I need help making a decision!

great pictures!

my only advice is to close the toilet lid. Don't want the cats to fall in and drown, or drink the water that can be harmful thank you for taking care of the babies!

What a story and I would not give a kitten to those children either. But on their behalf, they probably didn't know that the kittens were still needing to nurse ( just ignorance, that's all) and thought they were doing the right thing by them. I can't get over how gorgeous Lady PurrPurr is. She even looks like a kitten herself.

I also agree with Draco, please keep the toilet seat down!!! very, very important. Also I would put a little more towels/padding in the tub for the babies. Keep them warm, tubs can be a bit chilly. You are doing a great job and are getting great advice here. Lady PurrPurr seems to know what she is doing and I am just falling in love with her . She is a great mom and very intelligent.

I would start making calls right away to local rescue/shelter/foster organizations. Those kittens need to be sterilized (when they are at least two pounds and done nursing) before they go into any home. . As you can't count on just giving them away, most people don't follow through with wanting to pay for the spay/neuters as that can be expensive. A rescue/shelter will help you with costs. Most "good" shelters will assist you financially with the care/costs of these babies, if you are willing to foster, which you are obviously . They are beautiful little babies and will get furrever homes quickly. Thanks for saving this little family

OH, you should keep Lady PurrPurr in with the kittens at all times. It is perfectly fine to keep her safely enclosed in the bathroom with her babies. She would get very, very stressed if you locked her out of the bathroom away from her kittens. Make it cozy for her in the tub and put a bed on the bathroom floor as well. Those kittens need her round the clock so do not separate them. and good luck

I don't think you need to worry about the kittens getting out of the tub, and even if they do, if the bathroom door is closed they won't get very far.

Momma sounds like a very good momma. Relax a little about the amount of time she spends with them, she needs breaks and has proven she is very good about taking care of them. If you need to sleep, put her in the bathroom with them and close the door. It will be ok. . Make sure you have a soft place for momma to sleep as well, both in the tub and outside of it.

You are doing great, stop stressing so much and just enjoy them. Without you, the kittens wouldn't have made it this far!

And I wouldn't give the kitten to the other family either. I bet they'll forget by then anyway.

Originally Posted by superpop

.
I have milk caps and sting but no "marbles" though.(they won't "eat" the string will they???)

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NO STRING!!! Yes, they can eat it, with disastrous results. Once a cat or kitten starts to swallow string they're unable to spit it out and will only swallow more.

Make sure anything you put in there as a toy cannot be swallowed by Lady Purr Purr. If she can't swallow it, it's safe for her babies.

Originally Posted by RAFM

You are doing great, stop stressing so much and just enjoy them. Without you, the kittens wouldn't have made it this far!

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Truly - you are doing a terrific job with this feline family! Lady Purr Purr will do most of the work for you with the babies at this point so enjoy it. A week or 2 from now when the babies are bigger (they'll grow fast) and better at getting around, then you'll have your hands full.

I would not allow Lady Purr Purr outdoors anymore. The kittens look pretty young yet, I'm guessing around 5 weeks old. I think at this stage mom should stay with them more often than not. Please don't let anyone take these kittens home before they are at least 8 weeks old. I agree with others who have said the best thing would be to make sure that they are all spayed/neutered before they go to forever homes.

I know there's a language barrier, but if possible, it would be worth trying to find out where the kids across the street found the kittens. If you can, take a look to make sure none were left behind, even though it seems not to be the case.

I agree with the other members - don't give a kitten to the people across the street.

Quick update:

All is going well.(for them at least....I can't wait to get them back out to the porch tonight! )

We didn't end up giving the kittens string and we are keeping the toilet lid shut.

The largest kitten can indeed jump out of the bathtub and pooped on the wall and spread kitty litter across the ground....ugh!

I'm sorry, I really don't mean to laugh. It's been a while since we had our hands full with any kittens. They can be messy. (But the cute, adorable things they do make up for it!)

It might be worth buying a litter box with tall sides but a low opening to get in. You can also just buy a large, cheap sterlite container and cut down an opening. With so many cats, I'd suggest at least two. He may have pooped outside the box because it was "full." It's also very likely it's that he's just a kitten, and like kids in toilet-training, they don't always make it to the toilet on time.

Kittens do like to play in/with the litter and in the litterbox.

Didn't you find a rescue that would be able to take them? If not....

IF you want a kitten by proxy, if it's going to cause a problem with the neighbors, I'd consider giving them the kitten. After having it neutered or spayed. And I'd be prepared to put food out for it, and to take it to the vet if he/she gets sick. But those are the conditions on which I'd give it to the neighbor (without them knowing about it - or with an agreement that if the kitten needs medical attention, they alert you).

I hope you get some sleep tonight!

Originally Posted by superpop

I am not big fans of this family and I don't think they can afford or will take proper care of the kitten they want and I highly doubt they will get it fixed so I'm not sure if I want to let them have it or not. It really angers me that they took all the kittens in but not Lady PurrPurr who is still nursing them.

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I'm with you on this.

Even if the parents have never had cats before, common sense should have told them that small kittens need to be with their mother. If they couldn't figure that out, how are they going to give the kitten the care it needs?

I know you don't want to have problems with these people, but it's not worth sacrificing the welfare and quite possibly, the life of the kitten. The fact that they are irresponsible with their own children does not bode well for this kitten's future.

I know LDG's suggestion to you about giving the kitten to your neighbors but basically becoming the kitten's caregiver is well-intentioned and meant as a compromise. But looking down the road, if you and your boyfriend move, or for that matter, this family moves, what happens to the kitten then? In the meantime, chances are good that the kitten will be allowed to roam in a neighborhood that you've said isn't the safest. Even in the best areas, the street is always a prime danger for cats. Are you going to be able to stand watching the kitten dodge cars?

To me, this is the kind of circumstance where you ask God to forgive you in advance, because you're going to tell a lie, but it's for the sake of the kitten... I would tell these people you took the kittens in for a vet check and sadly, they've got a disease. Their condition is such that it's going to require medicine and frequent vet treatments which are going to be very expensive. It will also shorten the life of the kittens, and the parents certainly wouldn't want their kids getting attached only to have the poor kitten pass away and upset them...

Originally Posted by superpop

We made a make shift litter box by cutting a cardboard box up and wrapping it up in a garbage bag and filling it with the litter.

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Good job. My only suggestion is to trim or tuck under the box all that excess plastic. Believe it or not, some cats will try to eat that kind of plastic.

Originally Posted by superpop

Anyway she(our friend Shirley) wants the runt of the litter and is going to make an appointment to get it checked out by a vet soon.

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Great news! Now trying using your powers of persuasion to get Shirley to take 2! Honestly, it's great for kittens to get adopted in pairs because they really need each other for playing, socializing and company!
Tell Shirley with two, she won't feel guilty about a lonely single kitten at home all day while she's at work... 2 babies are twice the fun and twice the love! She can become a TCS member and post pics of her new 4-legged kids and get lots of good advice and support... It's worth a shot!

Originally Posted by superpop

Some of the kittens ate some wet food but the smallest 2 did not. We even offered it to them separately after the bigger kittens had their fill and they didn't touch it....they do get nursed though so I think they are just less developed then their bigger siblings.

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Keep a close eye on these two especially. The time they were separated from mom cat (by your neighbors) didn't do them any good. If they don't seem to be getting bigger or heavier after another week, or they aren't very active, take them to the vet (which you may want to do anyway for all, sooner rather than later).

You're doing great, Josh. And BTW, the rant about your name had me laughing. FWIW, I think "Mercado" is a cool name - it has a nice sound to it. I also don't know Spanish

Originally Posted by KTLynn

I'm with you on this.

Even if the parents have never had cats before, common sense should have told them that small kittens need to be with their mother. If they couldn't figure that out, how are they going to give the kitten the care it needs?

I know you don't want to have problems with these people, but it's not worth sacrificing the welfare and quite possibly, the life of the kitten. The fact that they are irresponsible with their own children does not bode well for this kitten's future.

I know LDG's suggestion to you about giving the kitten to your neighbors but basically becoming the kitten's caregiver is well-intentioned and meant as a compromise. But looking down the road, if you and your boyfriend move, or for that matter, this family moves, what happens to the kitten then? In the meantime, chances are good that the kitten will be allowed to roam in a neighborhood that you've said isn't the safest. Even in the best areas, the street is always a prime danger for cats. Are you going to be able to stand watching the kitten dodge cars?

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All very good points.

The compromise suggestion was just putting the idea out there - not that it was a good one. Of course, I'm completely against letting pets roam free at all. Clearly these people can't take care of their kids properly, so "just an animal..."

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Great news! Now trying using your powers of persuasion to get Shirley to take 2! Honestly, it's great for kittens to get adopted in pairs because they really need each other for playing, socializing and company!
Tell Shirley with two, she won't feel guilty about a lonely single kitten at home all day while she's at work... 2 babies are twice the fun and twice the love! She can become a TCS member and post pics of her new 4-legged kids and get lots of good advice and support...

It's worth a shot!

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Yes, yes do try! And two babies are not twice the work. In fact - having two cuts down on the work involved, because they play with each other and aren't so demanding of time and energy. If she has other cats, especially if they're older, having two kittens also helps deflect the demands on her other kitties, who, depending on age, may not be exactly excited about the energy of that little bundle of joy.

KTLynn;3110830 said:

You're doing great, Josh. And BTW, the rant about your name had me laughing. FWIW, I think "Mercado" is a cool name - it has a nice sound to it. I also don't know Spanish

[/QUOTE

Me too. For people who don't know Spanish, it is a cool sounding name.

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Sorry life has been too hectic to post another update until now.

Calling the No-kill shelter tomorrow to figure out our next move.

We need Lady PurrPurr and her 5 kittens gone by 9/20 because as I have already stated we are going on vacation.

The kittens are terrors!(all of them...even the runt) Everytime the door to to porch is opened they all come running out and we have to keep track of them all while changing water, giving more dry food, giving more wet food, changing the DISGUSTING litterbox(We got them a REAL litterbox today at Walmart so it that should now be easier and less wasteful of litter and garbage bags) and then sweeping up the mess of litter everywhere and wiping up the pee/poop that is not in the litterbox while keeping track of them so they don't get into trouble is not fun at all. I don't mid taking care of them but all hell breaks loose every time the door to the porch is opened(I wish we had a "baby-gate" to keep them from running into the house)

Anyway we are stressed!(going to call the no-kill shelter tomorrow) We are busy enough as is.

We need them gone by the 20th because of our vacation and on the week of the 12th I have goddamn Jury Duty(best believe I will do my best to not get picked as a juror!!!!)

I think the biggest 3 don't need to nurse anymore(they all eat wet cat food) but they still do anyway because the milk is there. I would like to have the no-kill shelter evaluate all of them ASAP and hopefully take in the biggest 3 kittens and then let us keep Lady PurrPurr and the smallest 2 kittens and for the next 2 weeks and let her concentrate on them until we have to go.

Update:

Called the no-kill shelter and they are full with a waiting list.

They explained it was best to create a classifieds ad on www.petfinder.com to find someone to foster them.(which we will do!)

Out of the 5 kittens I know at least 2(possibly 3) are no longer in need of their mother and I think they are in fact screwing over the smallest 2 kittens(both solid black) because the other 3 eat solid foods and drink out of the water dish but when the tiniest 2 try to nurse the bigger 3 run all over the place and play and Lady PurrPurr becomes annoyed with being run over and then stops nursing.

All the kitten seem to be doing better then when they originally showed up though.

I want the biggest 2 adopted out ASAP because I know they don't need their mother anymore.(and they are terrors!)

Have you called other shelters in the area - or farther out, that you can get to?

I know your experience here is stressing you out (and again, thank you for doing all of this DESPITE that!!!!), but just a little information. They're done nursing, but they're not done learning. Obviously, you've done more than your fair share, so if you can find homes for them, yes, they should be adopted out. But just FYI, it is best to leave them with mom as long as possible up to 12 weeks. They tend to adopt out best at 8-10 weeks because of the cuteness factor, but they're still learning things from her - about how to use the litter box, and how to properly interact with other cats. But again - that's by way of FYI. Pleny of kitties go to new homes or get found/rescued at younger ages. We're not looking for ideal here, right? You deserve a lot of credit for helping this family as much as you already have!

Question - would your friend that wants to adopt a kitten (kittens? ) be willing to foster them until homes can be found OR a space at a rescue opens up?

Keeping you and your temporary furr family in my thoughts!

Originally Posted by LDG

Have you called other shelters in the area - or farther out, that you can get to?

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There is no other "no kill" shelters around here that I am aware of. I'm not going to bring them to the "humane" society so they can "humanely" snuff the cats.

Have not had a chance yet to post an ad on petfinder.com for a foster but will tomorrow.

Originally Posted by LDG

I know your experience here is stressing you out (and again, thank you for doing all of this DESPITE that!!!!), but just a little information. They're done nursing,

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going to make a diagram to explain the kittens:

http://i51.tinypic.com/32zqa6g.jpg

1: The second smallest of the liter but is now eating kitten food and drinking water as well.

2: The runt of the litter(and the only male) more on him later because he is the only one we are worried about health wise. The only one who doesn't eat kitten food or drink water.

3. The calmest! This is my favorite of them all.

4. The Devil Incarnate!(who looks most like Mother) I'm sorry but I don't like her! She is horrible to deal with and this is the kitten the mexican family actually wants.

5: Average...Don't know how else to describe her.

I know the runt still needs to nurse. We took the runt and Mother out tonight and put them on the couch between us and the runt wanted to nurse but Lady PurrPurr was ignoring him so I forced her to roll over on her side and then she quickly gave in and let the runt feed.

I don't believe the other kittens "NEED" to feed from her even though most of them still do but I worry about the runt being the smallest and now the only one who does not eat kitten food or drink water.

So I will now do this once a day with the runt to make sure he gets enough food.

Originally Posted by LDG

but they're not done learning. Obviously, you've done more than your fair share, so if you can find homes for them, yes, they should be adopted out. But just FYI, it is best to leave them with mom as long as possible up to 12 weeks. They tend to adopt out best at 8-10 weeks because of the cuteness factor, but they're still learning things from her - about how to use the litter box, and how to properly interact with other cats.

But again - that's by way of FYI. Pleny of kitties go to new homes or get found/rescued at younger ages. We're not looking for ideal here, right?

You deserve a lot of credit for helping this family as much as you already have!

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Well we are now looking at a 2 week window and we need all of them gone before we go on vacation. Ideally we are looking for a foster that will take Mother and all 5 of her kittens right now but if not we need adopt out the largest 3 kittens ASAP and then find a foster home for Lady PurrPurr and the the smallest 2 kittens.

Originally Posted by LDG

Question - would your friend that wants to adopt a kitten (kittens?

) be willing to foster them until homes can be found OR a space at a rescue opens up?

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Just an FYI. I am 30 years old and my boyfriend is 31 and Shirley(the friend who wants to adopt) is 60. She can't take care of all them on her own....there is no way. She already works a full-time job plus a part time job and lives alone in a 1 bedroom apartment.

Well, I may not understand the dynamics... but "willing" and "able" are two different things. 60 may sound old to a 30-year old, but now that I'm almost 50, 60 doesn't sound old to me at all. I live with my DH and 8 cats (all rescues) in an RV that's 40 feet x 8 feet. Of course, we didn't jump right into 8, and we lived in a house for a while... but age and space have very little to do with fostering. Just a thought.

So I'm not sure what makes you say "there is no way." Mom and kittens in a bedroom closed off, so long as it's been "kitten-proofed" (wires tied up, things they can chew on covered, things they can break removed/protected in some way)... and scooping and putting out food before she leaves in the morning and cleaning up kittens and scooping when she comes home... I don't think I know anyone on TCS that fosters that doesn't work.

Just putting this out there, because if it comes down to the wire... I don't know if it's that Shirley wouldn't want to (don't know if you've asked), actually wouldn't be able to, or if this is an assumption you're making. Just a thought.

But many you can find homes for them, and someone to take over fostering responsibilities before you have to go!

Originally Posted by LDG

Well, I may not understand the dynamics... but "willing" and "able" are two different things. 60 may sound old to a 30-year old, but now that I'm almost 50, 60 doesn't sound old to me at all.

I live with my DH and 8 cats (all rescues) in an RV that's 40 feet x 8 feet. Of course, we didn't jump right into 8, and we lived in a house for a while... but age and space have very little to do with fostering. Just a thought.

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I'm not even going to get into it and compile a list of reasons why she can't...she CAN'T! She isn't an some acquaintance to us. She is a close friend and with her life and totally carpeted small apartment and her 2 jobs and her having her grandchildren over all the time....there is NO WAY!

There are more reasons than this but I don't even have the time to explain....these cats are already making our lives way more hectic then they already were....and I Promise you there is no way we can pass them off onto her!

ANYWAY....

Updates:

First of all we made a homemade "baby gate" that is too tall for the kittens to jump over but we can still step over it and Lady P.P. can easily jump it.(we let her relax in the main part of the house 2-3 times a day for 30-45 minutes at a time because she seems to need it)

By the way....she is at least 1-2 pounds heavier at this point then when we first saw her....she is still skinny as hell but doesn't feel as "skin and bones" when petting her.(she seems to be gaining weight fast and is eating and crapping a huge amount!)

The baby gate is making the ritual 3-4 times daily cleaning/new food and water much easier!(still a huge pain that we didn't bargain for when this all started but every little bit helps)

We did much research tonight on petfinder.com and contacted 3 organizations via email and explained the entire situation. I am optimistic at least one of them will be able to find this cat family a foster home and then adopt them out.

This would be ideal considering Shirley wants the runt and that is the only one who still "needs" to nurse. We would just explain to the potential foster family that Shirley wants that kitten so once it was no longer in need of it they could remain in contact and Shirley can adopt it.

As for the mexican family....

The little girl came over tonight to inquire about the kitten she wants. She wanted to be let in the locked screen door on the porch as we were cleaning but we didn't let her in because the all of the cats would literally BOLT(which is the reason we made the homemade baby gate leading from the porch to the house.)

She became almost slightly bratty and said "no they won't. You're lying." We explained the homemade baby gate to her and then she looked in and was shocked as 2 of the kittens were using the literbox and then acted so amazed like we somehow had to "train" them to use it and we had to explain to her what we are doing for all the kittens and why it wasn't right that her family took in all the kittens but not the mom cat.

I feel kind of bad but we are NOT going to give them the kitten they want.(or any of the others) Even though the kitten they actually want is the devil.

When we find another foster family for the cats we will give the mexican family the contact information if that want that kitten(so that way we "didn't lie to them) and then I guarantee there is a 90% chance the mexican family will just abandon the kitten at that point rather than take a whole 2 hours out of their day(and then if they do go to try to adopt it they will most likely be turned down and then it isn't on us because we gave them the information)

I feel bad for those kids! I feel sorry for the way they live and I really feel bad for that little girl because I do know she wants that kitten and as much as I dislike the kitten in question I can't give it to her because I know there is a 100% chance the cat won't get spayed and then it will be let out and this will turn into a repeat performance next summer!

I wish I was fluent in spanish so I could speak to the parents right now because I am sure the the parents are going to trash talk us to their children when it's their own parents who are irresponsible!(and I am not talking about the lack of money they have....they are lazy and don't parent their children properly and just don't care in general!)

I feel bad for that little girl though(even after she called us liars tonight) I do know she does care about the kitten she wants and I feel horrible for not letting her have it but in the end it's not my fault(it's her parent's fault) even though we will end up taking the blame in her eyes.

SAD SITUATION...but for the best!
-------------------------


BTW...I have already mentioned in this thread how we are "extreme couponers"

Target has "Whisker Lickin’s Cat Treats" on rollback for $0.99 this week and target also has a printable coupon for $1 off on 1 "Whisker Lickin’s Cat Treats" this week! (making each bag "FREE"...not counting the few cents in sales tax)

We purchased 4 tonight and got them all for free. Even though Lady PurrPurr will (probably/hopefully) be gone soon we will give away the other bags of cat treats to friends!

Here is the target coupon:

http://coupons.target.com/ you will have to search for it and the website is likely to pull the coupon soon so hurry if you want free cat treats!

There is a few different varieties....but here is one:

Sorry, I had a good giggle that the kitties are the recipients of your great coupon work!

I think that's a fabulous plan about how to manage the kitten with the neighbors situation. Given everything you've shared, I feel terrible for those kids... but what are you gonna do? It's a sad fact, but that's life.

But seriously... calling you liars? What's wrong with people??????????????

No need to explain about your friend, just knowing she's a dear friend and you KNOW she's not in a position to take on the task is enough. It's wonderful she wants to adopt a kitty.

Sending MEGA vibes that one of the foster options comes through!!!!!!!!! I hope it'll help that one of the kittens is already spoken for.

Originally Posted by superpop

The runt of the litter(and the only male) more on him later because he is the only one we are worried about health wise. The only one who doesn't eat kitten food or drink water.

I know the runt still needs to nurse. We took the runt and Mother out tonight and put them on the couch between us and the runt wanted to nurse but Lady PurrPurr was ignoring him so I forced her to roll over on her side and then she quickly gave in and let the runt feed.

So I will now do this once a day with the runt to make sure he gets enough food.

Click to expand...

I'd be concerned about this little guy too, and I appreciate that you're "encouraging" mom to continue to nurse him. If you don't soon (within the next day or 2) find a rescue to take the family, my advice would be to get this little one to the vet.

Originally Posted by superpop

She already works a full-time job plus a part time job and lives alone in a 1 bedroom apartment.

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I apologize in advance for what I'm about to say, Josh, because you sound stressed and I don't want to make your head explode. But here it is -
if Shirley is working a full time and a part time job, how is she going to take care of a very young kitten? As you're finding out, kittens are a handful, to put it mildly. They need supervision, they need hands-on care, and they need attention. Because he's the runt, he'll require even more attention than usual. Shirley, as wonderful as she is, will not be able to provide these things except on a very limited basis - too limited, frankly, to care properly for this little guy. She can't be in two places at once. It's not good for a little kitten to be left on his own for the majority of the day and into the evening. It's like leaving a two year old alone in an apartment to fend for himself. The kitten will be extremely lonely and is much more likely to get into trouble because he's on his own and has no other diversion or supervision.

A full-grown, mature cat is much more suited to Shirley's lifestyle than a small kitten. It's not that adult cats don't need attention and stimulation - they certainly do - but they don't have the energy level of kittens nor do they require as much supervision. An adult kitty will be far more self-sufficient than a kitten and able to tolerate longer periods of being alone.

I think you'd mentioned that a friend wanted to adopt Lady Purr Purr - is that still the case? If not, I would suggest that Shirley adopt her. I think both Shirley and Lady Purr Purr would be much happier in the long run.

Originally Posted by superpop

We did much research tonight on petfinder.com and contacted 3 organizations via email and explained the entire situation. I am optimistic at least one of them will be able to find this cat family a foster home and then adopt them out.

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Even though you think one of the organizations might take the kitties, keep looking. As you're finding out firsthand, there's a tremendous cat overpopulation problem throughout the US. Sadly, it's typical for good no-kills to be at capacity. As LDG mentioned, look further than your immediate area for rescues/fosters. It will be worth driving a little more if you get them placed with a reputable group.

Try calling local vets - sometimes they'll take cat/kittens in to foster and adopt out from their practices. You can also ask if they know of any local grassroots organizations who do cat rescue/fostering.

Concerning the family across the street: I know you feel bad for the kids. But you are absolutely doing the right thing by not giving them a kitten.

As I'd mentioned in a previous post, just tell them (if they ask - don't volunteer info otherwise) the kittens are sick, they're going to a vet hospital to live out their last days, whatever... But I don't think you owe them any other explanation. If you start explaining about a new foster home - they'll be ticked that you didn't give them the kitten instead of sending the kitten off to a new person. It'll just complicate things.

Thanks for hanging in there, Josh. You're doing an exceptionally good deed for this mom cat and her babies. You are their hero.

Update: and I am too tired to post every bit of detail about everything because as I have already stated we live a hectic go-go-go lifestyle and these cats are leaving us little room to relax and are causing delays for other things we need to get done.(Honestly... as bad as it sounds I don't think I would do this again if a similar situation came about next year)

Anyway...

Good news! The runt is now eating eating food as of today!!!(and Shirley is bringing him to the vet tomorrow...well now today considering it is now after midnight)

We are in contact with a feline rescue group and they are helping us find another foster family.(hopefully ASAP because I am not going to lie....I want them out of here ASAP) I am liking Lady PurrPurr less and less every day because even though she was once a house cat she still does things that I know she knows we don't want her to do.

She over turned the garbage can in the kitchen(even though she always has food out for her regardless if she is on the porch or in the house....she has her own litterbox in the house as well) She jumps up on the kitchen counter even though she KNOWS we don't want her to because now when we walk into the kitchen she IMMEDIATELY jumps down like she knows she was caught doing wrong. She snatched my bread loaf off the counter and tore into it under the dining room table the other day and did it again with a new loaf tonight even though she has her own food. I would just leave her in with them 24/7 but she scratches the door and is ruining the rubber thing on the outside that keeps it air tight.

We are in contact with a local feline rescue group helping us to find a foster family(which can't come soon enough at this point....It is now my birthday as a little over an hour ago and the only present I want is to have someone who wants to take these cats on....because we don't want to anymore!)

As for the Mexican family across the street.....

They do not own the house like we thought. The little kids grandfather(who is actually white and speaks english and spanish fluently) rents the house to his daughter and he came over to talk to us yesterday and offered to help us put up flyers to find the kittens homes. He doesn't want the kids to have the kitten as well and totally agrees with us and is trying to convince them of it. He assured us there is no way he will let them have it unless it was fixed first and that they agree to not let it outside. He seems like a really nice guy and he promised to drive down here and talk with us again in a few days for an update.

Then today as we got home the little boy ran up to our driveway and screamed: "I want my kitty!!!! I want my kitty!!!!" Even though all of this has been explained to him numerous times now by us and has grandfather and he still doesn't get that his "kitty" needs their mother and that they were starving their "kitty"! We shooed him off fast because obviously he has no interest in caring for his "kitty" and just wants to have fun with it until it dies of starvation. Anyway then we went shopping for an hour and the little brat's 2 dollar plastic toy was on the front steps to the porch meaning he tried to open the LOCKED screen door to let get his "kitty" and let all of the others out as well. When I found his cheap little toy(and they leave their toys ALL OVER the block) I threw it away!

It's like nothing sinks in with these little brats and I am starting to dislike them almost as much as their parents!

Update:

I did not get my Birthday wish granted today(because we still have them)

But it does look like now have a potential foster family through one of the various feline rescue groups we contacted.

Good news about the runt as well....the vet said he is very small but that he is fine and that it is great that he is now eating and drinking water and that the runt is fine other than being very small and that we should continue to let him feed on Lady PurrPurr alone until she stops feeding them. He does have ear mites though(and that means the rest of them do to but said they are too young to be treated for that at the moment)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

the foster family comes through!!!!!

Originally Posted by LDG

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

the foster family comes through!!!!!

Click to expand...

"POTENTIAL" foster family....we will see.(emails between the potential foster family and us and the feline rescue group are now taking place)

I am very happy with the runt though because he is now eating food and drinking water and that the vet says he is fine other than being REALLY small.(he did warn Shirley of potential problems down the road considering he is very small and that there is a chance he might not live as long as the other kittens because he is a runt but Shirley still wants him....and that's fantastic!)

As for Lady PurrPurr and the trouble she gets into when let out of the porch...

WATER BOTTLE(I know it's kind of mean to squirt her with it but this is the only thing that is actually working!) We have only squirted her twice but now she FINALLY seems to actually get it!

As for the mexican family....they still don't get it(at least the undisciplined children) they came up and rang the bell and asked for the kitten tonight and my boyfriend became stern with them and told them that this has already been explained to them numerous times by not only us but their grandfather as well and then he told them to stop coming over here and demanding the kitten. Then the little girl started FAKE crying and he shut the door on them.(and LITERALLY TWO MINUTES later the bother and sister were back to their playing and pulling eachother in their wagon.