JD may have a companion--advice needed

[hazelrunpack]

We have a loser in the county who uses our wooded township as a dumping ground and occasionally we see the stray cat. It's always a race to get them first since they rarely last more than a couple of weeks before they disappear. Our guess is that the coyotes, bobcats, bears, wolves, etc., are eating them.

There's been a white and orange cat out front for the past few days. I've been trying to entice it with kibble, but didn't have high hopes. It's totally nocturnal now and shy of people so probably well on its way to being feral, if it survives that long.

But last night, while I was crouched down, trying to tempt her out, a smaller, dilute tortoiseshell cat came running out to beg for food and rub against my legs. Such a sweety. Smaller than JD (who is only 7 lbs), but very social, isn't afraid of dogs, and skinny as a rail. (We're wondering if the other cat is its mom?)

"Dusty" has a vet appt for tomorrow where s/he will get shots, a checkup, and some Revolution. I have an email into the local shelter but likely we'll either have found it a place or decided to try it with JD before they get back to me, if they even have a place for it...

So, some questions...

Are we smoking dope to think that might work--I mean, an introduction and possible adoption with JD (who is 3 yrs and something old?). The area for JD is lovely--lots of windows in a finished part of the basement looking out onto a garden and bird feeders, lots of toys, room for two litter boxes that get cleaned multiple times a day--but it's also a small area. It's basically a room about 24' long and 12' wide.

We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl.

And if that other cat is its mother, is it cruel to keep them apart? The other cat appeared to be looking for it--it stuck around, pooped on the patio (to our knowledge, it's never been in the yard before), and ate the kibble I put out for it... At what age is a kitten self-sufficient and safe to be from mom? Dusty is probably at least 3 - 4 months old. By then it would be weaned, wouldn't it?

*sigh*

Any advice, thoughts, suggestions are welcome!

[hazelrunpack]

Just a small update. I think Dusty might be a 'she', and maybe older than she looked at first. Now I'm praying she's not pregnant... Is that likely this time of year?

[hazelrunpack]

And a picture. I had to close her in the crate to get far enough away to focus with the camera--she kept coming over to rub against my ankles and I had a longer lens on the camera

[marko]

such losers everywhere I guess.
Buuuuut - wow what a sweetie both you and Dusty are!
I think 3-4 Mos is enough that if she can tolerate JD, kitty hit the jackpot...regardless of the size of the room.
By then she should be weaned, i believe. she's a cutie - that's for sure

[hazelrunpack]

This whole thing just breaks my heart. And if we can't get the orange-and-white stray, there will be an unhappy ending to that story that will break my heart further. People can be so cruel...

But I guess I should just focus on the fact that we were able to save Dusty. We'll see how the vet visit goes tomorrow

[Reg]

Dusty is sure a great looking little girl. Best of luck at the vet tomorrow.

Our thoughts will be with you while you're trying to capture the white and orange tabby.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Dusty looks from the picture like a grey tabby If she is a dilute tortie there's a 99.97% chance of being female.

Kittens are weaned usually between 4-6 weeks but should be with mum & litter mates until 10-12 weeks. She looks older closer to around 8 months maybe - hard to tell from the picture though without something to mark size.

Warmer climates like Florida or California that don't really have 4 seasons, they could get pregnant at any time.

Male cats especially, neutered ones like JD, are easier to integrate with other cats of either sex, so definitely possible. Everyone says don't have 2 females that didn't grow up together, but Lilly at 5 years accepted Pixi at 10 months with a bit of time & minor adjustments on both their sides.

for nabbing the white & orange - smelly canned food might be more attractive than kibble

[hazelrunpack]

It rained tonight, so we didn't see any critters out front--not even our resident skunks. I suspect white-and-orange is hiding somewhere dry...or looking for a dry place to hide, anyway. Thanks for the good wishes, Reg--we'll take all the good vibes we can get!

She's got some rust in with the brown and gray-brown, g~G, and a few soft tabby stripes on her lower body, but just mottling higher up on the sides and back. I'm thinking she's older, too--I got a good look at her teeth tonight and they're slightly discolored nearer the gums, like you'd see in an older cat.

I'm so hoping she's not pregnant I haven't even mentioned the possibility to hubby. With luck, it won't become necessary to mention it. I'll know tomorrow, maybe... If she really is older, she's likely not hanging with her mom...which means the big orange-and-white kitty could be a male...

Stinky wet food...hmmm. I think I still have some trout feast cat food--I don't feed it often because of the difficulty of knowing whether the fish source used has been preserved with ethoxyquin--and maybe that would work better to entice orange-and-white to me. Good suggestion!! When/if I see it again, I'll try that!

Good heavens! It's a good thing I've been ordering canned food by the case lately. Overkill for one cat, but comes in handy if you're dealing with 3...

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

I'm thinking she's older, too--I got a good look at her teeth tonight and they're slightly discolored nearer the gums, like you'd see in an older cat.

Then she would likely be 1-2 years old.

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Overkill for one cat, but comes in handy if you're dealing with 3...

Like potato chips ... you can't have just one

[hazelrunpack]

Poor dear has some pretty nasty diarrhea--probably not surprising since I have no idea what she was eating and right now is subsisting on a mix of good canned food and a little kibble to tide her over in between. Plus, I'm sure it's stressful having to spend so much time in the crate.

I think she's put on a little weight, though--she's got a little more padding on her ribs. I'm hoping that means she's not preggers--cuz she wouldn't gain weight so easily if she was eating for more than one, I don't think? (Or am I in la-la land again? )

[hazelrunpack]

Update: not pregnant. Spayed, in fact! So she was someone's for a while... The vet thought she was between 6 mos and a year old. She has her adult teeth, but they weren't stained, contrary to what I thought I saw--she's got lovely pearly whites. FIV- and FeLV-

This is so not typical of our usual dumpers, who get rid of 6-month-old intact males who haven't sold from their cattery. So it's possible this is an escapee from nearby. We're a very small community--only 45 permanent households in a double township (12 miles x 6 miles). I've already made a few calls, but no one knows of anyone missing a cat. The taverns are closed today, but I'll make inquiries there tomorrow. Perhaps someone brought her along camping and she escaped during the fireworks display back in mid-July. Lord knows that happens with dogs every year

Meanwhile, she's being boarded at the vet tonight. This morning, when I went into the porch area where we have her kennel, it was very hot and she was in direct sun. So while they're trying to get a handle on her diarrhea and are watching her URI symptoms, we're going to be rearranging the porch and opening windows so she can get a shaded spot and a nice breeze when she comes back. I had them hold off on the antibiotics unless either the URI progresses into chest crackles or the diarrhea gets worse...they'll monitor her and decide as needed.

After I got home this afternoon, I took JD up to the shed so he could sniff around her living area. He seemed curious and was looking for the other cat, so maybe that's a good sign.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Hopefully someone is missing her & just hasn't connected yet Maybe someone new moved in nearby? The vet & the SPCA would probably welcome a flyer put up so it might be seen by those walking in the door.

[hazelrunpack]

The vet is 50 miles from here in another county. The shelter is 26 miles, I think...big county, sparsely populated, in this section, anyway. Houses can be miles apart... I'm going to put up a flyer in the campground office and in both taverns (all within a mile of our house) and maybe canvass the people in the subdivision just south of the wetland (the drive to it is about a quarter mile from here--one of the weekend people maybe are missing a cat. But if they let the cat roam indiscriminately while they're away for the week, we'll be having a very serious conversation about letting pets roam where they're likely to be eaten )

The shelter already has her description and will call if someone inquires about her there.

Meanwhile, we're going to start introductions soon, in case we need to take her in for winter. How long should we let her settle in before letting JD and Dusty see each other? I've never had to introduce cats before--with the Pack, we just sort of brought newbies in and things got sorted quickly by Sheriff Cole. He was such a big, steadying presence

[growler~GateKeeper]

I was going to try for a week to have Pixi in a separate room but she escaped from quarantine in the bathroom into the apartment after 2 days lol.

Dusty will tell you if she's getting anxious/stressed being cooped up. Pixi was getting more & more frantic pawing at the door to get out of quarantine that it was making Lilly anxious & growly. Quarantine only lasted 4 days before I had to let her out to ease the tension.

Swap a bed/blanket/rug/towel from Dusty's room something she's been laying on with her scent with a bed/blanket/rug/towel from JD's that he's been laying on. Put it in w/JD for a day or two then switch, this will help them get used to each other gradually.

[marko]

That's good news all around HRP!

[hazelrunpack]

When I took JD for his walk this afternoon, I took him up to the shed to meet Dusty. He was sooooo not expecting there to be another cat in the shed. He stopped, dropped, and fluffed to twice his normal size.

Dusty took it more in stride. She hissed, but didn't fluff. Hissed multiple times, but still came to rub against the crate for pats--but if he moved, she focused attention back on him. At one point, he sneaked around from behind and she saw him at the last minute and hissed--he wilted, dropped the ground, and got shifty-eyed. I think she's the more dominant personality.

I was dangling JD's leash near the kennel and Dusty was batting at it through the bars. JD almost forgot she was a stranger and was going to do some batting of his own, but at the last moment he remembered and went back into an alert meatloaf position.

So, all in all, it didn't go too badly, I think--but I don't know anything about cat behavior. Does anything sound particularly 'iffy' in the behavior I described for a first meeting?

I think, if it seems okay so far, I may just walk him up there once every day or two to say hello to her in her crate, and maybe get them acclimated to each other. Does that sound like a decent plan?

[Reg]

I think if I was trying to do an introduction Hazel of Dusty to the family I would be taking JD to where Dusty is being held, and doing the switch. By that I mean leaving JD in Dusty's dwelling area, and taking Dusty up to the house. I would then let Dusty roam the house for an hour to leave her scent around the house. I would also have the dogs out of the house while this was going on. This will give JD a chance to investigate Dusty's scent, and Dusty a chance to explore the new dwelling. I would do this 3 or 4 days in a row before introducing them face-to-face. This will help to break tensions a little bit on the face-to-face introduction.

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, that's a good idea! Not sure it will help JD much, though--with his chronic URI, I'm not sure if he has much of a sense of smell. I always have to point out bits of food that he's left in his eating area...

Dusty's eyes are already better, btw, Reg Thanks for the help!! (And she's surprisingly easy to treat )

[Reg]

I forgot about JDs URI. But maybe he does still have a sense of smell to a degree, but it would be worth a try. This will help the dogs to be aware of a newcomer on the property. Give it a try and see what happens.

I'm glad to hear that Dusty's eyes are getting better.

[hazelrunpack]

The dogs will be no problem at all. Both of them have been in the shed to sniff Dusty in her kennel. Yesterday, she was curious but a little shy. Today, she rolled right on her back and batted at Lili's nose through the door. When slow, calm Grace came in to meet her, Dusty touched noses with her right from the get-go. Dusty seems to like dogs as much as JD did! What are the chances of that, I wonder?

We figured out a room they can share without encroaching on either's territory. JD comes upstairs for some Mommy-time in the family room a couple times a day. We shut the door to keep that nosy Lili out and cuddle. Well, when JD is downstairs in his Kitty Palace, I'll sneak Dusty into the family room and let her explore and get used to his scent. Unfortunately, it bites into my 'me' time, but she's worth it! And if they hit it off, I'll get my time back!

In other developments: we have a metal roof on the shed and a passing thunderstorm dumped some significant rain on us this morning. Luckily, I was in the shed porch when it started to pour and Dusty was on my lap. She was startled by the loudness of the rain on the roof and jumped off my lap to hide behind my hauling sleds in the corner. But she's a brave little thing--30 seconds later, she came out on her own and jumped back in my lap, even though the rain was still pounding on the roof.

[hazelrunpack]

Hmmmm....took JD for his walk (leash and harness) this afternoon and, of his own volition, he wanted to check on Dusty! He's still shy of her, but there was no hissing and no fluffing.

We were in and out all day today so our schedule was all tangled, so no time to do the family room thing with Dusty. It's definitely on the schedule for tomorrow, though! And I'm putting the short lens on the camera so I can get some decent pictures of Dusty!

[Reg]

Looking forward to seeing more photos of Dusty.

You were not the only one who got lots of rain this morning........it came down here pretty good too..............our rain gauge measured 1.066 inches and we had rain a half an inch on Tuesday as well, so we're good for awhile.

Sounds as though everything went well today.......hopefully JD will soon have a feline buddy.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Good to hear things are going so well between the cats & with the dogs too! You lucked out with two easy cats