Feral kitten in my house. HELP!

notshanarishona

Tue, Jul 13 2021, 7:12 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Oy, I just talked to my landlord, and asked him if he had a humane trap, or knew someone who did.

He asked me what the kitten looked like, and then told me it was in his house a couple of weeks ago. He has a wife and 6 kids, so they were able to corner the kitten and shoo it out the door.

He asked me if I fed it. I said "Of course, it's been here for 5 days! I can't let it starve to death."

He laughed and said "You have a cat now." I told him I didn't want a cat, and he said "Too late!"

Thanks a lot. Confused

If he's been on his own for this long, at this age, I'm starting to think that his mother abandoned him. It's crazy hot outside. If mom is dehydrated she probably doesn't have enough milk for everyone, so the weak link had to go. Nature is cruel like that. It would also explain why I don't hear any adult cats calling for a missing kitten.

Sigh.

So now I have to keep him alive long enough to catch him, AND find someone to foster him. This time of year we're up to our eyeballs in feral kittens, and I don't know anyone who is taking in extras. Everyone is desperately trying to find homes for the kittens they already have.

PS: I have super strong prescription antibiotic cream from the doctor. I would have worn gloves to try and catch him, but I didn't have time and wanted to use the opportunity.

So what do I do now, call pest control? Have the cat euthanized and examined for rabies?

This might sound cruel but you come first. Do anything you can to chase him out and not let him back in. Cats in E”y grow up very fast. They learn to be self sufficient.

BH Yom Yom

Tue, Jul 13 2021, 8:38 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Oy, I just talked to my landlord, and asked him if he had a humane trap, or knew someone who did.

So now I have to keep him alive long enough to catch him, AND find someone to foster him. This time of year we're up to our eyeballs in feral kittens, and I don't know anyone who is taking in extras. Everyone is desperately trying to find homes for the kittens they already have.

So what do I do now, call pest control? Have the cat euthanized and examined for rabies?

Please don’t euthanize him!! He’s probably little enough that he can still be socialized. Poor baby kitty. He’s just trying to survive in a scary world and he wants his mom. I wish I could come get him but I don’t live anywhere near RBS. Sad

FF, if you don’t have the resources right now to adopt him, pay for vet bills, etc. can you feed him in your house and basically treat him like a feral cat? Food, water, litter box, but nothing beyond that? (And a blanket so he can snuggle and feel safe.) Is there an animal rescue group who can do a TNR when the feral kitten population is a little less overwhelming, in a month or so?

FranticFrummie

Tue, Jul 13 2021, 8:58 am

BH Yom Yom wrote:

Trust me, I don't WANT to euthanize him. I love kitties as much as the next person, but it might be him or me.

Since I've been bitten, the only way to tell if an animal is a rabies carrier is to do a biopsy of their brain. I would be fine with getting the emergency shot, putting the kitten in quarantine, and then releasing it somewhere if it's not showing signs of rabies.

He's been oddly quiet today. I'm kind of worried that he's sick, and I'm going to have a dead kitten behind my refrigerator, which is his new favorite hiding spot.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Jul 13 2021, 11:12 am

Well, he's out and about now. I put up the dog food where he can't reach it, and he's letting me know in a very LOUD way that he is not amused.

His Royal Highness demands to be fed. In other words, he's acting like a perfectly healthy, normal kitten.

I think I'll name him "Salty", because all he does is cry. I guess it's time put put out some kitten chow.

Still waiting to hear back from the Iriyah and the Misrad Habriut.

BH Yom Yom

Tue, Jul 13 2021, 11:17 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Oh yay!! So happy he is out and about and acting normal. Thank you for putting the dog food out of reach!

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 8:15 am

Oy vey. Why me, Hashem? Why me?

I went to the health department, and they took my statement. They sent a message to animal control, and said that if they can catch the kitten they will hold it in quarantine for 10 days for observation. If the kitten seems fine, they will release it, and I won't need any shots. So, no shots for now.

Sounds great, right? Well, the animal control guy shows up. Frum guy with long gray beard, black kippa, and no front teeth. He brings every single piece of animal control equipment you can imagine, EXCEPT for a human trap! He also barely speaks English.

He searched the house for an hour, but this kitten is not stupid. He knows to be quiet and lay low, and will probably only come out at night when the house is dark. I told the guy that he needed to come back with a trap, and leave it with me overnight. I'm not sure he understood. I even googled a picture of what the trap looked like.

Then, things get weird. He sits down on the sofa next to me, and starts asking my name, how long I've been in Israel, how long in Beit Shemesh, if I'm married, how many kids I have, etc. He gives me his personal phone number, and tells me that if I need anything, ANYTHING at all, that I can call him day or night. He will put up shelves, fix wires, and build furniture for me for free.

He is WAY too friendly as he says this. I'm like OK... and he practically winks at me!

I showed him the door, and told him to come back with the trap that I asked for in the first place.

I have no makeup on. I'm covered head to toe in a million degree heat. My house is flying because I've been moving everything around trying to find the cat. Apparently, he thinks I'm a great catch.

Should I be flattered, or just assume he has really low standards?

Rappel

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 8:32 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

I think you ran into a great sample of Israeli kindness. I wouldn't read more into it, other than him being a mensch.

Sunny Days

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:37 am

FF sorry to hear about this whole cat saga now... but ya gotta admit you’re entertaining and crack me up! Success10 is right LOL

May Hashem bentch you with all you need in the zechus of you being מרחם on his lost lonely little kitten, despite it being so hard for you.

I hope you catch it- or at least Salty starts following the house rules...

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jul 16 2021, 9:20 am

Beit Shemesh seems to be up to it's eyeballs in kittens right now, and there are no traps to be had. They are all out to other people's homes at the moment. Meanwhile, I'm wearing double gloves and disinfecting poop and bloody pee off of my floors. I am not a happy camper. 🙁

I've had people from all over the country offer to loan me their traps, but only if I can pick it up. I do not have a car, and I can't travel to Natanya or Beer Sheva in this heat! I can't even find anyone to pick up and deliver to me. For the price of a Gett taxi service, I could go out and buy a couple of traps of my own.

At this point, I'm seeing the serious need for a humane trap gemach in my city. Maybe some day I'll have the money to invest in a few, and start offering them out for loan.

BTW, don't you just love it when Google tells you that "The first sign of ____ (insert dire disease here) is "Flu-like symptoms, headaches, joint pain, nausea, and muscle aches"?

I have fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. How is this different than every single day of my life? In my quest to not become a hypochondriac, I assume everything is a fibro flare, until I realize it isn't. That's why I didn't realize I had Covid until I'd had it for a week already.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jul 16 2021, 10:12 am

BH Yom Yom wrote:

Oy. That sounds incredibly stressful. The bloody pee is very concerning to me, that’s not normal. This might be a stretch, but would Nessiyah’s vet be able to help at all?

I called, and they don't have any traps available right now.

B'H, Nessiyah is very well trained. I taught her to leave that part of the house alone, so she's not getting exposed to whatever the kitten has. I'd be a lot more worried if she were in there checking out the smells and bodily fluids. She very much ignores it now.

The bloody pee is extremely concerning, because when Salty got here, the pee was yellow. The bloody pee has only been in the last couple of days, so something is definitely happening. He's getting high quality kitten food, so it can't be from that. Google tells me that when it happens in a kitten, it's often a birth defect that needs surgical intervention. I hate to think that the little guy is in pain.

(Or girl. I have no idea, so I'm just going with guy. I don't have the energy to give a cat they/them pronouns. LOL

)

Elfrida

Fri, Jul 16 2021, 10:23 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

The bloody pee is extremely concerning, because when Salty got here, the pee was yellow. The bloody pee has only been in the last couple of days, so something is definitely happening. He's getting high quality kitten food, so it can't be from that. Google tells me that when it happens in a kitten, it's often a birth defect that needs surgical intervention. I hate to think that the little guy is in pain

If it is a birth defect, it would explain both why the mother abandoned it, and why it had been crying so much.

On the other hand, it could be a UTI, made worse by periods of relative dehydration. If that's the case, a few days of antibiotics should clear it up.