Found a disabled stray kitten.. what to do?
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kheredia (
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August 10th, 2010
My mother lives in a kind of dodgy area in a big city and there are always stray dogs and cats running around. Yesterday there was a cute little black and white kitten hanging out under my moms house. He is very skinny and dirty but also very sweet and affectionate. He also has a bad front leg. At first I thought maybe it was broken but when I started moving it around and feeling it I noticed he didn’t have any pain. In fact, he didn’t seem to have any sensation on it what so ever. He is basically just dragging this arm around but he has absolutely no use for it.
I plan on taking him to the vet to get a check up and all his vaccines but I don’t have any money to get x rays or anything major. My parents don’t mind keeping him because they are animal lovers and don’t have the heart to turn him into the shelter because he’ll probably get put down because of his disability. The only problem is if he stays with my parents he wouldn’t be exclusively an indoor cat.
So my question is, what are the chances of this kitten living a happy, normal life with this defect? Should I try to re home him or should I just turn him in to the shelter?
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11 Answers
This made me sad to read.
If you give him to a shelter,he might not make it as you say.Maybe your parents could care for him until he gets re-homed?I would worry about a kitten alone outside with a problem like that.:(
Try to give him a chance.
Animals adapt quickly to disability, especially since the kitten is so young. I had a kitten like this once. We exercised his leg a lot and eventually he was able to move it on his own. He never walked normally, but he had a good life.
And there is no problem with keeping a cat indoors. With attention and play time the little guy will be just fine.
If it is a stray, you should keep it inside for at least 2 weeks before you let it out. This will get it used to its new home, and it won’t forget it has a home. Otherwise it may revert to a feral state and forget where it lives.
Its disability shouldn’t be an issue. If the cat can manage, whether it is indoors or an indoor/outdoor cat won’t make much of a difference.
when you take him to the vet for a check-up he might be able to diagnose the problem without an X-ray. Maybe he can splint the leg. He would be a good one to ask about what to do about the kitten. He might even tell another client about the kitten and find it a new home.
@everybody.. thanks for your advice. I’ll take him to the vet on my next day off and hopefully it’ll be good news for this little guy. He’s such a sweet boy and I really hope he can live a long, happy life. I’ll probably try to re home him once he has all his shots and the vet says he’s okay.
If the kitten was going to be an indoor only animal then like others say, it would adapt to become agile aside from the leg deformity/disability but if he goes outside at all then the chances skyrocket he will become a snack for dogs, racoons or beat up bad by other cats and large rodents. It’s horrible to think about so why gamble it? See if you can place him in an indoor-only home.
You can also try the animal adoption section of your local Craigslist. Take a pic which shows off his cuteness to the max.
When you do re-home him, please don’t offer him for free. There are callous people out there who prey upon free ads. They then sell them to research labs or people looking for bait for training fighting dogs.
If you charge as little as $25 dollars, it makes your ad less attractive. Any real pet lover would be fine with paying a reasonable amount. Those are the people you want.
Just put this phrase into search and see what rescue and animal groups will tell you about it. “the tragedy of free to good home”. It will be a real eye-opener.
I got my little Smoochie from an ad on Craigslist.
You can see her here:
www.buttonstc.posterous.com
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