Adopted a 7 month old stray kitten - trying to understand his background

[DreamiesProvider]

Hello,

2 Weeks ago we have brought in a 7 month old kitten, we found him outside of our home. We have never seen him before in the neighbourhood, he appeared on that day and proceeded to follow a neighbour to a store 20 minutes away, wait outside, and follow them back. He would follow anyone screaming for food, he had no sense of direction or a home and was willing to jump infront of cars. He was quite weak, not underweight but very weak. He was like a ragdoll and didn't have the energy to protest to being touched anywhere. He was really looking for help. He was able to use the litterbox - somewhat, there were a few accidents which made me doubtful of his previous home if there was any. He did poo outside once, peed on the bed, and had to have a litterbox on every floor to encourage him to use it.

We brought him in and same day took him to check for a microchip - nothing, he was also not neutered. We reported him as found at the vet (which is a massive chain and the only one near us), and then discussed with the vet options. The vet told us to not let him outside as he is young and clearly has no survival skills.

The vet stated that while we could put up found posters many people will claim him just to have a new cat, while we could put up posters saying 'cat found - contact *email*' we felt this would invite hundreds of people in our mailbox and would be impossible to manage. We also believe that the owner should definitely put an effort into finding the cat. We wanted to find loving owners, if there are any, but we wanted to make sure we don't give him away to someone who doesn't care and made no effort to look as he should have already been neutered and microchipped this all felt a bit fishy.

In the end we decided to of course every day check the area and in different parts of the city for posters, as the city isn't big this wasn't too hard, we checked every facebook group for lost cats and dogs 5 times a day, every lost pet site around etc for two weeks everyday. On top of him being reported as found, we were unable to find anyone within 2 weeks. All we found was 2 kittens, same age, same coat, found within a mile..

We now have him in our home, he has been microchipped and had his vaccinations done. He is extremely friendly, super playful and the vet said he sees no trauma but he exhibits some outdoor behaviours. He has bonded with everyone quickly and even meows at the door if anyone leaves for a bit long.

I realise no one can tell me his full history but do any of his behaviours point to a specific scenario? Especially him following a neighbour to a store 20 minutes away, waiting in front of the store and coming back? Following anyone meowing? It sounds like he was looking for his mom but at 7 months old that feels unlikely? Typing this as he is catching his own tail I felt that people who have experience adopting strays may recognise some of the behaviour.

 

[Furballsmom]

Poor baby!
I'm not suggesting he is one, but I've read that Ragdolls, in the early days of developing the breed, didn't have ANY sense of self preservation, were clueless of how to survive, etc. Maybe he's a throwback.

All we found was 2 kittens, same age, same coat, found within a mile..

What was this?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure he was dumped. I'm glad your vet knew to caution you, and that you realized you'd be inundated .. ..

Bottom line, I'm SO glad he's with you! Be sure and feed him a lot, canned food several times a day with kibble for snacks and overnight. He's growing like mad and will be until he's at least a year possibly older, and is also expending a lot of calories. His tummy isn't big enough yet to hold a lot of food so he needs to eat frequently.

 

[DreamiesProvider]

Poor baby!
I'm not suggesting he is one, but I've read that Ragdolls, in the early days of developing the breed, didn't have ANY sense of self preservation, were clueless of how to survive, etc. Maybe he's a throwback.


What was this?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure he was dumped. I'm glad your vet knew to caution you, and that you realized you'd be inundated .. ..

Bottom line, I'm SO glad he's with you! Be sure and feed him a lot, canned food several times a day with kibble for snacks and overnight. He's growing like mad and will be until he's at least a year possibly older, and is also expending a lot of calories. His tummy isn't big enough yet to hold a lot of food so he needs to eat frequently.

Hi!
Thank you for the reply, sorry I should have been more clear he isn't a ragdoll breed, I meant ragdoll as in a doll, very fluid and not much strength in muscles. I forgot it is a breed, should have been more clear on my side haha he is a cute black and white kitty

Assuming you mean when, they were found a week before we found this little bud, so I think close enough to be connected but not sure of course!

Currently we are giving him two pouches of kitten food a day, it said on the package to give him two for his age range, would you recommend feeding him kibble too? We are worried about overfeeding but we know he is probably needing all the extra foodies!The vet said he is 2.5kg and isn't underweight luckily. This is our first time with such a young kitty so we want to do the best we can!

 

[DreamiesProvider]

I forgot to mention, of course he is booked to be neutered asap <3

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. And thanks for giving this little guy a home. He sounds like he was either dumped, or was born feral and is a lot more trusting of humans than most feral kittens.

What happened to the other kittens that were found? Did they also have no fear of humans? If so, and if they were from the same litter as your guy, then I'd say they had a home for a bit, or at least a human taking care of them, and then were either abandoned or dumped near where they were found.

Glad your little guy is settling in. Is he using the litter box ok now?

 

[Furballsmom]

they were found a week before we found this little bud

Whew, hopefully their new people are as wonderful as you are

It is literally impossible to overfeed a kitten, they need all the food they can get, and extra wet food plus some kibble will be very helpful for him.

meant ragdoll as in a doll, very fluid and not much strength in muscles.

I knew what you meant, I was just using that breed's attributes to give a possible description of him, and this, if he happens to remain this way even to a small degree could support my theory of a throwback but of course, without genetic testing I have no real idea

 

[Alldara]

Dumping in some areas is really normal.

Especially right now because many adopted animals, the cost of living rose dramatically, and then shelters filled up. People are at a loss of what to do and then they dump them. (In the area I grew up in the SPCA charges you $100 surrender fee, so dumping is so common it's heartbreaking. People cannot afford that) or the person loses the pet when the person becomes homeless.

Since there's no survival skills and he was following humans I would suspect this.

It always makes you wonder when you don't know the history. Magnus was found at a colony with his brother. The lady who runs the colony did not have a pregnant cat, and had not seen these kittens before. They were friendly, so she suspects dumped.

 

[game misconduct]

he was probably a indoor pet that some human trash dumped in your area thanks for giving the poor lil guy a home and saving him from dying on the streets