- Joined
- Mar 30, 2023
- Messages
- 6
- Purraise
- 2
I say strays in quotes, because they're not really strays. They live at my elderly mother-in-law's...a massive old rural building that is in ruins she stays alone in, doesn't drive, has no help. If you saw it, inside or out, you would think it abandoned, if not for the animals and junk she has hoarded.
She gets animals, then can't care for them right. It's not worth fighting her on with the cramped livestock she keeps breeding, but a couple months ago she bought kittens from some awful man who kept them in a small crate in a garage, no attention whatsoever, for the purpose of mousing. They're separated to the upper floors, away from the other cat that my brother-in-law dumped there (which we took in and got spayed because nobody else was going to,) but then also separated from any chance at socialization.
We just learned that they're not neutered, and they're brother & sister. They're really just ditched upstairs in a rarely used, never heated part of the house - I went up there last week to see them. The female is skittish but wants love, and I think will be easy to get into a good home, but the boy hides, and I couldn't stay long enough to assess how he is. They must only be a few months old, but I'm horrified at the prospect of them having kittens in that place, my sweet husband agreed that we're going to, at the very least, get them spayed, and then brought back.
The earliest my vet can get them in though, is late May (and nowhere else nearby can get them in any earlier.) My dilemma is on separating them until then. I have 3 cats as it is, so I can't take in both at once and still keep them separated. I'm concerned if I take the female, the male will be without his only comfort/friend, and will become too shut down. I'm worried about stress-peeing in my home if we take the boy instead.
We're moving in summer and trying to start a family, and my husband has a lot of trauma from that house and these types of situations...he's the youngest of many, but always seems to be the one stuck with the problems. So it's really important I go about this in a way that causes the least amount of stress and problems in our own household.
Sorry for writing so much, I don't have anyone else to mull this over with, and it's such a sad situation. What would you do? :s
She gets animals, then can't care for them right. It's not worth fighting her on with the cramped livestock she keeps breeding, but a couple months ago she bought kittens from some awful man who kept them in a small crate in a garage, no attention whatsoever, for the purpose of mousing. They're separated to the upper floors, away from the other cat that my brother-in-law dumped there (which we took in and got spayed because nobody else was going to,) but then also separated from any chance at socialization.
We just learned that they're not neutered, and they're brother & sister. They're really just ditched upstairs in a rarely used, never heated part of the house - I went up there last week to see them. The female is skittish but wants love, and I think will be easy to get into a good home, but the boy hides, and I couldn't stay long enough to assess how he is. They must only be a few months old, but I'm horrified at the prospect of them having kittens in that place, my sweet husband agreed that we're going to, at the very least, get them spayed, and then brought back.
The earliest my vet can get them in though, is late May (and nowhere else nearby can get them in any earlier.) My dilemma is on separating them until then. I have 3 cats as it is, so I can't take in both at once and still keep them separated. I'm concerned if I take the female, the male will be without his only comfort/friend, and will become too shut down. I'm worried about stress-peeing in my home if we take the boy instead.
We're moving in summer and trying to start a family, and my husband has a lot of trauma from that house and these types of situations...he's the youngest of many, but always seems to be the one stuck with the problems. So it's really important I go about this in a way that causes the least amount of stress and problems in our own household.
Sorry for writing so much, I don't have anyone else to mull this over with, and it's such a sad situation. What would you do? :s