My dh found 4 kittens yesterday abandoned. His co worker who lives on a farm took three of them . We have one of them for now. But I am not sure that we are keeping him. For one thing. I wanted a girl. The vet said he was a boy. My only expierence with boy cats was they smell terrible. If I could be convinced that if he was neutred he wouldn't smell I might consider it. The other thing is. The cat is very young. I just stopped in the vets office with him and just the ladies at the desk thought he was like 3 weeks. So he has to be bottle fed. You have to stimulate him to go to the bathroom ect... I am not quite getting the hang of it. I am afraid we will keep him for a couple of days and he will die. Dh's co worker will take him to. But she is keeping the others in a crate in a the barn. I think he has a better chance here. Or the ladies at the vets said they would take him. I just don't know what to do with this little guy. Any advice. Please don't bash me but I am not much of animal person. While he is sure cute now. I am just not sure I am in for the long haul. I don't want to keep him longer and have my kids get more attached. They think he is going home today for now. My dh and I have to decide?? Why does he do these things to me??

By Angellew on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 09:00 am:

If you're not an animal person, then it really wasn't fair of him to bring home something that needs so much care.

When my DH brought home my beloved Cosmo, he was sick, scrawny and about the same age (about 1 lb or less). We had to bottle feed and rub a damp cotton ball on his belly to get him to go and it was a pain for a few weeks. I HATED THAT CAT! But, I felt so bad for it that I did it, with the intention of getting him healthier and giving him away! Yeah, right! That cat has not left my side in 10 years. He kneads on me to this day! He is the best cat in the world! And, I'm not really sure what you mean by male cats smell. I'm sure they can if they aren't fixed, but, once they are they don't spray anymore and, if it's a housecat, they keep themselves clean. An outdoor cat is obviously a different story! When I come home from work, my cat sits on my chest with his head and nose by my ear and I can stick my face into his fur and there is literally no smell!

But, all of this doesn't make you any more of an animal person. You have to feel it and love it (or at least like it) or both you and the cat will be miserable!

Good luck with the kitten and your decision.

By Kate on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 09:01 am:

It doesn't sound like you want to keep him and he will be a lot of work right now. Who is going to bottle feed him and make him go to the bathroom while you're at work all day? I'm not an animal person, either, and I would think that pretty soon the fur and the litter box spills and the food dishes and the 'smell' will start to annoy you like crazy! If you don't like animals, you'll never be able to tolerate all they entail! And you're right about not letting the kids get too attached. I'd find a new home for him pronto. Good luck!

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 10:04 am:

My family had a male cat, when I was a kid. He was fixed, as soon as he was old enough for it, and I don't remember him smelling and I had my face in his fur nearly every day! He was my sister's cat and she kept up with the litter box. You wouldn't have been able to tell that we had a cat.

A 3-week-old kitten is going to be rather labor-intensive for a few weeks, though. That would be the hard part.

By Beth on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 10:23 am:

That's just it. He hasn't been bad so far. He slept all night last night, and he is sleeping again now. I got him to take somemilk this morning. But I don't think I am getting him to go to the bathroom. I tried the tricks. I am afraid he is going to die. He seems fine when the kids were here this a.m. He was even walking around a little or trying. He doesn't seem weak but I am just worry I am not doing it right. Poor thing. I am going to try again before I go to work. My dh will be home early today. IF we decide to keep it one of us will just have to come home at noon and feed it.

By Lorebunde on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 10:57 am:

I have a male cat and had him neutered. He doesn't smell at all, very clean. I think if you don't have them neutered then theres a problem. they go around spraying their territory. Good luck, they sound adorable.

By Colette on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 11:59 am:

All cats can spray - unaltered males are more likely to do it, but male/females altered or not have the ability to do it. If my cats spray, they do it outside because I've never seen or smelled it. My oldest cat was 4 weeks old when we got her and she did not need to be fed by a bottle or stimulated - I used a shoe box top for a litter box w/shredded newspaper because she was so little. Good luck with whatever you decide!

By Yjja123 on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 03:13 pm:

I have 4 male cats. No one smells or sprays. They were all nuetered as soon as I got them. I have taken care of a litter of stray kittens (mom died) and never did anything to make them go. I did bottle feed but only for a couple weeks.
If you are unsure that you want to own a cat, I would give it to someone who does. Bringing it home will allow your kids to form an attachment.

By Tayjar on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 04:24 pm:

I adopted a kitten many years ago that was this age. I was a single gal who worked full-time. I bottled fed her but I also was told by my vet to get meat baby food - turkey was the best choice. I literally put it on a plate and then set the kitten down by it. She would crawl all over the plate and lap it up. I would then take a warm wash cloth and wipe her tummy to stimulate her. I also had to give her a bath after each round. She really did love that. Wierd cat.I did this im the morning, at lunch, and at night. She lived to be about 9 before cancer took her.

I have lots of kittens each year because we live on a farm. At about 3 weeks, I introduce moist kitten chow and a water bowl. They still depend on their mom but they are starting to get the hint of eating cat food at this age.

By Beth on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 10:13 pm:

Well if you can believe it. I now have 2 cats. My dh's solution was to get a playmate for the other one. Actually I think he may be right. Part of the problem last night that just about sent me up a wall was the kids fighting over the one kitten. Now they each have one. I don't know what the other one is yet. I can't tell. Anyway we shall see how this goes. The orginal one is very quiet. But this new one is a real whiner. LOL!

By Cat on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 08:36 am:

Okay! Interesting solution. We have two cats. One is an altered male and he's never smelled bad (he's about 3yo). I hope the kittens do well. They're awfully young. Good luck. I hope there's not some Siamese in that whiner! lol

By Pamt on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 08:36 am:

They shouldn't smell at all if you get them fixed. My cats not only don't smell bad, they actually smell good. They are very clean and constantly grooming themselves. Since they are so young, I'd limit the amount of "play" that the kids get to do for now. Also, unless the vet told you to give them milk, cow's milk is really not good for cats of any age. It can cause digestive problems.

By Pamt on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 08:37 am:

LOL Cat. Siamese cats are the worst!

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 07:06 pm:

Pam is absolutely right - don't give them milk. And, having had a large number of cats - altered males don't smell bad or cause bad smells. It's too late to follow Yvonne's advice, that unless you are really sure you are up to this, you should take the kitten to the vet who offered to take it. Still, until the kitten is going on its own, you probably need to stimulate.

Keep us up to date on this, please. And congratulations to you for having the heart to rescue the kitten. My mom was a bit cat rescuer, and I know just how much work it can be - and how they can wiggle their way into your heart.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 07:08 pm:

Oh, and since dh landed you with both kittens, he should certainly be involved in caring for them. (LOL - in my experience)

By Beth on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 09:57 pm:

Thanks for the advice. My dh is helping me fully with the kittens. He knew if he wanted them he would have to. But he is good about that stuff anyway. We know about the milk. We bought special formula at the pet store. They actually seem ready for some real food and we are going to try it tommorrow. I will keep you updated.