Found a young stray cat- a couple questions?

Question

I was at the car wash with my sister a few nights ago and I found a kitty peaking out from beside a dumpster looking very thin, very young (probably 3 months old) and VERY sad. It seems obvious that this cat has always been homeless. I got down on my knees and the kitty took about three minutes to inch over to me. When it finally got to me, I just fell in love- the kitty was purring and nuzzling me. I took him back to my house and brought him into my room. I gave him some dog food, because my step mom owns two Shih Tzus. The kitty's eyes had black dirt in the corners, which I have since wiped off, and the kitty also has fleas, but we have Frontline Plus for him. I'm assuming this cat is a male, because there is a small set of what appears to be testicles beneath the tail. I could be wrong. He sat for about ten straight minutes drinking bottled water from a dish I set out for him, and ate a ton of dog food very quickly. Luckily, my best friend brought over a ton of cat food for the cause and he has since been eating that. The kitty had probably gone days without food, I mean, I found him crying by a dumpster, and he is VERY thin. But he has been eating well, his stools are solid, and he caught on to the litter box very quickly. He isn't reacting very well to the dogs so far, but I read off of another answer that they will get used to each other. He's getting playful and appears to be in good health as far as that goes. We've scheduled an appointment for my kitty at the vet. My questions are: First of all, although I am almost 100% sure this cat was always homeless, will the vet be able to tell me if he's been neutered or received shots in case it was once a pet? The kitty wasn't found in a neighborhood, he was found by a dumpster behind a car wash within five minutes of a very poor, ghetto neighborhood where a lot of stray cats probably run around and have stray litters in random places. It isn't the kind of neighborhood where people are known for having healthy pets because they are so poor, they probably don't take the cats to the vet, either. My second question is, do you have any advice regarding the cat and the dogs getting used to each other? The dogs are generally very nice, but they bark a LOT and they are very obnoxious... I can't stand them, they're always pooping all over the house and barking at all hours of the night, but they are very nice dogs in general. I'd love any advice you have to give about stray cats, just remember that we are a very loving household, we take great care of our animals. I'm not going to neglect this cat's health, we're getting him to the vet and have purchased CAT food, toys, litter, and all the other necessities.

Answer 1

How kind to help the little one!  Upon examination, if it's a male kitten, your vet will be able to tell you if the kitten has been neutered or not. If female, it would be more difficult....x-ray, looking for scar tissue beneath fur, etc.  As to shots, your vet will no doubt suggest the age appropriate vaccines for the cat. Vet could do a "titer" on blood work to check for anti-bodies from any previous vaccines, but will probably just administer vaccines. Blood titers can be more expensive than shots and not always100% accurate....the extra shots won't hurt and better safe than sorry, right?  As to cats and dogs getting along.....since this is a young cat, most likely he will adapt to the obnoxiousness of the dogs in time.....dogs will likely do the same. However, in the interim, I would not leave the 3 of them unsupervised in the event one of the dogs gets over agressive...intentionally or not. If no one is home, confine dogs or cat to separate, safe areas until you are comfortable with their behaviors.  Dogs may be feeling a bit "displaced" with the newby getting all the attention AND having the nerve to hiss at them as well, so extra attention to the dogs would be in order.  Be consistent but gentle, with dogs in correcting improper behavior towards the cat. My guess is they'll get used to each other...altho may be rough going for a while!  Hope this helps!

Answer 2

It sounds like the cat is in good hands. Well, first thing you will want to take it to a vet. They can tell you the gender, estimate the age, tell if it's been neutered or not, and see how healthy it is. Secondly, how big are your dogs, and do they like cats? If they are bigger, you want to be wary of leaving them alone together. My advice is keep the kitten in a seperate room for a week or so, then slowly let it explore. for the first few weeks, you also want to be careful to watch the dos when they are with the cat. They will generally adjust within a few weeks. Good luck!

Answer 3

The vet will be able to tell you if he/she has been fixed, from what you are describing he hasn't been. As for vaccines, he won't be able to tell you that. It is better to go ahead and get him vaccinated and dewormed.

Just give the dogs and the kitten time to get to know each other, then they should be more comfortable. We got a puppy about 2 months ago and one of my cats still hisses and trys to scratch her.

Scratching posts are always necessary for a cat. Hopefully, this will help keep him from scratching the furniture.

It is so wonderful of you to take in this little guy. I wish you many years of happiness with him!!

Answer 4

First of all, Feeding dog food to a cat can in the long run, give the cat liver, bladder, and other problems. Once is fine. TO get the to used to each other, but the cat in one room and let it live there for a while. Give it attention. Let the dog sniff the cat under the dog and visa versa. When about 3 days past and the dog and cat know there is another animal in the house, let the dog see the cat, but have the dog on a leash so you can stop if they attack. Do it for longer periods until up to a week. Then they can both be let out around the house no restrictions. The vet can check to see if the cat is micro chipped, maybe they will reconize it.

Some other info

Preventing Bad Habits

A little training when your cat first comes home will help to prevent any bad habits from becoming established. If you try to "think like a cat" to discover why they perform a certain unwanted behavior, you can help to establish more acceptable routines. Here are some tips on the three most common bad habits:

Scratching. Scratching is a normal cat behavior to leave it’s scent on it’s territory, get exercise, and groom it’s nails. Most cats will leave your expensive furniture alone if you redirect their scratching instincts to an acceptable spot. Invest in a kitty condo big enough for your cat to stretch out on, and if you see him scratching, take him to the post. Rub a little catnip on the condo to enhance it’s appeal. You can also put strips of aluminum foil down the edges of your sofa during the training period as a deterrent. And have a spray water bottle handy to spray your cat while firmly saying "NO" if he scratches the couch. PLEASE DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT. Declawing is equivalent to amputating your own fingers at the first knuckle. It’s painful, leaves your cat defenseless, and often causes emotional problems that arise from the suppression of this very natural activity.

Jumping on the kitchen counter and table. Cats love high places, so the kitchen counter strikes them as a great place to watch the world go by. If your cat also finds food up there, they’ve just had major reinforcement for this bad habit. Best solution: find another spot in the kitchen where it’s ok for your cat to hang out from on high, like the top of the refrigerator. Then persistently move your kitty there every time she jumps on the counter. Repetition and consistency are key here, but eventually your cat will get the idea.

Not using the litter box.First, have your cat checked by your vet to rule out a urinary tract infection. Next, try changing the type of litter, for many cats are very sensitive to particular litters. Try unscented litters, removing hoods from boxes, moving the box to a more private location, or cleaning the box more often. Provide multiple boxes in multiple cat households. Also, if you have a kitten, be sure it actually remembers where the litter box is! Sometimes in a big house a small kitten can get lost, in which case it will look for the nearest unobtrusive corner to go!

Food Recommendations

Many people ask us what we consider "the best" brand of cat food. Most of us have different preferences (usually dictated by the whims of our own cats), but there are some universals we have discovered through experience and consultations with our vets.

The key in choosing a good type of food is to read the ingredients. With wet food, you should avoid meat by- products. With dry food, you should not only avoid by-products, but consider how much of the protein comes from meat and how much from grain, as cats cannot process grain protein nearly as well. In general, for both wet and dry, the more meat ingredients in the first few positions in the ingredients list, the better the food. In addition, many dry foods use corn to bind the food, and corn can lead to obesity as well as trigger allergies in your cat. The best dry foods have no corn in them at all, and ideally no soy or wheat.

What you may have heard about "supermarket" cat foods being the equivalent of "junk food" for cats is not just a ploy to get you to buy the more expensive brands. Just as there is a range of how people food is made, different brands of cat food are made with different standards. Relying on supermarket brands of cat food is analogous to feeding your children fast food for every meal. These foods may be fine for an occasional treat but should not be fed every day. The best bargain wet food is Trader Joe's Premium cat food, as it has no meat by-products and is priced similar to grocery store pet food.

Most food you buy at a Petco, Petsmart, Centinela Feed or a similar local pet store is a superior brand. We recommend the following based on our experience; there are also other excellent premium brands: Premium High Quality

Wellness Avo Derm

Natural Balance Royal Canin

Felidae Nutro Natural Choice & Nutro Max

Nature's Variety Prairie Pro Plan

California Natural Advanced Pet Diets’ Select Choice

Artemis Innova Regular (red bag)

Innova Evo

Kittens should be fed kitten food, both wet and dry, until they are at least eight months old, then they can move to adult food. Always have plenty of fresh water, changed at least once a day.

Recent studies suggest that cats that are only fed dry food can develop urinary and kidney problems due to insufficient water in the diet. In addition, dry food is high in carbohydrates so if your cat is overweight, feed more wet and less dry. Many vets now recommend always feeding wet food.

Current research from vets also suggests changing your cat’s brand or flavor of food at least every 6 months, or feeding it a few varieties of food. This is in case your cat ever needs to go on a veterinary special diet. If it has only eaten one kind of food for 10 years it will resist the new food.

Is It Okay To Let A Cat Go Outside?

Some people say it's cruel not to let a cat go outside. Based on our experience at Kitten Rescue, we've put together this list of all the things an indoor-only cat misses:

Being hit by a car

Being eaten by a coyote

Being attacked by a bird

Exposure to FIV (Feline AIDS)

Exposure to Feline Leukemia

Exposure to Feline Infectious Peritonitis

Exposure to upper respiratory infections

Fleas, Ticks, Worms

Fights

Abscesses

Dog attacks

Becoming lost

Being stolen for profit or research facilities.

Tortured by cruel people

Poisoning by food, pesticides, or anti-freeze.

And here are just a few of things you gain by loving your cat enough to keep it indoors: fewer fleas - cleaner furniture - lower vet bills - a pet that's more closely bonded to you - peace of mind knowing your cat is safe and happy.

The fact is, outdoor cats live an average of 6 years, while indoor cats live an average of almost 20. Isn't that the dealmaker right there?

SO IN SORT! KEEP YOUR CATS INSIDE!!!

Answer 5

To answer your first question:

Yes, a vet will be able to tell if the cat has been neutered or not. As for shots, I'm sure he/she can do a few blood tests to find out.

Second:

As for the dogs, I am not sure. What kind of dogs are they? Different breeds react differently to cats and other small animals.

My advice would to not let the cat near the dogs unless you are sure they will behave. Otherwise, it would scare the poor cat sh**less. If the cat had been living in a ghetto, she probably came across many aggressive dogs. Give the cat and dogs some time to get used to eachother, but if the dogs get to roudy, seperate them. My sister bought a cat from a breeder, and from the day the cat was born she had dogs barking at her. Now she despises dogs. Please, don't put your cat through that.

You are very kind hearted to bring this cat into your home. Who knows what would have happened had she been left out there alone. I hope the best of luck to both of you.

Answer 6

What a lovely person you are... that kitty is very lucky you found him. Chances are this little guy if in such poor heath is not vaccinated or neutered so vet will do that for you. and secondly introduce the kitty to the dogs for 5 mins a day then up it to 10 and so on til they get used to each other.  enjoy your new kitty you are doing a fantastic job he sounds healthier and happier already the world needs more people like you.