4 kittens and the mom came xmas eve

My life was SO busy.  Then they came.  Now it's one continuous backache, literally.

I've been feeding the mom for awhile.  She's a stray.  She was semi-feral but warmed to me and I could pet her.  I noticed her stomach getting much larger then I noticed the teets.  I knew she was nursing her kittens somewhere.  Time went on and the mom was around more and more so I thought that maybe the kitten or kittens may have died.

My mom was over on xmas eve day.  She knew all about the mama cat and the not yet seen litter.  She's sitting on the porch and what does she see?  Mama cat rolls out with her 4 kittens from under the home next to us.  It was clear to my mom that it was their first outing from the way the mama cat and they were acting. 

We have hawks, falcons and VERY large owls in our backyard.  As soon as my mom informed me of the lil live parade, that's the first thing I thought of...they'd be dinner for some baby flying ones.  I had NO choice.  I had to bring them all into the florida room/porch.

The mama knew me and trusted me so so did the kittens (after a few minutes of trepidation on their part).  4 incredibly beautiful kittens and the mom have been on the porch since then...xmas eve.

It's sooooo hard on me physically.  There's lots of stress.  Trying not to let my cat run onto the porch because she would kick butt and ask questions later.  She tolerates no other cats, period, and has never even seen a kitten before (Tess is 8 yrs. old...she was a stray that fit in the palm of my hand when I got her). 

Then there's the stress of getting the mama cat fixed (got lucky here...she's set to be fixed on the 3rd and I think she's already pregnant again so the timing is perfect) and the stress of finding homes for these kittens.

I was told that a certain organization here would help me.  I left a message last Thurs, FrI and today.  Still no response. 

Their litter has to be cleaned 3 or 4 times a day (5 cats after all) and my back is really hurting.  Then there's the food...all through the day I have to be sure they all have food and water.

All this while I'm trying to keep my Betta Zen, 2 Ghost Shrimp and a snail alive.  I have to do water changes on all of them every other day.  Every 3 days and Zen's container is way too dirty.  The 10 gal that is Zen's home is torn down.  Brush algae, skin and gill flukes and Hydra saw to that so Zen's hanging out in a 2 gal. container   until I can get his 10 gal back up.

I couldn't not bring the kittens onto the porch.  If I took them to the pound, they'd be put down...they have too many as it is there.  The resources here in Tampa aren't that good because all of the organizations are so overpopulated as it is.

I can't express how angry I get when I think about the IRRESPONSIBLE human that let this female cat outside without having her fixed.  Like they cared anyway....they either dumped her in our neighborhood or used to live here and moved out without their cat.  Grrrrr.  She came to us to be fed daily so noone else was feeding her and this went on for 6 months before the babies came.

There's no excuse for not having your animal fixed...I'm sorry.  Tess has never been outside and I knew I'd never let her out but I still fixed her! in case she got out.  People who don't fix their animals and then let them out and ignore the possibility of kittens or don't take on the responsibility of the kittens should their animal have them.....has NO concern or consideration not only for the animals and the horrible life they live as strays but they could care less who has to come along and clean up THEIR mess.

I'm so sick of it...and angry.

And I vented....here.  I had to.

I need homes for these 4 lil females, good homes, so badly.  Did you know that around here people will pick up kittens feigning desire for a pet and then sell them to laboratories or people with snakes etc??!??!!??  So it's not even an easy thing to find loving owners for these lil girls (their all girls, done nursing, eating kitten chow).  You have to almost literally interview them!!  But what else can I do? 

If anyone knows of an organization or no-kill shelter in Tampa Florida that they think could help me, I'd be in your debt!  These are the places I've contacted...

I've already contacted The Animal Coalition of Tampa (how I got the mama cat fixed on the 3rd for $50), St. Francis (this was who was supposed to help me get the kittens adopted, per animal coalition, and they haven't called back yet....but it is the holidays too.  They are SO adoptable right now...so cute.  The older and bigger they get, the harder it'll be.  Hillsborough County Animal Services don't do adoptions and the Humane Society is playing a really messed up game that's too long to go into.  Suffice it to say that they are no help. 

I can't physically do this much longer     not with everything else I have on my plate (I take care of my disabled mother as well)

Hurting and Worried,
Karyn

 

Bless you! We do some feline rescue ( not in your area sorry) and I know how much work it can be. See my post Name this kitten.. Again bless you and hope you find some help.
Happy New Year!
Carol

 

((Carol)) TY Hun.

This whole stray problem is the fault of humans. That Bettas are kept in lil cups is the fault of humans.

I have such strong feelings about the animals and fish and their mistreatment. Were I to hit the lotto, I'd absolutely start lots of animal rescues and a massive fix and release drive.

I'm too tired and sore now to do much.......but love and feed these 5 I can do.

I'll see them all fixed as well! Vouchers could get them all fixed for me for free (females are more expensive). It takes weeks to get them in the mail but I'm applying. When I think about them being here for weeks though


I feel bad for Tess. The porch was her thing. She loves it and is acting up because she hasn't had it in a week. She hisses at me when I come off the porch smelling like the kittens and mom too. Tess just got over being sick too, poor thing. One of her eyes was seeping and she was keeping it closed alot. Before that she drank some conditioned water and I don't know why it did but it made her sickly, laying around for 3 days and she lost her voice....her meow was barely there.

Now she is dealing with all this too...

 

AesSedai, I'm sorry that you have so much work and so many problems on your head right now. But I wanted to THANK YOU for having taken the mom and the kittens home. Yes, whoever left her un-spayed and to fend for herself was a bad person, but it is not the kittens' and the mom's fault. So, I wanted to thank you for not having ignored them and for doing such a great job helping them. If I knew any organizations in FL, I'd help you, but I am in NY. I really really hope you manage to find good homes for them! God bless you for your work

I believe you that people catch or steal cats for experiments, as my own cat was stolen from me from my own backyard. God knows why she was stolen, but I've been thinking either for some experiments or for food! I hear all the time how restaurants kill animals like cats or dogs for food! :'( I will never get over the kitty that was stolen from me, never.

 

((Isabella))

Thank you for your kind words luv. Our hearts can be too big I think. The mom's already fixed. This morning the lady sold me on the 'nip the ear' deal. At 11:00 it hit me...omg, what am I doing?! I called them and asked them to not nip her ear. It was too late and I hung up and cried..and cried. :'( I feel like I maimed her. She's getting a tattoo on her belly. That was enough. She didn't need her ear cut too. They do that to strays here but it was up to me and I made the wrong choice.

My mom's so sweet. She said it'll save her life. She painted the picture of the mom being picked up, in a cage for a few days, and then facing the needle. That's the fate of soo many cats and dogs who are strays and aren't cute and babylooking. Maybe the nip would save her from that fate but I wasn't going to let her out anyway....

I certainly need the kittens to go somewhere to be adopted asap. Once that's done, I'll put an ad in a paper and try and find her a home. I wonder how many won't take her because her ear is nipped. Some people care about stuff like that. I sure don't but I know some do.

So sad. I forced her onto my porch..the mom. She tried to run off it, like she'd never been inside (maybe she was a baby stray herself). Once she knew she was safe, she never once went to the door wanting to get out.

I don't want something forced on her to go badly for her or her kittens. Couldn't live with that.

I think we can have too big a heart...and we suffer when we do. I don't mean the suffering involved in looking out after them all and getting them homes. That's SO hard but I do it happily even if my body complains. I mean the suffering we do when we take them into our souls and become responsible for them and feel so deeply for them and their welfare. Like the suffering we experience when we maI'm an innocent one. I know...it's just a nip but...

I think people are waking up and caring about our fellow earth creatures, the animals. I'll really know that's true when Bettas aren't kept in cups in stores and people don't throw their animals away.

Namaste Dear One and Fellow Animal Lover (there's ALOT of animal and fish lovers at fishlore )

 

An organization here found fosters for the kittens!!  Tuesday I drop them all off to be fixed and then they'll go to their fosters (2 to one, 2 to another).  The mom I'm not sure about yet.  They said to bring her too but...

One of their workers, in a moment of frustration, told my mom that if we couldn't foster all 5 then we could take them to the humane society (which imo = death)

This same woman told another worker to tell me to 'bring the mom too.'

Erm...why?  So you can take her to the humane society or have her live in a cage for who knows how long before a foster is found for her?  I think not.

I'll call tomorrow and see what they have planned for the mom.  If I feel any weirdness, she's staying with us and we'll find her a home ourselves.

Things will be MUCH easier once the kittens are gone (and ok).  Our cat and the Mama Cat can take turns on the porch (cannot be introduced, my cat accepts no other cats, period).

Oh and they will not be cutting the kittens ears or they're not going.  I don't think they could because the kittens won't be 'strays' but they knew the mother wouldn't be a stray any longer either and still suggested that bad idea to me.

You wouldn't believe how much they cut off her ear either   

Anyway, there's a light at the end of the tunnel for me (my back...oh MY....)

(((Everyone)))

 

I am so happy they will all have homes And ... please KEEP the mom until you yourself find her a suitable home. If you ALREADY have a bad feeling about it, please DON'T give her to them! It WILL be much easier now without the kittens, you know. And maybe in time your cat will come to accept the mom - you never know. They NEED TIME for that. Don't give her away! And God bless you once again for having saved them

 

Isabella

I called them this morning about the mom. She was sputtering and didn't have quick answers for me (all she needed to say was YES we have a foster for her). She said she'd call Kathy (the one who, in frustration, told us to take them to the humane society) and ask her what her plans were for the mom. She called me back and said that Kathy said that the mom has a cage waiting for her at PetSmart on Wed. That's where they take all their cats that need homes to be adopted. If this is true, it's fantastic.

Btw, they are very careful who they allow to adopt. No families with children under 6, if they rent, the organization calls the landlord to be sure they're allowed to have pet, they visit the home first to be sure it's suitable, ask about their pets of the past and what happened to them, etc. and they charge prospective parents $75 to adopt (so they can recoup the costs of sterilization). I love all this. This is good.

So supposedly they have a cage for the mom on Wed. I asked them to bring her back to me, or that I'd pick her up myself, if they couldn't get her adopted. I also asked them to let me come get the mom if she stays in the PetSmart cage for more than a week. Since she was a stray, she shouldn't have to deal with being in a cage for a long while. Long enough to get a good home, definitely.

I want to trust them. I have control issues though. I'm not sure if my anxiety over the mom is just my lack of trust because I have such control issues (like a 'only I can care well enough for them/her' kinda ...I'm working on that but it's hard when I'm given ammunition (humane society being mentioned)

If there is a problem and my instincts are trying to warn me....

The problem is, after Kathy reemed my mom like that, she never called either of us back to apologize and we haven't heard from her since. The people who fix the animals have been communicating with me instead and that's not their job, they're just a hospital so...

I have to wonder why Kathy hasn't contacted us in over a week. I was a pain in the butt, calling Kathy in tears (because of my back pain) begging them to find fosters for them. When that didn't get me anywhere, I had my mom call Kathy. Maybe that was a mistake, I don't know.

It's so hard to imagine someone who works for an organization that helps animals to even speak the words 'take them to the humane society' frustrated or not! And, if she was having a bad day, why not call back later to apologize?

I'm afraid that they're afraid of having to deal with me like that again and just want to avoid that and by taking the Mama Cat and telling me they have a cage for her is their way of ensuring they don't have to deal with me rushing them anymore.

I could go Wed to the PetSmart (I know which one it is) and make sure she's there but if she isn't, will it be too late if they took her to be put down?

Could/would such an organization outright lie to me like that? They got their money back for spaying the mom because we paid $50. I'd feel better if I thought they had a financial reason to get her adopted.

Sorry to vent all this. I really think this is me and my control issues and not a conspiracy for them to be able to kill the Mama Cat so as not to deal with me anymore.

Many are watching, it's not just Kathy. It's hard to imagine they'd all look the other way if Kathy took her to the Humane Society.

We can't keep her, definitely. I know that most cats would get used to other cats in time but even after a year of my moms cat and mine together, mine still went after my moms very loveable cat time and time again. It was SO stressful. Tess just doesn't want to be with other cats. She's soo **** at me right now she won't come near me (since xmas eve) because she smells the other cats on me. If I walk by her, she scratches or bites my legs and feet and hisses and growls at me. Even after a shower, and without their smell on me, she remembers and won't let me touch her.

<sigh>

I think I need to trust, some. Being at PetSmart would give her a great chance of being adopted. If I try to find her a home, I'll have to interview prospective parents just like they do and charge them too (to avoid those who gather up cats for horrible reasons). I'm not sure I'd be very good at that...rather, actually, I think I'd be TOO good at it, too black belt about it and would come off like I didn't trust them, would be way too suspicious and non trusting (because that's sorta my nature) and turn them off. Would they allow/want me to go to their home to make sure it's suitable? Being done by a known animal organization is one thing. For me to be like that with someone thinking of adopting her and paying for her too is another.

Ya know?

 

Forget it.

The Mama Cat just showed me all I needed to know.

Just came back from the porch where she is.  A couple of men were walking by outside and talking.  Mama Cat started growling, ran to jump up on a chair and watched them, growling.

She can't be adopted.  She trusts me but she's still too wild for anyone else.  She's staying right here!  She'll be deemed 'unsocialized' and killed, I know it.

Even if I let her back outside here, she'd be better off.  She is fixed now and this neighborhood is really nice (have only seen 2 strays, her and a male that I think is the father).  We're on a dead end street and a park butts against our back yard and a river beyond that. 

If I can't find her a home, I'll let her go back outside once she's totally healed from surgery and her hair is grown back.  That's better than her being killed, to be sure.

Mama Cat was wise to show me this now.

 

I think it will be better this way too. For some reason I don't trust any organizations that are known to put animals to sleep. This is just an easy way out of the situation: kill it and that's it. Even though it is a perfectly healthy animal. Yes, please, keep it (I mean until you let it out once it has healed). I also believe they'll put her to sleep if she'll hiss at other people and scratch them. I understand you'll be feeding her when she comes to you? Also, do you think she die of cold in the winter? Oh wait ... you're in FL, right? What is the coldest you get there?

Once again, THANK YOU for having taken care of the babies and of the mom

 

All the kittens went today to be fixed and then to their foster homes to await adoption so things have soooo slowed down for me <big exhale>.  I almost took Mama Cat, again, but couldn't.  She's still here.

I asked them today about killing animals deemed unsocialized or ill (one of the kittens has a lump under its belly near its umbilical cord).  I told them not to put down that kitten if it's serious, that I'll come get her.  My cat had that.  The vet told me to just watch her as she grew and she's 8 now and fine.

The woman at ACT said 'we don't do that'.  "So, unless a cat has aids or leukemia you wouldn't put them down?"  I asked.  ((I'm not sure how I feel about aids and leukemia cats being killed.  I don't understand the disease in them to know how I feel but the contagious aspects are troubling)).

She said that they wouldn't do anything to a cat that I brought in without calling me and that I would have to give them permission.

I believe her.  I can tell face to face when I'm being played and I wasn't.

I neglected to ask about the other organization though (the Kathy one). 

At least Animal Coalition of Tampa does not kill w/out permission.  I share their name now because since they don't kill w/out the 'owners' permission, and they do soo much good, they deserve the good attention imo. 

As for the Mama Cat, I'm not comfortable letting her back outside once she's healed.  I've changed my mind.  I did plan on feeding her but still...

Who knows what can befall an animal that lives outdoors and we have predator birds in our back yard (huge and mean HUGE owls and falcons and hawks and racoons...one of the reasons I scooped those kittens up quick and brought them inside)

Yep, Florida, but it gets cold enough here to have to cover our plants.  If I have to cover my plants, an animal shouldn't be outside either.  Then there's hurricane season!!  Every year.  This last year was so quiet but untypical. 

I'm going to find the Mama Cat a home.  I may bring her back to ACT to be adopted in a week since I now know they won't kill her w/out contacting me.  Will check the Kathy organization before then to be absolutely sure though.

Mama Cat won't be put out though.  Can't. 

I feel relief today that the kittens will find their ways to good homes.  I feel sadness too.  Mama Cat's on the porch crying for her young.  None of them should have had to go through any of this and it was a humans fault that they are. 

Oh, and I volunteered at ACT to foster   Couldn't help it.  So I'll be fostering cats and kittens for them as there is need (glutton for punishment, heh) once I rest up a bit.  It will be easier.  I'd only take 1 or 2 at a time..

(((Isabella)))

P.S. TY too Isabella for caring soo much about the animals

 

AesSedai ... you're thanking me? You're the one that cares so much about the animals! I thank you for that as well I am glad that it was you that found Mama Cat ... someone else would have probably not been so good to her and her kittens. I know it's hard for her right now, after the loss of her babies, but this is much better than having her babies die outside (this would have probably happened sooner or later). I am very glad all worked out well THANK YOU I'd love to volunteer to foster some kittens too, but unfortunately I don't have much time for that now. I mean, if I found homeless kittens outside right now, of course I'd take them in and take care of them - I wouldn't know how to leave them outside to die. But normally I don't have the time to take the kittens from shelters for temporary foster care. And you know what ... I don't think I could do that even if I had the time. I get EXTREMELY attached to animals. And I get attached to them VERY FAST. I think it would be very hard for me to give away a kitten that I took only for temporary foster care. I don't know why I am this way. If I took any such kitten, I'd probably keep it, lol. My female kitty for example ... it only took me one day to decide that she'll never leave my house. All I had to do is look at her tiny sad eyes ... and at that moment I knew exactly what I had to do That's why I'd have to keep every single kitten I'd take for foster care. See, I love all of them.

 

Jim, this is such a lovely kitty. Is it one of those you have taken home?

 

Isabella, this is Luna, and yes, she is #4 in our family. It took me almost a week of talking to her and feeding her before I could get her to come out from under that toolshed. She is VERY intelligent, playful, and is very good at sitting up on her hind legs. She has also bonded to me HARD, and follows me from room to room, as well as sleeps with me every night.

 

Awww You're so lucky to have her