# Seven's adventures



## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Hello everyone. 

Last Tuesday when I went to work I discovered a black ball of hair on the steps to the office. When I opened the door this black ball bolted inside. 
Upon closer examination, the ball turned out to be a kitten. He was full of fleas head to tail and beyond skinny. There was bone and there was skin and nothing else. I dashed to the nearest pet store and got a bit of dry food for kittens. I put it in a plastic container I had nearby and some water in another. He nibbled just a bit then came to be held. He absolutely loves to be petted. After a few minutes he started meowing at me. Putting 2 and 2 together, I grabbed a small cardboard box, cut it roughly in the shape of a litter box, half filled it with sand from outside and put it on the floor. The kitty promptly went inside and did a poo. 
A genital check told me it was a male. For the rest of the day he slept on my leg while I worked. I went to the pet shop again, grabbed some anti flea shampoo, brought the kitty home and promptly gave him a bath. Naturally he didn't appreciate it. I removed some 15-20 fleas from the poor thing. I took most of the water off his fur with a towel then completely dried him with a hair-blower. After that he would accept nothing less than being in my lap full time. In the end he slept with me in the bed. By morning 2 things were clear: First, there were no lost kitty announcements and second, the kitty adopted me and I had no choice but to do the same with him. 
Thursday was his first visit to the next. Based on teeth, his age was estimated at almost 3 months. He looks a lot younger. He weighted exactly 1kg. Based on the vets suggestion we only did internal deworming and will start vaccines next week too give him some time to adjust. Thankfully all his claws are present and accounted for, and he is not neutered. Made him an international book of health, estimated date of birth 11 August. Name pending. 
Also, i bought some kitten food from the vet to help with the diarrhea and to get all the vitamins he needs. He only nibbled at the regular pet store kitten food, but he absolutely devoured the vet food.

He is so skinny, than when i pat him i can't stop noticing how each bone stands out. I can feel each vertebra, shoulder blades, ribs, the bones in his back legs, the wider bone where the tail starts. There is no fat or muscle that i can feel. Surprisingly his coat is in good shape and barely shedding any hair for now.

He sleeps 22 to 23 hours a day, with the rest of the time divided between eating, drinking, using the literbox and just sitting awake in my lap. Everything i read seems to indicate to one of 2 situations: either that kittens are bundles of energy that almost never sleep, or that they sleep *for up to* 18 hours a day. I assume my kitty is this passive and sleeps so much on account of his weight, yet i'm concerned it might be something more. Any toughts?

Also he ocasionally scratches inside his ears. I checked him, and deep inside they are coated in something black that looks like dirt. What do you guys think it might be and what would be the best course of action? He already has an apointment at the vet Thursday so i'll be able to ask the vet then as well.

Here are some pictures of him: - Click to view full size


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Wow, I am almost in tears looking at his pictures, but mostly happy tears, because you can see how clearly relieved he is to no longer be wondering where his next meal is coming from. Thank you!!! You saved his little life! I have my own little black kitty that I saved almost a year ago, story similar to your own. He is my baby and I can't imagine my life without him. This kitty will love you so much for taking him in and caring for him.

First, I'm quite sure the black stuff in his ears is probably ear mites, and I'm wondering why the vet did not pick up on that and give you something for that. I have not encountered this problem with my cats, but I have heard people on this board with home remedies, such as olive oil (I think) supposedly it kind of chokes them out, hopefully someone can set me straight on this and tell you what to do about the ear mites. I know Revolution is sold here in the US for cats and it does help kill ear mites, but I'm not sure if you have it there, you probably do, but perhaps it is sold under another name (it has another name in the UK so I'm assuming it maybe does there as well?). 

No telling what he has been eating, and kittens in general have disgusting poop. So I don't think he necessarily needs to be on special food for diarrhea, he just needs a good food. Since he is so underweight and in need of nutrition, perhaps you can get him on a good wet food. Wet food will be healthier for him down the road, and probably save you lots of heartache and money down the road since cats on an all dry diet tend to develop more problems with constipation and urinary issues. No matter what you feed him, for a while, he is going to have some nasty poop until he gets his digestion all straightened out. And like I said before, kitten poop is generally gross until they are a bit older. You may want to stick with a food with simple protein and limited ingredients, grain free would be great if you can do that, find a grain free food. I would use turkey or chicken, something pretty simple at first for him, and give it a little time to see if he can get used to it before righting it off as not working. His little gut is going to be a mess for a while until it gets straightened out. I bet you if you offered him some good canned food he would be so grateful. 

I love the pictures, especially the last one where he has his paw over his face. He looks so completely relieved to be safe and sound now and not having to hunt for his next meal. He has a very interesting shape to his head. My little black kitty that I rescued a year ago was in similar shape when we found him in the woods, he was chewed up from fleas from head to toe, skinny, and his digestive system was a mess too. But he is all good now. Your little guy here will look different soon as he starts filling out and his coat starts to improve, which it will as he gets some good nutrition in him. 

THank you for saving this little black ball of fluff. I think the ones that find us, like this little guy did, they tend to be ever so thankful and loving to their human and you end up loving them like no other pet. Can't wait to hear more on his progress, and what his name ends up being. It took me 3 weeks to name my little guy, his name almost became "baby kitty" because that is what we called him while we were deciding his name. 

And welcome to the board 
Lee Ann


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I would not be concerned about his sleeping so much. He may be just exhausted from his ordeal - no telling how long he was afraid and alone. He may sleep like this for weeks then one day wake up and be ready to tackle the world! Be ready with toys galore!....or he just may be a laid back kitty who loves to snuggle. Lucky you either way. BTW, stick with the canned, it's better for kitty!!

Thank you for caring for this little guy!!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Today just as i write, the kitty has discovered the router... and he LOVES it. I'm not sure if he's attracted to the heat, the radiations or both. 

Also, i clearly need to do something about the litterbox and litter. Up until today he would only do his stuff and leave, never scratching. But today.....

This is what the office litterbox looks like after just one use:


His paws were white as paper afterwards. A quick cleaning followed. That and what i read about clumping litter means i need to change it yesterday. I nee to check around the supermarket and petshops to see if there is any safe litter, but i expect a steep price.
I was thinking... Not sure what it's like in US, but here (Romania) i can get a 50kg sack of sand at the same price as a 6 kg bag of the cheapest litter. I can buy at at any granulation i want. Would it be good? If yes, what granulation ?


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> First, I'm quite sure the black stuff in his ears is probably ear mites, and I'm wondering why the vet did not pick up on that and give you something for that. I have not encountered this problem with my cats, but I have heard people on this board with home remedies, such as olive oil (I think) supposedly it kind of chokes them out, hopefully someone can set me straight on this and tell you what to do about the ear mites. I know Revolution is sold here in the US for cats and it does help kill ear mites, but I'm not sure if you have it there, you probably do, but perhaps it is sold under another name (it has another name in the UK so I'm assuming it maybe does there as well?).


This first vet visit was unscheduled and we got just a quick exam for any life threatening issues there might be. a scheduled operation was waiting. Thursday is our full exam complete with the first batch of vaccines. Thanks for the answer


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## ownedby4cats (Jan 23, 2012)

First welcome to the forum and this place is a wealth of information about felines. Second thank you for saving this poor little baby, he looks like he has adopted you for sure. A real cutie.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I agree with Marcia, he is probably exhausted and will sleep like that for a while. When I took in Stephano from a situation like yours, he slept for days, in my lap, before he started to come out his shell a bit. 

The kitty litter dilemma. Oh boy, is that one that we all know so well!!! First of all, kittens are notoriously messy little monsters with their litter box. They like to play in it, some even sleep in it, it's like the giant sand box at the playground for kittens! My cats are all grown now, and it's not that bad, but it still gets stuck to their feet and drives me crazy. I just spent $25 on a litter mat, called Purrfect Paws, I'm not sure if you have that in Romania, but there are some other pretty good mats, and if you can get one big enough so that they have to step on that mat upon exiting the litter box, much of it will come off onto the mat instead of your floor. I've had mine up for 2 days now and it has already cut back on the litter tracking, drastically. Another thing that helps, I know he is kind of little, but I bet he is big enough to hop in and out of a litter box with higher sides. Many of us, myself included, have a large rubbermaid container, the ones used to store things, we use it as a litter box. It has nice high sides, so they can't fling as much litter out of the box. You might be happy with feline pine, some people love it, some hate it, I do like it because it does not take too much and it goes further, but you have to scoop the poop out pretty quickly and it does turn to sawdust as they pee on it, but you do have to change it every 3-4 days....but I think it's an easy change, it doesn't stick that bad to the bottom. You just have to try for yourself to see if you like it or hate it. He may be Ok with a covered litter box (some cats that are skittish don't like the covered ones) and that will also cut down on a lot of the litter going everywhere. Also, if you have a covered box, it limits where they can jump out of it and is easier to make them step onto the mat and lose some of the litter onto the mat. Kittens are just messy in general, but I promise, it does get better. I would avoid using sand. I have used cheap litters that are like sand and I HATE them.....you think this litter gets everywhere, that stuff is worse. 

That is funny that he is attracted to the router, you are right, they are attracted to warm things, which is why most cats love our laptops. We have a TV that gets pretty warm and they LOVE snuggling up next to that too. 

BTW, the purrfect paws mat, I bought the second largest size one for $25, they had an even bigger one for $35, I wish I would have gotten that one. It really is working well. You might want to avoid the ones that look like they stick up and are kind of spiky, if it looks uncomfortable, it probably is and they will try to jump over it to avoid stepping on it. I have heard that 3M makes some good mats that work well too. I always read the reviews on Amazon and you will likely find a really good one. To me, it is money well worth it. It has cut back on the litter tracking here about 75% in the two days I've had mine. 

Can't wait to hear more about your little guy


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Marcia said:


> I would not be concerned about his sleeping so much. He may be just exhausted from his ordeal - no telling how long he was afraid and alone. He may sleep like this for weeks then one day wake up and be ready to tackle the world!


Boy... you weren't kidding were you.
Thanks to all bright thoughts you guys directed at him, he's had a dramatic change today. When we got home, for the first time, he's had an hour or so of classic kitty curiosity and started exploring the tight space under the kitchen counters. He even started chasing the laser dot a bit.
After this he got about 2 hours of the deepest sleep i have ever seen him in, all curled up in my lap and wrapped up in his towel/blanket. When he woke up he only poked out his nose and claws and started playing with the zipper on my shirt.
It's awesome seeing him embrace life and his kitty nature 

For the first time he actually tried to play bite my finger. First barely touching, he just wrapped teeth around it, a few seconds later he gave a light squeeze, then still seeing no reaction he squeezed a bit harder which naturally hurt, so i took my finger out and told him no. He immediately got the message. This is one smart kitty :>


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

When we rescued our kitten from the outdoors, she loved the switch in the room because of the heat.

We ended up bringing the cat bed and some blankets up. We put a heating pad under the blankets on the heating pad. She loved the set up.


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## tghsmith (Dec 9, 2010)

he's a surviver and he found a home, he had to be smart.. looks like he'll be big if he grows into those ears!!!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

First of all, thanks for taking care of this little boy. I think he sleeps so much because he is exhausted being out on his own for so long. He knows he is safe and loved, so he can sleep peacefully. The scratching on the ears, may be ear mites or they are just dirty. When you take him on Thursday to the vet have him look at his ears, I don't think it is anything serious. He has the cutest ears by the way!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

If it is dirt, how would you suggest I clean it? It's quite deep, and looks like it only gets thicker beyond the area that can be see. It's sort of... Flaky. Sort of similar to how cereals look in a bowl but at a tiny scale.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

That kitty is so happy he has you -- he shows it all over his face and body. I wish you many years of happiness together.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

With what you are describing, it does sound like ear mites! 
At this point, since you are going to the Vet on Thursday... I'd just wait till then!
If it is a bad infestation of mites, I think the vet should treat to start with.
Kittys ears are very sensitive and can be easily damaged by poking around...

Good luck and keep us posted!
Lucky kitty and a lucky you!!


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

He's a cutie! It sounds like ear mites to me too, though it could just be an ear wax buildup. Your vet will be able to tell if it's mites or wax and clean them for you. If the wax is particularly bad, you may have to clean his ears at home (which depending on his temperment, can be challenging ). 

Regarding the sleeping, agree with the others, he's probably just exhausted. Just make sure he's eating as much has he wants (don't try to limit his food intake at this point). 

If he seems to be drawn to the router, you could try getting a heating pad and putting it under a blanket for him to sleep on. I do this for all of the foster kittens I've had. Because he's underweight, he may not have enough body fat to keep him warm.


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

His temperament is curently that of a rag doll. At most he would wiggle a bit, but not even draw claws out. 

Also, heating is not a problem overnight as he's sleeping in bed with me under the blanket. 

Since day 1 he has a bowl of food and a bowl of water for both home and office, all permanently full. The only restriction he has is the size of his stomach. 

Today he was more active than in the last week together. He was all kitty curiosity and checking everything out. I even caught him testing his claws on the wooden bar on which curtains normally hang but was temporarily removed and left on the floor. Stroking quickly got his mind off the clawing. Tomorrow I'm doing an emergency kitty toys supply run. I'd rather teach him to claw the right items in the first place than have to unteach him to claw furniture. 

I'm glad to say that his overall mood is much improved. At first he would barely move and try to take up as little space as possible. Now he's sprawling for all he's worth when sleeping and the overall his confidence is greatly boosted. He changed from looking pitiful and slowly approaching and trying to find a restful position to a confident kitten who when he wants a hug swiftly jumps in your lap and starts purring.


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Here a quick snap shot taken just now:

I have just uploaded these images:


Does this look anything like a traumatized cat? Not to me


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Most kittens I've had really liked those cardboard scratchers (for that matter cardboard boxes are great too for them to chew on). If you're going to get a cat scratcher, I'd get one with sisal and carpet. Some like carpet more, some like sisal. 

I'd also recommend you start trimming his nails. It's really good to get them started on this when they're younger. You can get cat claw trimmers at most pet supply stores. If you're worried about doing it for the first time, have your vet/vet tech show you. It doesn't hurt them at all if it's done properly. 

He looks so happy bathing in the sun!


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

emilyatl said:


> Most kittens I've had really liked those cardboard scratchers (for that matter cardboard boxes are great too for them to chew on). If you're going to get a cat scratcher, I'd get one with sisal and carpet. Some like carpet more, some like sisal.
> 
> I'd also recommend you start trimming his nails. It's really good to get them started on this when they're younger. You can get cat claw trimmers at most pet supply stores. If you're worried about doing it for the first time, have your vet/vet tech show you. It doesn't hurt them at all if it's done properly.
> 
> He looks so happy bathing in the sun!


And don't cut to low - made that mistake on my kitten since she was squirming. Cut too low and blood went everywhere.


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## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

O.M.G what a BEAUTIFUL kitten. Sounds like a match made in heaven!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

*Seven's Adventures*

I'm glad to say that my kitty progressed from beying this 24 hours a day:


to this:





 
Sorry for the quality, there's only so much a phone cam can do in low light.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

This is so wonderful to see!!
Are you any closer to a name yet for this little one??!!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

There are a few possibilities, nothing is yet certain.


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Oh and, today we had our first claw trimming, it went splendidly.
I armed myself with several articles on kitty nail trimming then grabbed the cat, made it comfy in my lap, and started trimming all the claws 1 by 1 (with the special kitty nail trimmer specially bought today) untill both forepaws were done.
He tried to take his paw back once or twice for each paw because i was taking too long, in which case i let him have his paw, only to snatch it back 10 sec later after opening the praise flood gates even further.


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

That is one happy, playful kitten! I am so happy for both of you!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Yet another update on the cat that stole my hearth and won't give it back.

He found an even better source of heat than the router:


Here are some shots from 2 days after the rescue (rescue was 8 days ago).
I forgot i made those with the actual camera as opposed to my phone.
  


And today, i too found out how hard it is to shoot some product pictures with a curios cat in the room:

     

A cat will be a cat...


*Boring... Yawn*



And my personal favourite:


Now a bit of touch-up...


Success!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

He is making himself right at home!
And I see carrying on the Great Cat Tradition of being in the middle of everything, Laptops, etc.!!!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Oh and, we finally have a name :>

It's officiall, kitty is now Seven! Care to guess how he got that name?

Hint:


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Wild Guess: Lucky number....Seven??!!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Seven is a photogenic little kitten! I think he was trying to help you with the product pictures.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I love the new pictures and the video!!! Oh, he is a happy little guy, you have given him a life. He is just adorable. I love his name, is he named after the current 007? I never thought I would love another Bond as much as Sean Connery until Daniel Craig stole my heart, LOL! He looks like he is doing well, and even starting to gain some weight, and his coat is improving also. He is just adorable


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

We just came back from the vet, we had our first vaccine.
Thankfully there was only goo in his ears but... it's hardened solid and the vet could only get a bit of it from the edges. Any more would have risked damaging Seven's ears. He gave us a liquid to use, morning and evening 2 drops in each ear, then massage for a few sec so it goes in and hold Seven's head for 3 minutes so he doesn't shake his head and remove the liquid. This should soften it and let it come out where it can be wiped away.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Seven is one lucky kitty!! Congratulations on your new family member!!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Yeah! Seven made it through his first vet visit. He is so lucky. I'm sure he is so grateful to have someone to love him. It's all going to be better now little kitty


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

He is a healthy boy!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Today we tried to clean some of the goo in Seven's ears.

I put a slightly bigger dose in one ear, and held my poor kitty's head still to prevent shaking. After 5 min of holding still, i started to carefully clean one of his ears with... sorry i don't know how to call it in english, sticks used to clean ears. I kept at it until he started squirming even when i was poking inside, that's when we stopped and went to the kitchen to get some of his favorite food. Now he's peacefully, sleeping in my lap.

This is the result:


Also, some more big chunks flew all over when he started shaking his head.
The shocker, is that if you look inside that ear, you can't tell a difference before and after. It still looks as dirty as before. Poor kitty. Will have to do this again and again until both ears are clean.

It's like walking on a rope... I don't want to prologue this too much because it itches him and he scratches occasionally throughout the day, but i don't want to rush too fast and hurt + make him afraid of me.


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

"Rescued stray" is no longer an appropriate name for Seven's thread, so effective immediately he gets a brand new shiny thread called Seven's adventures.


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

In the U.S. We call those little sticks Q-tips or cotton swabs. Poor Seven, all that icky stuff in his ears! You are doing good by not rushing things, you don't want him to avoid getting his ears cleaned. Thanks for all the pictures and videos. I will be looking forward to more of Seven's Adventures!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I agree, don't rush it, you don't want him to hate ear cleaning in the future. Maybe offer him some kitty treats after you clean his ears, so it becomes a positive thing. Don't worry about talking about him t


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Those sticks are called Q-tips here in the US. He just may have a form of the herpes virus (don't worry it's not contagious or life threatening) that manifests itself as gunky ears and goobers in his eyes. My Missy is like that. I have to clean her ears EVERY DAY and I scrape off crusty crud like this from her ears all over the flap and inside. I don't know where it comes from but she is always shaking her head a bit like there is something worming around in her head. Poor baby. I use my fingernail to scrape it out but it is an everyday thing with us. Aside from the scraping, Missy likes getting her ears cleaned. She will actually lean into my hand because it feels good!


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

Seven comes with me to the office and back home every day, that means two 5 minute rides in the car each day. Until now, he was curling up in my lap and waiting for the car to stop. 
But today, he found a way to ride in style:

Found the spot:


Getting settled:



There we go:


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

CUTE!! I love his collar and my goodness, those ears!!!!!


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Oh, poor boy. It looks like he has some serious wax buildup. Definitely offer treats while you're cleaning his ears so he doesn't feel like it's punishment. 

Marcia My boy Scout actually likes getting his ears cleaned too. He'll kinda roll his eyes back into his head and twitch his back paw. It's pretty funny.


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## Siskin (Nov 2, 2013)

I woke up to quite the surprise:


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## feralkit (Oct 20, 2013)

Haha!

That is a common occurrence around here. I don't move the furniture to dust much. It seems the cats do the dusting. Smokey usually gets some dust and webs in his head and in all the whiskers. It is funny that it doesn't bother him and I end up removing it. I think he gets it on his head just for the face massage he gets while I clean it up.
I will call him "Smokey spiderweb head" and he will come running for the massage, webs or not!


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