Lost kitten....

[heeler's rock!]

Hey everyone. My hubby and I found a kitty wandering around last weekend. She is very good with people and we're thinking of keeping her. She isn't spayed and doesn't have a tattoo so we figure she is a stray. She also has a collar on but no tag so she obviously had a home at some point. We've put up flyers, but no response so we're just gonna keep her. Anyways, she is TERRIFIED of my dogs and won't come out from hiding. We even had to take the food to her and put her in the litter box because she wouldn't go to use it or eat because she was so affraid of the dogs! She is getting better with my 2 kitties, but still leary. She is also quite young still, about a year the vet said. Oh, and yes we got her all her shots and deworming so she is fine to be around them! She is also scheduled for a spay on Nov. 19!

Yesterday, she started sneezing uncontrolably too, and we found out she has Feline Upper Respiratory Virus that has been going around. So now we have her quarantined from my cats so they don't get it, and it's making her even more anti-social! Any advise for when she gets better on how to introduce her so she isn't so freaked? Thanks all!!

[Lucky Rescue]

Awww, thank you for taking this poor kitty in! Is there any chance of getting her spayed sooner? If she is intact, and not in heat she's probably preg.

Keep her away from the dogs behind a closed door, until she is used to that room and the sounds and smells of your house.

This will take time and you must let her go at her own pace and even after you introduce her to the other cats, put up a baby gate on the room she is in so the dogs cannot go in there. She will be much more confident and happy if she knows she has a safe place and only she can decide when she feels it's safe to come out. Never force her to meet the dogs.

To introduce her to the cats, there are lots of good tips in this article.
Introducing cats

[heeler's rock!]

Thanks for the tips LR!

As for her getting spayed sooner, we'd like to but since she's sick and the vet doesn't know how her immune system will take to this virus, he's leary about putting her under to do any surgery.....This virus might get worse and then she'll have to be on anti-biotics. Right now he said to concentrate on getting her well and then get her spayed. He did examine her and she doesn't feel pregnant, although you never really know I guess. She's such a precious little thing! She's only 6 lbs! My boys are big, they're like 10lbs each and they're only 6 mths! I'm just glad we found her before this virus kicked in. Now she's safe, warm and most of all loved to bits!