# I found a kitten. I have some questions.



## Spock1996 (Jan 29, 2014)

My dad found him under one of his houses. I took him to the vet two days ago when I found him. He had eye bugger goop all over his eye and he was really thin. The vet thinks the eye is a cold and scratch and gave me some drops. He said the kitten didn't look sick but I am supposed to feed him a good nutritious food and fatten him up, interact with him a lot to get him used to people and come back in 10 days to check on his eye and probably get his first shots. I was kind of flustered at the time so I forgot to ask questions. Should I have the kitten tested for any diseases? Can you tell me some good quality kitten foods(preferably that aren't overly expensive)? I'm feeding it chicken soup for the kitten lovers soul right now(Is that good?)Is canned better? What kind of litter should I use? Please tell me everything you know, I hardly know anything about cats.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

Thank you for rescuing this baby! 

You should be feeding canned foods, for sure. Dry food is not good for cats. I feed First Mate canned foods mostly. It's only $2.59 CAD for a 13 oz can here, but apparently it is cheaper here than everywhere else.

You can use whatever litter you want, but clumping litter is what I like best. However I dont think really young babies are supposed to use clumping litter, but I have no idea why. 

If you don't have any other cats, you're perfectly fine waiting a while before gettig tested for anything. But make sure the baby is perfectly healthy again before vaccinating him. Vaccinating a kitty who is ill will only prolong his illness and tax his immune system.

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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Canned is definitely better for them than dry. Chicken Soup for the kitten lover's soul is good food. Just FYI, you don't have to feed "kitten" food though, as long as the food is listed as "all stages", then it's fine for kittens. 

I agree, if you don't have any other cats, there's no need to get him tested immediately. Did the vet say how old he was? There are recommended schedules for their vaccinations/boosters that are based on age. Normally with kittens, you can tell roughly how old they are based on teeth, weight, etc. Once you take him in for his first vaccinations, it's pretty stanard to have him "combo" tested (which tests for FIV and FeLV). 

I have always used a clay-based litter with kittens (Tidy Cats is pretty reasonable cost-wise). I wouldn't recommend any of the "scented" litters with kittens (or any cat for that matter). Kitten poop can be pretty smelly, so if odor is an issue, you can sprinkle plain baking soda in the litter to help with odor.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Canned, the best you can afford, but even cheap canned is probably better than dry. Chicken soup is fine. Any canned will do for the time being. Better to get him well up front than fret over food choices. 

Scoopable clay litter like Tidy Cats is fine. Scoop 2x a day minimum! Thanks for rescuing! and play LOTS of play.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Clumping cat litter isn't recommended for kittens because of playing in litter and eating it (typical for kittens! )
Clumping litter if eaten can/will cause blockages!!


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

Thank you for answering my question! Lol

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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

DeafDogs&Cat said:


> Thank you for answering my question! Lol
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Inquiring Minds!!! Lol!


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## Spock1996 (Jan 29, 2014)

DeafDogs&Cat said:


> Thank you for rescuing this baby!
> 
> If you don't have any other cats, you're perfectly fine waiting a while before gettig tested for anything. But make sure the baby is perfectly healthy again before vaccinating him. Vaccinating a kitty who is ill will only prolong his illness and tax his immune system.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Well we couldn't just leave the poor thing trapped under a house. 

Actually moving tenant gave us a kitten/cat a couples weeks ago, because they couldn't afford to keep it. The newest kitten is kept in the bathroom for now. Is that alright for now until the 24th when I can ask the vet more questions? The kitten is already better than when I first found him. His eye looks normal, and he runs around the room, eats, drinks and uses the toilet. He also runs over to me when I come in, and will crawl on my lap and purr if he can reach. Wouldn't he not appear ill if he had a disease? I really don't know anything about cats, can you recommend some reading material?


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Most cats have the feline herpes virus (I've read that up to 90% of all domesticated cats have it). Don't be freaked out, it's not contagious to humans, and it's not as scary as it sounds. But just like in the human form, once you have it, you always have it, and flare ups can happen from stress, poor nutrition, anything that taxes the immune system, etc. In cats, the most common symptoms of herpes is sneezing and goopy/running eyes. There is no cure for it, but most healthy cats rarely have symptoms/flare ups. So it sounds like that could be the case with your kitten, particularly if he's gotten over it now (after being in a warm house, having proper nutrition, etc.). If he does seem to get sick again, you can supplement his diet with L-Lysine, which is an amino acid that helps boost the immune system. You can find this at any vitamin store and it comes in a powder form you can just sprinkle on their food. You can also get "pet" versions that are flavored, come in treat form, etc., which are the same thing, just more expensive. I give L-Lysine to both of my cats daily. 

That said, not all diseases will show symptoms early in the life cycle. A cat can have FIV for 5 years before showing symptoms. So, getting him tested is a good idea just so you know if there are any issues you need to look out for...


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## Spock1996 (Jan 29, 2014)

emilyatl said:


> Canned is definitely better for them than dry. Chicken Soup for the kitten lover's soul is good food. Just FYI, you don't have to feed "kitten" food though, as long as the food is listed as "all stages", then it's fine for kittens.
> 
> I agree, if you don't have any other cats, there's no need to get him tested immediately. Did the vet say how old he was? There are recommended schedules for their vaccinations/boosters that are based on age. Normally with kittens, you can tell roughly how old they are based on teeth, weight, etc. Once you take him in for his first vaccinations, it's pretty stanard to have him "combo" tested (which tests for FIV and FeLV).
> 
> I have always used a clay-based litter with kittens (Tidy Cats is pretty reasonable cost-wise). I wouldn't recommend any of the "scented" litters with kittens (or any cat for that matter). Kitten poop can be pretty smelly, so if odor is an issue, you can sprinkle plain baking soda in the litter to help with odor.


Do I need to get him tested immediately though since I do have another cat, or will it be fine to wait and ask the vet on the 24th? The vet didn't say how old he is, but from what I've read he's around 6 weeks. I am using tidy cats right now.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Spock, IMO, I think you can wait to take in your newest kitten till the other ones appointment, at least if I'm understanding your question clearly enough! 
Just keep them separated till the vet check...
Hopefully someone else can jump in here with some ideas as well!


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## Spock1996 (Jan 29, 2014)

10cats2dogs said:


> Spock, IMO, I think you can wait to take in your newest kitten till the other ones appointment, at least if I'm understanding your question clearly enough!
> Just keep them separated till the vet check...
> Hopefully someone else can jump in here with some ideas as well!


Thanks, that about answers the vet question.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Yep, I personally always keep any new cats separated from existing cats in the household for at least 2 weeks if I don't know their status. I've fostered kittens in the past, and they've always come from shelters with SOMETHING (either Coccidia, an upper respiratory infection, etc.), so I keep them in quarentine until they've finished any meds they were prescribed (normally 2 weeks). With kittens particuarly, they have weak immune systems (and it works both ways, your kitten could get the new one sick and vice versa). So, yes, I think it's fine to wait until your vet appointment for your other kitten. Just I'd just keep them separated until the new kitten gets the clean bill of health...


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