Advice on new kitten please

pinkie_pie

Hi, we've rehomed a kitten and I have a number of questions I'd really appreciate if anyone could help with A lady had put her on facebook as needing a home, and when she'd speedily dropped her off to me I realised she seems very tiny for 13 weeks, and skinny and covered with fleas, and the lady has appeared to have blocked me on facebook! Poor mite. Going to take her to the vets for a check up and to register her when I can. Attempting to comb out the fleas!

Our house set up is a living room, with a window that's mostly left open to the garden for the 'grown up' cats to enter and exit at their leisure, through the hall to the stairs/kitchen. I've decided the kitchen is the best place for her home for now, and have put the litter tray, bed and food in there. This means I can shut the door at night/when we are out and the big cats can still come in and out the house and can't get to her. However I'm wondering now about when to let her out - shes incredibly affectionate and likes to be sat on your lap, and we dont spend time in the kitchen. So at the moment the big cats are shut outside and she's sat on my son in the living room - is this okay? Everything says about keeping them to one room. If it is, should I put a litter tray in the living room, it seems a long way for her to walk to the kitchen! And should I shut her in the kitchen regularly for a 'rest'? It seems cruel, she cried for ages after I went to bed last night.

How long should I keep her seperated from my big two as well? They both 'met' her last night, one watched her like a hawk for a bit until I removed him, the other started hissing so I removed her too. This morning I fed them then put them in the garden so now she's on my sons lap and they can't get in, so should I be putting her back in the kitchen every now and then so they can come in as normal? so confusing!

If anyone can shed some light I'd appreciate it Was easier when I got the big two, we kept them in the living room for the first few months and as their bed, food and litter trays were in there, and we spent our time in there it worked!But now it's the big cats throughfare it won't

tango

Poor kitten !! Before you worry about any of these issues, get her to the vet this morning, to check her over and sort the fleas. Then you can start to enjoy her

andrewbarke

First Well done on getting a new friend.

How long should I keep her seperated from my big two as well?

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This depends on how friendly your current 2 are, if they get on with each other, then just leave them alone (watch from the door way) for about 10 mins, see if they get on etc.

Perhaps the biggest thing is not to ignore/alter your other cats routines and habbits,, although as you said they use the window try and let them in and out as often as the like since cats will leave home if they dont like it, we found that out when we "adopted" the neighbours cat since it was shut out at 7am and not let in till 9pm ish in all weathers, so come winter he started sitting under out porch, then got braver and started to come in the cat flap, even after pushing hime away he still keeps coming back.

PS enjoy the kitten time, they soon just sleep and clean all day.

Fire_Fox

Get her to the vets urgently, kittens can die from parasite infestations. Combing them out won't get rid of the eggs and your home will get infested. Fleas carry worm eggs so she could have those too, what are her ears like is there any black inside? Is the breeder a friend or a friend? You need to know if this kitten has ever been de-flead and wormed, what with and when so you don 't overdose her. She might be crying because she is too young to have left her mother.

Usually a new cat is confined to one room for maybe a week then slow introductions to your other cats and the rest of the house. That one room should be a quiet place like a spare bedroom or your son's bedroom and you visit to get to know them, keep the first litter tray in there and put a second elsewhere. Personally I wouldn't introduce her to your other cats until you have vaccinated the kitten, given she has fleas and is undersized you have no way of knowing what else she has been exposed to. Are your cats all up to date with their vaccinations, flea and worm treatment?

rising_from_the_ashes

First of all ..... congratulations!:D

Poor wee mite - so glad she's found a lovely new home.

Re letting out - do you mean out of the kitchen or out as in outside?

If outside, certainly not until she's has her vaccines & been neutered (around 6 months of age)

If the kitchen, I'd probably leave her in there when I wasn't in - esp if the older 2 cats are going to be around, but don't see any reason why she can't have a wee wander around while you're in.

The only thing that may make me keep her in one room - would be the fleas as until they're dealt with, they could get into other rooms, making treating the house harder.

Try not to disrupt the older 2 cats routines too much - so if she needs to go into the kitchen every so often, then so be it. It won't be for long.

scrabbles_2

I get so annoyed when I hear stories like this one. Poor little mite, how good that she has found you But how despicable that you are now being igored on facebook.

It sounds like you need to get to a vet - you need to know her age and get her de-flead and checked over ASAP, for the sake of all of your pusscats, and to check whether there might be any other issues.

I might also give RSPCA a call, in my experience lack of concern for kittens' age, fleas, welfare etc usually goes hand-in-hand with a wider neglect of animals. And I know some people will reply straight away to say they won't bother with something like this, but they might have had calls already, or a history of dealing with a person, or whatever. So I would call them.

Dumbe

Poor little mite ..lucky she found you ..

As the other posters said get her to the vet ASAP .. The fleas and probably worms too will be causing her lots of problems.

Until she is defleaed I wouldn't let her on any clothes or soft furnishings as you will have real trouble getting them out of carpets etc. and they will transfer onto your other cats too.

I would be inclined to treat the older cats for fleas too in case any have managed to hop across... Just to be safe.

But please don't lock your older cats out, or show them less affection, you need to make a fuss of the Older cats and keep to their routine, then when the kitten is defleaed introduce them slowly showing lots affection to the resident cats.

Xxx

pinkie_pie

Managed to get her to the vets today at short notice, registered her and set her up on their new kitten scheme. Bad fleas, worms the lot poor thing as I thought she's tiny, the vet thinks only 7-8 weeks as opposed to 13, as she's only 600g. So she couldn't have her first vaccinations or flea treatment as she's far too small, so she got a bath in frontline spray instead, growling at the vet and hiding behind my hand the whole time very cute

We are leaving her in peace for tonight but doing daily supervised time with the cats from tomorrow as the vet suggested to start early (have 5 kids in the house tonight so not starting today!) she has baby kitten weaning food too from the vet as she's too little for their kitten food thank you for all advice, I'd have probably left her to it for a few days otherwise.

Fire_Fox

Please contact the RSPCA and give them the breeder's address and phone number, lord knows what state the queen and other kittens are in. And also post all over Facebook to name and shame. That is plain neglect, the kitten could have died from the parasite load.

scaredy_cat

p.s - thread isn't valid with out piccies!!!!!!!!!!!

marmiterulesok

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Get her to the vets urgently, kittens can die from parasite infestations. Combing them out won't get rid of the eggs and your home will get infested. Fleas carry worm eggs so she could have those too, what are her ears like is there any black inside? Is the breeder a friend or a friend? You need to know if this kitten has ever been de-flead and wormed, what with and when so you don 't overdose her. She might be crying because she is too young to have left her mother.

Usually a new cat is confined to one room for maybe a week then slow introductions to your other cats and the rest of the house. That one room should be a quiet place like a spare bedroom or your son's bedroom and you visit to get to know them, keep the first litter tray in there and put a second elsewhere. Personally I wouldn't introduce her to your other cats until you have vaccinated the kitten, given she has fleas and is undersized you have no way of knowing what else she has been exposed to. Are your cats all up to date with their vaccinations, flea and worm treatment?

This is more or less what I would have said.

Thanks for taking on this wee kitten.:A

Glad things are progressing and you've taken her to the vet's.Poor wee mite growling behind your hand-how endearing.

Don't forget to make a big fuss of your other cats or they're going to feel a bit put out.

I'd love some pics if possible!