The first day i was moving into my new house a kitten jumped into my car what should i do ?

Question

I've been here now 3 days and i fed it some tuna and water it seems to be pretty healthy i'm afraid it might have fleas, i haven't seen it scratching and it looks pretty clean i want to take the kitten in but i'm afraid it might belong to someone, what to do ?

Answer 1

Hi Johnny...to answer your both your questions...

(1) first consider placing flyers around the neighbourhood where you found the kitty requesting to find the kittens family. If they are looking they may be quite worried and upset losing their baby who may have accidentally escaped. Ask the contacting party to describe the kitten as best as they can so you don't encounter someone who is looking for a free cat as there some unsavoury /unkind people who do this unsuspectingly. If no one claims the kitty after a few weeks then you are most welcome to adopt it as your own friend.

(2) Fleas on kittens sometimes can be detected by observing a quick reaction to scratching and frequent scratching. If you look under the neck or under the arm pits you may look to see if some fleas scampering quickly about...or look for micro black specks that appears to look like dirt. To curb fleas consider Frontline or Revolution (to be prescribed by a vet) as over the counter products such as Sergents, Hartz and others have products that are known to cause severe seizures in felines or worse death. A class action suit has been filed against Hartz by owners of pets who've been maimed or have died as a result of their product so this is a fact that can be verified as well.

Additionally, when you visit a vet they can vaccinate the kitten so it will be protected from the common feline diseases even if it will be an indoor-only cat. Without these appropriate vaccinations your kitten will be susceptible to fatal diseases, which only not are medically expensive to treat but can leave you with the decision to euthanize your new friend as well as be heartbreaking. The cat may also need to be spayed (female)/neutered (male) if it hasn't been already to prevent it from accidentally either getting pregnant or spraying/urine marking your home. Both males and females can spray, by the way.

Finally, would you please discontinue feeding tuna as this causes fatty liver disease and over time will be fatal to felines if consumed in large enough quantities. Any vet can confirm this one fact. Cats do well on eating food designed to meet their nutritional needs. A good quality product to consider is Royal Canin. The other brands are acceptable, however they contain an ingredient (corn meal) which contributes to obesity to many cats. Cats are carnivores and need a diet in high protein to maintain good long-term health. Many of these other products use corn meal as a preservative and are high in carbohydrates, which is why felines are becoming overweight. Generally, as a guideline adult cats need about 3/4 to 1 cup of food day (1/2 to 3/4 for kittens). Free feeding (leaving a large amount of food in the dish all day) is considered also unhealthy and also contributes to overeating. Indoor cats tend to eat more as a result of boredom.

I've included a couple of weblinks below and hope you will find them helpful if you decide to adopt this little guy.

Answer 2

Post fliers and try to connect the kitten to its original owners. If after 72 hours no one claims it, keep it. If it is old enough, you can give it a bath in warm water...yes cats can have baths. If you are worried about fleas go to the store and buy something to get rid of them, but make sure it says for use on kittens.

Also human tuna isn't good for cats, but it you plan on feeding it more tuna, make sure it is water based, not oil based. If you end up keeping the kitten, take it to a vet and get it's first distemper shot and a health check up. That's the best place to start. Start feeding the kitten regular kitten food. If you put a collar on the kitten make sure it is a break away collar other wise if it gets caught on something you migh not find it until it is too late.

Answer 3

Put up some signs around your neighborhood and ask your neighbors if they know of anybody missing a cat. You can also place an ad in the paper - "found cat", that way if someone lost him they can find him.
If you like him, go ahead & take him into your home. If he has fleas, you'll probably see them crawling around on his belly or around his legs. There are meds from vets & pet stores for fleas but I'm not sure they are safe for kittens. You could call a vet and ask but the flea med we use on our cats says it's for cats over 12 weeks & over 6 pounds.
Kittens need a cat food specially formulated for young cats/kittens, especially if he's under a few months old. I think Purina makes a dry kitten food. You'll also need to provide the cat w/ clean water (milk isn't really good for them, it can cause diarrhea if you give too much) and it'll also need a litter box.
Basically, cats are a pretty easy pet to keep.
If you decide you don't want it, please don't just turn it over to the pound/local animal shelter. They almost always just put them to sleep. Your town should have a NO KILL animal shelter or local animal rescue group you could call to place him/her. You could do an online search for animal rescue groups in your area.
Another thing you could do if you really want to find out if it belongs to someone is to take it to the vet & have it scanned for a microchip. Vets will do this for free.
I hope you're able to keep the kitten if you want. Good luck!

Answer 4

Put up some fliers and ask your new neighbors... If no1 knows and you want to keep it, then keep it. Then you should make the soonest vet appointment you can. Because your right you dont know what it has.. It could have fleas. I'd take a stool sample with me to the vet if I were you. Do all this as soon as you can so you know if you need to go buy kitty supplies. He can only live so long on tuna, kitty food is better for him.. And hes a baby so rutine is good, the sooner you can set one for him the better. Good Luck, and since you seem like someone who will take good care of the kitty, I hope you get to keep it!! Its good of you to want the find the owner too, just in case. I dont think I'd want too...

Answer 5

Go up and down your street , knock on doors and ask if someone is missing g a kitten-since it's loose if it does belong to someone not very responsible and perhaps they'll let you have it. If no one claims it then its yours. If you do take it in be sure and take it to the vet so it can get a health chk and gt the inoculations it need-Chk with your county also for most now have laws for animal can't be loose even cats. A steady diet of tuna is not good for cats-too salty and too much mercury-your vet will advice what the best diet is.

Answer 6

I'm a dog person, myself. I met a cat here in my neighborhood- fed him some tuna, he stuck around for awhile outside my door and slowly he made his way inside after he got the feeling that I like him. He's nice to have around- and when I want to left alone, I let him out for awhile. he has grown on me in just about a month... I ♥ Snoopy! That's what I named him :)

Answer 7

LOL. The cat is still deciding if it wants you as it's new human. I bought a house in the late '80's and the cat owned the house, not me. Be greatful, and take care of your new kitty. Ron

Answer 8

take it home and place an ad in a pet magazine. if someone calls you to ask for it back, you'll make his day. if not, you got yourself a kitten:) anyway, better have it in the house than leave it on the street.

Answer 9

Make up fliers and post them around the neighborhood.
"Found: Lost little kitten..." go on to discribe it only a bit, but give your phone number and ask anyone who calls to discribe it in more detail.

Answer 10

how old is the kitten? i would ask your new neighbors and maybe put up fliers and if no one is missing her then keep her and get her checked by a vet.OR bring her to somsone who will care for her. also i would buy kitten food for her so she does not get sick.