Is it ok to pick up a kitten from the alley and bring it home? Its cold in chicago and i have 2 others. (help)

Question

I have 2 kittens at home already but i feel so bad for this little kitten, she is about 6 months old and she is beautiful , Its supper cold here in chicago and i hate it when i open my door , she is sitting there. I need advise.

Answer 1

Well its been 30 mins...What did you do? Did you bring the poor kitten inside? I hope so....

Answer 2

Yes and no, if you do make sure you keep the kitten separate from your kittens for 2 reasons, this cute little kitten might be sick, and you don't want to expose your kittens to it. Especially feline leukemia. If you want setup it's own water and food and a small litter box in the bathroom until a vet can check it out. Plus being separate from the other kittens will actually help them adjust to one another they can still smell each other so when they meet it's not a big shock, never force a meeting of a new kitten, when the kitten is cleared for health just leave the door open and let all the cats meet naturally. Hope that helps.

Answer 3

If I had ignored the homeless, hungry cats, I wouldn't have 6 now. I love them all. I have only 2 left to spay and have neutered. It seems that alot of people want kittens (Animals) until they realize the responsibilities that go along with them. If nothing else, take the kitten in and ask at school/work if someone wants it. Post a notes at local vets. Everyone seems to want "FREE" animals. If they get tired of them, they just put them out or leave them when they move (Nothing to lose). If you Post a cost of $5-$10 for this kitten instead of FREE, most likely a person who is serious about wanting and properly caring for the kitten will respond. If so, you do Not have to really charge the person. You'll just feel better knowing that the person is wanting a kitten enough to be willing to pay for one....Instead of it being JUST BECAUSE IT'S FREE.

Answer 4

Yes, I've done it many times and have never had a problem. Might advice would be to get the kitten Vet checked and have them give it vaccines. Probably have to buy some StrongetT to deworm the kitten. Most kitten are born with roundworms. It's not hard to treat. StrongetT is a liquid and you give 15 ml per every 5lbs.

Isolate her from your other two until she gets a check up. Don't let her stay in the cold. I'm a softee and would have brought her in once the weather started getting bad. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

I think you have earned a special seat upstairs when you get there for being so compassionate. By all means bring this poor little thing in from the cold. As others have said, you must quarantine her from your other two. Aside of diseases there are things like fleas and worms (if they would use the same litter) which you must protect your pets and home against so get her to a vet as quickly as possible. Shame on all of you who said to leave her outside or take her to a shelter. You aren't true animal lovers when you choose a method which will bring the kitten more stress and unhappines over being brought into a warm home by an obviously caring person.

Answer 6

How sweet!!! :) Cats can be very maternal creatures to kittens in need. We found a young kitten back in August - about 2 weeks old. We brought it in the house and my sister's cat immediately came over and started trying to make it feel better - cleaning it, nuzzling it, etc. The kitten calmed down when the other cat was around and likewise, if we took the kitten away from my sister's cat, he would stay really close by til we put the kitten back down. Unfortunately for our situation we had to give the kitten to Planned Pethood since we had no idea how to take care of a kitten that young. My sister's cat was quite upset with us for a few days... Anyways, talk with your vet and they will tell you all you need to know. As long as the kitten is clean, I would let Pumpkin continue to mother it. It will be good for both of them. :) Good luck!! :-D

Answer 7

Since you have two others, you have to put their health and welfare above that of this little kitten's. However, as mentioned by other responders, you can try taking her to a no-kill shelter.

If you bring her in, you'll want to do that only after a trip to the vet to get her checked out, get her vaccinations, and the whole deal. As you are already a cat owner, you know the routine.

You could also try putting a box outside with old towels or blankets so she can snuggle up in them. Try to make the opening face South to reduce the cold North wind. Keep her fed, and make sure her water doesn't freeze (use cold water, not hot, as hot water freezes faster than cold -- water molecules are farther apart in hot water, which makes it easier to freeze).

On the other hand, with the towels and blankets, you might try washing and drying them frequently and putting them freshly dried and warm out in the box for her. They'll cool off very rapidly, but it's an opportunity for her to warm up.

And don't feel too bad. There are many cats who live outside all the time.

In the meantime, you could also try asking around to see if someone whom you live near or work with is looking for a sweet little kitty who really needs a nice warm home.

Answer 8

Yeah, go ahead and bring it home, but have it checked for fleas (which should be apparent on sight), parasites, and Feline Lukemia (highly contagious to other cats but not people, terminal). I have had much experience with adopting in random stray cats (they tend to gravitate to my house for some reason), so this is coming from someone who know: isolate the newbie in view and smell of your other cats, but in a way that they can't harm her (like in the bathroom with a baby gate over the door). That way they can get used to each other without injuring each other, and not to scare you out of taking in the poor shivering kitty, but older cats will kill new kittens in plain sight of you of they are ever going to. (So says my mom, who works at a veterinary hospital. We had two kittens that had to be bottle fed and this one cat didn't like them too much, but they managed to grow up to neutered, declawed adulthood. And now they annoy all the other cats because they're the only boys in a house full of girl cats.) That other cat would have killed them early if she was going to. So just watch to see what your other cats do the first time you let the newbie out of solitary. If they hiss, fine. Swat, fine. Bite a little be, fine. Chomp the head in a death-grip, not OK. In the last instance, you might want to break out the spray bottle, take the new one to the vet, and surrender it so it can find a better home with cats that don't mind so much.

Answer 9

I have gotten many cats this way. I just cannot turn down strays. I would advise keeping it seperate from your other cats until you can take it to the vet. Don't let them use the same litter box or eat/drink out of the same bowls until you can have the kitten tested for feline leukemia or feline aids. I had a kitten that I found a few years ago and we kept her in a large dog crate for a few days until the vet could check out her health. If you don't have a carrier or crate to keep her in, maybe try just keeping her in one room for a few days to make sure she is okay.

Answer 10

Your best bet would be to either take her in and put her in a pet carrier (in case she has something) away from your other cats and then take her to the vet the next day OR you can call Chicago (or suburban) animal control and they will take the cat to the local shelter. You can also do the same - take the cat to a no-kill-shelter, that way you won't have to pay vet fees. Good Luck!!!
PS My neighbors let their cat out every day (even in the cold Chicago weather) and i feel so bad for him when he stands outside their door meowing. He also kills harmless birds and baby rabbits. Stupid cat.

Answer 11

If you bring her in-and I suspect you'll be miserable until you do-isolate her until you can get her to a vet. She might carry feline leukemia or FIV and you don't want your other two exposed. If someone doesn't take pity on her she may not survive. But find an isolation chamber for her of some sort-the bathroom? until you can get her to a vet. You can visit, but your other cats need to have little or no contact until the cat who came in from the cold gets a clean bill of health. I suspect you now have 3 cats. Sometimes, they adopt us.