Feral baby kitten caught/need help/progression thread

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Story: Baby tortie kitten about 2-3 weeks old had been begging and crying for food in my neighborhood. I had been feeding it, earning it's trust to move closer and closer to her. Mom had not been seen by myself or the neighbors. It is very unusual for kittens born in the wild leaving it's nest to look and beg for food (Natural instinct is to stay quiet and hide). Anyways, my plan was to trap both mom and baby to get mom spayed. Mom was again a no-show. It started pouring and kitten is eating in front of me, out from under my car. It was now or never, and with no gloves on, I grabbed her asap.

She will be seeing a vet later today. I discovered a wound on her lower lip this afternoon during a bath. Her lower lip is detached, leaving her gums and chin exposed. Other signs are her eyes are cloudy, a squinty eye, and maybe some worms. Some food, TLC, vet care and time, is all she need.

Funds are a little tight at home because of a medical procedure I had to go through recently and I did not count in fostering this soon again. Rescues are inundated with kittens, and this baby will get a kitty cold at the local shelter. While I am looking for discounted vet services and spay surgery, any donations will help cover whatever expense there is. I am also looking for potential adopters for her, so if you are interested, we can discuss that later when she is about 8 weeks old, healthy, vaccinated, spayed, and microchipped :)

If you cannot donate, please share.

I will post her pic in a separate post on Tapatalk.

I just wanted to stop in and say good on you for helping that poor animal. We took in a stray about a year ago , luckily she was in great health for being a stray for over two years. But she's become a beloved member of the family.

I unfortunately can't help financially, money is tight here too. But I wish you and the kitty all the luck in the world. Please keep us posted.

And thank you again for stepping up for the kitty.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

I read through the FAQs but could not find the answer to whether or not it is allowed to post GoFundMe link? Please redact this link if it is not allowed:

Story: Baby tortie kitten about 2-3 weeks old had been begging and crying for food in my neighborhood. I had been feeding it, earning it's trust to move closer and closer to her. Mom had not been seen by myself or the neighbors. It is very unusual for kittens born in the wild leaving it's nest to look and beg for food (Natural instinct is to stay quiet and hide). Anyways, my plan was to trap both mom and baby to get mom spayed. Mom was again a no-show. It started pouring and kitten is eating in front of me, out from under my car. It was now or never, and with no gloves on, I grabbed her asap.

She will be seeing a vet later today. I discovered a wound on her lower lip this afternoon during a bath. Her lower lip is detached, leaving her gums and chin exposed. Other signs are her eyes are cloudy, a squinty eye, and maybe some worms. Some food, TLC, vet care and time, is all she need.

Funds are a little tight at home because of a medical procedure I had to go through recently and I did not count in fostering this soon again. Rescues are inundated with kittens, and this baby will get a kitty cold at the local shelter. While I am looking for discounted vet services and spay surgery, any donations will help cover whatever expense there is. I am also looking for potential adopters for her, so if you are interested, we can discuss that later when she is about 8 weeks old, healthy, vaccinated, spayed, and microchipped :)

If you cannot donate, please share.

I will post her pic in a separate post on Tapatalk.

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She does not have a name yet. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...366bad20f4.jpg

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She's a little cutie!!!

I hope everything works out well for you both!

I had a wild kitten as a young boy .. it was a Male and the gentlest cat I’ve ever had ... the odd thing is that it lost its tail as a kitten when an old sheepdog got a good grip of it and the vet couldn’t save tail

Now it never climbed trees or walked along fences - presumably as it had impaired balance ( no tail) .

At the age of one it had a stroke our dog found it lying motionless behind the sofa abs barked like crazy !!!
It was at the weekend and I remember it cost a fortune at the vets and we had to drive miles to him ...

Anyways it somehow lived to the ripe old age of 19 !!


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Day 2 -

She had her first vet visit today. The vet said that the injury to her lower lip is due to some trauma a few days ago. That could also explain the squinting of the other eye. Maybe a car almost stepped on her? Raccoon tried to grab her? Who knows. Either way, vet is hopeful that it will heal without intervention. Surgery would be the needed if it won't heal.

She is on deworming meds and antibiotics. Otherwise, she is fine.

While she still hisses and spits, she is slowly allowing me to pet her. I am also able to hold her. And even better news - she started to purr! What an improvement! I can't wait to see where we are in a week. Of course, I'm taking it slow. I had fosters who would try to kill me for weeks, others immediately take to being touched by a person. This one, I can tell, is a special girl.

I'll provide another update in a week or so. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c5f372fdad.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...025eb7857b.jpg

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I wanted to wait a week before posting another update but this is huge... She started to learn how to use the litterbox! Normally, babies would learn from mom or their siblings. Having neither one to guide her, after some attempts to teach her, she got the idea. She is such a smart girl. Using the litterbox is a milestone for her in becoming a house pet. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...cbb41129fe.jpg

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Yay!!! Good job little kitty!!! :gj:

It's been almost 2 weeks since she was caught. If the vet is correct, she is 6 weeks old.

She is getting bigger. Her personality is starting to show: a finicky eater, tough little girl who loves to play and to be around you after you earn her trust.

She is still shy, as you can see in the picture. I was cleaning her play pen and she prefers to hide under my leg. I have started introducing new people to meet her. So far, so good.

Saturday is a follow-up deworming. I'm taking her to my usual vet for a 2nd opinion on her lip as well as getting a SNAP test done. Depending on the results of this test, it will drastically change how she will be adopted out.

For anyone interested, she will be ready after she reaches 8 weeks, spayed and started on her first vaccine (3-1 combo). Due to the pandemic, there may be a delay depending on the clinics schedule. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bd3793ed3d.jpg

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Pichttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f12c8faf78.jpg

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Too lazy to get up and playhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2a5f206365.jpg

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Oh my goodness, she looks sooooooo good!!!!

Looks like she's coming right along!

Update - follow up from vet

No news is good news, but I have news, both good and bad.

I took her to my vet, who discovered that one of her eyes has a lot of scar tissue of some sort that covers about half of her cornea. He thinks that it could be from an early eye infection that she had before she could open her eyes, and/or early onset of cataracts. It could also be something she was born with. Nothing can be done at this age, and it seems to not bother her.

Her fecal came back positive for coccidia, so she is being treated for it now. I'm a little frustrated with the first vet (VCA) who refused the fecal, thus missing this parasite. Oh well. So be it.

He examined her lower lip and found that it could be a old injury or she could have born like this. When asked if we should leave it be, the vet is hesitant about that. For now, again due to her age, it is a wait and see situation. She is eating and it is not bothering her at this time. The main concerns were her lip being pulled further back and/or infection. He suggested when she is old enough, surgery will be needed if it gets worse or not getting better.

Good news is she was tested negative for FIV and leukemia. She also received her first combo vaccine today. I had a lengthy discussion with him about when is the appropriate age to spay her. The decision was to wait to spay her at 5 months or right after she is approved for adoption and ready to go to her new home (8+ weeks). Her next follow up vaccine and fecal is in 4 weeks. Rabies shots will not start until she is 16 weeks old.

Minor rant here - after speaking with many different people, and looking for potential adopters, it looks like this little girl may be staying with me longer than originally planned.

Kitten season is here, and litters of kittens are looking for homes that are not there. The client before me had a female with kittens, on top of the clinics looking for homes for some stray kittens they are caring for themselves. She is staying with me until a good, loving forever home is found, someone who is responsible and will love her to the moon and back.

The shelter is no place for any animals, much less, baby animals. Rescues are full at max capacity, they too struggle with rampant URI (kitty cold) and the lack of foster homes. This was a widescale problem for decades before the pandemic.

This pandemic adds new layers of challenges: there are no adoption events at this time; many clinics that previously offered discounted vaccines and spay are closed or currently not accepting patients, so some people can't get affordable vet care; and due to layoffs, financial hardships, people are not looking to adopt, but they are surrendering their pets. Some are giving them up out of fear of contracting the virus. While my local reptile stores are getting an increase in sales of animals, domestic pets are being dumped. [emoji53]

I need a drink haha. If you would like to help, pm me for the GoFundMe link. Every penny helps. I will provide another update in a month after her follow up visit or her adoption, whichever comes first. Thank you.

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Update - 10 weeks old

Kitten will be going to her forever home this or next week (after her spay)!

It was a long journey even though she stayed with us only for a short time. Going from hating my guts to being a purr playful machine, to date, she is my most difficult kitten to tame considering her age. She is still very shy, but grows more confident by the day.

After receiving numerous responses to my posts on rescue Facebook, asking around, etc... She will be joining a home where she will be the baby sister to 2 older cats. One of them has a similar playful personality as my Gizmo who bonded and taught her many things. I spoke to her new mom at length, who can't wait to spoil her.

My heart breaks, just as I do for every foster that leaves this house. I never forget them. But I also know she will be loved. Currently, I'm dealing with some medical issues with my dog and beardie, so I guess it is time to let her go. This will also open space in my house to help foster kittens from the shelter.

Thank you for reading. It will be a bittersweet goodbye.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7875ace45f.jpg

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Awww, that's fantastic she's going to a loving forever home. Great job with her!!! Thanks for keeping us updated.

I'm so happy you were able to find her a good home, thank you for getting her all fixed up. :)