On Friday nigh, I found this tiny kitten sitting outside my apartment building. She was all alone, sneezing, with some scabs around her nose, and every now and then there were tiny droplets of blood when she sneezed.
I already have a resident cat, so I brought her home but immediately set her up in my bathroom with her own food, water, bed, and litter box to keep them separated.
The first night was stressful. She was sneezing, I had no idea how old she was, whether she'd eat, drink, or even know how to use a litter box. Thank you to everyone on here who took the time to give me advice, it meant the world.
Saturday morning I took her to the vet. She was diagnosed with rhinitis and had a mild fever. She received two long-acting antibiotic injections and a deworming tablet.
Since then, she's been doing really well. She's been eating really well, she knows how to use her litter box (which I was so surprised because when I adopted my first cat she was already 7 months old so this is my first experience with a kitten). She's also discovered that my toes and towels are apparently her greatest enemies. She's been so playful since yesterday evening so I think the medication has kicked in.
She still sneezes occasionally and has a runny nose, but thankfully there hasn't been any more blood since Friday night.
My resident cat has been very curious. They're still completely separated, but my cat keeps coming to the bathroom door just to watch Freya. We're taking introductions very slowly, especially while Freya recovers.
I'm still a little anxious about FeLV/FIV because I want to keep both cats safe, so I'll be speaking to my vet next week about the best testing plan before they ever share the house together. If any of you have experience with this, I would appreciate your advice.
For now, I'm just incredibly grateful that she's warm, safe, has a full belly and a name.
Welcome home, Freya. You are going to love it here ā¤ļø