# Cat health



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

I have 2 cats now that are semi tame. We are taking them this week to be fixed--male cats, if we can catch both of them! What does everyone do to keep your outside cats healthy?

Do you have them vaccinated--for what?
How do you handle fleas on them?
If I feed too much will they still keep rodents away?

They were barn cats at a friend's house and she doesn't do anything with her cats, so no advice from her. It has been a long time since I had cats!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I have food out for my barn cats. Doesn't stop them at all from catching critters. I do the normal vaccines for the cats. I lock my in the barn every night. I have litter boxes in my barn which they use. I use the flea treatment from the vet if needed.


----------



## Nigerian dwarf goat (Sep 25, 2017)

Make sure your neighbors know what they look like, so they dont get shot. 
We do the same as ksalvagno


----------



## mariella (Feb 23, 2017)

I feed my barn cats once a day so they stay healthy but still want to hunt. At least make sure they have their rabies vax. I do treat for fleas and worm them every few months as they need it but all of my "Barn cats" are pets and love me so I don't have trouble catching them.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks. I wish I could lock mine in the barn at night! We are in southeast Texas so our barn has no sides at all! We can catch one pretty easily, but the other is very shy. We can catch him when we see him, which is not often.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

They should get all the same vaccines as any cat, at least rabies and distemper. They can give those when they are fixed. The vet should send you a card or something when they need boosters. They can also put flea treatment on them/deworm them at the vet. You can work on taming them down or just trap them every time you need to put on flea treatment in the future. It is a little tube that you squeeze onto the back of their neck.
Definitely feed them! They will still hunt.
It is super important to have them fixed, glad you are planning on doing that! 

If you have trouble catching them you can use humane traps.
Withhold food (not water) for 12-24 hrs and then put some wet food in the traps.
Like this:










You can also prop up the door with a bottle with a long string tied to it if you want to decide when the trap closes.

Make sure to cover the trap with a towel or sheet as soon as they are trapped. It helps keep them calm.


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

We have 2 strays here and a Meercat that was dumped. They have all been neutered and get the vaccinations regularly. Our vet actually comes out to help us trap them because they are ferral. They get very aggressive and stressed. He normally puts a mild tranquilizer out to them early in the morning. The Meercat gets an egg with a tranc. You must do this to keep your outside family healthy


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Update: One cat disappeared about 6 days before the vet visit. We couldn't find him and he hadn't been coming around to eat based on the food bowls. We really thought he was permanently gone. So we took one cat to the vet. While one cat was at the vet I happened to talk to the neighbors who informed me that Winchester was living among the trees by their pond. I went out several times, didn't see him. The neighbors had a 4 hour circus that afternoon trying to catch their ducks because a predator was killing them. The next morning he was back home--not a safe place after watching 3 girls and their mom screaming at ducks and each other and splashing around the pond on a floaty. So he is in an old chicken hutch waiting for his date with the vet!


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Tanya, my little cats are taming down nicely. We can catch them if we see them. They are shy.


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Jschies you are fortunate. I wish we were that lucky.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

jschies said:


> Update: One cat disappeared about 6 days before the vet visit. We couldn't find him and he hadn't been coming around to eat based on the food bowls. We really thought he was permanently gone. So we took one cat to the vet. While one cat was at the vet I happened to talk to the neighbors who informed me that Winchester was living among the trees by their pond. I went out several times, didn't see him. The neighbors had a 4 hour circus that afternoon trying to catch their ducks because a predator was killing them. The next morning he was back home--not a safe place after watching 3 girls and their mom screaming at ducks and each other and splashing around the pond on a floaty. So he is in an old chicken hutch waiting for his date with the vet!


Yay! So glad they are both ok.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

So both cats have tamed down beautifully and have been fixed, vaccinated, medicated for fleas. Friday, a little kitten showed up in the chicken coop. We finally caught it yesterday. Went to the vet today to pick up vaccines and dewormer. After I got home I noticed that it was covered with fleas. I gave it a bath with Dawn and got most of the fleas off. The vet couldn't tell me what to do about keeping them off at that age. It weighs 20 ounces and looks about 6 to 8 weeks old. Can I put a little Adam's Flea Off spray on it? Any other suggestions? Anyone close by need a kitten??


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

That is great that both cats have been vetted!! 

Here's the info on getting fleas off young kittens:
http://www.kittenlady.org/fleas

With a kitten that small I wouldn't put any sprays on. Is the kitten male or female? They can be fixed once they are 2 pounds. You can ask the vet about topical flea prevention then. 

Where are you located? A rescue may be able to help you find a home.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Also. . .any idea where this kitten came from? onder:


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Where did the kitten come from.... We thought that it was feral because a neighbor described a wild mama cat that lives behind our houses and thought maybe the kitten belonged to it. However, after we caught the kitten it settled down and let us pet it. Now we are thinking that someone dumped it. 

Thanks for the link. We already washed it with Dawn and dried it.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

I forgot to tell you where I live--southeast Texas.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

jschies said:


> I forgot to tell you where I live--southeast Texas.


Ok. I did a quick search here https://www.petfinder.com/animal-shelters-and-rescues/search/ and found the below places. 
You can put in your zip code and find some that are closest to you, You may have to contact a lot of places before you find somewhere that can help.

https://loveandrescue.com/

http://www.saveacatrescue.org/

http://www.joyrides.org/

http://hppl.org/

https://www.animaljusticeleague.org/

https://www.homelesspets.net/

https://scoutshonor.org/

http://www.forgottenpetadvocates.com/

https://houstoncaresrescue.org/

Here's another shelter locator: http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Use a fine tooth comb (like for human babies cradle cap or a lice comb) and comb the flea infested kitten, then clean out the comb every few combings and drop into a pan of water and Dawn dish soap. The comb catches the fleas and the Dawn in the water kills them.


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks for the ideas!


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Here she is after her bath! My sons' wives have her picture posted on Facebook. She is so much better after 24 hours of CAT food (instead of chicken food) and water and a safe place.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

She is ADORABLE! :inlove:


----------



## Ashlynn (Oct 1, 2017)

Cutie! If I lived closer my friend would take her. Wishing you the best of luck in finding her a furrever home!


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Aww. She is a cute one.


----------



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

@jschies how's the kitten doing?


----------



## jschies (Aug 15, 2014)

Sorry for the delay in answering. We were in Yellowstone National Park all week!! The kitten is taming down and growing. We will probably keep her. The cat who went missing ended up having surgery and went missing again for a week. He came back skin and bones. He went to the vet to get checked over. He has been dewormed, got a shot of antibiotics and spent the week while we were gone locked up with the kitten. I hope that he manages to stay around when we let them out.


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

After a week he should realise it is safe there. Some pictures please.


----------

