My husband began helping a young mother cat and her 3 kittens who come to our yard. This began in May. There were 3 kittens and the mom, then just 2 kittens and now just one. I can only guess that the other 2 didn't live. We have all sorts of wildlife in our area and of course a car could've hit one, but the other two kittens are gone. The last kitten, about 5 months old now, and weaned from the mom comes by every day. My husband who is highly allergic to cats is the real softy. We have an African Grey Parrot who is our 6 year old baby, as well as a 12 year old son and 10 year old daughter. I call her Oreo because of her coloring. She is sooo sweet. The mom still comes around sometimes and is very cautious. She'll hiss at you even if you're just leaving food for her. Oreo will come by the sliding door to the deck and roll over, rub against the door and just meow so sweetly. She has us eating out of her paw. I open the door just enough to put my hand out and she just nuzzles it with her neck. Then I wash my hand quickly. Then I just read the thread about the woman who found a feral kitten with worms! Ugh. Someone answered her thread that all kittens have worms. Is that true?
Maybe I should not be petting her. There's all sorts of poison ivy and poison oak in our yard and I'm sure she's brushed against it. Oreo is tooo hard to resist. I cannot bring her in the house because of the parrot and my husband and my daughter with asthma. However, the winter is coming and we've heard of igloos. Of course what prevents another cat from going in and who says that Oreo would go in if was snowing. Perhaps she will just live under the deck or find her way in the shed like her mom has survived. (I really don't know where the mom spent last winter.)
I'll tell you nothing is more cute than when I call for her in the moring and she's been cat napping on our swinging lounge on the deck or curled up on my husband's lawn chair. There is a huge huge tom cat that comes around sometimes, perhaps her father. We don't feed him. Actually one night the mom and her 2 kittens at the time brought us a dead rabbit to our front door (I guess for us to cook). That wasn't a good night.
So what does one do for a stray kitten to protect it from the winter. Tonight it's low 60's and she's at the sliding door displaying signs that she wants to come in. I can not do that. Can she be crawling worms and germs that I shouldn't ever touch her? She's soooo soft and sweet. Place to buy an igloo would be so helpful. Someone with a heart please respond. We are so new to this. What if we get an igloo and she won't go in it? How do you keep it warm or is that its special function?
Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions.
Maybe I should not be petting her. There's all sorts of poison ivy and poison oak in our yard and I'm sure she's brushed against it. Oreo is tooo hard to resist. I cannot bring her in the house because of the parrot and my husband and my daughter with asthma. However, the winter is coming and we've heard of igloos. Of course what prevents another cat from going in and who says that Oreo would go in if was snowing. Perhaps she will just live under the deck or find her way in the shed like her mom has survived. (I really don't know where the mom spent last winter.)
I'll tell you nothing is more cute than when I call for her in the moring and she's been cat napping on our swinging lounge on the deck or curled up on my husband's lawn chair. There is a huge huge tom cat that comes around sometimes, perhaps her father. We don't feed him. Actually one night the mom and her 2 kittens at the time brought us a dead rabbit to our front door (I guess for us to cook). That wasn't a good night.
So what does one do for a stray kitten to protect it from the winter. Tonight it's low 60's and she's at the sliding door displaying signs that she wants to come in. I can not do that. Can she be crawling worms and germs that I shouldn't ever touch her? She's soooo soft and sweet. Place to buy an igloo would be so helpful. Someone with a heart please respond. We are so new to this. What if we get an igloo and she won't go in it? How do you keep it warm or is that its special function?
Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions.