Well, some of you might have heard we've 'rescued' a kitten. Really Jesse just got one and hid it in the backyard until I came home. Okay... supposedly she appeared on the back steps and really she's too cute to pass up. My daughter says she was a gift from Samuel (our sponsor child in Brazil) or that maybe she's Samuel's kitty and got lost. Yeah... cute honey but not so much. Long story short: did some research, figured she's about 8 weeks old, fed her some tuna (had nothing else and it was nighttime), made her a shoebox bed, and... drum roll... she has a name. It's over folks.
I was, however, the voice of reason and I did demand signs be made and posted about a 'Found Kitten.' I posted them this morning and we have a vet appointment Thursday afternoon. If we don't hear from anyone by then, we'll go ahead and call her our own. I kind of think she's already doing that. I know Bekah and Jesse are anyway. We have Kitten Chow and a disposable litter box now. I told the kids she was visiting until her mommy and daddy find her. If they didn't find her then we'd keep her but we couldn't buy her things until then. I am taken, but I'm also thinking ahead.
Trouble is, we wanted to have a dog and cat at the same time to let them equally become part of the family. We also wanted to wait for the kids to be old enough to help take care of them. Did I lose out here? Yeah kind of since I now want a puppy, but I don't imagine that's going to appear on the back steps anytime soon. Oh well, one pet at a time I guess. Really I wanted a dog and Jesse wanted a cat... I suppose the boy was overdue for a break.
So what's her name??? And perhaps a puppy will appear. ;) Ya never know how the Plan might work out or change. In any case, very good luck & feel free to shoot me any kitty questions! As an FYI, cheap-o cat litter from a warehouse store works great, and of all the cheapie wet brands, 9 Lives has the least amount of actually-bad-for-cats crap in it. Don't do an all dry diet; you're giving yourself a 50-70% chance of a UTI or other infections. Mix the wet food in a separate sealed container with an equal amount of water (one can's worth) and spread it out over several days. That cuts the cost and is actually healthier for the kitty. :) Nylis is 13 lbs and one can lasts 3-4 days with 1/3 cup dry kibble. More than that and she weighs in as "fat" for the vet. (Most of the food recs on bags or cans are WAY TOO MUCH for the animal, too. Evil, evil marketing!) *Hugs!!*
ReplyDeleteOh, and another "cat on the cheap" tip: Raid BJs or Sam's clubs and have the kids decorate empty boxes with ribbons and shredded newspaper. Make kitty "fishing poles" with cheap dowels from a hardware store (or even good sticks), whatever yarn or string you have at home, and cheap feathers and material from a craft store. Kitty will love these things more than any toy you actually spend $ on. I can hook you up with catnip, too. Free - our plant is wicked big. The only two non-food/litter purchases that were worth every cent is her window perch and the kitty water fountain and its filters (also good for avoiding UTIs). Every other "favorite" toy of hers is something we made on the fly... and you have kids who like crafts, so you're entertaining everyone!
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