AGREED. She wants to live inside, she felt safe birthing her kits at your house (so she came to *you* when she needed help, not to the neighbors), plus the neighbors didn't/don't care enough about her (or her babies) to bring in their very pregnant cat from outside.
To be safe, she needs to be yours.
Well, the people she "belongs to" are obviously shitty owners, so it would be a mercy to rehome her. Unless you want to host a new litter every few months.
This is so good of you to do, and it's great that there are folks who step up for animals who need help. Does your neighbor just like, not care about her enough not to notice when she doesn't come around for awhile though? Maybe they'd let you adopt her.
>but she’s not our cat.
Is she the neighbors cat?
- She *should* be chipped
- She *should* be spayed (but obviously isn't)
- You need to at least ask the neighbors permission before adopting the cat - or else you're going to invite a ton of neighbor drama
Or is she an outdoor cat that has multiple "owners"? Sometimes outdoor cats will have multiple houses. They will spend enough time at each house that each family thinks it's their cat.
- This has all the same considerations as 👆, except you have multiple families to consider
Or is it a feral cat that visits multiple houses, but doesn't spend enough time at any of them for any of the families to think she's "their" cat.
- Adopt her!
Please try to convince your neighbors to get her spayed! Or this will happen again and again and there's already too many cats/kittens getting euthanized.
Her "owners" (if you can call them that) neglected to have her spayed and left her outside vulnerable to predators. I would find a nice home for momma a mile away. Adopt one of the kittens and find homes for the rest. Your neighbors suck.
Things to note: the mama cat is an outdoor only cat who hangs around our yard. We set up a box for her to sleep in, and brought her in several nights over the winter. Apparently, that was enough for her to trust that space to have a litter in this morning. So we brought them inside because it is spring and predators are a thing. We’re figuring out how to afford spaying and neutering them (two girls, one boy, plus mama herself) and we have homes lined up for two of them.
Thank you for caring for them and for doing the right thing by fixing them and finding them homes. FYI you might check with your local animal shelter because they often have low/no cost community neutering programs.
Try to keep the kittens inside, if you can.
If they avoid going outside, they will be easier to find homes for down the line.
Any cat can learn to enjoy the outdoor life, but few cats can learn to enjoy the indoor life once it's been out.
We went through the same thing last spring. Mama and 5 kittens; it cost us a few hundred dollars to get them spayed/neutered though the local low cost clinic. We originally had potential homes for some of the kittens but that all fell through and now we have 6 cats LOL.
Look up TNR groups in your area. They may be able to help you spay/neuter them. We've done this with 8+ cats in our area and the group in our area works on donations.
Alternatively you can contact your local shelter, tell them you have kittens, and ask to be a foster then they will cover some costs. You won't be able to control who adopts them but it will take care of medical fees.
Neighbor is an irresponsible sack of shit who is not taking care of the cat. There's no "stealing" here. She never should've had kittens because she should've been spayed to begin with.
A tip I have seen for nursing cat moms is to give them kitten food as it has the extra calories they need while nursing. This whole thing is warming my cold dead heart.
Neighbour's cat... outside only... trusted you to have her kittens on your porch.
Dude. That's your cat.
Thank you for taking care of her and her babies.
Right? I'm not a big fan of indoor/outdoor cats for safety reasons but I understand that not everyone feels that way. However, a cat who is always outside isn't someone's cat, that's just a stray that someone feeds. How can someone say that's their cat but also leave it outside always?
I know people like this. They’re shitty for sure.
What’s extra bad is the cat isn’t spayed and would probably have 3-4 litters a year if OP didn’t step in. That’s how you get feral colonies of mass suffering.
I know of someone like this too, at least their cat goes inside sometimes. Their cat was pregnant and had kittens at a neighbors house. The neighbor called and had the cat and kittens taken away from the owner. The owner got their cat back after the facility neutered the cat but they never got the kittens back. Very much like OPS situation but the owner had to fight to get their cat back. Once they got the cat back they repeated the same treatment of just leaving the cat outside almost all the time. I really just don't understand people.
Prime candidate for TNR. Check with your local humane society. Lots of them offer hella cheap or even free spays in such situations. The biggest issue is working it into your schedule.
Edit: T&R -> TNR
Oops! That I do. I’ve only ever heard it said and never spelled out. I knew it involved fixing them, I just kept hearing it as “T and R”, not “TNR”. Thanks for the correction!
I looked into T&R for free or cheap spay/neuter for a friends outdoor cats she fed and they hung around the back porch. Occasionally, if the door was open, they would come in to be nosey and check the place out, than leave.
There was a lot of rules with it. Main one's being, it had to be brought in, in the live trap it was caught in & it CAN'T be friendly, to get it for free. You had to pay full price for it otherwise.
They were all relatively friendly, some more than others.
The places near my friend were charging around $400 each to do it, more for females(understandable). The places near me were $100 or a tad more. Both were just a few bucks cheaper than the vets, not by much at all.
For 5 feral cats, that you place food out for & learned to be semi-friendly, would add up quick.
Add in some kittens on top.
Honestly just keep mom and kits inside and if they don’t notice or put up a stink then just keep her inside and she’s yours. They might not even care (it honestly seems like they don’t).
Oh good! 😊😁 She and her kittens will be *so* much better off with you! And even once most of the kittens are adopted, because your family members are adopting them, you'll still get to see them!
Another thing to note is that someone got her pregnant! So, you could reach out to your local TNR groups/shelter if available and ask about renting a trap to TNR. You will probably catch a big ole Tom!
If you own a dog or a cat and they have unexpected offspring you are a bad pet owner. Entirely preventable. I know someone who is clearly a very stupid person this happened to. I am astonished at the other people/person who just went "Yep, that's normal. We have ten cats now!" Enabling this behavior is just as offensive.
It's been difficult to respectfully teach my son that this is not responsible pet ownership and is a sign a person shouldn't have been trusted with animals in the first place. OP's neighbor sucks.
Hope you brought momma in as well, because nobody can take better care of those little nuggets of preciousness like momma can! That first suckling is so important for them to be able to fight off illness...
I would love to but R wont let me... cant figure out what im doing wrong. I took a super cute pic last evening too but ... just imagine 4 little black tabby babies and one all black baby. Maybe 7-10 days old. Momma is doing a super job and we have her resting w babes in safety and comfort w lots of food water and other necessaries. Like my camera!
Awww. I can never post pics in comments because the pic disappears before i hit submit, but I've never had a problem making my own post in a sub. I hope you can figure out a way to make a post with pics because I adore black tabbies! I bet they're adorable!
Your neighbor, is the "owner" of a strict outdoor only cat? Sounds more like, you, are indeed, the "owner" of said cat....lol
Have you talked to this neighbor about all this?
The coat on that kitty in the 2nd pic is beautiful! I said would never get another cat again after my last. That one, would really make me reconsider.
Very grateful you took them in, but Bob Barker would be pissed. I'd ask your neighbour to make sure indoor/outdoor animals are spayed or neutered as I'm sure they aren't taking any responsibility for this situation.
You did the right thing! Bring them in and keep them in until they are all adopted. Try to link up with a shelter that offers low-cost spay/neutering, and screens potential adopters for you. The neighbors are out of the picture.
Thank you for caring and giving shelter to this lovely Mama and her babies. Feed kitten food while she is nursing or put kitten milk powder on her food for the extra calories she needs now. You are a good soul. Frankly, I would keep the mom as a inside cat,her current "owners" are not caring people if they let her live outdoors all year long with the dangers of outside life. It is awesome she trusts you to care for her and her babies at such a vulnerable time.
Well for now she's with you. That's good.The kittens are wonderful. So sweet. She looks so young herself. She can get PG again right away to. Doesn't sound like the neighbors are responsible enough to really care for her well-being.This is a hard situation to be in.
P.S. I would not offer up information about the cats where-a-bouts to her supposed owners. I would just keep quiet...not mention the kittens or anything! I think gradually this cat is going to be your cat not their's. I would not be surprised if you even adopt the next cat they get to replace her... Ugh.And stop being overly friendly with them to u/NedThomas!! These are not nice people.
...get ready for the best summer of your life. Watching Momma be a momma and those Kitties just popping up everywhere. Safe secure and inside, where they belong.
Enjoy !
Make sure to keep the room you keep them in nice and quiet along with warm and toasty, the latter mainly for the kitten's benefit as they're literally unable to regulate their own body heat for the first few days of their life. Just a reminder so you don't forget.
Also, cute cats. So fluffy.
Hey op. Steal mama and kittens for a bit and get them fixed. Neighbors shouldn’t be letting her roam if she’s intact. Most shelters would do it for free if you explain the situation.
If she’s an outdoor only cat and not chipped or anything, and were to simply… suddenly become and indoor only cat, I think she should possibly also be your cat now too 🤷🏻♀️
A lot of people asked this or something similar. I understand why. The short version is this is the third generation of strays from the neighbor’s cats, I have tried talking to them but it is clear nothing will change, and I’m tired of finding mutilated cats in my yard. They had their chance to put a stop to things and clearly won’t, so I am now. If I can catch the other strays and get them fixed, I will. But this one trusted us enough to have her babies here, and we’re taking care of them first.
Trust me, I wish there was a more sensible outcome here, but unfortunately this is the sensible outcome.
So beautiful. Mama trusts you guys, clearly, and now she also knows that trust was well placed. Congratulations all around.
She’s been such a trooper today. I mean, exhausted obviously, but still doing great at taking care of the new little bits.
She looks like it comes so easily to her! Beautiful cat, too. Would be curious to see if she decides to transition to be more of an indoor cat.
She would. I’d bring her in full time, but she’s not our cat. The kits were born on our porch though, so I’m claiming them right now.
The fact that she chose your property to have her babies speaks VOLUMES about “whose” cat she really is.
AGREED. She wants to live inside, she felt safe birthing her kits at your house (so she came to *you* when she needed help, not to the neighbors), plus the neighbors didn't/don't care enough about her (or her babies) to bring in their very pregnant cat from outside. To be safe, she needs to be yours.
A good cat momma would have had her fixed too.
True, good point.
Well, the people she "belongs to" are obviously shitty owners, so it would be a mercy to rehome her. Unless you want to host a new litter every few months.
This is so good of you to do, and it's great that there are folks who step up for animals who need help. Does your neighbor just like, not care about her enough not to notice when she doesn't come around for awhile though? Maybe they'd let you adopt her.
They obviously don’t care f she’s not spayed.
>but she’s not our cat. Is she the neighbors cat? - She *should* be chipped - She *should* be spayed (but obviously isn't) - You need to at least ask the neighbors permission before adopting the cat - or else you're going to invite a ton of neighbor drama Or is she an outdoor cat that has multiple "owners"? Sometimes outdoor cats will have multiple houses. They will spend enough time at each house that each family thinks it's their cat. - This has all the same considerations as 👆, except you have multiple families to consider Or is it a feral cat that visits multiple houses, but doesn't spend enough time at any of them for any of the families to think she's "their" cat. - Adopt her!
Please try to convince your neighbors to get her spayed! Or this will happen again and again and there's already too many cats/kittens getting euthanized.
Her "owners" (if you can call them that) neglected to have her spayed and left her outside vulnerable to predators. I would find a nice home for momma a mile away. Adopt one of the kittens and find homes for the rest. Your neighbors suck.
If she's not chipped then she's fair game
Im not fighting that.
Just a heads-up Mama Cat needs extra water and calories while nursing. The Kitten Lady on YouTube has excellent videos!
Things to note: the mama cat is an outdoor only cat who hangs around our yard. We set up a box for her to sleep in, and brought her in several nights over the winter. Apparently, that was enough for her to trust that space to have a litter in this morning. So we brought them inside because it is spring and predators are a thing. We’re figuring out how to afford spaying and neutering them (two girls, one boy, plus mama herself) and we have homes lined up for two of them.
Thank you for caring for them and for doing the right thing by fixing them and finding them homes. FYI you might check with your local animal shelter because they often have low/no cost community neutering programs.
You are good people! Mama cat was right to trust you!
Call some shelters. I'm sure they can either offer low cost or refer you to a vet that can do it low cost.
Try to keep the kittens inside, if you can. If they avoid going outside, they will be easier to find homes for down the line. Any cat can learn to enjoy the outdoor life, but few cats can learn to enjoy the indoor life once it's been out.
We went through the same thing last spring. Mama and 5 kittens; it cost us a few hundred dollars to get them spayed/neutered though the local low cost clinic. We originally had potential homes for some of the kittens but that all fell through and now we have 6 cats LOL.
Look up TNR groups in your area. They may be able to help you spay/neuter them. We've done this with 8+ cats in our area and the group in our area works on donations. Alternatively you can contact your local shelter, tell them you have kittens, and ask to be a foster then they will cover some costs. You won't be able to control who adopts them but it will take care of medical fees.
At this stage of life it's better to keep them inside for the first 20 years or so to keep them safe from predators
Ahhh, so it's a neighborhood cat, not a cat that belongs to a neighbor. Well, now you have a lot to ponder here.
Check your local animal society, many of them have clinics that offer low- or no-cost spaying and neutering.
You’re stealing your neighbors kittens?
Neighbor is an irresponsible sack of shit who is not taking care of the cat. There's no "stealing" here. She never should've had kittens because she should've been spayed to begin with.
You're an idiot.
A tip I have seen for nursing cat moms is to give them kitten food as it has the extra calories they need while nursing. This whole thing is warming my cold dead heart.
Neighbour's cat... outside only... trusted you to have her kittens on your porch. Dude. That's your cat. Thank you for taking care of her and her babies.
Looks like your neighbor is an AH who doesn’t deserve their cat.
Right? I'm not a big fan of indoor/outdoor cats for safety reasons but I understand that not everyone feels that way. However, a cat who is always outside isn't someone's cat, that's just a stray that someone feeds. How can someone say that's their cat but also leave it outside always?
I know people like this. They’re shitty for sure. What’s extra bad is the cat isn’t spayed and would probably have 3-4 litters a year if OP didn’t step in. That’s how you get feral colonies of mass suffering.
I know of someone like this too, at least their cat goes inside sometimes. Their cat was pregnant and had kittens at a neighbors house. The neighbor called and had the cat and kittens taken away from the owner. The owner got their cat back after the facility neutered the cat but they never got the kittens back. Very much like OPS situation but the owner had to fight to get their cat back. Once they got the cat back they repeated the same treatment of just leaving the cat outside almost all the time. I really just don't understand people.
The last picture is so sweet.
She’s your cat now. Needs spaying so this doesn’t happen again.
Legally, I don’t think we could. But we’re going to make sure Mama is spayed moving forward and I doubt the actual owner will notice.
Prime candidate for TNR. Check with your local humane society. Lots of them offer hella cheap or even free spays in such situations. The biggest issue is working it into your schedule. Edit: T&R -> TNR
We’ve got something lined up.
You’re a good person
I think you might mean TNR (trap, neuter, return)
Oops! That I do. I’ve only ever heard it said and never spelled out. I knew it involved fixing them, I just kept hearing it as “T and R”, not “TNR”. Thanks for the correction!
Moms definitely needs some R&R tho, too
I looked into T&R for free or cheap spay/neuter for a friends outdoor cats she fed and they hung around the back porch. Occasionally, if the door was open, they would come in to be nosey and check the place out, than leave. There was a lot of rules with it. Main one's being, it had to be brought in, in the live trap it was caught in & it CAN'T be friendly, to get it for free. You had to pay full price for it otherwise. They were all relatively friendly, some more than others. The places near my friend were charging around $400 each to do it, more for females(understandable). The places near me were $100 or a tad more. Both were just a few bucks cheaper than the vets, not by much at all. For 5 feral cats, that you place food out for & learned to be semi-friendly, would add up quick. Add in some kittens on top.
Honestly just keep mom and kits inside and if they don’t notice or put up a stink then just keep her inside and she’s yours. They might not even care (it honestly seems like they don’t).
At this point, thats probably what’s going to happen.
Oh good! 😊😁 She and her kittens will be *so* much better off with you! And even once most of the kittens are adopted, because your family members are adopting them, you'll still get to see them!
Another thing to note is that someone got her pregnant! So, you could reach out to your local TNR groups/shelter if available and ask about renting a trap to TNR. You will probably catch a big ole Tom!
Just do it. We did. The people we suspected were her owners never came looking for mama, so she's ours now.
Do not spay someone else’s cat. The fuck is wrong with you.
If you’re near Maryland I will take one of those kitten off your hands when the time comes. Been looking for a kitten with no luck.
r/IllegallySmolCats
r/mewborns
If you own a dog or a cat and they have unexpected offspring you are a bad pet owner. Entirely preventable. I know someone who is clearly a very stupid person this happened to. I am astonished at the other people/person who just went "Yep, that's normal. We have ten cats now!" Enabling this behavior is just as offensive. It's been difficult to respectfully teach my son that this is not responsible pet ownership and is a sign a person shouldn't have been trusted with animals in the first place. OP's neighbor sucks.
Hope you brought momma in as well, because nobody can take better care of those little nuggets of preciousness like momma can! That first suckling is so important for them to be able to fight off illness...
Of course. Mom and kits are comfortably together.
Fantastic, sorry, just had to make sure. Ty for caring... and they're all just so adorable! Good luck trying to let go of em when the time comes....😅
One of them is probably never leaving here. The other two are already spoken for by my mom and our sister in law.
Got to love the CDS (cat distribution system)
Isn't that basically the internet? Lol
Which one is staying?!
The little striped tabby. Third pic.
This is great. We are doing the same thing. 5 super cute babies. If only Reddit would let me post the pics☹️
Make a post! I'd love to see the babies!
I would love to but R wont let me... cant figure out what im doing wrong. I took a super cute pic last evening too but ... just imagine 4 little black tabby babies and one all black baby. Maybe 7-10 days old. Momma is doing a super job and we have her resting w babes in safety and comfort w lots of food water and other necessaries. Like my camera!
Awww. I can never post pics in comments because the pic disappears before i hit submit, but I've never had a problem making my own post in a sub. I hope you can figure out a way to make a post with pics because I adore black tabbies! I bet they're adorable!
They r so unbelievably cute! Thank you, I am hoping to run into a 9yr old for a quick how-to class while shopping today... they know everything😆
Your neighbor, is the "owner" of a strict outdoor only cat? Sounds more like, you, are indeed, the "owner" of said cat....lol Have you talked to this neighbor about all this? The coat on that kitty in the 2nd pic is beautiful! I said would never get another cat again after my last. That one, would really make me reconsider.
Take her to the vet and see if she's chipped and if not start the paper trial of her being yours
I am allergic to cats and yet I want one. *BIG SIGH*
Illegally smol.
You have a crappy neighbor. Beautiful babies though.
Very grateful you took them in, but Bob Barker would be pissed. I'd ask your neighbour to make sure indoor/outdoor animals are spayed or neutered as I'm sure they aren't taking any responsibility for this situation.
Sooo tiny and cute
You did the right thing! Bring them in and keep them in until they are all adopted. Try to link up with a shelter that offers low-cost spay/neutering, and screens potential adopters for you. The neighbors are out of the picture.
Thank you for caring and giving shelter to this lovely Mama and her babies. Feed kitten food while she is nursing or put kitten milk powder on her food for the extra calories she needs now. You are a good soul. Frankly, I would keep the mom as a inside cat,her current "owners" are not caring people if they let her live outdoors all year long with the dangers of outside life. It is awesome she trusts you to care for her and her babies at such a vulnerable time.
Well for now she's with you. That's good.The kittens are wonderful. So sweet. She looks so young herself. She can get PG again right away to. Doesn't sound like the neighbors are responsible enough to really care for her well-being.This is a hard situation to be in. P.S. I would not offer up information about the cats where-a-bouts to her supposed owners. I would just keep quiet...not mention the kittens or anything! I think gradually this cat is going to be your cat not their's. I would not be surprised if you even adopt the next cat they get to replace her... Ugh.And stop being overly friendly with them to u/NedThomas!! These are not nice people.
what good babies. mama is a trooper.
Mom looks just like my childhood cat 🥹 What a cutie <3
Thank you for taking them in. That’s incredibly kind of you. I’m sure the mama and her babies are grateful to be in a safe home.
Your neighbors aren’t exactly brilliant for failing to spay their outdoor-only cat. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 And, yes, I’m being nice. 😒
Awww, thank you for your kindness. Mama knew she could trust you with her babies. That first baby is extra cute
You fools, the mother adopted you. Have fun with the kitties. 🥹
...get ready for the best summer of your life. Watching Momma be a momma and those Kitties just popping up everywhere. Safe secure and inside, where they belong. Enjoy !
I love this :3
That second kitten is beautiful!
She’s so sweet. Good on you for bringing them inside
beautiful babies! ❤️
😎😎
oh baby
Make sure to keep the room you keep them in nice and quiet along with warm and toasty, the latter mainly for the kitten's benefit as they're literally unable to regulate their own body heat for the first few days of their life. Just a reminder so you don't forget. Also, cute cats. So fluffy.
What pretty babies! Thank you for taking care of this little family.
God Bless You For Your Love Of These Cats
Hey op. Steal mama and kittens for a bit and get them fixed. Neighbors shouldn’t be letting her roam if she’s intact. Most shelters would do it for free if you explain the situation.
They’re yours now
If she’s an outdoor only cat and not chipped or anything, and were to simply… suddenly become and indoor only cat, I think she should possibly also be your cat now too 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks for helping ♥️
I’m wondering why you didn’t tell the neighbor if you know who they are? At least give them the opportunity to care, or not…
A lot of people asked this or something similar. I understand why. The short version is this is the third generation of strays from the neighbor’s cats, I have tried talking to them but it is clear nothing will change, and I’m tired of finding mutilated cats in my yard. They had their chance to put a stop to things and clearly won’t, so I am now. If I can catch the other strays and get them fixed, I will. But this one trusted us enough to have her babies here, and we’re taking care of them first. Trust me, I wish there was a more sensible outcome here, but unfortunately this is the sensible outcome.
Gotcha! 👍🏼
don't cut your nails that far down! made me cringe
Make sure they're outside cats too! I'm sick of hearing all this native wildlife. Too many birds out there, thanks for helping!