brothers and sisters reunited, what to expect??

Hello!

I took in a stray cat who gave birth to 4 lovely kittens who are all close to one another. I was able to get the two female kittens adopted out at 3 and 1/2 months old, and we kept the mom and the two boys.

I got an email from the family who adopted the girls that they can no longer keep the cats. I had asked them to contact me first, instead of taking them to a shelter or wherever so I could take care of them....after watching them be born and raising them I just could never abandon them.

Well, now I don't know what to expect. How are the boys and mom going to react to the girls? They are all 6months old now. Will they remember each other and their smells?

The lady told me she didn't spay the girls yet, and I have the mom and one of the boys done, but one of the boys appointment isn't for a few weeks. Will they try to mate at all?

I don't know what to do or expect. I have to pick them up tomorrow :-|

Yes they will try to mate. I highly doubt they will remember each other at all or know they are related but no matter, they will try to mate. Keep the male who isn't neutered yet completely seperate from the unspayed girls. Not even for a few minutes should they be together, it can happen so fast. Get an appointment set up for the girls and put some money aside, in the meantime advertize them to try to find a new home. If they home comes before their spay date make sure the new owners are aware and make them take the cats in on that date. If anything hold onto the kittens until then and take them to the vet and have the new owners come and pick them up.

If the spay date comes and there are no homes yet, keep trying and when you do find someone, charge a fee to make up the spay costs.

Yes, I was worried about that. I am taking Monday off of work, so I will do everything I can to get an emergency neuter done on him, and then sort out the spay with the girl cats. I have an appt at 9am monday to just check up on the girls in general.

I am sad that they might not remember each other. They were SO close with one another as babies.

You have already received an answer about reintroducing the cats. But I want to ask why after only 2 1/2 months can these people no longer keep the kittens that they adopted?! Is it another case of adopting a pet on a whim and then realizing that it's too much of a hassle to have a pet?

Hi !

I am not sure what is going on. It is a family with children, and they said they were very sad but some things have come up for them and they can't take care of them anymore. I have asked very bluntly about any other kinds of issues, and they have said that they are nice good cats - that the one sister tends to want her alone time more and likes to be petted, and that the other is cuddly and more friendly.

She said her son was crying and they were all really sad. I don't know if I will ever get a straight answer about it.

I bet their kids are crying Nothing like having fuzzy kitties to love and then have to give them back! That's soooo sad Those poor kitties being shuffled around like that. They can't understand what is going on.

I hope you can find a better home for them with people who understand that pets aren't disposable when "things come up", and like kids they are a lifetime commitment.

Thank you for taking them back and not letting them be dumped at a shelter where they would probably never find another home.

That is a sad story but at least you are able to step in and put it right. But if you are getting the male fixed first, remember that a neutered male can still produce sperm and get a female pregnant for a month or so after the op. So you will still need to be careful!

Yes they will mate - they will NOT recognize each other as brothers/sisters or even as "mom" - its like bringing in 2 total strangers into the household.

Keep the females separated (they could come into heat at 6 months old) until everyone is spayed/neutered (remember the boys are capable of becomeing fathers for a month AFTER being neutered.

Then do the normal introductions slowly.

But they won't recognize each other any more.

Yes, well.....they definitly have issues with one another, but they do recognize the house.

This is a HUGE problem now. The sisters who have never been seperated before, are hissing and almost fighting with each other. However, when I picked them up at the house where they used to live, they were just fine with one another - it's only since they are in my house now. I had to put one in the bathroom and keep the other in the bedroom with the other 3 cats out in the living room. This calmed down the one cat who was having the more aggressive issues and she is super friendly and calm and happy now.

I live in an incredibly small apartment with my boyfriend and this is going to be really hard.

Now, our two sweet loving brothers - the uneautered one is attacking the other.

This is rapidly turning from a nice thing to do, to a total nightmare.

I have called all the local shelters and they are NOT accepting cats at all. I don't want to take them to the humane society AT ALL.

This is just a terrible situation all around.

After reading about Feliway here, I ran out and bought two dispensers, one for the bedroom and one for the living area. The sisters are now calm and getting along again.

I am making flyers for adoption today, and will plaster them all over santa clara county tomorrow!

They are very loving otherwise - The one sister slept with me mostly all night and they both love to be petted and cuddled.

Thank god for Feliway.