Help..rescue of wild kitten

[Jasper's Mom]

Thanks SpencerTheLion for the link to Feline Rescue. Always appreciate help and information.

We have checked dog and cat name sites, thinking of all the local used names and words. Why is it so hard to pick a name for one little kitten? He is doing better every day. All the family has been spending time with him so he is enjoying the touching more. More purring and nudging. He can come out of the crate and walk around my bed now without running away, as long as I keep petting him. He does startle very easily but I'm sure with his fantastic progress in one week, that will disappear in time too.

His potty problem is gone, yeah! No more crying except to talk to us for attention or food. Went to the Pet Expo today and got him little catnip balls, just his size, and a catnip mouse with a bell. He has been playing like a crazy nut with these new toys.

Still no sign of my lost Jasper. At the Pet Expo today I passed out posters to all the cat or rescue booths. I keep trying. I was happily/and sadly surprised when I developed two rolls of film, and there was my Jasper in many pictures. Felt his loss all over again.

[Karen]

Jasper is a semiprecious stone - have you tried out similar stone names for kitty? Is he Tigereye, Jade, Agate, Lapis Lazuli (if he turns out to be a lap kitty!, or a kitty who does laps around the house!), Turquoise (Turk), you get the idea ....

[Jasper's Mom]

Our baby kitty is a totally changed guy. He now looks and acts like a regular kitten. Lots of discussion on names, but none yet. I thought taming would take a long time. I wonder if it's because I'm home a lot and he has stayed right next to me most of the time.

Today he came out as soon as I opened the door. Ate outside his crate and enjoyed our petting him on my bed, purring loudly to make sure we'd keep doing it. Never reacts to fast hand movement, people coming in, the dogs coming to greet him, or much of anything. A loud bang or sudden shaking of the newspaper does, but any cat would react to that. He tried to climb my bedroom curtain but was taken down fast. Don't want a curtain rod walker.

From the Pet Expo he received a catnip mouse and little catnip cloth balls. He totally flipped out, flinging his toys in all directions. We sure laughed. Doggie apple muffins for the 1st birthday tomorrow for brother Moses brought nose twitches and mews. He already mini sampled one and loved it.

Since yesterday he now sits alert at the crate door, waiting to be let out. Sometimes cries and scratches at the door if I sit on the bed. He loves to attack the pillows and folds in the covers, sticking his head under them. Sometimes have to crate him to calm down when he gets so worked up playing.

I don't mind at all, but why has he changed so fast from a frenzied whirling devil to mellow fellow in a week. It's great. His eyes are now wide and bright and his coat is much nicer too. Good food.

Others have suggested I find a home for him, and someone has asked for him, so that I can foster other feral kittens, one or two at a time. But I don't know if I can do that. Besides, I fear I would want to keep a few here and there.

[This message has been edited by Jasper's Mom (edited May 14, 2001).]

[Logan]

Jasper's Mom,
What great news and a Happy Mother's Day for you!! Happy Birthday to Moses too!

Somehow I feel this kitten was meant for you...let us know what you decide.

Logan

[aly]

Jasper's Mom: His young age probably had a lot to do with his fast adjustment time, but also all the love you gave him. It was meant to be for you two. If you don't feel like you want to tame ferals, don't do it. It sounds like your little guy was made for you. I wouldn't find another home for him unless you really felt it wasn't right for you to keep him. Just follow your heart.

[Jasper's Mom]

Can you believe we are at odds on a name for our itty bitty kitten. Everyone is to make a list of their favorite names. This weekend we pick the top ones and vote.

A lady at the PetExpo here mentioned her "kitty condo", around $500, nice and big with perches at different levels for the kittens she fosters. My little guy has been in a carrier in my room when not being handled. I think that was a definite asset in his taming.

Two days ago I pulled out my extra large dog crate that both my Golden Retrievers can fit in together. Kitty condo time. Rearranged the living room furniture, giving the dogs better access to "their" couch. The dogs and my granddaughter played in the crate for hours. I then lined the floor with newspaper, put his tiny litter box into a big litter box. Cat carrier, w/o door, his toys, and fresh food in another corner. We snuggled and then into his new "condo" he went. He loves it. Wow, talk about your own home entertainment center. Everyone watches his antics instead of tv. After a play session he snuggles and purrs on my son's bed.

This morning his snuggle towel was out of the cat crate and next to the "condo" door where he was sleeping. When he wants to be held or play with me he stands at the door with big eyes and tiny meows. The dogs come to him, licking and nudging him and he loves it. He is so great. No one would ever believe he was a "crazed kitten" only 13 days ago. He is being kept safe in our busy household until he is bigger, and having a great time while doing it.

Mama cat and siblings showed up again a couple days ago. Trapping is set for this Saturday. The person willing to take the kittens before is hesitating. I cannot take two. Maybe one, but only for taming and adoption. This is new territory for me. I would have to use the borrowed cat crate to isolate the sibling. Vet bill is $100 before vaccinatins. Can't do that. It will also be two weeks older, two week wilder. My son and his girlfriend tell me not to do it. I have to make a decision by Friday.

[Karen]

Oh, what a hard decision to make. I don't feel that I can help with that one, except to say that you've done a good job on this one, so maybe you have an aptitude!

Have you decided on adopting out the nameless one or not?

[Jasper's Mom]

The story told to me by two new friends, of their attempts to capture the remaining siblings of my feral kitten caused me to laugh out loud. It is a delight to report that the third kitten of four is now safey in the hands of a lady named Jo, who also received kitten #1. Kitten #1, with one blue eye and one yellow/green eye, has had the runnies and when taken to the vet it was determined the cause is parasites. While at the vet she received a phone call that the next kitten had been caught in a humane trap and was on it's way. Transferring the newly captured kitten was scary for fear of escape in a strange parking lot, far from familiar territory. They would never have caught it again. But all went well, and now he is in his new home along with his brother who was captured first. The new capture has a blunt end short tail, as has the one still free. Three of four are male, and three young, white cats that sit together on the rocky hill watching the captures are probably the older siblings of this bunch. The ladies easily caught Mr. #3 in a humane trap, but ended up chasing #4, and finally capturing him with a long handled net. But oh no, as they tried to place him into a carrier, in an instant he escaped. The ladies are worried that it is alone, and tonight it was seen on the rocky hill, watching the other cats eat. A new cat has appeared, visably pregnant. The ladies feel the situation is more than they can take care of alone. Offers of help from a cat group have fallen through. They have only been able to capture one other big yellow cat, and he is now safety back in the colony after being neutered and his left ear notched. They will keep trying to capture, sterilize and return the adults. There is one tame "house cat" as they call it, loving to be petted. I would like to help but cannot get on a military base. At least three kittens are now safe and have a home.

[Jasper's Mom]

SpencerTheLion:

Ah yes, although I missed that Star Trek show tonight, I understand the concept. I was thinking maybe I should call him Mr. Two, or Two-four, or twofer...or...

Perplexed that I am, for a name is illusive. The other day I thought of Leo the Lion, and liked it, but nixed it because it would be like taking a part of your name away. Don't want to be a copy cat.

Tonight he made me realize that it is important that his name match him. As you say, "Resistance is feral"...and resist he did. Tired from playtime with the dogs (with my attendance) and his play attacks at them, I snuggled him against my chest while heading to get his dinner ready for nitenite time. When I turned on the faucet to just a trickle, wanting to fill his water dish he freaked out. I actually had to unhook his front claws from the skin on my chest. My inner right arm also was dug up. As I held on trying to calm him he bit me on the top of my hand. I knew he was startled and not mad at me. I took ahold of the back of his neck as his mama used to and he immediately froze in kitten position. In this position I again placed him against my chest, filled his water dish (him very quiet), then his food dish, and quietly petted him before placing him in his kitty condo. Minutes later he was back at the door wanting attention again, and receiving it. Lesson learned. And I had the tetnus shot last week; so glad for the advise. "You will be assimilated.", you really think so? Not yet, resistance is the name of his game right now. And what happened to that mellow kitten who enjoyed his first (and maybe last) bath?

The lady who has taken the two brother kittens has another 6 mo. old rescued cat named Pu'uloa, meaning "Pearl Harbor". (Big movie premiere here on the USS Stennis.) Kitten #1's name is Maka u'i, meaning "beautiful eyes". The only Hawaiian name I came up with, since he's mostly white like the others, is Haupia (sounds like how-pea-ah), which is a white coconut pudding. My family thought it was stupid. Oh well.

Quoted from The Honolulu Advertiser, Sun, 5/20/01: "A house without either a cat or a dog is the house of a scoundrel." -Portuguese Proverb.

[4 feline house]

I don't know if naming your pet after a dessert is all that stupid - an acquaintance of mine has a rescued whippet named Tiramisu!

[Jasper's Mom]

4 Feline House: I thought of naming him sushi, because the island favorite has lots of white rice in it. They nixed that too. Popoki, meaning cat in Hawaiian, after the first cat I can remember as a child of five. No one likes my choices, I don't like theirs. May just take the problem by the tail, so to speak, and choose myself.

And SpencerTheLion, you are funny. Now I can't get that out of my mind. I keeping hearing this strange voice telling me "Resistance is feral. You will be assimilated". Maybe my little guy was beamed down just for me??? and from whom???

[Jasper's Mom]

SpencerTheLion....you are too much. We were all around my computer laughing earlier tonight at your postings. Sooo funny. In honor of the now gone series, Star Trek, we have named our new visitor, #4 of 4, Mr. Spock. Although he will be here merely a few days (unless the lady who took #1 & #3 changes her mind), we decided that he needed a dignified name, and so this it shall be. He displays the same Mr. Spock composure, in spite of the fact that he was captured in a trap this afternoon, rode in one car, endured poking and prodding with sticks into a crate in a Burger King parking lot and then rode in a second car. He is very dignified, not displaying the inappropriate reactions such as spitting, hissing, growling or biting that his brother did. He makes no sounds, gives no response, just cowers in the corner.

When we arrived home, I doubled a towel and with the crate door against my arm, reached in to take him by the neck. No movement, no sound, he let me take him out in the "mama kitty" grip, where I wrapped him solidly for the undignified means of identification, for we all wanted to know if it should be Mr. or Miss. He was happy to get back to his corner. He ate heartily after I covered the crate with a towel. Tonight he is uncovered to more expose him to us as we walk past him. What a true refined one he is, no attacking the sides of his crate in a whirling, striking frenzy like mine did.

It has been three weeks since I got my kitten, so Mr. Spock (#4) is 9 weeks old. Bright yellow eyes, same grey color on his ears, a round circle of color on his right side, and a stump of a tail in the same color, like a little fuzzy bunny tail. I was going to nickname her "Bunnie" but she is a he. Also mostly a dusky white color, covered with the red dirt so typical of the area where he was found. A good bath will make him shiny white. I was surprised that Mr. Spock is a lot bigger. I may have the runt of the litter, or maybe the mama nursed Mr. Spock longer. In the end, at his new house, he will surely have a Hawaiian name as her other three do.

Either way, we have all decided on a forever name for my kitty, and it is sealed for all time. His name is Elijah, or Eli for short. It was chosen, not because of his personality, but because I liked it. Never has there been such a problem with a name. I had at first wanted to name him Dickens, but I'm already sick of the joke names my uncivilized "grown(?)" men-children made. I already call him Lil' Bit and he's always been a Lil' Dickens, so they'll probably be his "pet names".

Eli was asleep when his brother arrived, but an hour later he awoke, smelled something new, and went nuts. He was attacking the bars of the kitty condo, sticking his full legs through it, while biting the bars. He was yowling and flinging himself around. I put the crate with his long lost brother in it next to the door of his condo. I kept it a few inches away so they couldn't touch (quarantine). Eli immediately quieted and settled down at his door, just watching and sniffing. After a while he just went about his own business, came out to play with Moses (my dog), and has ignored his brother since. He cries out to Moses if he leaves him alone in my bedroom, wanting him to come back. Moses takes his tiny catnip balls in his mouth, then tossing them and Eli chases them. I watch and they do it over and over. I wonder if my kitten, Eli, is starting to think he's a dog?

[This message has been edited by Jasper's Mom (edited May 27, 2001).]

[Karen]

I've told this story before, but we had a "dumped" cat that my family adopted one summer who didn't meow. Cat was best buddies with our St. Bernard, and we wondered if when he decided to make a noise finally, he'd bark! Well, when he decided to "talk" it took us a couple days to figure out where we'd heard that noise before - it's wasn't a bark, it cetainly wasn't a meow ... then we relizaed he was doing a very good imitation of the squeak of the cellar door!

[Jasper's Mom]

Here I go again.

Got a phone call early this holiday, my friend had gone alone to trap cats, getting one. I live close to the Hawaiian Humane Society, she far away. They would not accept the cat until tomorrow although they are a 24-hour drop off facility. I hurried over to retrieve the very scared orange and white cat.

He will be here only overnite, then back to HHS around noon for his neutering. My friend will pick him up and take him back to the colony the next day. I say he, but don't really know. With the look in this cat's eyes (don't you dare), I will spare it the indignity of checking out the sex. It's in my enclosed workshop outside the kitchen door, shady and cool.

In cleaning out Mr. Spock's crate today, his lightning warp speed was evidenced again. My son reached to wrap and hold him and he was out and gone. But he only dropped to our feet, attached his front claws to Eli's kitty condo, and we easily picked him up. He still doesn't cry but really wants out, then doesn't go anywhere. If he was staying to be tamed, I would let him roam the bathroom. Wednesday he goes to his new home to join his other two brothers. He and Eli must have forgotten their brotherhood, for they smell but otherwise ignore each other when placed close together.

My friend and I were both stunned by the traffic going into the HHS glassed-in intake area. Many, many people coming to drop off their animals in the 10-15 minutes we were there. A dog that was found, light brown, quiet and sweet. They also were turned away and told to come back tomorrow because the dog was timid. A man and a boy entered with a box, and up popped a Rottie mix pup, maybe 4 months old. I never heard why they were giving him up. More boxes with little lives inside. We watched in amazement. No wonder we were asked to come back tomorrow. What is wrong with people, dumping so many animals. Is that what this holiday is for? It was a very sad sight, and I wished I could rescue them all. But now, with the knowledge from you dear friends, I know I can only do my small part to help pervent more animals from being born to suffer the same fate. I cannot save them all.

I have decided to name this orange and white feral cat from the colony, Patriot.

[Catcrazed]

If you need to take this cat to the vet, this is how to do it:
Let the kitty out in an enclosed space and through a thick towel over it. Quikly wrap the towel around the kitty so that only it's head is sticking out.

Good luck!