Did We Do The Right Thing?

About two weeks ago two stray cats were appearing after a mobile home was torn down up the road. This was going on for about a week, and my girlfriend and I feared they would get hit by speeding traffic on our backstreet road so we took them in. We are not allowed pets in our rental home by our landlord's request, so this was only supposed to be a temporary situation. We posted the two male brother cats approx. 3 months old on facebook and craigslist. We asked around through various friends, family, ect, no one wanted them. The craigslist ad was removed for some odd reason, which wasn't helpful for us. We ended up cleaning the cats up of fleas and got them flea medicine, shampoo, food, water/food bowl, litterbox, litter, ect. They started to become very comfortable in our home just from being there for two weeks, and became potty trained the same day they got their litterbox. They were very playful and were always wrestling with eachother and purring. Very cuddly cats. We tried talking to the humane society, but they basically said they would be euthanized. I wasn't giving them a darn thing, let alone two perfectly healthy cats! We made the decision last night, and cleaned up everything down in the basement and took them to a nearby farm and let them go. Did we do the right thing? My girlfriend was balling her eyes out and wished we didn't keep them as long. Will they adapt to the environment quickly? I just hope we made the right decision for them.

I'm sorry, you did not do the right thing. Not only is it illegal to abandon animals in most places, those kittens will most likely not be able to fend for themselves. Please, go back and re-rescue them, if they have not been already caught by a predator or killed by a car. Please, go get them.

That was the wrong thing to do!!!!!!! NO... they will NOT adapt to fending for themselves like that. You must now go back and get those two beautiful kitties TODAY!!!!! I cannot believe you resorted to abandoning them that way. Those poor babies :shame:...... please do the right thing by them and go get them. I don't understand this as you could find them homes - or at least TRY!!!!!!!!! How awful.....

We got them back. We had too much of a guilty conscious. They were right where we left them.

Great. Now ask us for help on how to find them homes.  Craigslist is not the place to go.  See if there are any rescue organizations in your area.  If we knew the area you live in, we may have contacts you may not have.

How are you going to manage if you are not supposed to have pets where you live.  I hope you can get some help here in finding homes for them.      
 

LeGaCyGiAnT124 said:

We got them back. We had too much of a guilty conscious. They were right where we left them.

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Oh I'm so glad! Well done! I was praying hard for them!

You do have some options available. First, you want to look for rescues and shelters in your area rather than the pound. Even if there is no room at a rescue or no kill shelter in your area, they may know of one elsewhere. A LOT of rescues arrange transports for crowded kill shelters. Even cross country. You can also call local vets and ask about any rescue programs they may know of.

If you are attached to them and want to keep them, talk to your landlord. Perhaps if you explain the situation, how you rescued these abandoned kittens, offered to pay a pet deposit, or a certain amount extra on the rent every month, the landlord will revise the lease. Another option of course would be to move to a pet friendly home.

If you are determined not to keep them, perhaps don't say anything about them yet, to the landlord. If you get found out you can say that you simply rescued them and aren't planning on keeping them and hedge about how long they have been with you.

Anyway, I am just thinking out loud here, there may be other ideas I haven't thought of that someone else will.

Oh I thought of another thing. Petfinder.com. Go to Petfinder.com and search the rescue centers listed in your area. Sometimes Petfinder will list private ads.

The reason Craigslist is not a good idea is because you can't know if the person who replies is someone who will be a good home for them. Creeps and sickos and dog fighters read craigslist ads, and take the kittens they see listed for their own sick purposes.

In less than a 3 week time period we have become attached. I am going to try and bribe the landlord again but almost will have to move if we aren't able to. We both feel a lot better knowing they are safe, sound, and fed. Poor things didn't move from where they were at all. I am glad they stuck together though! Spaz was mad at us so when we put him in our car he decided to attack the back seat lol. I swear they held everything last night and waited for the litterbox to be returned from the girlfriend's mom. I think we will honestly try keeping them. The smile on my girlfriends face was a butterfly feeling relief in my stomachs when they were waiting for us right where we left them. I honestly didn't think they would be there when we drove out to them. I'm not a cat person, but they are two really friendly cats. Just going to have to get them neutered before they start spraying. Sorry if I upset anyone on here. Multiple cat sources said they would adapt to the outdoors and eventually find there way to the farm. I'm guessing just from keeping them indoors for a little over two weeks made them realize that food comes to them and not them needing to search for it.

Also knowing that they are friendly and appeared after a mobile home was knocked down means they were 100% family pets and wouldn't have had any of the skills needed to survive regardless of the two weeks you brought them in. :nod:
Good on you for re-rescuing them. Hopefully you can get something worked out with your landlord. If they advise declawing, do not accept!!!

LeGaCyGiAnT124 said:

In less than a 3 week time period we have become attached. I am going to try and bribe the landlord again but almost will have to move if we aren't able to. We both feel a lot better knowing they are safe, sound, and fed. Poor things didn't move from where they were at all. I am glad they stuck together though! Spaz was mad at us so when we put him in our car he decided to attack the back seat lol. I swear they held everything last night and waited for the litterbox to be returned from the girlfriend's mom. I think we will honestly try keeping them. The smile on my girlfriends face was a butterfly feeling relief in my stomachs when they were waiting for us right where we left them. I honestly didn't think they would be there when we drove out to them. I'm not a cat person, but they are two really friendly cats. Just going to have to get them neutered before they start spraying. Sorry if I upset anyone on here. .

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All paws crossed for you and them.

Multiple cat sources said they would adapt to the outdoors and eventually find there way to the farm. I'm guessing just from keeping them indoors for a little over two weeks made them realize that food comes to them and not them needing to search for it

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I am very sorry to hear that there are people or "cat sources" saying this is an okay thing to do, it is not. It is NEVER. Those kittens most likely would not "have made their way to the farm". It's a fallacy and any farmer will tell you how many dead cats they find. Not to mention, 1)farmers usually already have enough cats, they don't want more and 2) cats are territorial creatures and strangers will not be welcomed by the farm's cats.

Now you, too, can help debunk this fallacy. Good luck to you and the kittens, keep us posted!

Will do!! Here are some pictures of them and my girlfriend's parent's dog, Zoey Does anyone know what kind of cats these are??

OH THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so worried about these little ones over night and I am so very happy that you re-rescued them. Those would be considered Domestic short hair Tuxedo kitties. They are really adorable and so is Zoey!!! Whoever told you that cat's can just adapt to the outdoors naturally is not correct. Those babies did not have the skills, resources and knowledge to survive on their own. They even were in the exact same place you left them!!!!!! They were absolutely terrified and would not have survived. I have happy tears that they are back safe and sound. Good luck with being able to keep them or finding them a home together. I think they deserve to stay together after all they have been through.

This news just made my day for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

The kittens and little dog make a matched set! Perhaps, if you can't, the parents would like to adopt them........?

They are domestic short hair (DSH) which is just a fancy name for mutt or mongrel, moggie is another term for DSH, but does not make them any less special. Their color/marking pattern is black and white tuxedo.

Black and white cats are very sweet and friendly usually. Thanks for the pictures! What are their names?

Chaz and Spaz. Chaz is the more cuddly one and likes to lick your face/ jump on your head while you are trying to sleep. Spaz is the less cuddly more curious one that likes to explore and get himself into trouble
 

If you ever do have to find a farm home for a cat (some strays just never adapt to indoor life), ALWAYS clear it with the farmer first! Make sure the farmer wants new cats, the cats are of the proper disposition for farm life (not housepets), that the farmer will keep them confined for a couple weeks, and make sure the cats are spayed/neutered and have at least a rabies shot. Farmers who don't want more cats will usually "dispose of" cats who are dumped (plus it's illegal to dump animals), if they aren't confined they'll try to find their way home, and unspayed cats almost always die young from the stresses of pregnancy/kittening. The rabies vaccine thing is self-explanatory--don't want rabid cats wandering the countryside! But there is a right way to find a farm home for certain cats.

They're adorable! Nothing better than a pair of tuxedoed brothers classing up the place .

Chaz and Spaz :rub: :heart3: I do hope you can keep them. Please keep us posted on them and if you do end up having to find a farm situation, please ask for advice here because there is a right way and a wrong way about relocating cats, especially darling kitties like these two babies who seem to enjoy being indoors, stray or not. I think they love being house kitties. :nod: Good luck!

I do love these black and white tuxedo cats.