Emergency! Found A Lost/escaped Kitten.

[kittychick]

Her little round face is just beyond adorable!!!! Those little round-faced fluff balls are extra cute and hard to resist! We had a period where we swore we weren't taking in any more fosters for a bit, but took in a little round-faced foster baby, Olaf, who'd been found frozen to the sidewalk in the dead of winter (he had lots of other issues - one of which involved the fact that it turned out he had no third eyelids - but he now has a very, VERY happy forever home!). Faces like that are SOOOOOO hard to resist!

And I certainly understand financial issues being a problem - even when our hearts desperately wish otherwise (I always say if I didn't have my cat-loving but more rational husband, when I "go" they'll find me under a pile of foster kittens and adopted strays and TNR socialized failures adoption failures). My heart too far exceeds my pocketbook But I'm SO happy to hear you'll be caring for her in the meantime! And glad to hear too that you're going to do the full vet-check before any intros.

I don't know if you've ever had to do a slow introduction - - -if not, please don't hesitate to ask for help and suggestions (you can even send me a PM if you wish). We've done LOTS of slow intros over the years - - - and all have worked, except, interestingly, Olaf, the kitty pictured. We weren't going to keep him, but we'd nursed him through very lengthy recuperation following a very difficult eye surgery, so we were attached as attached could be. We began very, very slow introductions with our kitties - - all of whom (at that time) had always done very well with new fosters almost immediately. But something told us to take it very slow wit him. So once he was healthy and his eye surgery was finished, though he was a wonderful "people" cat - - and had had as slow an intro as possible - he literally tried (multiple times) to "do away with" (to put it kindly) two of our most ancient cats (19 and 20 at the time). Both of whom were sleeping every time he attacked. Every time it took both of us to pull him from our poor girls. Needless to say, Olaf had to find a new home.But as I said - he's VERY VERY happy now with a very doting mom Other than that - we've had great luck with slow intros - -and have lots of tips. Even if you end up not keeping her, it's not a bad idea to start down that path so that you can tell potential adopters that she "plays well with others"!

Does the adorable purr machine have a name yet?

 

[scarlettleia]

Her little round face is just beyond adorable!!!! Those little round-faced fluff balls are extra cute and hard to resist! We had a period where we swore we weren't taking in any more fosters for a bit, but took in a little round-faced foster baby, Olaf, who'd been found frozen to the sidewalk in the dead of winter (he had lots of other issues - one of which involved the fact that it turned out he had no third eyelids - but he now has a very, VERY happy forever home!). Faces like that are SOOOOOO hard to resist!

And I certainly understand financial issues being a problem - even when our hearts desperately wish otherwise (I always say if I didn't have my cat-loving but more rational husband, when I "go" they'll find me under a pile of foster kittens and adopted strays and TNR socialized failures adoption failures). My heart too far exceeds my pocketbook But I'm SO happy to hear you'll be caring for her in the meantime! And glad to hear too that you're going to do the full vet-check before any intros.

I don't know if you've ever had to do a slow introduction - - -if not, please don't hesitate to ask for help and suggestions (you can even send me a PM if you wish). We've done LOTS of slow intros over the years - - - and all have worked, except, interestingly, Olaf, the kitty pictured. We weren't going to keep him, but we'd nursed him through very lengthy recuperation following a very difficult eye surgery, so we were attached as attached could be. We began very, very slow introductions with our kitties - - all of whom (at that time) had always done very well with new fosters almost immediately. But something told us to take it very slow wit him. So once he was healthy and his eye surgery was finished, though he was a wonderful "people" cat - - and had had as slow an intro as possible - he literally tried (multiple times) to "do away with" (to put it kindly) two of our most ancient cats (19 and 20 at the time). Both of whom were sleeping every time he attacked. Every time it took both of us to pull him from our poor girls. Needless to say, Olaf had to find a new home.But as I said - he's VERY VERY happy now with a very doting mom Other than that - we've had great luck with slow intros - -and have lots of tips. Even if you end up not keeping her, it's not a bad idea to start down that path so that you can tell potential adopters that she "plays well with others"!

Does the adorable purr machine have a name yet?

Thank you, I may very well drop you a message when we decide to introduce them! I hadn't even thought that it may be a good idea regardless of whether we decide to keep her or not!

We've called her Sprout. I started calling her a 'little sprout' because she was so small and lovely, and it's just sort of.. stuck.

 

[scarlettleia]

Update - No humans as of yet. She's used her litter tray like a champ, drank plenty of water and eaten plenty. She's still very purry and cuddly and seems to have adopted me as mother. She calms right down when I hold her and snuggles in. So cute.
Took a little video of her this morning! - If any of you have any idea how old she might be, we'd love to know. We're still guessing around 5 months or so.

 

[maggiedemi]

She's a little purring machine! Yeah, she looks a lot smaller and younger in the video than in her photos. I'd guess about 4 or 5 months old.

 

[kittychick]

It warms my heart this morning to see that little Sprout (GREAT name!!!!) is worming her little Sprout way into your home and hearts. P

Please don't HESITATE to drop my a private message with any intro questions - - I'm very happy to help out in explaining introductions and you're welcome to ask all of the questions you want. With the exception of adorable little Olaf, we've yet to have an intro that was truly slow go bad at our house or any foster homes we adopt to (the hardest part is not to rush it!).

I think you mentioned above (I've been working already this Sunday am and my head is already filled with graphic design stress) that you'll take her and get her checked out before even beginning intros to your current two. That IS critical. Feline Leukemia needs to be checked for, as does FIV (although we're now learning that FIV cats can live with other kitties that DON'T have FIV - -as it's basically only spread by deep, deep bite wounds - - -so if she would by chance come up with that, please don't consider it a death sentence! Shelters used to euthanize for that - -and we're learning that's truly not necessary!!!!!) And getting her shots up to date is also critical.

Age-wise I'll be interested to see what everyone else says. A vet will be able to give you a good idea by examining her (in particular her teeth). Just by looking - my guess is 9 months to a year - - but she could just be a tiny thing permanently (one of ours is tiny - tops out at about 6 pounds! We call her our "perma-kitten"!). Here's a link to an article that's good at describing what to look for well into adulthood to determine age (although, again - a vet is your best bet).

Ask a Vet: How to Tell How Old a Kitten or Cat Is | Catster

Keep us posted on sweet little Sprout! I think she's chosen you already.....it's just been a matter of you figuring that out (she's probably thinking "silly humans - don't they know I'm irresistible?)

 

[maggiedemi]

I don't think she's 9 months old from watching the video. Demi was full grown at 9 months old.

 

[azpops]

This is a really great thread / story! tow thumbs up, fur sure!

Good luck with your rescue, fail? ... lol

Pops n' Li'l Cal

 

[azpops]

Just in case (so no misunderstandings); rescue fail, as in foster fail!

Pops

 

[scarlettleia]

Update on Sprout: kittychick was right! We took her to the vets today, she had no microchip but seemed in excellent health. All the staff ended up coming in to say hello to her as she was being ridiculously friendly. The vet gave her a quick check over and reckoned she could be anywhere from 9 months to 3 years! For a size reference, I had to shorten Elizabeth and Philips old kitten harness to take her there, It was too large for her and that stopped fitting them fully extended at 8 months... Vet reckoned she's just an exceedingly small young cat. She had all her adult teeth, no plaque and no obvious spaying scar (which could apparently either mean that it's fully healed up, or she's just never been done). She is definitely a she, and definitely not feral, but as we live in such a small town and no one has come forward yet despite our posters, they reckon she may not have a home anymore.
She has the all-clear to be introduced to Elizabeth and Philip and we'll look at starting that soon. Where we go from here is yet to be seen, if we decide we can't keep her, I'd personally like to rehome her myself, instead of taking her to a shelter. (Norway has a no-kill policy, but I'd still feel better about it if I could personally ensure she was going to a good home, preferably with someone we know already)

 

[maggiedemi]

So is the vet going to wait to see if she goes into heat, and then spay her?

 

[kittychick]

Do I get a "guess the age" prize?

So so SO happy to hear she got a good bill of health - WOOHOO! Echoing M maggiedemi ---have you made a spay appointment yet? Please please please do so right away - - -she's obviously well into "kitten havin' age." (you did say Phillip is neutered, correct? I'd hate to have you finally get a nice introduction going - only to wind up with her getting pregnant.)

Hopefully the vet isn't waiting for her to go into heat to spay her - - - I think I said earlier (I lose track of who I said it to - so please excuse me if I'm repeating myself) that not every cat shows physical signs of going into heat - so you may never know when she does. I can't come up with any reason she couldn't be spayed immediately. It'll keep her healthier in the long run - - spaying her will cut her changes of getting uterine infections (ouch!!!!) - -and uterine infections are not only painful, but can be life-threatening. And the best way to prevent getting it is spaying her.

Spaying also reduces her chance or getting uterine or breast cancer by 90%!!!! Spaying will also obviously keep her from going into heat....and heat usually lasts around 5 days and can happen every three weeks (so you'll avoid those fun heat things like yowling through the night to attract a mate, leaving little blood spots on your favorite furniture or rugs, going crazy to get outside to mate, and urinating and/or spraying in the house). So obviously - - - the sooner she's spayed the better - - for everyone involved!

And if you do end up finding a different home for her (although I definitely feel your love for her through the screen!) - - you want her spayed before she leaves you. All too often, people adopt kitties and promise - - or even sign an adoption agreement that they'll get her fixed as soon as possible - -and then never do it. So if you handle it now, not only are you making sure she has a healthier, longer life ---but she'll be a bigger draw to potential adopters!

 

[maggiedemi]

Yes, you win the guess the age prize. I was so positive she was under 9 months old. But I guess she's just small for her age.

 

[scarlettleia]

We're super glad she's in good health! We've yet to make an appointment for her as we're still unsure what's happening with her. Philip is indeed neutered, thankfully, and we're keeping her indoors. We're giving it a little longer for someone to come forward and claim her and then we'll go from there. Sadly spaying in Norway isn't cheap, so I'll need to get selling some bits on Ebay to fund it if it does get to that, but it's absolutely something that I will do at the earliest opportunity.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah, it's expensive. A spay is $145 here, unless it's a feral living outside that you haven't brought inside yet, those are $50. You said she might already be spayed? I guess you'll know in a month or two if she goes into heat.

 

[scarlettleia]

Indeed, we're not sure if she's spayed or not. The vet couldn't find a scar but he said that may be due to her being older than we initially thought, and so it's just healed up nicely. It's about $150 here too, at our vets, which prides itself on being 'more affordable' so that they don't have an abundance of un-neutered kitties wandering around.
I'ma do a bit of fund-acquiring and hopefully we can pull together enough swiftly to get her sorted out asap!

 

[kittychick]

It's expensive here in Ohio too - - - unless you go through a low-cost spay/neuter clinic (don't know if you even have those there). Going through our regular vet - - spaying costs around $200. At our low-cost clinic we pay only app $30 per cat (which includes spaying and rabies shot) - - but that is for ferals who come in inside a live trap and leave in the live trap. Plus you have to be willing to have your cat's one ear clipped so that it's obvious to all they've been "fixed" and they don't have to go through the experience of being trapped again.

Well definitely keep us posted on how things go with the sweet-faced love bug!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Update on Sprout: kittychick was right! We took her to the vets today, she had no microchip but seemed in excellent health. All the staff ended up coming in to say hello to her as she was being ridiculously friendly. The vet gave her a quick check over and reckoned she could be anywhere from 9 months to 3 years! For a size reference, I had to shorten Elizabeth and Philips old kitten harness to take her there, It was too large for her and that stopped fitting them fully extended at 8 months... Vet reckoned she's just an exceedingly small young cat. She had all her adult teeth, no plaque and no obvious spaying scar (which could apparently either mean that it's fully healed up, or she's just never been done). She is definitely a she, and definitely not feral, but as we live in such a small town and no one has come forward yet despite our posters, they reckon she may not have a home anymore.
She has the all-clear to be introduced to Elizabeth and Philip and we'll look at starting that soon. Where we go from here is yet to be seen, if we decide we can't keep her, I'd personally like to rehome her myself, instead of taking her to a shelter. (Norway has a no-kill policy, but I'd still feel better about it if I could personally ensure she was going to a good home, preferably with someone we know already)

We have an adult cat that s 7 pounds, soaking wet. She's TINY and so sweet and fit into our household beautifully after a proper, quick introduction with separation areas for when we were out. She even looks a bit like Sprout!
I've enjoyed this thread.
The plan for this cat, when we found her, was a no kill or a home but she integrated so quickly she stayed.
I'm not pushing this issue with you but just letting you know....things happen =)

 

[1 bruce 1]

We're super glad she's in good health! We've yet to make an appointment for her as we're still unsure what's happening with her. Philip is indeed neutered, thankfully, and we're keeping her indoors. We're giving it a little longer for someone to come forward and claim her and then we'll go from there. Sadly spaying in Norway isn't cheap, so I'll need to get selling some bits on Ebay to fund it if it does get to that, but it's absolutely something that I will do at the earliest opportunity.

Does your area in Norway have a no-kill shelter that offers spay/neuters? I don't know what the cat population is there, but in the States it's explosive and many shelters offer a lower cost spay program just so it gets done. It might be worth checking out. We've used our local low-cost clinic and have been very, VERY happy with them!

 

[1 bruce 1]

It's expensive here in Ohio too - - - unless you go through a low-cost spay/neuter clinic (don't know if you even have those there). Going through our regular vet - - spaying costs around $200. At our low-cost clinic we pay only app $30 per cat (which includes spaying and rabies shot) - - but that is for ferals who come in inside a live trap and leave in the live trap. Plus you have to be willing to have your cat's one ear clipped so that it's obvious to all they've been "fixed" and they don't have to go through the experience of being trapped again.

Well definitely keep us posted on how things go with the sweet-faced love bug!

Oops, I should have read a bit more ahead before replying =)

I think our spays here are $35 or $40, but this includes everything as well as a detailed instruction list on what to do (keep them quiet, limit jumping if possible, etc.) and what to look for (swelling, lethargy, etc.) and a re-check is at little (or no) cost depending on the time frame that goes by (I think the rare cat that experiences these problems will be seen for free for 72 hours after the spay, after that it's minimal.)
Plus, I love supporting these low cost clinics to help keep the population down a bit, and hats off to the vets and technicians that donate their time for little cost, if any at all...

 

[abyeb]

I just found this thread! Thank you for caring for this sweet baby! She really is a cute, precious, little thing. Even if you end up rehoming her, have you picked out a name yet?