August 30, 2004

• My mom does it by segregating cats that don't get along. This only works if there is enough space to do this. Give the kitten his own room until he's large enough to fend for himself.
• Have you talked to your veterinarian? There are people in some towns who will care for stray kittens and then give them up for adoption when they're old enough. I'd bet your vet would know if there's someone doing that in your town. Otherwise you could try putting an ad in the paper I suppose.
• here's a kitten rescue group where you live! (there are others, too, just google "cat rescue" "tennessee") i'm big on rescue groups. they take homeless kitties and foster them out until they can find permanent homes. i adopted my cat and dog through rescue groups. if your other kitties are determined NOT to allow this new one, you may explore the option of placing him elsewhere. you don't want to make everyone miserable!
• I was going to recommend a rescue, but SideDish beat me to it! If that doesn't pan out, I second drivingmenuts' suggestion. We were in a similar situation once and kept the kitten in the bathroom. You should only have to do this for a few weeks until the kitten is big enough to go to the shelter. If you can do this, it's very likely the kitty will be adopted from the shelter. If you are unsure of the kitten's age, check with your vet to see if you should supplement with a mother's milk replacement.
• Newspapers will often provide free classified ads for lost/found pets.
• My suggestion: Fava beans and a nice Chianti.
• Maybe some kitty ecstasy?
• First, I have to say.... AWWWWWWW!!!! What a cutie pie!! If I still lived in Memphis, I'd have gladly adopted him myself. Anyway, you might also want to check out the Purr Factory, and while you're at it, check out Petfinders website. Wonderful resource.
• I googled cat rescue this morning and talked to a couple of shelters. A lot of these places are volunteer organzations, so I have to leave messages or send emails and pray they'll call back. Other shelters are filled to overflowing and even if they weren't, they say they can't take him until he's at least 8 weeks old. SideDish, I've already left a message for that place you linked. It's the first center that I've seen that will take kittens this young (I'm estimating he's 4-5 weeks old).
• Isn't it unusual that a shelter won't take an animal because it is too small? The shelter in my area has no such rule.
• Here in Northern California, UC Davis runs a program every year where the vet students take in "bottle-babies". You might want to do a bit of research in that area. 4 - 5 weeks, huh? We got our cat at that age or, horror upon horrors, a bit younger; the man who forced him on us told us he was the runt. riiiight... Anyway, Gizmo's turned out well; he eats fine (did then, as well), was already litterbox trained, all the fun stuff. The only odd thing is that he likes to, well, suck on my husband's ear. Some sort of security blanket kind of thing, I think. Every day, when Jason gets home, Gizmo's waiting at the door ready to be picked up.
• What a cute little booger! I think shelters won't take cats that are too young to be vaccinated. Interesting coincidence. I got a call yesterday from a neighbor who works at a local cat rescue shelter. She wanted to know if I would be able to foster a 4 week old kitten until it was old enough to be adopted. Yes absolutely ready willing and able, but Mister shinything had objections. Apparently he wants to finish painting before we have a kitten in the house. I live with a curmudgeon.
• Now that you've said it, shinything, that makes a lot of sense. I haven't really thought about it before now, for some strange reason. One thing I forgot to mention, Mickey, is that we're right in the thick of "kitten season". Shelters and rescue organizations are full of kittens (the one I volunteer for has 38 kittens right now!). I don't know if some monkeys will get offended by this, but I have to say it, in the kitten's best interests: if you offer to volunteer, or donate, or help out in whatever way you can, it might help little Booger's chances of finding a foster. Rescue organizations are non-profit (or is it not-for-profit? whichever one means "we scrape by & do whatever we can on donations" is the one I mean), so the promise of extra help/food/supplies sometimes can seem like a blessing. "curmudgeon;n : a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas." shinything, you're harsh!! ;o)
• you're right minda, he's only 35. ;) ME WANTS KITTENSES!
• If you were in Memphis you could leave the kitten with my mother-in-law. She is a sucker with a capital "S."
• shinything, I want kittenses too (well, I'd love a dog, but it won't happen) but #2 wants us to have more babies first, then get a kitten. He got a little freaked out by the concept of toxoplasmosis.
• Saying no to kittenses is a thankless job. But somebody in the house has to do it, or else we'd be hip-deep in kittenses. And monkeys. /reaches for well-worn copy of One Kitten Is Not Too Many
• Mickey, most of the people I know who had to find homes for kittens/cats had good luck with emailing everyone they knew, who in turn emailed everyone they knew, etc. It's surprising how often people realize they want another critter, especially if they can see a heartstring-tugging photo of said critter. (But part of me hopes you keep the lil guy.) Please keep us posted. And apologies for the continued de-rail. Tracicle, some ammo for you (more here): "...ask your vet to check your cat's Toxoplasma titre (antibody test for exposure to T gondii): a. Cats with a positive titre have been infected in the past and will not be a source of infection in the future as they have completed their period of oocyst shedding. b. Cats with a negative titre have not been infected with T gondii in the past and are likely to shed oocysts in their faeces for a short time if they become infected in the future. The risk of acquiring infection can be minimised by: * Avoiding feeding raw meat to the cat to reduce the risk of T gondii infection (see point 7 above). * Keeping the cat indoors to prevent hunting and access to intermediate hosts such as voles and mice." Goetter, you are the Voice of Reason. :) Rationality goes out the window when faced with this.
• Oh my god. Look at that tiny pointy tail. *closes browser before wife can see* *recovers stern countenance*
• Nice to see a good samaritan act. Well done, Mickey. If the rescue group can't take him yet, do as suggested and keep him segregated from your other cats. Try this, though: make his bed out of an old sweatshirt of yours, and wear it around your other cats so they get used to the intruder's smell. They'll react negatively at first, but once they get used to it, you might be able to introduce the kitten to them safely. I did that with a stray a little over a year ago, and she's now part of the ruling cat overlords who make every decision in our house.
• I haven't got one creature in this house that came about because I woke early one day and thought, "By God, I need a __________!" Princess Lowrider (big fat kitty) I rescued from an alley when she was a very skinny kitty and so scared of people she'd wet herself (and me) if she saw any other human beings. Ambrose Ting Ting (bad stripey kitty who breaks all my stuff) I found under a dumpster - she meowed at me when I was looking for the stray I'd seen from my window, me on hands and knees in dumpster yuck, and I knew I was screwed. She had already been abandoned in an apartment building, rescued by a crazy cat rescue lady, given away and returned because she was too loud, and then had subsequently escaped from the crazy cat lady when I found her. And the budgie? Escaped from somebody, found on a sidewalk, and when I had lost my lovebird, I was contacted by this gent who said, "Look, I saw your poster about your missing lovebird; I have no idea where your lovebird is, but I found this budgie walking down the sidewalk, and if I don't find a home for him, I gotta take him to the pound. Ya want him?" Creatures find their people somehow. :) Good luck with Patrick Pointy Tail!
• moneyjane, are you sure you're not Selina Kyle?
• I live in the Amazing Stray Magnet House. Or else strays just recognize a houseful of people who are willing to be doormats for critters. We've been adopted over the years by more cats than I can count, a slightly smaller number of dogs, several rabbits, a mockingbird that decided it would serenade us every night around midnight for a year and specifically went just outside our bedroom windows to do it, two ducks, two roosters, and a California condor that decided to stop in and say hi for the morning, even though we're nowhere near the normal range for condors. And one thing that looked like a cat, but we're pretty sure she was an alien from Alpha Centauri in cat disguise. We've taken in almost any stray that has come along and said, "Hey, here I am! You're mine now!" We're currently owned by three cats (all originally strays), two stray rabbits, a rooster that decided he liked it better here, and a hen that is one of the very few animals anyone in the family has specifically gone and acquired. My overly-rambling point here is that we can't be the only suckers for fur or feathers in the US. I agree with shinything. Try going the email route. An ad in the paper would probably also work. I'm sure there are suckers in your area who are just like us and will give that cutie an excellent home. Now I must go find a band-aid, since the stray cat that's currently courting us hooked my hand with one pawful of claws a minute ago in order to drag it between his pointy ears and tell me to pet there.
• oh! and the pets section of craigslist nashville is a good place to post, too. (for those not familiar with craigslist, it's a gem, check it out.
• [*sigh*] I'm so envious of people who can have heaps of pets without falling over in a wheezing, itching, sneezing mass of crying hives.. Of course this doesn't stop me from having two dogs, but it's a problem when I play with them by rolling around on the grass..
• wooo...that was a close call! My dad had a friend who started his engine one bright morning a couple of months ago, heard something explode under the hood, and well... *sigh*. He was totally distraught (cat-lover), and refused to open the hood till the tow-truck and mechanics arrived.
• Yeah, alnedra, I was awfully close to heading out for bagels & caffeine that morning. Yikes. I have an appt at the local vet tonight to get him checked out for feline leukemia, general health, etc. There is a kind soul in east TN who works with a shelter. One of their foster homes just took in 8 kittens and a mama, and it's possible this little guy can join the litter if his tests come back clean. I'll keep the monkeys posted. And if it doesn't work, apparently I can either make a road trip to Memphis, or contact mrs. goetter ...
• The kitten has been adopted! Last night one of my co-workers came over with his wife to pick him up. They already have two young cats and three dogs (no kids), so the little guy is going to have a huge family to enjoy. They set up his own space for litter & food until he's adjusted to the house, and his new mom started a 4-day weekend today to be with him. I talked to my co-worker this morning and the dogs absolutely loved him. The female cat started grooming him, and the other thinks he's a new toy. It was all a little overwhelming last night, but I think he'll be adjusted in no time. And for the first night in weeks, I got a good night's sleep without a kitten scrambling up the side of the bed and pouncing on me for hours. I really miss him.
• you're a good person, mickey. that kitty is very lucky to have found you! meanwhile, here's a cute kitten photo to cheer you up.
• Congrats and bananas for finding little Petey Pointy Tail a good home. And if you didn't miss him we'd worry about your sanity. :) Maybe your grown-up kitties will start pouncing on you instead, just to keep the tradition going.