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So I was heading out to the car to go visit my folks and what should I see by the dumpsters? A little orangie kitten! If the dear had let me get close enough, I guarantee you it would now be in my bathroom with food, bed, litterbox, and toys. Alas, it ran when I got close. What's the best way to go about catching the little booger?
How old was the kitten? Are you abosolutly SURE it doesn't belong to someone? My lil brother allows his long hair orange cat to roam the neighborhood and I know he wouldn't want someone to steal his cat thinking it was a stray. Or the lil kitten might have slipped out the door of it's home and just hasn't gone back yet. I know Sada has gotten out the door once or twice.
Ash
I'm about 90% sure it's a stray. When I was paying my rent the other day, my landlord mentioned having seen quite a few stray kitties about by the dumpsters. I'm not quite sure how old it was - old enough to want to go dumpster diving. I'd guess it at maybe two or three months, not much older.
I would try to grab it, then post signs that I found it... But it could be in the dumpster when they come to empty it and I don't need to draw you a picture of what could happen to it then... Take food every day to feed it,back away, try talking soothingly to it to start..
Eep! I don't want to think about what would happen to it if it was in the dumpster come time to empty it out! Poor little thing! When I saw it, it was just kinda staring like it wanted to dive in, so maybe it's not quite big enough to go dumpster diving - just big enough to want to. Anyway, I was definitely thinking of starting off by taking food out, and sitting far enough away (with a book handy while I wait) so that the kitty might feel comfy about taking the food. There's probably a mama cat somewhere pretty close by. A lot of the people around here just let their cats run loose outside, and I doubt many of them are fixed. -_- So even if the mama cat has owners, I doubt the owners would claim the kittens. I'll be sitting out tomorrow with a plate of cat food, a camera, and a book. With any luck, I'll have the little baby moved in here soon and can start trying to find its owners (if there are any out there).
Best of luck!
I've never seen any stray kittens around here, so I don't have any advice to give you, sorry....
But good luck! And tell us what happens:)
Well, not much has happened so far. I set out a plate with a little bit of food this morning, and then about an hour or so later when I took out the trash the plate was licked clean. I put out another plate and set out there where I could watch it and still be a little ways from the dumpsters until the ants started gnawing on me, but no kittens showed up. I'll try again this evening, and hopefully I'll at least see the little booger again.
Ah! Caught a glimpse of the little fuzzball again! It's such a tiny thing! And hungry. It snarfed down the food I had sitting out for it before I could get over there and snag it. I'm gonna get some string and make a trap out of Zelda's carrier.
Hey Lacey, you are getting pretty cat rescue wise! That sounds like a good plan, hope it works. Fingers and paws crossed!
Well, I've got my makeshift trap set up. It seems to work ok in practice. It's a little late to go kitten catching right now, so I'll be giving it a shot tomorrow. If he(?) goes for the food like he did today, catching him shouldn't be any problem. The bathroom is all set up to house him(?); all I'll have to do is put food and water out before I turn him(?) loose. Oh, and move out my toothbrush. ^_^;; Kinda thinking of calling him(?) Mowgli since he's(?) a little wild child kitten.
I told my folks that I was going to try and trap the little booger, and they told me to just let it be. They're of the philosophy that it's just a stray and it can take care of itself. And they tried to guilt trip me out of trying to catch him(?) by saying, "What if he makes Zelda sick or vice versa?" Unfortunately, that will be my biggest worry once I get him(?) in my apartment... :(
Well, Zelda helped me do a test run on my homemade trap, and it works! She went in to get treats, I pulled the string, the door closed! So it'll definitely work for Mowgli! About midday tomorrow, I'll get a plate of chicken and liver friskies in there and set the homemade trap in place! Wish me luck!
Oh, and how long should I wait to take Mowgli to the vet for a check-up, sexing, and vaccinations? As soon as possible? Or keep it in my bathroom and wait until it's halfway willing to be handled?
I'd take him to the vet as soon as possible. You definitely don't want to risk Zelda catching anything and even through a bathroom door something like a URI can travel - it did with Jazz and Ripley.
Do you plan to keep him???
I haven't decided for sure about keeping him, but I'd really like to. (And the only one here to tell me not to is Zelda... ^.^) I just really can't stand the thought of the little baby living out of the dumpsters for all his life.
Leave some Food,where he can find it,and then move it closer ,a bit at atime,to the House!
D'oh! This little booger-head is being tough to catch! He always shows up when I don't have my make-shift trap set out.