[sciguy]

My family was handed a feral cat today by our dog-loving neighbor wth the advisory that he'd been in a bush behind her house for at least 48 hours, and that she eventually went out there to find him stuck or something. He (or she) is about 5 weeks old, has what looks like an eye infection, and is positively terrified. We've already left messages with all the local feral programs and shelters and so forth, but we won't get an answer back for at least a day, and he's constantly yowling. How do we make him happy until the shelter/catch-spay-release program calls and we can give him to them?

[born west coast]

my shelter won't take wild cats... good luck.

[Nikki T]

Giving the cat to a rescue or shelter would be the better option, at 5 weeks the cat can easily become a happy family pet. Wipe him off with a warm wet wash cloth, so not use any soap or other cleaning agents, just water.give him some water, and some kitten food softened with a bit of water. A hot water bottle or sock filled with rice (heated in the microwave for apprx 60 sec) wrapped in a towel, will give him some warmth and security.

[ahhchoooo]

I had this problem and sadly all of my local programs here did not take the cats because they already were full of animals and could not take on any more. I wound up taking them to the vet, getting them a rabies shot and taking them to the humane league for spay/neuter. Then I took them back home, bought a big igloo doghouse for them and they keep the rabbits out of my yard now. I didn't leave them with the Humane league however due to the low odds of them being sent to a home and the high odds of them being put down. It broke my heart so I just kept them after bringing their health up to date

[cnsdubie]

Where do you have him? If he's crated, he's going to yowl no matter what. Put something he can use to hide in there, put him in a low-traffic, out of the way area. Be sure there's something he can poo/pee in and keep contact to a minimum if you plan to release him back to a feral colony. No use stressing him for nothing. If you have to transport him, believe it or not, our local spay/neuter clinic likes for kitties to be transported in a pillow case. They say it's much easier on the kitties.They did not, however, offer any suggestions on how to get the furry mass of flying claws IN to the pillow case. Good luck with that one.Oh, and be sure to isolate him from any of your other cats, even if they are vaccinated but especially if not. If he is in a crate you will use for your own, be sure to clean and thoroughly disinfect it when you're done.

[♥audrey♥]

but fresh food and water for him/her close to your house. not necessarily by your door, but somewhere it can feel safe. a quiet place, not too much noise since the cat is scared to death. and maybe something soft to sleep on. eventually, the cat will warm up to you. it just takes a little time.

[Peggy P]

you can't capture him permanantly but you can cobaitand trap temeprarily if you lure him with food/tuna and water and maybe milk since he's really young.then release it in same area you trapped him in after treatment.

[Jessica J]

Five weeks - the cat is very tamable - you won't need to trap-neuter/spay-release it. I took my feral at 12 weeks (I had found him three weeks earlier but he was too scared).I tried contacting rescue groups for the feral kittens I found. I contacted all the ones I could find within about 75 miles radius. No luck - they were all too full of animals. What I needed up doing with the kittens is taming them myself, and finding new owners via Craigslist.org. I was very picky, and waited to find the "right" owners. The kitten sounds very young - you can try offering him/her softened kitten food. If he/she is too little, KMR (kitten milk replacement formula). You can find a bottle and the formula at a pet store, and your local grocery store should have the formula if the kitten can lap the milk him/herself. As for the eye infection, my ferals had "cat colds" also, and they all recovered from theirs.

[felinefanatic]

He is probably hungry. Try some moist kitten food and offer lots of freash water. You can keep him in a box or carrier and place a small cuddly stuffed animal in there with him so he can cuddle up to it. You can also try putting a ticking clock in there wrapped in a cloth. This will comfort him and remind him of his mother or littermates. Don't make any loud noises or sudden moves as these will frighten him. Talk softly and soothingly as if he were a human baby. He will soon start to trust you and depend on you for his feedings. If he will not eat solid food try some KMR (kitten milk replacement) in a bottle or eye dropper.