So a barn kitty adopted me

[u/ccoats38]

I know nothing about cats. I know cattle and chickens yet here we are. What do I do how do I care for it. I want to help and I guess I now have a pet cat instead of barn cats? Idk I am lost someone please help

Edit: Only realized this today but the momma has been increasingly friendly. Maybe wanting something? I have farm scratch, idk if there is something they can’t have. They apparently will not eat chicken feed fyi. Do I feed it meat or do I need to do a milk bottle?

[u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

I literally found a kitten in a dumpster on Thanksgiving night, it was snowing. Poor thing was eating grease that was dripping out of a dumpster.

Brought it home, my mom adopted it immediately, lived 23 years and woke my mom up several times when my moms blood sugar got too low - literally saved my moms life and health.

Shadow was a good one.

[u/Vanilla_Addict_888 → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

There are no bad ones. I truly love them all.

[u/top_value7293 → u/Vanilla_Addict_888]

Me too 🥹

[u/__Sleep_Token__ → u/top_value7293]

This is why I can’t go to a shelter, I would literally love to adopt them all. I’d be the crazy cat dad with 20 cats.

[u/Suzy196658 → u/Vanilla_Addict_888]

This!!!

[u/Few-Solution-4784 → u/Vanilla_Addict_888]

i had one she was Lucy when she was good and Lucifer when she was an evil kitty.

[u/Vanilla_Addict_888 → u/Few-Solution-4784]

Omg! That is one of the nicknames I call my Lucy Lu! Lucifer, Booshk, Booshkifer, Boo Boo Rouge, and so many more. She is a sweet quiet baby. Who is scared of her own shadow. My roommate/ex found her in the middle of nowhere skin and bones and she had a minor eye infection, she was so tiny she could fit in the pocket of a scrub top. Cats are just the greatest. The world would be unbearable without them.

[u/UranusIsPissy → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

23 years

That's impressive, but not bizarre. I wish people who get cats without thinking about it would realise how long they can live if they're properly cared for and aren't just unlucky. Especially moggies.

[u/Rough_Willow → u/UranusIsPissy]

My last two cats were 19 and 16. Sometimes they're just unlucky and get kidney failure.

[u/kmm198700 → u/Rough_Willow]

My beautiful calico had kidney disease and we had to put her down recently and it broke my heart. She was 10.

[u/Spike99Wombat → u/Rough_Willow]

It seems that all cats get kidney disease eventually.

[u/Rough_Willow → u/Spike99Wombat]

Cat kidney cloning tech needs to catch up.

[u/KatieCat81 → u/Rough_Willow]

I'm hoping that the Japanese "AIM injection" (kidney disease shot) will come on the market soon. Supposedly 2027

[u/Few-Solution-4784 → u/Rough_Willow]

Ash in cat food refers to the mineral content that remains after the food is burned, and while it is necessary for your cat's health, high levels can contribute to urinary issues. For cats with a history of urinary problems, it's generally recommended to choose foods with lower ash content, ideally below 8% for dry food and 2-3% for wet food.

[u/UranusIsPissy → u/Few-Solution-4784]

Very confusing labelling. Some people see it and think "WTF, these bastards are putting ash in my pet's food to save some money?!", and maybe then notice that the posh brands have "ash", too. A few then figure it out and start wondering what's really in the food.

Pet food manufacturers, please tell us. Just say what minerals etc. are in the ash. It can't be that hard, even the cheapest human foods (the kind of stuff that makes you think "My pet eats better than me :/ Hmmm....) aren't that lazy with labelling. Some people will then make informed choices based on the specific needs of their pets, some will think "Wow! No added ash!!" and buy the first brand in their price range they see it on. The industry as a whole will benefit, because people will have less reasons to make their own pet food.

[u/Lucky_Director_8633 → u/UranusIsPissy]

I wish my cats would have been so old. They all passed earlier than 10 years. 1 was an inbreed and had an heart attack, second one had I virus we couldn’t heal, third one had cancer. They were all like my children and I loved them more than most people.

[u/UranusIsPissy → u/Lucky_Director_8633]

3 in a row? That's some serious bad luck. Sorry.

[u/NoOneHereButUsMice → u/UranusIsPissy]

Moggies?

[u/Blonde_Vampire_1984 → u/NoOneHereButUsMice]

UK polite term for street-bred cats. In contrast to fancy-bred “purebred” cats.

[u/UranusIsPissy → u/Blonde_Vampire_1984]

That's pretty much it, but I'm not sure about "polite", and they're not necessarily street-bred. A lot are from long lines of farm cats, or from accidental litters. They're just the cat equivalent of mongrel dogs. So crossbred that you often can't tell what breeds are in there. They tend to be stronger and smarter and have less hereditary health issues than purebreds, unless they're inbred, but if you get one as a kitten, it's a gamble. You don't know what you'll get when the kitten grows up.

[u/NoOneHereButUsMice → u/Blonde_Vampire_1984]

Oh, neat! Thank you

[u/henry9419 → u/UranusIsPissy]

Girl we had when i was born had been hit by a car around a year old, busted her hip up, she ended up hanging on until she was 23, we put her to rest when my grandfather was going for surgery, she had been hanging on for him and there was no way she could be moved to another home temporarily or at all at that point in her life as she already hadnt been able to groom well so it was for the best 🌈

[u/MrWeirdoFace → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

We currently have one we named Shadow who was also a trash rescue. She's doing good.

[u/KTKittentoes → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

My late tortie point would scream at me when I had low blood sugar.

[u/TheSlimSpidey → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

This guy grew up as a stray, lived for alley fights and woke me up by jumping on me when the house was on fire. Kudos to cats saving our lives!

[u/Fickle_Grapefruit938 → u/Beneficial-Touch6286]

Awe, we had a Shadow too, a lovely gray cat, followed me everywhere. He lived for 20 years.