kitten

[nelsonic]

Today we found a kitten alone ...

We knocked on the doors of the houses around where the kitten was to find out if anyone knew if the mother had abandoned it and waited to see if the mother would return ...

I made the decision to bring the kitten home because it was crying and the stray dogs roaming the area were sure to hear/find it ... I didn't think it would survive much longer alone.

It weighs 120g:

And is very small:

Read a bunch of articles:

• http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/wordpress/2013/05/what-to-do-and-not-do-if-you-find-a-newborn-kitten/
• https://kittenrescue.org/2017/03/recipes-emergency-kitten-formula/
• https://kittenrescue.org/2017/03/kitten-care-basics/
• https://www.thespruce.com/fading-kitten-syndrome-555165
• http://bestfriends.org/resources/bottle-feeding-kittens

I estimate that the kitten is between 8 - 14 days old as it's eyes are open but it's still very weak/light. We haven't given it a name yet. But going to the vet in town tomorrow seek advice.

[nelsonic]

I suspect that the kitten is/was the "runt" of the litter and was not being looked after by the mother (who may have had too many in the litter to care for...) 120g is "skin-and-bone" Watched: https://youtu.be/8JJYBHgtlgc The prognosis isn't great. 😞

[nelsonic]

Apparently, there is No shortage of "free" kittens in this area: http://www.custojusto.pt/braga/animais-domesticos/dao-se-gatinhos-23581761

[iteles]

So she survived and no longer needs a mother's milk. #win

We now need to decide whether we can keep her or whether we need to find another home for her.

[nelsonic]

@iteles what is the criteria (that needs to be met) for keeping the kitten?

[iteles]

I suggest:

• Amount of time required to look after kitten (and do we have that kind of time)
• Someone to look after the kitten when we head back to the UK in October
• Understanding of associated costs (affordability)
• Agreement on where kitten/cat will be allowed and where it won't so that I have some allergy-free safe havens to retreat to

[iteles]

We've been asked to pick her up tomorrow so we need to make this decision today so that we know whether to purchase a way of transporting her, food and a place to sleep.

[nelsonic]

Answers to above questions:

• Time required 5 - 10 mins per day to "look after". (e.g. feeding and litter box changing)
• We can ask my Mom or Bina to look after the kitten when we're in UK
• Costs €0.30/day (€10/month) dependent on type of food e.g: https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Products.htm?articleId=1468
• Cat should live outdoors (given that you are allergic ...) that will be fine in Braga where there is Lots of outside space.

Longer term: we don't know what the future holds. The Cats around Gerês (where we found the kitten) seem to survive alright. So we could easily buy €50 of cat food from Lidl (enough for a few months) and ask Bina to open one "package" each day for the kitten while we are away.

Obviously this situation is not "ideal". (I would prefer the Kitten to live in Gerês where she was born and where we found her ...)

But I think it's preferable to one of the other suggestions from a person who will remain anon: who told us to "drown it" ... I think cats are good for the local area as they keep other pests in "check". It's just a shame that we don't live here (in PT) because then this would be simples!

[nelsonic]

"Nala" as a kitten sleeping on my chest while I read in the sunshine last summer:

Pair-programming with my Parrot:

Lap nap time:

Inês' hands are lovely 😍 and the kitten is cute too:

And now fully grown adult cat laying on my leg while I attempt to get work done on my laptop:

I made her a "pool view" perch at Mom's house: Where she can get plenty of sunshine and take naps when she's tired:

Mom & Nala seem to get get on quite well:

Playing with the overhead wooden seagull in the lounge:

Learning Chess:

Sitting on Clarice's lap in front of the fireplace:

Helping Clarice do her mobile e-commerce shoping:

I'm really a "dog person", but I also, love cats. ❤️

[iteles]

I didn't really know where to put this article, but seeing as this issue mentions you're a dog person: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/labradoodle-creator-regret.html

I had no idea about this! Sucky! Just have to be very careful we know the provenance of a dog if we buy one (I'm in favour of adopting an abandoned one)

[nelsonic]

@iteles good article (thanks for sharing). Dog breeding is a famously "tricky" subject. (_they're basically all genetically weak inbreds_ ... my parents bread bulldogs before we were born...)

I don't think I will ever buy a dog. As much as I love Labradoodles ... bigger dogs are terrible for the environment. 😞 https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jun/26/pet-food-is-an-environmental-disaster-are-vegan-dogs-the-answer

Yes, cats are carnivores too, so there's an impact. But cats consume an order of magnitude less food. Nala's favourite pet food is the fish one and she has less than 50g/day. By contrast Django (adult golden retriever) consumes at least 500g/day.

https://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/dr-coates/2015/july/are-you-feeding-your-dog-right-amount-32905

I think it's fair to say that Nala (a rescue) has brought a lot of Joy into my parents' lives ...

#Pixel3NightMode 😉