Stray kitten - feed or ignore?

Well I must first admit I've already been feeding it all week. It appeared very bony when I first started, but looks more like a normal kitten now.

My concern is that this may be a female and that she will be bringing me loads more kittens to feed if she is not fixed. (I am way allergic to cats and couldn't have even one in the house) She runs away on approach, but stays within sight if she expects I will put a bit of food out for her.

Please trap the kitten and take her to a vet to be spayed and treated (as needed) for worms, ear mites, etc. Continue to feed the poor little thing. If at all possible, find someone who will adopt her and give her a good (indoor) home.

Thank you for accepting this little kitten into your life.

Call your local shelter - they may have a Have a Heart trap you can borrow, or tell you where you can borrow one. Even local vet's office may have one.

If you have a no-kill shelter near you, I would suggest contacting them about taking in kitten and finding it a home. Explain what you told us. More than likely they will take it in (although there may be a waiting list, they'll let you know). They will then give kitten physical, worm it, treat it, fix it and find it a home.

That is unless you wish to keep him, but I've got a thing about keeping cats outdoors, which I believe they are safer there - my opinion only. I understand not an option for you since you are allergic.

Good luck.

Finding another home would be great, but if you can't

'MaryL'

I will do what I can. Thanks for the reply.

'Rhonda'

So she would be spayed and then released back out to the wild or to me? I have never heard of that.

Lol, I carried a caterpillery thing out of the house this morning rather than flush it! If she keeps visiting, she will be eating.

Hello Ivanna,

The spay and release programs are for the homeless outdoor kitties. Usually the programs want to make sure someone is at least feeding the cat or cats, then they will trap them, spay them, then release them back outside in the same area.

They work with feral colonies, but some work with individuals like you with soft hearts. We're in the Seattle area, and there are a couple of groups that do it here.

Rhonda

'JoJo'

I would love to have any pets, but unfortunately my allergies to kitties are pretty severe. I envy the people who can have any cat or dog they would like in their home. Thanks for the response JoJo.

Ivanna,

Don't know why I did not think of this earlier - go to www.spayusa.org - I believe they will give you links to shelters in your area that offer reduced fee spaying programs. They have something on main page, half way down called Pets911, type in your zip and it will tell you where you can get low cost spay/neuter.

Best of like and you're not alone - I would be feeding too! Although you got me on the bug - sorry no happy endings for bugs here - yuck! Creepy crawlies don't need to be seen

Best advice would be to contact the local cat or animal welfare centre. They are fully trained to take in strays and rehome them properly.

Well, it depends where the OP lives. In the states, the local animal welfare center is often overwhelmed with cats and quite unable to deal with a frightened stray. If the cat shys with people, it may well be euthanized quite quickly if the OP lives in a town where animal welfare is not a high priority. I didn't catch where the OP lives, so perhaps this is all nonsense, but there are places in the US where it is really not a good idea to hand an animal over to the local shelter.