Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #1

    Jun 1, 2011, 06:08 PM
    Stray Kitten Tips
    Hey everyone, I recently got my hands on about a 6-8 month old kitten,I fund her starving, and extremely boney, she's super skinny and all bones, I have a few questions that I need answers on!
    She is very tiny as I have mentioned, and I was wondering how much I should feed her at a time, because I know I don't want her t throw it all up later. Also how do I make her not as hungry, she eats and eats and eats, and never seems to be full, I just need a way t fatten her up and make her slow down!
    Any tips on kittens this age would be greatly appreciated!
    hheath541's Avatar
    hheath541 Posts: 2,762, Reputation: 584
    Experts
     
    #2

    Jun 1, 2011, 06:19 PM

    Just make sure she always has available. If she knows she can eat whenever she's hungry, then she'll stop binging until she gets sick.

    What are you feeding her? How often are you feeding her?
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #3

    Jun 1, 2011, 06:41 PM
    She is eating my other cats food for now, friskies wet food
    Every time she knows where food is, she's all over it. I have to take it away and then she's fine and doesn't really whine for anything
    hheath541's Avatar
    hheath541 Posts: 2,762, Reputation: 584
    Experts
     
    #4

    Jun 1, 2011, 06:52 PM

    she's used to not being able to eat when she's hungry, and eating what she finds before it can be taken from her. Only time will change that. Eventually, she'll realize that she'll always have food when she needs it and she'll stop stuffing herself.

    as for gaining weight, you're doing all you can. Wet food will help her put on weight faster than dry food would. It'll just take time.

    has she been checked by a vet? Is it possible she has worms?


    oh, ad we love pics ^_~
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #5

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:10 PM
    Yeah I guess that's true, is there anything I could give her to help her gain more weight, or be fuller? Or is it just she's going to eat until she knows she can't anymore?

    She slows down eating occaisionally, but I fed her almost an hour ago, and she's dying to get to my other cats food
    Attached Images
     
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #6

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:20 PM
    Also I was wondering how I can introduce her to my other cat without my other cat getting too upset
    hheath541's Avatar
    hheath541 Posts: 2,762, Reputation: 584
    Experts
     
    #7

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:23 PM

    She's pretty.

    There's not really anything else you can do. If you want, you can set out a dish of dry food for her between meals, but I doubt you want her getting used to that.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
    Jobs & Parenting Expert
     
    #8

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:30 PM

    Take the blanket she's been using and let your other cat smell it and be around it. Do the same with the new cat -- let her smell something the other cat sleeps on. Smell is the big thing.

    I love her tail colors! And she looks very much at home.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #9

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:37 PM
    She's very relaxed and easy going, and very affectionate for a stray, her only problem is the back of her legs look like she's been crouching in a wire cage for a bit. But she's very friendly, I was shocked!

    Ill have to try that, my older cat whiskers isn't really big on cats, and has been hissing when she gets close and growling,
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
    Jobs & Parenting Expert
     
    #10

    Jun 1, 2011, 07:48 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Sodium View Post
    the back of her legs look like shes been crouching in a wire cage for a bit. but shes very friendly, i was shocked!
    We rescued two stray cats last early winter and brought them into the house where we have three older (rescued) cats. It took maybe three months, but things are working out finally, now that everyone has figured out their napping area and who eats first or second or last. Each one has a different personality. One of the new rescued ones has to have been someone's housecat. She was already spayed and her front paws had been declawed, she loves to be petted, she adores human beds, and acts likes she was born in our house.

    Sometimes we wish the strays had little cameras on their foreheads, so we can replay their earlier life, but then maybe we'd be weeping a lot if we did that. Maybe it's better not to know what they've endured.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #11

    Jun 1, 2011, 08:13 PM
    I just want whiskers to be able to interact with this cat well, and I don't want any fights! This cat is just a little girl, and she's not declawed or anything, I can get a pretty good deal on microchipping, spaying, vaccinating her all at once too. It all depends on what other cat thinnks of the situation
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
    Jobs & Parenting Expert
     
    #12

    Jun 1, 2011, 08:31 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Sodium View Post
    I just want whiskers to be able to interact with this cat well, and i dont want any fights! this cat is just a little girl, and shes not declawed or anything, I can get a pretty good deal on microchipping, spaying, vaccinating her all at once too. It all depends on what other cat thinnks of the situation
    Don't give up after only a couple of days. I'd give it at least a month. Our local cat shelter has about 60 free-ranging cats in one huge open area. The population is constantly changing as people adopt and as new cats come in. They all get along amazingly well. Yes, there are occasional hisses and spitting and growling, but no fights. Cats make a lot of noise sometimes, but actual contact is rare. We keep a throw handy to toss over any cat in our house who gets too feisty and nasty with another one. We haven't ever had to use the throw; a loud "no" seems to do the trick or maybe a squirt from the water spray bottle.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #13

    Jun 1, 2011, 08:56 PM
    Yeah I think I may need a way to break them up in case there are any fights, I'm just too worried it will bug whisk, but when I introduced them, he kind of stayed away from her, didn't like her in his area, or around his food dish, and would more or less just keep an eye on her, which is far better then I though he would do!
    paleophlatus's Avatar
    paleophlatus Posts: 459, Reputation: 112
    Full Member
     
    #14

    Jun 2, 2011, 03:45 PM
    You are going to have to be the food sheriff here, and dole out a given amount of food to her. Her approach to eating is due strictly to her past experience, which is to eat as much as possible, whenever possible, because there will be great periods of no food at all. Until the loses that instinctive attitude, she will continue to behave this way. You may give her a limited amount, and then on a regular basis, maybe hourly to start, feed her again a similar amount. After a few times like this she may, hopefully, begin to get the picture and be a little less anxious about food. But, don't expect to be able to stop this type training in a day. Watch how she behaves when you feed the other cats. Experiment with the procedure by feeding her separately, even away from the others.

    I hate to be a wet blanket, but it is possible she may also be pregnant. If she has had her first season recently, you can almost bank on it. (If not, she will most likely come into it after she gets her body built up a bit more.) Not all her future weight gain may be muscle and fat? Just a thought.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #15

    Jun 2, 2011, 08:06 PM
    Yeah I've been told that pregnancy is a possible worry about her, but she seems young, when do they come into season the first time?
    I always feed her separately, my cat would be very upset if she was eating his food, and I know she would try.I limit her food, as well as feed heer on a regular basis, just trying t get the plate down before she mawls my arm is hard enough !
    paleophlatus's Avatar
    paleophlatus Posts: 459, Reputation: 112
    Full Member
     
    #16

    Jun 2, 2011, 08:50 PM
    Comment on Sodium's post
    They will come in anytime after about 5 1/2 months. But, the state of health, which includes nutrition, also can play a part. In her case, she is about a "D" grade.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #17

    Jun 3, 2011, 09:12 PM
    And how would you recommend solving the problem?
    What are her maint issues there then possible pregnancy and poor eating habits?
    Emily94's Avatar
    Emily94 Posts: 1,129, Reputation: 64
    Ultra Member
     
    #18

    Jun 4, 2011, 10:49 AM

    Feeding her kitten food will help her pack on some pounds, it has more nutrients than cat food. Also try feeding a top quality food until she recovers (Evo comes to mind), friskies isn't the best food out there.
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #19

    Jun 6, 2011, 03:37 PM
    She's actually getting so much better, even over the weekend, she's doing good,
    Sodium's Avatar
    Sodium Posts: 250, Reputation: 6
    Full Member
     
    #20

    Jun 7, 2011, 08:10 PM
    Now there seems to be another cat hanging around the house as well. This cat looks VERY similar to the cat we took in... its eery how similar they are to each other, he's bigger than her, and is also just as affectionate, we haven't officially taken this one in yet because he isn't neutered and our girl isn't spayed yet.
    Is there a possibility that this boy is related to this girl? Its very odd that he showed up as soon as we took in the girl.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search


Check out some similar questions!

Male cat acting kitten to male kitten after bringing kitten home neutered. [ 1 Answers ]

I have three cats, Microchip, Monk and Minx. Microchip and Minx are 1+ years old and fixed. Monk is about 6 months old. All of our cats used to get along well. They'd sleep all huddled together. The two males were very close. Micro would groom Monk, play with him, and was inseparable. We took Monk...

Stray kitten with deformed pupil [ 8 Answers ]

Hi, I have found a stray cat and her litter in my neighborhood and am trying to find them homes. I can't take them in right now because I have 2 cats of my own and am already caring for 2 other strays, and local no-kill shelters are currently full. I'm particularly concerned about one of the...

Took in stray cat possible kitten/ appears pregnant [ 2 Answers ]

A few weeks ago, I took in a stray cat... She may be a kitten, she's kind of small and very playful. Recently, my fianc'e and I noticed her stomach was getting larger. She appears to be pregnant and she is not very playful she just wants to sleep everywhere around the house. I am not sure if she...


View more questions Search