Hey guys,
New to the forum because of the situation.
We're expats in Morocco. Lots of ferals here, people generally take care of them well. A few days ago, a kitten showed up on our street, meowing literally non-stop. Somewhere in the 4-6 weeks old range I think.
Our neighbors know the cats in the neighborhood and their litters. He's not one of them. He was screaming on the street the whole day unless running away from cars or people. Super scared, darts as soon as people move closer. Mom never came.
Our neighborhood also has stray dogs, so it's not safe for a kitten. Together with our neighbors we were able to capture it and bring it into our home.
We have cats (we're keeping them separate) and we've cared for strays before. This guy is nothing like we've ever dealt with.
He basically meows nonstop, 24/7. He's also super scared. Hisses and claws at you if you come close. He didn't eat or drink anything for the first 24 hours or so.
We were able to feed him a couple of times by literally stuffing food in his mouth when he opened it to meow. Once he realized it's food, he was willing to eat it off our hands. He seems to be capable of eating softened kitten dried food (we haven't yet found kitten formula, so that's not an option).
In the past day, he's eaten once or twice from a plate we placed in front of him. But it's rare. He did start using the litter we set up for him.
Looks healthy, his poop is literally perfect, so doesn't seem to have any health problems. He can run around just fine if need be.
But he's eating/drinking very little. He falls asleep for a bit during the day, then wakes up and continues to scream on top of his lungs for the rest of the day. But he won't let us near him, he keeps running away and hissing. We try mimicking non-aggressive behavior (lying down at his level, not staring at him, lowering our heads), but that doesn't help.
He does stop screaming for a bit when we come to the room, but then he picks it up again after a while. I think he's just scared of us so he stops for a bit.
At this point he's keeping us up as well as the neighbors. We have no idea what to do, he doesn't seem to be getting friendlier. There are no shelters here and letting him out on the street is basically a death sentence.
Any help? Thanks!
New to the forum because of the situation.
We're expats in Morocco. Lots of ferals here, people generally take care of them well. A few days ago, a kitten showed up on our street, meowing literally non-stop. Somewhere in the 4-6 weeks old range I think.
Our neighbors know the cats in the neighborhood and their litters. He's not one of them. He was screaming on the street the whole day unless running away from cars or people. Super scared, darts as soon as people move closer. Mom never came.
Our neighborhood also has stray dogs, so it's not safe for a kitten. Together with our neighbors we were able to capture it and bring it into our home.
We have cats (we're keeping them separate) and we've cared for strays before. This guy is nothing like we've ever dealt with.
He basically meows nonstop, 24/7. He's also super scared. Hisses and claws at you if you come close. He didn't eat or drink anything for the first 24 hours or so.
We were able to feed him a couple of times by literally stuffing food in his mouth when he opened it to meow. Once he realized it's food, he was willing to eat it off our hands. He seems to be capable of eating softened kitten dried food (we haven't yet found kitten formula, so that's not an option).
In the past day, he's eaten once or twice from a plate we placed in front of him. But it's rare. He did start using the litter we set up for him.
Looks healthy, his poop is literally perfect, so doesn't seem to have any health problems. He can run around just fine if need be.
But he's eating/drinking very little. He falls asleep for a bit during the day, then wakes up and continues to scream on top of his lungs for the rest of the day. But he won't let us near him, he keeps running away and hissing. We try mimicking non-aggressive behavior (lying down at his level, not staring at him, lowering our heads), but that doesn't help.
He does stop screaming for a bit when we come to the room, but then he picks it up again after a while. I think he's just scared of us so he stops for a bit.
At this point he's keeping us up as well as the neighbors. We have no idea what to do, he doesn't seem to be getting friendlier. There are no shelters here and letting him out on the street is basically a death sentence.
Any help? Thanks!
I suppose the evening is when his mother would return from salvaging expeditions. You can try explaining to him what is going on, how his mama kitty loves him but cannot take care of him, but no to worry, you will care for him and now he will have a real home, with toys, food and love - it sounds crazy but i have seen it work!
