Cat advice needed
May 11th 2008, 5:16 am
#1
why ayeeeee man!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Disco Gardens...
Posts: 11,370
Cat advice needed
So....walking home from the gym at 11ish on thursday night I saw a little kitten in a building site, it looked terrified but as I went to see if it was ok it hopped off, I went home but came back later to check on it, it was right next to the road and could hardly move with fear, it was covered in med and other suchlike and had no collar and is obviously a stray,
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
May 11th 2008, 5:25 am
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 787
Re: Cat advice needed
So....walking home from the gym at 11ish on thursday night I saw a little kitten in a building site, it looked terrified but as I went to see if it was ok it hopped off, I went home but came back later to check on it, it was right next to the road and could hardly move with fear, it was covered in med and other suchlike and had no collar and is obviously a stray,
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
May 11th 2008, 5:26 am
#3
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Joined: May 2007
Location: UK... for now...
Posts: 355
Re: Cat advice needed
Nice one - there are loads of these little cats on the go. We kept feeding them when in our villa much to the disgust of our own cats! There are also a couple sneaking about at the pool here at the office scrounging for some scraps of your lunch!
I'd get it to the vets to have its bits done for starters, and also a treatment for worming and fleas. If it is to be going outside, it will need a collar. Other than that, get a scratching post to save your furniture and a ping-pong ball - ours love them!
I'd get it to the vets to have its bits done for starters, and also a treatment for worming and fleas. If it is to be going outside, it will need a collar. Other than that, get a scratching post to save your furniture and a ping-pong ball - ours love them!
May 11th 2008, 5:37 am
#4
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,786
Re: Cat advice needed
So....walking home from the gym at 11ish on thursday night I saw a little kitten in a building site, it looked terrified but as I went to see if it was ok it hopped off, I went home but came back later to check on it, it was right next to the road and could hardly move with fear, it was covered in med and other suchlike and had no collar and is obviously a stray,
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
so I wrapped it up in a towel and took it home, cleaned it up and fed and watered it and its basically slept for almost 2 days, bar waking up to be fed, it seems better now and I've had it on the sofa with me and its now started having little wanders around the villa but still is pretty skinny and scared,
I was thinking of keeping him as he's lovely, but do I need to do anything? get him to the vets to get checked out? he must only be 3 months old, if that.
Any advice?
May 11th 2008, 5:45 am
#5
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Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Dubai
Posts: 888
Re: Cat advice needed
You won't be able to have it neutered until it is about 6 to 8 months old- the vet will advice you- but please do take it to the vets as soon as possible for a check up and flea worm treatment. Apparently fleas aren't too much of a problem here as it is too hot for them but it is still worth getting some Frontline or similar applied. If you are going to let him/her out definitely get a collar and consider micro chipping.
Apart from all that the vet's bills for cats aren't too bad, really it is just the annual check up and vaccinations for less than about 300Dhs. (I say this while looking at a 3,000Dhs vet bill for the last cat we rescued.....)
The feral cats here can be *cough* quite a challenge to domesticate but if you get a young kitten you will be fine. Sadly the mortality rate among kittens here is very high but this one appears to have got lucky.
Oh, and Scarletfan,
Apart from all that the vet's bills for cats aren't too bad, really it is just the annual check up and vaccinations for less than about 300Dhs. (I say this while looking at a 3,000Dhs vet bill for the last cat we rescued.....)
The feral cats here can be *cough* quite a challenge to domesticate but if you get a young kitten you will be fine. Sadly the mortality rate among kittens here is very high but this one appears to have got lucky.
Oh, and Scarletfan,
May 11th 2008, 5:49 am
#6
hmmmm...nice
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,923
Re: Cat advice needed
the kids brought home such a kitten some time ago, we had it checked and it turned out it had that feline aids related illness...had to have it put down...apparently it's quite common amongst strays the vet said...
May 11th 2008, 5:59 am
#8
hmmmm...nice
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,923
Re: Cat advice needed
Feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, is a widespread viral infection that attacks the immune system of cats. It is caused by the same family of viruses that triggers AIDS in humans and has much the same devastating impact on infected cats. It is often referred to as "feline AIDS."
The virus devastates a cat's immune system, stopping it from effectively combating other diseases and infections. Infected cats eventually fall prey to a wide variety of secondary illnesses that overwhelmingly prove fatal. There is no cure, but cats can live for up to 10 years – much of it in seeming good health – before succumbing.
The virus devastates a cat's immune system, stopping it from effectively combating other diseases and infections. Infected cats eventually fall prey to a wide variety of secondary illnesses that overwhelmingly prove fatal. There is no cure, but cats can live for up to 10 years – much of it in seeming good health – before succumbing.
May 11th 2008, 6:01 am
#10
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,786
Re: Cat advice needed
Feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, is a widespread viral infection that attacks the immune system of cats. It is caused by the same family of viruses that triggers AIDS in humans and has much the same devastating impact on infected cats. It is often referred to as "feline AIDS."
The virus devastates a cat's immune system, stopping it from effectively combating other diseases and infections. Infected cats eventually fall prey to a wide variety of secondary illnesses that overwhelmingly prove fatal. There is no cure, but cats can live for up to 10 years – much of it in seeming good health – before succumbing.
The virus devastates a cat's immune system, stopping it from effectively combating other diseases and infections. Infected cats eventually fall prey to a wide variety of secondary illnesses that overwhelmingly prove fatal. There is no cure, but cats can live for up to 10 years – much of it in seeming good health – before succumbing.
May 11th 2008, 6:10 am
#13
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,028
Re: Cat advice needed
Personally, I would treat your new arrival as just another stray, but with the benefit of being occasionally allowed inside and being regularly fed. From my experience, few wild cats adopt to becoming fully domesticated over here. Also, don't make the mistake of spoiling him/her by spending a fortune on Whiskas or Kitekat. Just feeding him/her scaps will be enough. If you go down the route of vets and domestication, you will have to think about your holiday arrangements. It becomes almost a life changing commitment. If that is what you want, fair dinkums
It's your call!
It's your call!
May 11th 2008, 6:15 am
#14
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,786
Re: Cat advice needed
Personally, I would treat your new arrival as just another stray, but with the benefit of being occasionally allowed inside and being regularly fed. From my experience, few wild cats adopt to becoming fully domesticated over here. Also, don't make the mistake of spoiling him/her by spending a fortune on Whiskas or Kitekat. Just feeding him/her scaps will be enough. If you go down the route of vets and domestication, you will have to think about your holiday arrangements. It becomes almost a life changing commitment. If that is what you want, fair dinkums It's your call!
It's your call!Isnt that just just convincing yourself that you dont have a responsibility though?...oh,if i only let it in the house occasionally,it will still only be a stray?"...the minute you start feeding it on a regular basis that cat becomes dependant on you,and when it suddenly stops because you pop off on holiday it is exactly the same as if it was living in the house or not.
May 11th 2008, 6:18 am
#15
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Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai
Posts: 13,547
Re: Cat advice needed
Personally, I would treat your new arrival as just another stray, but with the benefit of being occasionally allowed inside and being regularly fed. From my experience, few wild cats adopt to becoming fully domesticated over here. Also, don't make the mistake of spoiling him/her by spending a fortune on Whiskas or Kitekat. Just feeding him/her scaps will be enough. If you go down the route of vets and domestication, you will have to think about your holiday arrangements. It becomes almost a life changing commitment. If that is what you want, fair dinkums It's your call!
It's your call!