Advice needed from experienced fosters/rescues

Hi, all. I'm new to this forum, but I've been fostering bottle babies now for over 10 years. I'm not a licensed rescue, nor do I have a 5, I01c3. I typically foster about 4-5 litters a year and (knock on wood!) have yet to lose a bottle baby. But this time, I'm faced with something new.

2 weeks ago, my sister put a woman in touch with me who had a litter of 4 2.5 week olds in need of foster care. When I talked to the woman, I found out that the kittens weren't truly orphan, but that the mother cat had developed a case of mastitis SO severe that she could no longer nurse and was potentially going to require surgery to resolve the issue. I was an hour away, and the kittens at that point had already not eaten for 6.5 hours. She said she didn't have the time or money to take care of them.

Naturally, I drove all the way there, supplies in tow and picked up the kittens. There were two adult cats in the house, one was fixed, the mother was obviously not. Both cats are indoor/outdoor.

This past Friday, the kittens developed horrible diarrhea, which I suspected to be related to coccidia. I took them to the vet to double check. I was correct, but the vet wanted me to deworm first. So I did. Over the weekend, the kittens were in BAD shape. I was pushing pedialyte, squash and formula constantly trying to stop the diarrhea and keep them hydrated. By Sunday night they required tube. feeding and subQ fluids, followed by a vet visit on Monday morning. At that point we started coccidia treatment and all are improving (thank God!). 

Now here's the issue: the original owner wants one or two of the kittens back once they're weaned. I told her tonight (but not at the time that I picked up the kittens...I honestly didn't even think to) that it's my practice to not allow my fosters to be placed in a home where are adult animals who are NOT spayed/neutered or who are unvaccinated. I also have real concerns about placing a bottle baby in an indoor/outdoor home and SERIOUS concern about placing an animal in a home qu where that mastitis went unchecked for long enough for the mother to develop sepsis. She said she didn't have the money for a spay, so I referred her to a local resource that provides $10 spay/neuter vouchers and told her that there's time for her to "set her house in order".

The woman is throwing a fit. She's threatening to do "everything in her power" to get the kittens back. 

So here's my question...does she have a leg to stand on? I have serious financial, time and energy investment in the cats at this point. And had I not picked them up, they'd have been dead by morning. Had they not been with an experienced foster, they might have been dead over the weekend. I've never used a surrender form because I really haven't felt the need to until now (definitely will in the future!).

What are your thoughts/experiences? Should I be concerned here or should I just cut her off completely???

When she originally asked your sister for help and she put the 2 of you in contact, what all was said?

Was it that she wanted temporary care for them or that she wanted to surrender them?

I'm assuming it was to surrender, of course it was, but I asked to get it first hand that it was clear that's what she was doing giving them to you.

You have rights to where those kittens will go to, the first thing to do is to get them microchipped to you.

You have vet records showing you took them in and paid, etc.

I would NOT give any back to her.

One of the rules I made for taking in litters from people is that mom must be spayed too.

If she was unable to afford their care then what makes her think she can afford 2 more kittens?!

There are several ways you can go about this.

Google an adoption application and that they wont be adoptable until they are vaccinated, fixed, dewormed, etc and that you charge a fee for help with reimbursing your expenses.

Period.

she can have a fit all she wants, it's the way it is.

If she agrees then have her complete an application for review/consideration, and you have the right to refuse adopting to anyone for any reason.

You can also find a rescue group that you can sign up as a self foster for, this is easy to do, and it will be entirely up to their discretion who they are adopted out to. 

You can forewarn them of this person's current cats, etc.

She can take it to court even, but she likely won't, and you would still win.

If there was no verbal agreement that it was only temporary, then that is that

Thanks for your reply!

She had posted the kittens, i believe, in one of the local online garage sale groups on facebook. My sister commented that I foster and might be able to help. She told my sister she needed someone to take the kittens because she didnt have time or money to handle it. She explained that her cat had mastitis and could no longer nurse. My sister gave her my number.

When she and I talked on the phone, she said she needed someone to take the kittens. I told her that often times cats can nurse through mastitis and that's when she told me how bad it was. She never mentioned on the phone that she wanted any of them back. Had she done so I wouldn't have driven like a bat out of hell to a tiny town an hour away from my home to get them, i would have encouraged her to find support from someone more local.

When I got to her house (actually, trailer) she showed me where the kittens were, introducted me to the mama cat who was wrapped all the way around her belly/back and i put the kittens in the carrier. As i was getting in my vehicle she said she'd like to have the 2 females back after they were weaned. I said "ok, well friend me on facebook and we'll talk". At that point my mind was on one thing and one thing only: getting those kittens to my uncle's house about a mile away from her place so I could get them fed and pottied. So I didnt go into all the details right then and there. In hindsight I should have.

Does that count as a verbal agreement? In my mind it was more like "I'll deal with you later".

I did talk to a friend of mine tonight that also does bottle feeder fostering for a local rescue. She thinks I should tell her she's not getting the kittens back and be done with it. She also suggested getting them chipped asap (i had already planned on it but wanted to deal with the critical health stuff first) and that I could probably sign them over to the SPCA and "foster for them" to cover the bases.

She has the same thoughts as I do.

One thing to think about too, is that when I sign up a self foster to my rescue, I pay all medical needed, including spay/neutering, vacs, dewormer twice, microchipping and testing for felv.

Then at the time they are adopted get some reimbursement from the adoption fee.

This means that it's not out of your pocket too, which is very nice since unless you are a rescue and vets work with you, spays/neuters etc are very expensive.

That's another reason for you to get them fixed and all that first, then she will have to pay a fee which she will not do.

If it came down to it, it's your word against hers.

So if she pushes it then that's some leverage too, charge her.

Wth is she thinking, you are just doing this as a favor or what?!! Some people.......ugh.

Please call the animal protection authorities for their area and explain the need for them to rescue the mother cat ASAP.

Do you have a copy od the post she made or any email correspondence? If so, keep it all.

Those kittens no longer belong to her and you have vet bills to prove it. If she didn't have the money to deal with the kittens or spay momma, she doesn't have the money to do anything legal to get the kittens back.

Does she have your address?