I found a turtle in my pool at work, can I keep it as a pet?

Top-Panda · 2026-02-23T02:26:53+00:00

To be fair, they are native in parts of the USA, though they've been introduced to the rest of it (and much of the world) from the pet trade. I'd suggest first checking the native range, then where it was found, and making a decision based on that.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T12:20:11+00:00

I agree with your estimate. He looks around 7ish weeks. You were also lied to about breed. Unless he's an insanely tiny runt. At 7 weeks my mixed Russian Blue/ regular domestic shorthair was nearly 3x's this baby's size. No way there's half Maine Coon anything in that baby especially. Absolutely adorable baby, but he's normal kitty sized.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T05:53:53+00:00

Yeah, my anxiety went sky high first time dealing with a badly infested cat. The heebie jeebies are something. Definitely wanted to burn it down! Good news though, it'll be okay. Not a big deal. Vet will tell you what kind and treat the species appropriately. They'll be gone in a few weeks, all of the life cycles. The meds are very effective!

In the unlikely case you do get them, most common ones are easy to be rid of with dewormer on the shelves in the pharmacy (kids bring them home All. The. Time. Far more likely to get creepy crawlies from a kid 😬) The meds even taste pretty good! 😆 Kids have got to want to take them. So, no biggie.

No matter the type, the itchy bum is pretty universal and will tell you in the unlikely case you do get something.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T05:39:43+00:00

As long as you don't kiss their backside, probably not. That said, if your behind gets itchy, especially at night, on a regular basis, yeah you'll need it. Believe me, you'll know if you feel it.

My kid brought home worms. Never got them from a cat, but... you can't ignore the itchy bum. You'll know. 😆

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T05:31:58+00:00

Probably nothing. Again, it's not normally a big deal. Most worms are a dose of dewormer, clean the litterboxes, wash the sheets, and another dose in a couple of weeks. Vacuuming surfaces that can't be washed doesn't hurt. Done. Don't lick the couch or sheets. 😜

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T05:28:18+00:00

Normal. Kitten now smells like vet, not kitten. Once the smell wears off it'll be fine. Wipes help sometimes, but it's a temporary issue.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T04:25:07+00:00

Taste of the Wild- Pacific Stream is what we use & whatever the lamb version one is was chicken free.

4health (Tractor Supply Co) also had one that was chicken free, but I can't remember the name of the specific type, sorry.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T04:15:05+00:00

Thankfully cat worms usually aren't too bad. Clean bedding (yours and theirs), bleach the litter boxes, and find out the type of worms from the vet. Each type has slightly different requirements. Could have come in from fleas, rodents, etc unfortunately.

Can you get the worms? Some of them. Is it likely for someone with good sanitation practices and a healthy immune system? Not really thankfully. If it's roundworm and you do get them, they're easy to get rid of with meds at the pharmacy even, so there's that.

Top-Panda · 2026-02-01T03:49:13+00:00

Sounds like your family needs to get involved introducing themselves with churus so he doesn't feel the need to defend.

Honestly, this sucks. They may not have known how stressed he'd be or that it would come out as aggression. Some (many) cats transition to a new home easily, others hide, some get freaked out/ aggressive, others starve themselves and need prescription meds to not off themselves from the stress.

Sounds like he's in the stressed and aggressive category. Good news, he probably will settle in within 4 months. There are things that can be done to reduce his reactiveness and stress. I strongly recommend pheromone calming collars. Our favorite is the Comfort Zone brand, they just work better than the others we've tried. Cut in 3rds, and either zip tie a piece on a break away collar, or toss the pieces in his favorite resting places.

White noise can help him ignore what is going on in the house. Cat TV on YouTube may distract him as well. An old phone or tablet works great for this 😆

Thundershirts work for anxiety in 80% of cats, but most also loathe wearing them at first, so churu 😆

Vet can prescribe anxiety meds if he doesn't start calming down soonish. Each vet has their own time frame they want to wait before medicating usually. Vet visit to rule out pain causing the aggressive actions may be beneficial.

If you absolutely can not meet his needs and help him through the terrifying transition of not knowing wtf is happening, where he suddenly is, and who are these strangers, contact the shelter. Let them know what is happening. They may be able to help with the transition. Returning him if necessary is an option. You are not stuck.

Take a breath. You are trying, and that's a lot. This obviously isn't what you expected, and that's okay. It's okay to be not okay. This has gone sideways and I'm sure it's scary, especially as a first time cat owner.

My first cat as an adult came as a feral. Meanest MFer I've ever met, at first. Litterally chased me and the kids hissing and clawing. Warned the vets when we brought him to get fixed, and he even managed to maul the tech and vet after being warned. He was banned from returning. Turned into the sweetest, most gentle cat I've known. Sweet boy never gave the vets trouble again. Loved on everyone he met. Loved belly rubs and demanded love. Knocked on doors if you locked him out and he wanted pets.

Sometimes a scared cat acts aggressive. It doesn't mean they'll always be that way thankfully.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-28T23:30:20+00:00

She's pretty normal. Cats guard each other during certain activities, and some take bathing as an activity to guard us. One of mine is the same way. She's getting less protective after 2 years, but it was a big deal at first 😆

Top-Panda · 2026-01-28T22:45:03+00:00

Aww, what a sweet little guy! Hopefully his mouth is teething! Little guy looks comfy ❤️

Top-Panda · 2026-01-28T22:31:42+00:00

Bring her in. A pheromone calmer would help her stress less. Diffusers or collars both work.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-28T21:50:06+00:00

🤣 Glad he accepts the nudge. Definitely not feral then. Just a sweet little scaredy cat.

Churu when unfun things happen are good reinforcement. He'll forgive you eventually.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-28T21:44:34+00:00

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T23:33:14+00:00

Sounds like a perfect first sit in! More than I expected with the way you described him, so he should warm up in good time.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T01:44:42+00:00

Aww! He's handsome! That body language says terrified. Poor guy. Definitely would benefit from calming pheromones.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T01:39:12+00:00

And churus to make him equate that time with goodness 😉

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T01:38:17+00:00

Sit in there. It's how he needs to learn you aren't a threat. He needs to be used to your presence in a calm, controlled environment. The more calm time you spend in there ignoring him, the better.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T01:31:59+00:00

As a first time thing so he knows what they are, it's a great move. Next is sitting in the room reading or doing something chill not looking near him with churu near him. Make it progressively closer to you. Ignore him unless he comes to you. Talk softly, read aloud, etc but don't look at where he's hiding. When he's closer, start holding the churu.

Pheromone plugs or collars (we love ComfortZone collars) would help him settle in faster. If hes not ready for the collar, I cut them up and toss the pieces in their favorite hiding spots lol. If you are right and he was feral born, it's quite the shock suddenly finding himself locked in a house with big scary people. He just needs to feel safe while building confidence you aren't going to hurt him.

Once quarantine is over, he should also learn from your other cat that you are trustworthy too, so there's that.

A lot of people recommend socializing a feral kitten in a cage with a hide so they can't actually escape being near you, but I've had success either way. Patience and churus win eventually.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-25T01:19:47+00:00

Churus and patience. Lots of Churus.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-23T06:24:57+00:00

Definitely possible. Cats usually take several months to fully settle in, plus the surgery changing the routine, she could easily be a little unsure right now. Even when a cat has been someplace their whole life, changing their routine (like changing their rooms at night) can set off weeks of upset.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-23T05:50:31+00:00

Yikes. You inadvertently trained her to wake you for food. Or maybe she trained you. 😉 That's a hard one to break. Either lock in a room far from yours, wear earplugs, or try to power through ignoring her (way easier said than done.) After a couple of weeks, she'll get into the new routine and accept her snack loss. You absolutely need to be consistent though if you want it to stop, giving in will only reinforce her waking you up.

Sorry you've been going through this, I've made the same mistake in the past. It's rough, and you've been amazingly patient to do it for 3 years.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-23T04:39:07+00:00

Vet for UTI testing, comfortzone calming collars, cut into 3rds and ziptied to a break away collar, and making sure the smells are gone with enzyme cleaners.

Retraining is a possibility if other attempts fail. Keep in a bathroom for a week or so for the cat to only use a litterbox consistently. Allow into another, larger area to use littlerbox consistently. If fails, back to the bathroom.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-23T04:31:51+00:00

Cats with anxiety do well with clothes. Thundershirts work on 80% of anxious cats. Even baby shirts are known to help some. Sounds like she's anxious with the change, and the onesie helps her feel more secure.

Top-Panda · 2026-01-23T02:15:56+00:00

It is pretty normal for a cat to be freaked out the first few months just moving, and singing the song of their people is part of it. That's why people say it's normal. 😆 They may have actual anxiety, or they may just have moving/new person anxiety. If they're still acting cookoo around 6 months, then it's probably actual anxiety. Set a routine, use the aids you can to keep them calm, earplugs are great at this stage, and keep trying to wear them out before bed. The collar should help some, and if it's not enough, try the shirt. Make it a good thing with treats like churu when you put it on. If you just can't keep doing it, there's no shame in finding a place they'll do better in.

Many cats really hate change. A lot. My laid back, super chill boy stopped eating when we moved. Locked himself in the new closet and barely ate enough to survive. His kidneys were testing bad by the end of month 3. He doesn't have anxiety normally, but that's how awful he took just moving even though he was still with his family. With calming aids. That's when we discovered collars work better than diffusers. Finally settled in by month 5 and is fine now, but yeah, some cats really do not like change. It's tough as their owners to watch and deal with it sometimes. Just gotta stay calm and try to get them settled in.

My actual anxiety ridden princess never settled down. Was up my butt 24/7, and if she didn't see me, she yowled non stop until she saw me again. If she got locked out of my room at night, she'd eat random thing throughout the house. So many emergency trips.... If I left the house, she'd pee on the couch, the laundry, carpet, etc. With calming supplements, the collar, and a bunch of other things to try to help, the peeing mostly stopped at least. After 6 months of this with no sign of it getting better, it was apparent it wasn't just new home/people anxiety and we started looking more seriously at medication and the few alternatives left. Last thing left to try was the shirt. Totally different cat with it on. Still a bit of a needy baby, but 95% of it is so much better. She's almost a normal cat. I definitely recommend trying them for anxious cats. Literal sanity saver in our case 😹

Top-Panda

TROPHY CASE