylana

Great links optimisticpair, I hadn't considered if the vet might come out to us. Will give them a ring on monday and ask if they kitten isn't any braver by then.

moggylover

Hi, well done! And thank you for trying to help the poor little mite!

I think that even if he has been chased about a bit - he should by now have settled down a little if he had ever been a tame kitten. It is likely that he is a little ferral - and thus you are going to have to try to handle him asap - and gently but firmly! First time you might want to wear gloves as cat bites can be very nasty and easily turn septic (even from very little kittens). The sooner he is handled the better really, and I always used to keep ferral kittens in fairly small cages with just room for bed, litter tray (small) and food and water: so that they could not escape being handled, and were bored and looking for attention/a change when I went to them.

Some of my better tricks for taming are quite difficult for some people to stomach - but once they are flea free and clean I used to pick them up with my teeth by the scruff of the neck (ok, I know I am mad - I have also licked the backs of the ears of very ill kittens to comfort them so that they would try to stay alive, and it has worked:o ) and rub my face against their heads and ears as if I was a mother cat grooming them, holding them down with one hand gently at the same time. Taming ferrals, even with quite a bit of experience can be hit and miss, i.e. I still have two 10 year old black cats that came in as 6 week old ferrals, both treated exactly the same, one is totally tame and soppy - the other scatty and not keen on being handled .

The more time you spend handling at this stage though - the better the chances. I would pop him in a cage and get him checked by the vet if you are worried, and then just handle him as much as you can.

The Cats Protection League often have people who will come out and trap ferral kittens - but I am no longer with them and have no idea if there is a group close to you - but google will know!

Good luck! It may sometimes seem quite daunting with a ferral - but there are few better feelings than the day he comes running to you of his own accord and purrs around your ankles!

eta: I currently have 14 btw - and all but two are rescues, and seven of them were ferrals/semi ferrals and only one is not keen on being handled, despite the fact that two were adults when rescued. Once had 50 kittens in one April to October season :eek: - nearly all ferral, and all but about 4 of these were re-homed as properly tame kittens - and the nutty ones stayed with us:o ! I was also quite proud that I only lost 3 to illness in that entire time: despite several litters coming in in really bad condition. Be careful, these little furry beasts can be quite addictive:rotfl:

Aylana

Thanks moggylover! Wow, seems like you have done a wonderful job with all of those cats!! My mam has always had a bit of a herd of cats. (no tiny wild ones though) At one point she had 12 and about 6 or 7 of them used to follow her when she took her 2 dogs for walks in the mornings!! It was quite a sight.

I don't think the kitten will be able to stay with us long term unfortunately, (2 big bothersome cat hating dogs already occupy this house!) but if it is a feral/homeless kitty then I will certainly try my best to get it to the stage where it can go to a happy new home. Your advice will be really useful!

It is a cute fluffy little thing, it just won't come out from it's tiny little hidey hole. I think tomorrow I will sit and read quietly for a few hours in the bedroom and see how it reacts to me when it eventually comes out for food. I think it's reaction should let me know if it is feral or just overly nervous. Then I can progress from there.

One thing I have learned today is it clearly has no clue what the purpose of a litter tray is! lol.

Aylana

Update this morning. Kitty has used the litter tray over night! Yay. Do you think this indicates it has had a human home previously?

Got jumped on by a flea while I was in the bedroom. Will the normal frontline spot on be ok for kittens?? I will pick some up today if so. I don't want such a young kitten becoming anaemic or anything. I already have room spray in the cupboard.

whatatwit

Hi, well done on your rescue mission

Just got out my Frontline, the info reads....The spot on should not be used on kittens less than 8 weeks or under 1kg.
On the Q&A bit....can I use it on kittens, Spot on can be used on kittens from 8 weeks and weighing at least 1kg. Frontline spray is safe to use from 2 days and recommended for cats under 8 weeks and less than 1 kg.

Have fun with a spray and nervous kitty.

lavidaloca

It's years since I had my two feral kittens but I just made sure they had food at certain times to get them into a routine plus I didn't want to leave food down, water all the time and a litter tray. After a couple of accidents they started to use the litter tray. I just kept going to sit in the room as much as I could but ignored them so reading a book is a good idea also try a radio on low volume. It didn't take but a day or so before they suddenly jumped on my chair to investigate me and we never looked back.

They and the third feral cat I took in used to boss my Danes around so don't worry too much about your dogs, take it one step at a time.

Sorry can't help with flea problem as it's a long time since I had cats but I am sure someone will be along shortly.

Aylana

Thanks guys. Am sat in the room with the laptop at the moment. One of my big cats (they were here before the dogs so are tolerated) saw me come in with food and is crying outside the bedroom for it. The kitten is crying back from under the bed. It is almost like it they are having a conversation. Poor baby I feel so sorry for it. It must be missing it's family, I feel a bit guilty if I have taken it away from it's brothers and sisters. No sign of any other cats where I found it though. Will check again this evening when it is quiet I reckon.

I think I know a local vets that still does the spray but they aren't open today so will have to pop down tomorrow.