I live in a block of units. The lady below me has left on a holiday. I'll mention her as Skye, (not her real name). She left two kittens in the care of one other neighbour and I'll call her Amanda, (not her real name).
Amanda found out the hard way that the two kittens were not house trained and didn't understand the concept of kitty litter and came to me for advice. I gave plenty of advice such as using clay kitty litter since the recycled paper is vastly different to what a cat expects from dirt and then gradually changing it to the recycled paper. The kittens had been doing their business all over Skye's unit. The stench was so bad we could smell it upstairs. Luckily a cleaning team was formed and the unit was cleaned.
Then Skye's boyfriend, I'll call him Jason, (not his real name), decided to step in and take care of the situation. However I think this is where all the trouble has started. The kittens are let out for the whole day and now I suspect at night too. The male kitten has lost his collar and the female kitten is losing trust of humans FAST thanks to rock/mud/stick/stone/ball throwing by the children that live here. Though after a few words to Amanda about what the children have been doing, she is handling that side of things as she tends to spend the most time with them when looking out for her daughter when she plays outside.
About a day after Jason started to look after the kittens, we had some visitors. It was the two kittens at our door BEGGING for food. They smelt the yummy cat food I was giving to my two inside and wanted some. And considering everyone else tends to have late nights and sleep in until mid afternoon, I fed both of them fully knowing it would lead to more visits and possibly me ending up with the responsibility of looking after two kittens as well as my own two cats. And to put it bluntly, I am not prepared for this challenge. They're both about 6 months old and I can't bring them in as I don't think they have ever been wormed or checked for fleas as Skye doesn't know how to even though I've told her how and even shown her. (Hell, they've never even been vaccinated.) But it all seems too hard.
The male kitten now demands food from me in the morning and evenings when I feed my two. I have asked around and everyone assures me that they are being fed but I still leave food out. And the kittens both eat it. The female doesn't stick around but the male one does. I can't fathom why as both my cats have been sterilised so it's an impossibility that Esper can go on heat and Russell doesn't care that the kitten is there as long as he's outside.
One morning, the male kitten came running into our unit. And no one was impressed with that. Esper hissed. Russell growled. Me and my boyfriend weren't happy with that and we were both late for work because of fetching the male out from his chosen hiding spot without causing harm to ourselves or him.
This morning is the FINAL straw for me. I have the flu and gastroenteritis and I'm on medical orders to rest. And I have spent the better half of this morning cleaning my verandah and front door of cat pee. The male went on a spraying spree. And I still haven't seen Jason today. I have contacted the caretaker and he won't do anything because as of Monday Skye was no longer a tenant as she owes five weeks worth of rent. And once Skye pays what she owes, (and counting), she gets access to the unit and the caretaker will mention the kittens. She will have the option of keeping them inside or finding new homes.
But it gets better. No one knows when Skye will be back. She was supposed to be back two weeks ago from her holiday. The locks on the unit have been changed, so now it seems the kittens are definitely out all night. Russell was going ballistic as he felt violated by the spraying. He has calmed down since my clean up operation plus spraying of Feliway around. I plan to let him wander around on the verandah later. Hopefully he won't spray, he has been neutered but I'll be cautious all the same.
And the female kitten is about to go on heat. I'm positive about this one. The way she meows around Russell and the fact that Russell tries to break the flywire to get to her is a sure sign. Though everyone else thinks that's unlikely because she's so small. They don't even know anything about cats, let alone kittens!!!
The only available option is for me to call the Ranger. They come and get the kittens and destroy them. I don't want to do this and can't bring myself to doing this. Despite being completely irresponsible, Skye does adore her kittens and she will be back. I would like to see them housed at a cat lodge until Skye comes back but I doubt anyone is willing to pay for that option as they seem unwilling to buy food for the kittens. They were down to only biscuits for almost a week now and I know they usually have meat as well.
I can't afford to keep looking after these two. I'm not going to be thanked for it and I'm sick and tired of picking up the pieces. I can't let these two starve and at the same time I can't put up with the spraying and impending heat cycle. And the RSPCA, well they can't do a thing because people are looking after them. Until there are signs of neglect, they won't step in. That is, the kittens have to show signs of injury or become skin and bone.
And all I wanted to do was have a cup of tea on my verandah this morning.
