Found a homeless kitty! Tons of questions! New to cats!

[carolinafilly]

My fiance came home from work today with a 'surprise'. In the form of a little black kitten. He (I think) was trying to kill himself by sitting in the middle of the road. Fiance thought he was dead, but saw him move when a truck went by and turned back to pick him up.

Anyway, I don't know much of anything about kitties. This little guy seems to be about 2-3 months old... I can get pics up later but first thing is what to do for him.

His eyes were crusted some, so I cleaned them and put neosporine on them. I listened to him breathing, I am pretty sure there is no infection. Anyway...

What shots do kittens get? We also have a 15 week old puppy - the cat is out in our shop, but is there anything I have to worry about being transfered? We have been washing up good when we go from kitty to puppy. I know puppy shots, given in three sets. How about kitty? What do I do since I will bet that it's not had any?

I know he will need rabies when the time comes. What is a good food? I don't know that I have ever looked at foods. My pup is on a very good, all natural no grain food. I'm assuming that there are similiar in the kitty world? Blue, By Nature, etc... reccomendations for him? Kitty food or straight to adult?

We are getting married in two weeks, and moving out shortly after. Until then the kitty has to stay away from my brother and dad who are allergic. Is it safe to keep him in a kennel like you would a dog? I'm going to be sure to let him out a few times a day for exercise. When we move he can be let in the house/yard anywhere full time.

Special things a kitten needs? Worming? Toys? Food? Any help would be great. I can learn quick enough. My sister works at petsmart and knows all the people from the shelters. I hate hearing how bad kittys odds are... so I'll give him a good enough start.

One more thing, he needs a bath. I think he might have mites? No fleas that I've seen. What can I bathe him in?

[Heidi n Q]

Welcome to CF! You've got a lot of questions and I hope I'll be able to help with some of them...

Bathing. If he isn't filthy, I wouldn't worry about bathing him. Once he is in an area that he won't be getting re-dirtied, he should get himself pretty clean and be able to keep that up. If you *must* bathe him, a pet shampoo would be good though I've heard that using Dawn dishsoap will cut any grease and oils and help in ridding him of any fleas. Keep him lathered for a bit before rinsing to give the soap time to roust the fleas. Do be sure to dry him thoroughly so he doesn't get a chill from being damp. I like to put kitties in a cat carrier, with a very fluffy towel on the bottom, and set a blowdrier on low and blowing into the door. It will put warm air in there as the kitty grooms themselves and the vent holes will allow the air to escape and prevent it from getting too hot. Stay there and keep checking the temp to be certain it isn't too hot for the kitty.

Allergies. People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to the enzymes in the cat's saliva and the sebaceous glands in their skin, both of which the cat coats and spreads over their fur with grooming activities. Some allergic people have good luck living with kitties if they keep the kitty bathed and'or wipe them down with a baby-wipe sort of cloth periodically.
I would not like to keep a cat confined in a kennel for two weeks, though I think a bathroom would do fine and a small bedroom would be even better.

Transference of diseases. Vaccinations. Parasites. Things kitties get are usually not tranferrable to dogs/people, with the exception of ringworm which is a fungus. Your kitty and puppy should be safe from each other. Your vet will have the best advice for offering a vaccination and spay/neuter schedule and I would also request "Revolution" spot-on product to kill any fleas, earmites and some internal parasites. DO NOT use any "Hartz" products and especially any Hartz flea products or flea collars...they are dangerous and have killed/injured many cats/kittens. Generally, any flea or de-worming product you can buy at the grocery store or pet store is not going to be as effective as the meds you can get from your vet. Some pet stores will sell spot-on flea products and I would trust: Advantage, Advocate, Frontline and Revolution.

Food. I am not very experienced in feline nutrition but generally, cats do not need to eat grains and they actually do better on canned food than they do with dry food. You mentioned "Blue" and "By Nature" and I believe those are good brands. You can do a search or a read through the Health & Nutrition Forums here to find better food options for the kitty.

Congrats on your upcoming nuptuals and the little kitty is a very lucky kitten to have been found/rescued by you both.
heidi =^..^=

[carolinafilly]

Originally Posted by Heidi n Q

Welcome to CF! You've got a lot of questions and I hope I'll be able to help with some of them...

Bathing. If he isn't filthy, I wouldn't worry about bathing him. Once he is in an area that he won't be getting re-dirtied, he should get himself pretty clean and be able to keep that up. If you *must* bathe him, a pet shampoo would be good though I've heard that using Dawn dishsoap will cut any grease and oils and help in ridding him of any fleas. Keep him lathered for a bit before rinsing to give the soap time to roust the fleas. Do be sure to dry him thoroughly so he doesn't get a chill from being damp. I like to put kitties in a cat carrier, with a very fluffy towel on the bottom, and set a blowdrier on low and blowing into the door. It will put warm air in there as the kitty grooms themselves and the vent holes will allow the air to escape and prevent it from getting too hot. Stay there and keep checking the temp to be certain it isn't too hot for the kitty.

Allergies. People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to the enzymes in the cat's saliva and the sebaceous glands in their skin, both of which the cat coats and spreads over their fur with grooming activities. Some allergic people have good luck living with kitties if they keep the kitty bathed and'or wipe them down with a baby-wipe sort of cloth periodically.
I would not like to keep a cat confined in a kennel for two weeks, though I think a bathroom would do fine and a small bedroom would be even better.

Transference of diseases. Vaccinations. Parasites. Things kitties get are usually not tranferrable to dogs/people, with the exception of ringworm which is a fungus. Your kitty and puppy should be safe from each other. Your vet will have the best advice for offering a vaccination and spay/neuter schedule and I would also request "Revolution" spot-on product to kill any fleas, earmites and some internal parasites. DO NOT use any "Hartz" products and especially any Hartz flea products or flea collars...they are dangerous and have killed/injured many cats/kittens. Generally, any flea or de-worming product you can buy at the grocery store or pet store is not going to be as effective as the meds you can get from your vet. Some pet stores will sell spot-on flea products and I would trust: Advantage, Advocate, Frontline and Revolution.

Food. I am not very experienced in feline nutrition but generally, cats do not need to eat grains and they actually do better on canned food than they do with dry food. You mentioned "Blue" and "By Nature" and I believe those are good brands. You can do a search or a read through the Health & Nutrition Forums here to find better food options for the kitty.

Congrats on your upcoming nuptuals and the little kitty is a very lucky kitten to have been found/rescued by you both.
heidi =^..^=

Thank you! I am heading to petsmart in a few minutes. My sister works there and can tell me who actually 'knows' what they are talking about. He is doing good this morning. I fed him some scrampled eggs last night because he was starving and I know dog food is bad for them - I looked it up and found some articles on eggs when nothing else is in the house for cats.

I know that there is no way he can come in right now (I wish!) When we move out he will have his own entire house! But here he can not come in since my dad and brother are very allergic. I walk in after being with the cat and there eyes puff up and they start to sneeze. Even if he was confined to my room he'd cause a havoc. However, I am going to try to kitty proof the shop. It's a small room that my dad works in outside - but he can avoid it for a few weeks until we get moved out.

[KitKatsmama]

Congrats on your upcoming marriage and new kitty!