A Cat Story: The First 24 Hours With My Adopted Kitten

The whole story of how I became a cat lover and a full-time meowmy.

Last March 2020, my mother finally agreed to adopt a kitten after one (1) month of convincing her. Coincidentally, I have a friend whose cat was currently pregnant around that time.

We grabbed the opportunity to travel to Quezon City as soon as the ECQ was lifted in Metro Manila last 11th of July 2020 to get the kittens that I and my cousin (and her friend) will adopt.

I only saw Minggyu from the pictures that my friend sent me and I can’t even imagine how small and delicate he is. I was awake the whole night contemplating if I am ready to be a furparent, if Minggyu will be happy with all the pet things and toys I bought, and if my home study all about cat care is enough.

Minggyu at almost 1 month old.

The ride to meet the kittens was smooth but the clouds got darker when we got near our destination. When I got them from my friend they looked so lost and unfamiliar and they kept “meowing”. We dropped the two kittens at my Grandma’s house which my cousin and her friend adopted. The rain poured heavily so we waited more than an hour before we traveled back to Taytay, Rizal with my adopted kitten, Minggyu.

First time meeting (L-R) Minggyu, Oxy (adopted by my cousin) and, Baste (adopted by my cousin's friend).

It was a 4-hour ride and Minggyu can’t fall asleep, I fed him wet cat food that he almost finished half of the pouch. When I got back to our house around 5 PM in the afternoon, I observed that Minggyu felt empty because he doesn’t have his siblings and his parents with him, plus he is in an unfamiliar house and with unfamiliar faces. He roamed our whole unit until he settled in under the sofa in the corner. We let him sleep for a good few minutes there.

Ride going to Minggyu's furever home.

It was already dinner time and he was not getting out from under the couch, so when we pulled him out, we placed all sorts of things to block him from getting under the sofa again and moved him to his cage to sleep after eating. He can’t sleep soundly and he is waking up from time to time. I had to pet him to make him fall asleep and whenever I thought he was asleep, he would meow at my room’s door. He will wait for me until I get out and accompany him again. So that night, I only slept for 3 hours that night.

The next day, he had diarrhea for eating too much Whiskas wet food and he was dehydrated for pooping too much, until his anus bled a little. He was resting like a sick cat and I remember crying as I don’t know what to do and I was so worried about Minggyu back then. I kept in touch with my friend asking sorts of things and my other friends who have cats, told me that it’s normal as he is just adjusting with us and I just need to change his diet.

Started getting anxious as this is his 4th time pooping on his 2nd day with us.

He felt so weak from pooping too much and rested his head on my fingers.

His anus bled a little as he pooped too much, and I called the vet.

I did what I was told, I tried giving him dry food which I soaked in water to make it soft, I also mix boiled fish, chicken, and pumpkin then I would put a pinch of Whiskas (wet food) so that he will eat it, then his poop became normal after changing his diet. If he did not gain his energy back at that time, we were so ready to take him to the vet.

My mom also suggested letting my cousin stay in our house for a week with her kitten, Oxy who is Minggyu’s little brother. That was a big help because he has someone to play with and they love each other’s company to the point that they are always together. We decided to adopt another kitten, Danbi that would keep him company. I also wrote Danbi’s story, you might want to check it as well here.

Oxy's presence makes Minggyu feel at ease.

Minggyu regained his playful energy, him and Oxy are always together whenever and wherever.

I realized that studying is very different from taking care of a cat personally. I was relieved that after 24 hours he is being playful and cute like other normal kittens of the same age. I could say that the first 24 hours with my first cat was one of the most difficult times as a fur parent.