# 10 Month Old Tortie Girl



## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

An ex-coworker and friend begged me today to go see her friend (I don't know this girl) who was moving and couldn't take her kitten with. While I'm not really in the market for another cat, I said I'd go take a look at her. Apparently, the girl was freaking out because she called the local shelters and no one had any room for her kitten and she needed her gone _today_. So I agreed to go meet the little girl, and she called up her friend to let her know I was coming.

When I got there, the moving trucks had already arrived, and they were hauling things out of the house. So I figure this is pretty urgent. I ask if I can see the kitten. She points to a taped up cardboard box with holes in it...and I open it to find a beautiful little tortie girl mewing her head off, and covered in her own urine. No water in the box. I was appalled, and I let her know. She said she had nothing for the baby, except her collar and food (which is dry Hill's Science Diet Kitten)...and thats it...the rest she sold on Craig'sList a week ago. Livid as I was, I brought the little girl home with me...she layed in my lap the whole time I was driving. Got her home, and put her in the bathroom, and she immediately started licking water off the floor from in front of the sink...I gave her one of our extra dishes filled with water, and she immediately started drinking and didn't stop for several minutes.

This poor little girl was probably kept in that box all day...no water, no food, and she urinated on the box (and of course it got all over her). All I kept thinking was, "If I didn't take her, then what? Would this girl have thrown the box and all in the dumpster? Or worse?" She obviously had no idea how to take care of a kitten.

Since she's been home with us, she's had a bath, fresh water and food, and lots of love and toys. She is the sweetest, kindest kitten. She's a talker, a licker, and a lover. So gentle for what she went through today (and who knows if today was the first time of neglect...). It's so hard not to fall in love with her!


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## Leni (Sep 21, 2010)

Aww. I'm glad you took her in. I would love to see pics, I'm a sucker for Torties, especially since I found Sasha


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## razzle (May 20, 2010)

I believe you saved this cat from being put in a dumpster. God bless you for saving her. Obviously this woman didn't care about this cat like so any other people. These type of people shouldn't have cats. I don't understand how people can be so cruel whether it concerns people or animals but especially animals.

Kathy


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Ok so this post made me cry.... All I could think of was my Malley. I cant imagine anyone treating an animal like that even in the most dire situations.

I think you will find it is impossible not to fall in LOVE with a Tortie... when we went to pick out a friend for Rowdy, Malley jumped right into my lap and I was instantly smitten.

Even if you don't end up keeping her I am sure you will do everything in your power to find her a great home. Thanks for taking her in.


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## Loves-her-girls (Jul 29, 2010)

My Majesta is a tortie & I can't even imagine my life without her. She is very vocal, as torties are but Majesta makes her little noises almost every time she does anything! God bless you for taking in the kitty~ I believe that women should be put in a box with no food, etc and see how she feels with urine all over her!


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Oh my God! I would have chewed the girl out, too! How can people do that to a pet?

Poor little thing. Thank God you found her. *hugs*


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks all for the support. Much love and huggles to all. <3 I know I can't save every cat, but I just couldn't walk away...especially since that nasty box she was in _screamed_ dumpster-time...I couldn't to that to this beautiful baby.

Also found out she has a small cold...shes sneezing a lot and her nose is a little wetter than it should be. But a visit to the vet should help clear that up.

Here are some pictures from the last time I went in to play with her. She's just all love and cuddles and licks and purrs...who am I kidding, I'm in love already!

Full body:









"HELLO CAMERA!"









Sitting pretty. I just ADORE the heck out of her one little peach colored toe on her front paws. Too cute! :love2


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## Leni (Sep 21, 2010)

Ah she is gorgeous! Love that coloring. You did a good thing, saving her from that horrible fate. There's just something about that little face. Sasha has a light colored toe on both her front paws, aww it's just so adorable. Just like you I was in love the moment I saw her, I couldn't let her be put down. Thank you for saving her. Are you planning on keeping her?


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Not sure yet if we're keeping her or not...finances are kinda tight, and with two cats already... We'll see though. Both my boyfriend and I are totally in love with her already. :smile:


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Like I said it is nearly impossible not to fall in love with a Tortie . Malley has all peach toes on all of her paws except her back left, that foot is all black. But the cutest is her paw pads... they alternate colors from peach to black :love2


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

She's ADORABLE!! Thank goodness you went to see her. You were an angel sent to be at the right place at the right time.


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

*Thank you* everyone for the support and love. It means so much to me and to this little girl. 

We're still unsure of whether we can keep her yet (gosh I hope so!), but we've decided to call her Alice.  New name, new life. She deserves it.


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## catnip (Aug 19, 2003)

I just took in a stray tortie a few months ago that is almost the same exact age, she had the same lanky build, wirey tail and huge ears...well she's doubled in size in 2 months and grew into her ears. She's been a handfull for sure. Good luck!


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Great that you saved her!
People put kittens in cardboard boxes (sometimes carriers/travel kennels) in the dumpster at Petco quite often, especially during the summer. Garbage gets taken out, and kittens get brought in! Recently the manager found some rabbits in the dumpster!


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Vivid Dawn - Thats so upsetting...knowing that this was probably what was going to happen to this little baby. At least the rabbits and kitties get saved from their fate...thank you Petco manager!

Steve - So I'm guessing you kept your tortie kitty huh?  I'd love it if she got big! But a handful...well she's certainly turned out to be that...


So I mentioned little Alice has a cold. I think it might be worse than I thought, but I wanted some advice before she gets to see the vet (they say Monday...I want sooner) so I can maybe do something to make her more comfortable. She's sneezing quite a bit, her nose is a little wetter than normal, she wheezes sometimes, and when she licks her lips it sounds like there is very little saliva in her mouth (that "sticky" sound ya know?). Could this be URI?! If so, how contagious is it (I'm worried about my other girls)? Other suggestions on what it could be? She's still drinking water, and she has lots of warm blankies to keep her warm and cuddly...not sure what else to do for a cat cold.

AND on top of her cold, she has no idea what a litter box is. She has yet to do anything solid (which also has me kind of worried, but she hasn't eaten a whole lot, just drinking), but she urinates on her blankets and towels in her little hidey hole. The fresh clean litter box is still sitting there untouched.

Any ideas to ease my mind a bit with her? I have to leave real soon for a job interview and I hate to have to leave her all sick and sad.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I'm so glad to hear you took this little one! She's absolutely gorgeous, and those peach colors on her paw are really striking. She appreciates everything you've done for her!


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks for rescuing this sweet girl from an irresponsible owner. I love torties and torbies....they so sweet, loyal, stubborn, determined and always let you know what they think with their chatter. They're the best! All the best to you and Alice for a beautiful friendship.


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## LilRed (Jul 16, 2008)

I am so glad she found you!!! Alice is beautiful! I'm a tortie lover too! They have the ultimate camoflauge I think. Hope she gets to feeling better and catches on to the litter box!


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Thank you guys. The support on this forum is unbelievable. <3 to you all.



LilRed said:


> I am so glad she found you!!! Alice is beautiful! I'm a tortie lover too! They have the ultimate camoflauge I think. Hope she gets to feeling better and catches on to the litter box!


Thank you! They do have wonderful camo...always loved torties for that. So far, no go on the litter box yet, but we're working on that. 

We did just get back from the vet...they managed to sneak me in (I had to delay my job interview for it, but the things we do for our kitties right?). Turns out she does have a respiratory infection, and they gave me antibiotics for her. They also gave me a tip on getting her to eat...they said her sense of smell may be off because of the cold, so they said I could heat up some canned and the stronger smell might work. It did! I mixed in just a tiny bit of warmed up canned with her dry, and she ate it all! YAY!

After seeing her in that nasty box she was in yesterday, I'm in much better spirits now that I know little Alice is going to be alright. :kittyturn


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

I have rescued 3 cats with URI in the last 2 months, and my cats haven't gotten any symptoms from it (I live in a studio apartment, so no real way to quarantine).
If you have a humidifier, or put the cat in steamy bathroom for 10-15 minutes, that should loosen the gunk a bit, and make her breathe better.
It seems that all my cats (and I've heard that it's common with most other cats) go potty after eating/drinking... so when she's done with a meal, take her to the litter box and put her in it. Maybe even take a paw and show her how to scratch. I showed this to my little feral kitten ONCE and he did it all by himself from then on. The other kitties I never got around to showing, but they figured out the box is where the potty is (they're used to going in the garden, which is not in a box!). Hopefully once she realizes where you want her to go, she'll get it... maybe she soils blankets, like she did the cardboard box, because those other people didn't bother with a litter box?


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Vivid Dawn said:


> I have rescued 3 cats with URI in the last 2 months, and my cats haven't gotten any symptoms from it (I live in a studio apartment, so no real way to quarantine).
> If you have a humidifier, or put the cat in steamy bathroom for 10-15 minutes, that should loosen the gunk a bit, and make her breathe better.
> It seems that all my cats (and I've heard that it's common with most other cats) go potty after eating/drinking... so when she's done with a meal, take her to the litter box and put her in it. Maybe even take a paw and show her how to scratch. I showed this to my little feral kitten ONCE and he did it all by himself from then on. The other kitties I never got around to showing, but they figured out the box is where the potty is (they're used to going in the garden, which is not in a box!). Hopefully once she realizes where you want her to go, she'll get it... maybe she soils blankets, like she did the cardboard box, because those other people didn't bother with a litter box?


Thanks so much for the advice!!! No humidifier here...I'm a one bedroom apartment, so her quarantine/safe room is there...I did notice she breathed a little better after my shower and it had made the room all steamy, so I will definitely run a short hot shower a few times a day to help her breathe a little easier. The litter box is still a work in progress, but she seems to at least "get it" now...she goes in and scratches at the litter even if she fails to go, so it's a start at least! I don't think that girl knew a darn thing about cats or their care...it wouldn't surprise me if she never had a litter box for Alice to begin with. :?

Also, just wanted to add that Alice took her first dose of the URI meds with very little trouble, and the best part was that she didn't get mad at me after I did (Rochelle HATES med-day, lol)!


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

My foster cat, Brooke, had confusion about the litter box at first, too. She kept going in the many towels in the nesting box. Cats want something soft to go in, and something that they can cover it with...sadly, blankets work, too. So I wonder if it's possible to take away the blankets for a little while during the day, so that she's forced to use the litter box? 

I just kept putting the turds and the bits of newspaper soaked with urine in Brooke's litter box to tell her that that was the potty! It worked quite soon.


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

paperbacknovel said:


> My foster cat, Brooke, had confusion about the litter box at first, too. She kept going in the many towels in the nesting box. Cats want something soft to go in, and something that they can cover it with...sadly, blankets work, too. So I wonder if it's possible to take away the blankets for a little while during the day, so that she's forced to use the litter box?
> 
> I just kept putting the turds and the bits of newspaper soaked with urine in Brooke's litter box to tell her that that was the potty! It worked quite soon.


Good idea.  I did take out all her blankies and towels just earlier because they were all soiled...they're in the wash now. I'll give them back when she's finally "got it"...our laundry machines eat quarters and I don't have the change to do cat-wash every day, hehe. She's still got soft stuff to lay on and in, but it's all much easier (and cheaper!) to wash with a simple wipe-down.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Wow, Alice is actually in Wonderland now! 

Thank goodness you were there for her. 

I understand the financial situation. I know if you can't keep her, you'll find her a great home.


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

marie73 said:


> Wow, Alice is actually in Wonderland now!
> 
> Thank goodness you were there for her.
> 
> I understand the financial situation. I know if you can't keep her, you'll find her a great home.


I want to keep her so badly, I'm just not sure if we can or not right now. If we do have to re-home her, I am making absolutely sure she's over her URI, and is in the right mental state to leave. I will absolutely not allow her to be shoved in another box, or to be abused in another way by someone that has no idea how to take care of an animal...she will go to a good home that I will screen first.

As for the name Alice, I love the Wonderland movies (the new one and the Disney one) and the book. But we actually got her name from the Resident Evil movies, after Milla Jovovich's character Alice. We were going over names, like Andromeda (from the TV series) and Olivia (from the TV series Fringe), and I mentioned to my boyfriend that she was a little "_licker_". We both looked at each other and knew that her name was Alice.  And as a side, all of my cats are named after tough female characters...Alice (from Resident Evil), Samantha (her full name is Captain Samantha Carter from Stargate SG1), and Rochelle (from the Left 4 Dead 2 video game). 

And a good update: Alice has used her litter box finally! I took Vivid Dawn's advice and set her in there, and showed her that she can use a paw to cover up her mess...and she has. I'm so proud of her. She's making great strides.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

She's beautiful! So glad you were there to save her!


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Just wanted to give a mini-update on little Alice. So far she's been responding _really _well to the URI meds, and while she still sounds a little stuffy, she's no longer got any discharge from her nose and she's able to sleep without wheezing. I'm so happy! When she mews at me, she actually sounds like she's mewing now, not like she's blowing her nose at me, hehe.


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