Brand new kitten at home, any advice?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Yesterday afternoon, I found a kitten after a big rainstorm washed her and her sister out of the rain gutter where they were living (my co-worker has the other one; this all happened while we were at work). By the time we found them, they had already been out in the rain for about an hour, and with the rain still coming down, and no sign of Momcat, we couldn’t leave them out there. She’s a tortoise-shell kitty, black and brown with one little spot of white on her chin, brown eyes, and she’s adorable. Wish I had a digital camera to show you guys. :frowning: She’s alert, likes to explore, and she likes to play. If you stand in the kitchen to do anything, she sits between your feet and watches you. If you walk around, she wants to follow you. Little putz thought she was going to leave the kitchen with me earlier. :slight_smile:

The thing is, I love cats but I’ve never had to raise an abandoned one before. We’ve scheduled a vet appointment for her, and bought her some kitten milk replacement which she seems to like (she won’t accept it from the bottle though; she chews on the nipple and spits it out). We’re keeping her warm, and isolated in my kitchen, so my other cat (who is not at all happy with this intrusion, but she’s forgiven me for now) won’t be exposed to any parasites, worms, diseases, etc. I’ve put a small dish of water and a small litterbox there for her as well. I’m trying to give her lots of love and attention, and she’s quite happy about it. I’m also keeping track of her feeding times and how much she ate, and rubbing her belly afterwards to help her go poop. She doesn’t seem to want or need the help, but I do it anyway.

The reason I’m posting is to ask a few questions:

  1. What to name her?

  2. There’s something odd about her tail. The first half of it or so seems normal, but the very tip of her tail looks like bulbous and raw. It reminds me of when someone uses a rubber band to slowly make a dog’s tail rot and fall off. It doesn’t seem to hurt her, and there’s no smell or leakage from the wound, but I don’t know what it is. The rest of her tail, between the normal part and the tip, is covered in really short, fine, fur, not the fuzzy stuff that’s covers the rest of her. Any ideas? (I don’t have the money to get her the vet right away, which is why I’m asking you guys.)

  3. Hi Opal! :smiley:

  4. Anything else I haven’t thought of?

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Man, I love kittens.

I guess the vet will sort out the health issues, including the tail. What I would be worried most about is fleas. I took in a stray once and had to nuke the whole house a few weeks later. Completely infested. Getting rid of the fleas also changed the personality of the cat; she went from being sweet and meek to aggressive and maniacal. Which was OK.

You should name her for the circumstances in which you found her. Rain is a little too obvious. A portugesse word for rain is Chuva.

I’m sure you’ll get lots of suggestions.

3

How about “Guttersnipe”?

4

If he develops an attitude, then call him Drain-o.

5

Are you sure she’s a girl? Before you name her, let the vet confirm it. (It’s hard to tell the difference when they are little.)

It sounds like you are doing everything right. If you don’t want her to be a scratching and biting cat later, then don’t play too rough with her now. Especially don’t put your hands over her face.

My cats always tell me their names, but I have to listen carefully.

Have fun!

6

Guttersnipe? I kinda like that. :smiley: That might just be what I call her. Although “Chuva” is pretty, too. I’ll have to run those by Mr. Naz.

I haven’t noticed any fleas on her yet, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. She doesn’t seem to have them, but still…

Thanks for the advice, Zoe, on playing gently. So far, I’ve only gotten her to chase my fingers, and a little rubber ball, but I’ll keep that in mind. Also, thank to everyone who spent the time to respond to the thread; I appreciate it. :slight_smile:

My other cat, Jasmine (Jazzy for short), does not think highly of the…intruder. She’s been sitting at the kitchen doors and hissing whenever the kitten comes too close. You know, when she’s not giving me the cold shoulder for bringing it here in the first place.
Lousy humans… :mad: