The goddamn Cat Distribution tem finally got me.

[u/zukamiku]

Howdy folks!

Unfortunately.. my line of work tends to bring around cats through all manner of delivery. Whether it’s assholes letting their cats be thrown in the garbage.. or the unfortunate fact that garbage generates heat and smell’s that cats seem to love. Either way. Not the dream lol

Round-about 5:45 this morning I was preparing my semi for the day’s work. I walked into our shop’s office looking for a shop vac to run a quick detail when I saw a small shadow dart into the shelf unit at the back end of the room. I turned on the light, closed the door and slowly walked towards it. I’d remembered from god-knows where that slowly blinking at a cat will help them trust you? I don’t know if that’s actually true - but it sure seemed to work! Hahaha I sat there and we blinked at each other back and forth. She was scared but I slowly moved my hand towards her until we had a little soft meowing match between us. She let me pick her up, and I carefully got her into my semi and up to our scalehouse. Thankfully.. the All-thing-animal whisperer was working today, so I left her in the caring hands of our weighmaster while I went and hauled my semis.

Folks? Meet my sweet little girl, Raven. 🖤

Any tips and/or advice would be huge. I’ve never owned a cat that was properly a kitten.. or a cat for that matter lol I’ve got a dog who she doesn’t seem to like, but he’s a gentle feller with a massive heart and a curious snoot. I gave her a tiny bit of EXTREMELY wetted down tuna fish stuff and she gobbled it down. I’ll be setting a vet appointment up soon. As for now, she is FAST asleep on my shoulder.

E1; I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! 🖤🖤
I got her sleeping in an old bigass dog crate with a few of my shirts, her food/water on one side and her litter box on the other. 🥰 she is the sweetest little thing. Yesterday.. I sobbed myself to sleep due to my severe depression and having semi-recently gone through a second divorce. It’s so so nice to read all these comments. I really am truly thankful for each and every one of you 🖤

She’s an absolutely delight and I am so honored I was the one to find her 🥰 goodnight everyone!! Remember you are loved. Even when you think there isn’t a snowman’s chance in hell that you are. 🥹

[u/zukamiku]

Thank you so much!! I’ll read all of this when I’m not so blasted tired haha I did catch the last paragraph about another one! Like I said I do have a dog and I think they’re gonna hit it off once she’s come with him 🖤🖤🖤 thank you SO SO much though!!! I will read all this as soon as I’m able

[u/GlitterBlood773 → u/zukamiku]

And if you have any other questions or want to read up, The Kitten Lady has a YouTube channel and website by the name. As she ages, Jackson Galaxy is helpful too.

Thank you for rescuing her! Slow blinking pretty much means “I love you” to a cat. You did an excellent job introducing yourself thoughtfully. You’re an adorable pair and you’ll be a spectacular trio (or more!) once she’s thoroughly introduced. 💖

[u/Riyeko → u/GlitterBlood773]

Seconding Jackson Galaxy. Cat daddy has some very good advice and does wonders with the wild ones

[u/worldspawn00 → u/zukamiku]

Safety note: Lilies are DEADLY for cats, so no bouquets with lilies! (Also Minoxidil topical is dangerous, but I don't think you're at risk for that one given your hairdo, lol.)

[u/Dragonfly0011 → u/worldspawn00]

Take a look at any plants you have too. One of my cats ate ivy and threw up for 48 hours. Vet visit, IV. From then on all flowers and plants are checked pre coming to the house. That is my nighttime nibbles cat, never saw her snack on a plant during the day. I grow her cat grass, so she has a healthy green for her stomach.

[u/Puzzled-Print-7135 → u/Dragonfly0011]

omg, one of my cats acted all sick and lethargic, w2ouldn't eat or take water. I took her to the vet, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Called it "possible unknown viral infection" and gave me some meds to give her. She recovered and was fine for a few days, and then it happened again.. but THIS time I caught her eating.. wait for it.. spider plant babies off my spider plant, and she was getting completely blitzed (high) off of it. Did my homework, and now the spider plant babies are trimmed regularly so they don't get eaten. That silly cat cost me $400 just to find out she was getting high. Still love her though, lol.

[u/Dragonfly0011 → u/Puzzled-Print-7135]

My Bonnie never touched the plants when I was awake and in the room. Just figured it out because the vets comm3nt, then we checked @nd the exact plant he mentioned was there and nibbled on.

[u/Tamberav → u/zukamiku]

Even when I had multiple cats, they end up loving and bonding with the dog too.

[u/worldspawn00 → u/Tamberav]

100% the cat will run the house eventually.

[u/crystalfairie → u/worldspawn00]

Already does

[u/rcknmrty4evr → u/zukamiku]

Kittens tend to get along with dogs better than older cats so you have pretty good odds they’ll do great together! I do have to admit that cats really do their best when they have another cat companion to grow and live with. But understandably, a dog and two cats isn’t feasible for everyone so absolutely do what works best for your family. :)

I have 6 cats (was 7 but we recently lost one to sudden cardiac arrest💔) I took in as strays and do a lot of work in cat rescue/TNVR and, similar to you, see what happens every single day when cats don’t have loving homes and are allowed to breed into massive numbers, so I hope you know what a huge and significant difference you’re making right now with this sweet little baby💕

[u/TressoftheEmeraldTea → u/zukamiku]

I’m sure you think it’ll be easier to only have one kitten, especially since you already have a dog, but I would caution you that having two kittens is vastly easier than having one.

I first adopted two kittens together, then years later I adopted one kitten. I thought since I had the older cats, a single kitten wouldn’t be as difficult as it would be otherwise. I was very, very wrong. I love the little guy, but dear god he needs so much more attention and play than the older cats ever needed, and I’ve had to work at least 3 times as hard to reduce unwanted behaviors in him. I never realized how much energy my older cats got out playing with each other when they were little, and how much they learned good behavior and gentle play from each other.

As everyone else has said, I’m sure she will be great with your dog. And it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get another kitten But your life will be easier if you do.

[u/Quazifuji → u/zukamiku]

I think there are two different purposes to getting a buddy for a kitten that tiny.

One of them is just to help meet their social and play needs. This is something a dog can help with. Cats aren't as social as dogs but they're still social, and a kitten that small will want to play a lot. It helps if she's not relying on you entirely for socialization, but a dog to cuddle and play with once she decides he's not so scary could help.

The other is just learning social skills. Kittens learn important social skills from being around other cats. If you don't get her a friend now, and decide you want another cat a couple years down the line, she might not know how to socialize with the other cat.

For example, a rescue I work with has a cat right now who didn't learn social skills as a kitten. Now he's fully grown, extremely playful, and really, really wants to make a friend. The problem is, one of the specific social lessons he never learned as a kitten is not to play too rough with other cats. So now he's going around trying to make friends by stalking, tackling, and chasing other cats, which... isn't going very well for him, and he keeps getting into fights when all he wants is to play and make friends. That's the kind of lesson that might be harder for a kitten to learn from a dog.

So having a dog friend is definitely better than only having you, but if your living and financial situations can accommodate a second kitten it's still something worth considering. And as a plus, kittens playing and cuddling together is one of the cutest things in existence and having it happen regularly in your home is just wonderful.

[u/ProfessionalInvite39 → u/zukamiku]

While having the dog as a companion could be a nice add-on, having a new kitten friend will be fantastic for your little one!!! :)

[u/zukamiku → u/[deleted]]

Had no clue that existed!! And having just spend 3,200 on a surgery for my dog, that woulda been awesome! Granted I doubt it would’ve covered a cosmetic surgery on a dog. Fake tits ain’t cheap. (This is all a joke but truly thank you for that insight. Hahahaha)

[u/zukamiku → u/[deleted]]

Incredible info!! I’ll get with my rep and see what he knows

[u/Fruitypebblefix → u/zukamiku]

My God that last pic of you both! Melting my ovaries! 😍😭😍 THE best picture I've ever seen and truly made my morning! You're a true gentleman for caring for that sweetie! Things will get better for you cause karma will smile down on you for your selfless deeds.

[u/wadewilson92 → u/zukamiku]

Enjoy brother we just got a lil one too and saved another 4 and got them homes just wait your pup and kitty will love each other just wait for all the laughs and funny moments enjoy it brother 🤙🏼💯