what should I do?

[keachy18]

we have a kitten that has been living on our porches. He is probably about 6 mos old actually. It has been pretty cold around here lately and snowy, and I think he has found our porch to be to his liking. When we open the door he doesnt run away, but if we let the dog out he will run away then come back at night again. I set up a bed for him last night out there. I want to take him in, but I have kids and I dont know if he has his vaccines, probably not. That just makes me nervous. My kids are very good w/animals. And our animals are good w/other animals and they have their shots. If he had his shots, then obviously that would be fine. I was thinking about taking him to the spca but I dont want him to sit in a shelter and then get put down. and I dont know if they will let me have him back if he doesnt get adopted. I am willing to take him to get his shots and everything, but I just dont know what to do in the meantime before I can get an appt. Well, any advice? does anyone know what the spca does in these situations?

[diamienono]

If he is a kitten he will most likely get adopted. You can either leave him outside till you get an appointment or put him in a secluded area of your house so he can't be with your animals.

[k9stylist1968]

Do you have a basement or even a garage or shed you can confine him in and keep him seperated from your kids until you know he's healthy? It's not the "ideal" environment for a cat, but out of the elements and better than being outside....

Even a large dog crate (big enough for a litter pan and food/water bowls) in a seperate room will suffice. That's what my Mom did when a big friendly tomcat wandered in to my folks' home.... Since she didn't know his history, she didn't want him in the house with her two cats--which was good, because he was FIV-positive, and the vet I worked for ended up euthanizing him.

[spanielcrazy]

If all of your animals are vaccinated it should pose no problems for them, and very few diseases are communicable to humans, even from an unvaccinated cat.

If you are willing to take him in, I wouldn't let the unvaccinated part stop me.

He will more than likely be put to sleep at a shelter, the odds for a cat are even worse than for dogs, and he is past the cute baby kitten stage when people want to adopt, chances are pretty dismal for an older cat.

Hope you can find it in your heart to take him in. I'm in the same boat, an adult cat seems to have taken up residence under my house. I've only seen him once, but I hear him yowling, so I've put out food for him....

<sigh> muttering "just what I need, another cat"

[DAPER DAWG]

I know the humane society wont take in strays if they are unable to pick them up and they are afraid of people. They would then make you adopt it with a fee if no one else adopted it. I am not sure about the spca. You can set a have-a-heart (sp) trap and bring it in but keep it in a seperate room from your other animals and children until you can get it to a vet.

For the feral cats that live in my neighborhood I take a 5-10 gallon plastic storage box from Walmart cut a door into it with a utility knife and put hay in it for warm housing.

[Helly]

Make sure he has food, water, and shelter until you can get a vet appointment. In the mean time, check with the shelter to see if they have a spay/neuter assistance program.

Once he's been cleared by the vet, and has had his shots and worming, there shouldn't be any problems. Other than rabies, the diseases they vaccinate for are not a significant health risk to your kids. Worms, on the other hand, are. So he needs to be wormed before you bring him in.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Many animal hospitals/clinics will often take walk-ins for vaccinations only. Give 'em a call anyway though, just to find out. Otherwise, try to go asap so kitty can come in where it's warm.

Tammy in Utah

[KarlaSnyder]

Why don't you call up your local SPCA and ask. I can assure you that they don't want another homeless pet if you are willing to keep this guy. They may offer a discount spay/neuter, and vac package too. Sounds like you got a new kitty. Congrats!!!

[Misty]

If you have any crates or cages sitting around you could set him up in one of them. Then when you get a chance take him to the vet. I have a couple of stray cats that adopted us. I don't know why they think my house looks inviting but they do. One day my DH went outside and it was raining and a kitten came and was rubbing against his legs. He called me out to get it. We put her in a dog crate, I found a large shoe box and lined it with a grocery store bag and filled it with shredded paper, didn't have any kitty liter. This way she was warm and safe and so was everyone else.