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Dr.Demento needs your help

spider84 Feb 24, 2006 11:03 PM

Here is my tale of woe, which you cat lovers may find sad

Long story short, we took in our ex-flatmate's cat Kitty. When we moved into a townhouse, she got pregnant. We gave one kitten a new home, but the other "new homes" are filthy liars, and now that their kittens are practically adults, I consider them permanent residents. I feel bad that I never seem to save enough money to have them vaccinated, registered and desexed, but I'm on a low income with 2 dependents as it is.

Kitty has not been home for a week and has left behind a 2-3 week old kitten we call Dr. Demento. We call him that because his hind legs are wonky - he is possibly a product of incest with one of the other kittens (this I feel especially guilty about). He can get around but seems to have no concept of up or down or maybe that's because of his deformed limbs. I don't really know what's wrong with him, but we love him anyway.
Our other new flatmates don't know about Dr. Demento because they would flip - they already resent our current menagerie which is a mega sumo breach of the lease agreement.

Dr.Demento is flea ridden (i can see dirty marks from blood all through his fur) and weak. I don't think Kitty is coming back. I've given it some water, and tried some baby formula because I think it is going to die. I didn't expect him to live through last night, but now he has, I'm determined to save him.

My boyfriend is out now buying stuff for a flea bath and feeding, but I need as much advice as I can get. Poor Dr.Demento comes from a broken home and has special needs (ie: he is a mutant incest kitty - but very cute). How can we save him? How will we replace the love of his mother? I don't have a car or much money... what can I do?

Plus I have a 1 year old son. I'm concerned about fleas and diseases and stuff. If you have any suggestions on this, please let me know.

Replies (6)

JaimeMarie Feb 25, 2006 11:12 AM

You can't use flea medication on a kitten that young. You need to just use dish soap, or baby shampoo. Try not to get it in his eyes.
I would call your local humane society and see if they can take him.
-----
Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

spider84 Feb 25, 2006 04:50 PM

hi, thanks, the stuff we were getting for the flea bath is for a non-chemical bath.

i know to not get his head wet, but i can see fleas around his head. what can i do for that?

i have the number of the cat society but couldn't get through yesterday. do you think they could later provide vaccination? i would like to eventually keep the little guy, especially as we miss Kitty so much (its making my boyfriend depressed!) but only if the cat society thinks we'll be able to provide sufficient care.

PHWildCat Feb 25, 2006 01:28 PM

First of all, if Kitty left her baby...then she either isn't coming back or she abandoned him on purpose. You need to keep her inside if she comes back or you will just keep having more kittens. You also need to find a low cost center and get everyone fixed before you are overwhelmed with kitties. As for the baby...he needs baby formula, he needs it about every 2-4 hours around the clock. If he has gone without food for a week then I am real surprised that he has made it this far. Kittens usually start eating kitty food at about 4 weeks but since he has been starving for a week, you need to keep him on formula longer. No flea medicine on this little one, just use soap and water on him. Fleas drown pretty easily. Good luck and let us know.
-----
PHWildCat/Tessa and 17 cats, 1 dog and even a hamster
Tabitha, in my heart forever.... earned her wings 6/26/05
Cat Board Monitor and Chat Host
Pet Hobbyist
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

spider84 Feb 25, 2006 05:02 PM

Amen to the fixing of cats before we start having a cat-factory going on.
Kitty never stays away this long, and she only had one kitten (which I find strange in itself) so we fear the worst for Kitty. I don't think she abandoned him, but something is wrong. We live surrounded by 3 major roads, so while she's always stayed away from them, i worry that she's been hit by a vehicle.

Dr.Demento, were we to be able to care for him, would definitely be an inside cat. Besides, I don't think he can get far with his wonky hindlegs so he may as well stay in with us.

I may post som pics soon so you can see how cute he is.

spider84 Feb 25, 2006 04:52 PM

update: Dr.Demento is looking much better, and meowing loudly between feeds.

I'm currently trying to get in touch with the cat society in regards to special care for him

While I seriously doubt that Kitty is coming back, if hypothetically she did, is it possible to re-unite kitten with queen after so long? its heart-wrenching to watch the little guy struggle on without his mum.

PHWildCat Feb 25, 2006 08:28 PM

If she came back fairly soon it would be possible. After about 2 weeks, she will go back into heat and stop producing milk and will forget that she had a kitten and he will forget that he had a Mom. You will be his Mom to him!
-----
PHWildCat/Tessa and 17 cats, 1 dog and even a hamster
Tabitha, in my heart forever.... earned her wings 6/26/05
Cat Board Monitor and Chat Host
Pet Hobbyist
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

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