"Doodness!" (Pronounced like "goodness," except starting with D. It's part of my vocabulary with my cats when no human's listening.
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Another craigslist rescue! Yay! I wonder whether the cat's color, or fleas, or the sudden discovery that he eliminates bodily wastes caused him to become a classified-ad statistic.
Or maybe it was the classic "allergy" excuse. No matter. You're an excellent person to save him! He and we are glad you found him too.
Here's hoping you'll follow the Kitty-Data Kommandments:
1. Neuter as soon as possible, definitely before he reaches the six-month mark. I found out when my rescue kitten "Seteria" was spayed at approximately four months that this can be done, at least with females, as soon as they're two weeks old.
2. Please do not de-claw. Whatever you do. Get this fella accustomed to a scratching post and other appropriate surfaces.
3. Maintain a primarily canned/raw diet. For treats I give my "grrrrlz" Feline Greenies. But hey, snacks are snacks. Shake out a few about once a week.
4. Strongly consider keeping him indoors if space allows. It's anthropomorphizing (assigning human characteristics) to assume cats need to interact with their own kind. Naturally you might end up with a companion for him, and that could be enriching and fulfilling for all. But he can live a perfectly content existence solo. And literally millions of songbirds die needlessly at the paws of an outdoor cat.
5. Take him to a vet at least once a year, twice once he ages into the double digits. Be sparing with vaccinations. Some are of the belief that no immunization is a good immunization. I think protection against rabies, FIV, FeLV, and distemper is essential. Even a cat who "never" leaves the house should be inoculated.
6. Promptly have him microchipped. I've given up on collars and tags 'cause the grrrrlz (and their predecessor) took unfair advantage of their safety feature and never kept them on for long. But if he proves to be comfortable with 'em by all means get him outfitted.
Let the naming ideas begin!
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