HELP! - My friend is mistreating her cat?

crazycatlady11 · Apr 19, 2016

Hi. I have a friend who has three cats. None of them are fixed, so one got the other, Penelope, pregnant. My friend keeps the pregnant cat outside all day AND at night, but she keeps the males inside. I told her to keep the Penelope inside, but, since she lives with her parents, her parents won't allow it. I've told her to take them to a local no-kill shelter, but, since they are family cats, her parents won't allow it. The cats don't have shots, either. I'm very concerned about Penelope and her kittens' health. Any advice will help! Thank you so much!!

SeventhHeaven · Apr 19, 2016

If the family is low income local rescue may give her a good discount to fix the two boys- male cats not neutered can get into trouble. Does the female kitty have a warm box or something to retreat to outside?

talkingpeanut · Apr 19, 2016

Could you possibly offer to foster the mama and kittens until the kittens are weaned and mom can be spayed? It's a very upsetting situation, I'm sure. Thank you for trying to help.

kittens mom · Apr 19, 2016

So you live next door to my In-laws and SIL ? I wish there was an easy answer. The best I can tell you is look up your local animal ordinances and see what the requirements are for cats in your area. Outside pets need to be vaccinated at the very least for rabies. Sometimes you have to quit being the nice guy and just let someone who has the authority to shut down the nonsense.

Keeping two intact toms in the house is preferable to a pregnant female, go figure.

crazycatlady11 · Apr 20, 2016

@talkingpeanut I wish I could foster them, but I have two cats myself, and they don't do well with other cats.

talkingpeanut · Apr 20, 2016

Well, when the mother is pregnant and raising her babies, she would need her own space anyway. Do you have a room she could stay in? Even your bedroom? No need for your cats to interact with her at all.

inanna · Apr 20, 2016

Does the mama cat have food and water at the very least?

crazycatlady11 · Apr 20, 2016

@talkingpeanut I would, but the last time I did something similar, my cats freaked out. They were crazy for the next 3 months, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea. If you have any advice on that, like how to avoid my cats even smelling/sensing her prescence, that's be great.

crazycatlady11 · Apr 20, 2016

@Inanna I do believe she has food and water.

crazycatlady11 · Apr 20, 2016

@seventhheaven She does not have a box or anything to retreat to.

talkingpeanut · Apr 20, 2016

I think you need to report this for animal cruelty and take this mama in if at all possible. The kittens will not survive under these circumstances. It's also a miserable life for the mom. She'll be pregnant again in no time.

inanna · Apr 20, 2016

talkingpeanut said:
I think you need to report this for animal cruelty and take this mama in if at all possible. The kittens will not survive under these circumstances. It's also a miserable life for the mom. She'll be pregnant again in no time.

I agree completely. Not sure if animal protection in your area will actually do anything... but it is worth a shot.

crazycatlady11 · Apr 20, 2016

@inanna @talkingpeanut Yea, I think I should report it. It's just so terrible! I'm going to do my best to somehow get the mom and kittens to safety. Thank you for all your help!

talkingpeanut · Apr 20, 2016

crazycatlady11 said:
@inanna @talkingpeanut Yea, I think I should report it. It's just so terrible! I'm going to do my best to somehow get the mom and kittens to safety. Thank you for all your help!

Thank you for caring! Please keep us updated!

kittens mom · Apr 20, 2016

crazycatlady11 said:
@inanna @talkingpeanut Yea, I think I should report it. It's just so terrible! I'm going to do my best to somehow get the mom and kittens to safety. Thank you for all your help!

People do one of two things. They either get indigent that anyone dares question what they do with their property or they surrender the pet. Aside from a few uneducated horse owners who took advice and let me help them fix their issues in animal husbandry you seldom see an actual change in behavior. So as bad as it might be this cat ends up in shelter. euthanized. It will be a kinder end for her and her kittens that her current owners are offering. I have witnessed the horrible deaths of my neighbors pets and livestock. What we see as family they see as things.

Generally if a pet has food/water and shelter from the heat and cold their basic needs have been met. You need to look for license and shot requirements. Generally it costs more to tag unsprayed cats than altered. The law says that cat is their property. At the same time if the cat isn't chipped and registered to them through a rabies tag...

inanna · Apr 21, 2016

Kittens Mom said:
People do one of two things. They either get indigent that anyone dares question what they do with their property or they surrender the pet. Aside from a few uneducated horse owners who took advice and let me help them fix their issues in animal husbandry you seldom see an actual change in behavior. So as bad as it might be this cat ends up in shelter. euthanized. It will be a kinder end for her and her kittens that her current owners are offering. I have witnessed the horrible deaths of my neighbors pets and livestock. What we see as family they see as things.
Generally if a pet has food/water and shelter from the heat and cold their basic needs have been met. You need to look for license and shot requirements. Generally it costs more to tag unsprayed cats than altered. The law says that cat is their property. At the same time if the cat isn't chipped and registered to them through a rabies tag...

Yet again you provide us with realistic expectations of the situation. Thank you for that. You have a very sound view of things.

That's why I asked about access to food and water - which this cat has. Given that I find it unlikely animal protection would remove the cat. I was sort of hoping a visit would make these owners rethink their aloof treatment of this soon to be mama cat. If she has the kittens somewhere off of the property they may wind up in danger... or mama cat if she has any complications during labor.

Margret · Apr 21, 2016

You could at least give her a warm place to get out of the weather, where she could have her kittens. If you keep it on your property the neighbors would have no right to object (probably wouldn't even know), and if your cats are indoor only they don't have to know either.

I've been seeing Styrofoam coolers in the grocery store lately. Not too expensive, just cut a cat sized hole in the side, use packing tape to hold the lid in place, and put some bedding in. Put the door a few inches above the bottom, so the kittens won't be able to wander once they're born.

But, definitely you need to check the vaccination laws where you live. Where I live it's illegal to own a cat who hasn't received a rabies vaccine, especially if it's an outdoor cat. If these people are unwilling to get her the vaccination, then they give up their right to claim that she belongs to them. She counts as feral.

Margret

kittens mom · Apr 22, 2016

Margret said:
You could at least give her a warm place to get out of the weather, where she could have her kittens. If you keep it on your property the neighbors would have no right to object (probably wouldn't even know), and if your cats are indoor only they don't have to know either.

I've been seeing Styrofoam coolers in the grocery store lately. Not too expensive, just cut a cat sized hole in the side, use packing tape to hold the lid in place, and put some bedding in. Put the door a few inches above the bottom, so the kittens won't be able to wander once they're born.

But, definitely you need to check the vaccination laws where you live. Where I live it's illegal to own a cat who hasn't received a rabies vaccine, especially if it's an outdoor cat. If these people are unwilling to get her the vaccination, then they give up their right to claim that she belongs to them. She counts as feral.

Margret

You bring up good points. While I doubt the neglectful pet owners are going to take legal action if the cat decides to reside in the neighbors yard. Cats that are outside often stray and that being her old home would likely be part of her territory. You can quickly run into the if I can't have IT nobody can have IT. My inside with relatives that exhibit these same behaviors reveal they don't see the cats as having any rights to a GOOD LIFE. They are things. It's a hard concept when we'd throw ourselves in front of a speeding train to safeguard one of our own.

HELP! - My friend is mistreating her cat?

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.