A kitten in a rainstorm

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Last night, there was a truly spectacular storm. At work, we had flashlights at the ready in case the power went out and had discussed what to do in case it got any worse. Partially due to the storm, it had been a very slow night, so it was a bit before closing when we had almost everything done and really just needed to lock the doors and turn out the lights. A quarter 'till close, a man came in to inform us that he had seen a kitten in the parking lot and was concerned about it. Being a big-hearted softy, I immediately pulled on my jacket and ran out to find him cowering underneath a light. He was a bit bony, so it was hard to tell if he was a very small adolescent or just a skinny baby. He looked even bonier with his fur all wet, curled up as tight as he could and shivering.

I wrapped him up in my jacket, brought him inside, and tucked him into a box to warm up and stay out of the way until we closed. Once he’d warmed up a bit, though, he didn’t care for that and kept hopping out and trying to follow me. Finally, we got everything done and headed out of there and I brought the little guy and his box home.

I haven’t had a cat of my own since my Clancy, who died last winter, but I still had some of his stuff out in the garage, so I got a litter box, food, water and the box which was now “home” to the little guy all set up in my room. After close examination, I was able to determine that, yes, the little guy is a boy. It was hard to tell at first, though, because his bottom was extremely swollen. He also has bloody scabs behind his ears, making me think he most likely has mites. He’s had some diarrhea episodes, too, though he’s mostly managed to make it into the litter box every time, so I assume he must have some experience with living in a house. There was also a bit of gagging and quite a bit of pained sounding crying, making me worry about just how bad off he might be.

I’ve got a vet appointment for this afternoon to have him checked out and get some tests done. I’ve never had a kitten before, always adopting adult rescue animals in the past, so I’m not quite sure what to expect. Assuming everything is okay and an owner doesn’t come forward, I’ll be keeping him, though I’m trying to keep from getting too attached just in case.

And yes, I know the rule about pictures. Assuming there isn’t anything direly wrong with him, I’ll be back with some after his appointment.

2

Don’t kid yourself. :smiley:

The condition of the little monster indicates its been on its own for a while. Regardless of what the vet may find, you have been adopted. There is no going back.

3

Yeah, and don’t tell yourself you’re only going to spend so much money on it, either. Stokie is probably around $800 by now.

Seriously, good on you. He sounds like he’s in bad shape but also like he’s engaged and interested in the world around him, which is good.

4

Poor little fella. Hope he gets a clean bill of health and the doc doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg.

Thanks for taking him in. It sounds like he’s taken a shine to you already. :slight_smile:

5

Thanks for taking in a homeless baby! I hope his problems can be treated and you end up with a healthy, loving catlet!

6

Ask the vet to check for FIP. I hadn’t heard of it either.

7

As far as money goes, I’m not too concerned. Thanks to my previous rescue kitties, I’m well familiar with how expensive they can get. This little guy will need to be fixed, too, so that’ll be another cost. And yes, he does seem to have adopted me, regardless of how I feel about the situation. :smiley:

Whoever had him previously obviously had him long enough to get him well litter trained, but I do think he’s been on his own for quite a while. Most likely, someone had a female cat who got pregnant and when the kittens got to be too much they let them loose. I suppose he could have been dropped off in the parking lot recently, and had just been grossly neglected, but I try not to think that someone could actually allow a kitten to reach this state, though I know it’s all too common around here.

Assuming the vet visit goes well, I suppose next I’ll have to consider naming him something other than “little guy” or “dinky.”

8

Yeah, I know the caveat about “I’m not going to get too attached” and “Maybe his owner will come and find me”…
After about a couple weeks when my parents came to visit, after Izzy was discovered running through traffic, and has subsequently decided to rule the household with an iron tail, they asked me why I had never found a place for her. “Well, nobody ever told me they needed a cat, so I guess she’s stuck here. Can’t very well put her back on the street, can I?”
:smiley:

Oh, and




Okay that’s enough.
ETA:
Litter training a kitten doesn’t actually take any time at all. You swipe their paws in the litter, they pretty much know from there. Unless they are in some sort of pain or are punishing you, they basically always know where to go.

9

You’re my hero for today for rescuing this little furry baby from the rain. Hope all goes well with him and your new buddy is healthy and happy!

Can’t wait to see the pictures. :slight_smile:

10

Sucker! Mmmmmwwwahahahahahha!

We can’t turn them away either. It’s worth every penny! Have fun with the little curtain climber!!

11

Please let us know how it works out for the little guy. I hope he’s okay, and bless you for taking him in. When I took Jet Jaguar in from the street I told myself in my mind that I can’t get attached because my wife (who wasn’t with me at the time. I had just moved to a new assignment and it was about 2 weeks until she got there) might not want him. Yeah, right. After a few days I knew he wasn’t going anywhere. My wife didn’t like him at first, he was the only male with our 2 older girl cats and he traumatized them for awhile until we got him fixed. (he was just a bit too young when we first got him). Now he’s her “special little guy”.

12

Mine too. I’m so glad you were there!

13

My mind went straight into the gutter thinking of a caption for that one. :wink:

14

Awww! What a wonderful rescue story!!! A little kitten mewling is just so heartbreaking, but I glad he found a safe and warm place! :slight_smile:

15

Yeah, for months my boyfriend kept asking, “When are we going to get Stokie adopted?” He caught on eventually. He calls him Batweasel. (Our other cats are Cowpig and, I forget, somethingmonkey, in his nomenclature.)

16

I just wanted a picture of her on the carpet and she attacked the string of the camera. It was funny so I kept it :wink:

17

Aw, nice work CaerieD :slight_smile: Looking forward to pictures!

18

Unfortunately I had, my lil Sammie cat (RIP Sammie) died of it just over a year ago. From what my vet said, it’s a death sentence if it triggers for some reason but we don’t know how or why it does.

I’ll echo the good for you stuff here and pix pls!

19

We just got back from the vet’s office and have learned a few interesting facts.

  1. He is a she. The swelling back there had made it difficult to call for my unprofessional eyes.
  2. She tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV.
  3. She weighs two pounds and is three months old. The nickname “Dinky” was a pretty apt description.
  4. The swelling was most likely just caused by her irritated digestive system and her straining with bowel movements. A regular diet of canned cat food while she recovers should help her guts sort things out. Since she’s dehydrated, the extra moisture will help, too.
  5. She has fleas and ear mites and most likely worms, so we treated all of that and she got a shot to help with her dehydration that sort of left her with a bit of a camel hump for the night.

She’s sleeping right now, but the vet said once she recovers from the dehydration and diarrhea she should be much more active. Once she wakes up, I’ll get some pictures of the little fuzzball. I’m going to continue to keep her quarantined from my niece’s cat until she’s got a clean bill of health for all parasites, so she’ll be getting very well-acquainted with my bedroom.

20

Thanks for the update. If you hadn’t given one I would have asked for one.

Sounds like the little one will recover nicely and you’ll have a new kitty. Good news for all involved.