Stray Cat Has Moved Kittens Inside My Boyfriends House

[AbbyMariTate]

There's this stray that has been hanging around at my boyfriend's house for a few weeks now. She is super sweet and friendly and she loves being petted and loved on. We've been feeding her and realized last week that she was probably pregnant. She stopped coming around for a couple days and then we saw her a couple days ago and noticed that she had given birth, but we didn't know where the kittens were.

The same day she started coming around the house again, she found a way to get inside the house. His house is currently in the middle of being remodeled in the back, so there is a couple places where she could have gotten in. Still didn't think too much of it, we just put her back outside. However, this morning we found that she has actually moved one of the kittens inside, behind a bunch of stuff in a closet.

We are at kind of a dilemma here, because not only does my boyfriend not really want to have the cats in the house, but also as I mentioned before the back where she has moved the kitten is in a state of remodel and is not exactly a safe place for mama kitty or babies. And even moving her to another place in the house wouldn't really be an option because the floors are not done throughout and there is no enclosed room to move them into.

Can we move them back outside? Maybe make a space for them on the porch or something? Just not really sure what is the best thing to do in this situation. Obviously mama feels like it's safer inside and I feel like even if we tried to move them she would bring kitten back in. Also wondering if there was always only one kitten, or if something happened to the other(s) to make her want to move this one inside; she hasn't been leaving as though she has to go feed or fetch any other babies. She trusts us and I don't want to scare her away either. Any advice?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you move the kittens to your house? It really would be best for mom and babies to be secure inside.

 

[AbbyMariTate]

No that wouldn't be possible. I live with my grandparents at the moment and they don't want any animals in the house. Would moving her freak her out?

 

[talkingpeanut]

If you are moving her to a secure area, mom will adjust. Moving them back outside should not be an option

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I'm not sure how invested you are in this sweet stray, but it sure is a dilemma! She sounds very socialized... I wonder if she has a microchip? if someone local is missing their cat? Maybe you could check on that. But it is hard if your boyfriend doesn't want her in the house, and also, if the house is not a safe place because of reconstruction/remodeling going on there.

Would you be willing to purchase a type of cat "crate" like this soft-sided pen? You could situate it on the porch and half-cover it with a blanket over the mesh sides for added quiet and privacy. The top just zippers off entirely, too, so you could unzip it and access through the top when you need to help mom and kittens out. There is a side door that is zippered as well, but you can use the velcro on this pen and just velcro the side door open all the time so she has access. It's portable too. You can put it anywhere. Just a thought. Maybe something like that (or even a big cardboard or plastic box on the porch) would help.

 

[Sarthur2]

A AbbyMariTate

Can you just leave her be for now until you see whether she brings in more kittens?

It's possible she only had one.

If she's not in the way, the baby is a newborn so there won't be much moving around quite yet.

This gives you time to get a crate of some sort and figure things out.

She'll eventually need spaying and re-homing. Do you have local no-kill shelters in your area?

Are you feeding her well?

Thank you for caring for her!

 

[AbbyMariTate]

Update on the other kittens:
So apparently the next door neighbors took all the kittens when she gave birth and are keeping them inside. I just don't know what to do in this kind of situation. You aren't supposed to handle kittens until they are a little bit older right? These people are all over these kittens. And she can't actually be feeding them as much as they need to be if it's only when they bring them outside.

Obviously the mama doesn't want them over there if she took the one away. My boyfriend said she had been in his house most of the day with the one kitten. When he went outside and heard them over there with the kittens, he was trying to casually ask them about it and they told him that they were basically holding the mama down so that she would nurse them. They claim she was trying to eat the kittens but I'm assuming she was just trying to carry them away; they thought she had eaten the other one that she took to my boyfriend's house but she's been caring for it. My boyfriend thinks that because they've been handling those kittens so much she doesn't want to care for them anymore, but I feel like it's more like she just doesn't want them over there. The one baby she managed to get away from there is apparently bigger than the others.

We were thinking to wait a couple days to see if she brought anymore kittens back and then moving them out to the porch and setting up some kind of crate or such, but after finding out they are next door and being kept inside I'm wondering if it's a good idea or not to have them out on his porch in view of the neighbors. I can't know for sure what kind of care they are taking of these kittens, but I'm willing to bet it isn't great, like at all. I honestly don't know what to do about the other babies, all we can really do is keep an eye on the one...

In response to the possibility of a microchip, I am planning on taking her to be spayed in a few weeks when she is done nursing. Should I take her to be scanned for a chip before then or just do it when I take her to be spayed?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you ask the neighbors if you can take the kittens and keep them inside with mom? This is a horrible situation. They will die otherwise.

 

[AbbyMariTate]

These neighbors are crazy people, pretty sure they are drug addicts of some kind; my boyfriend doesn't live in the best neighborhood. The fact that they took the kittens to begin with makes me think they wouldn't be too keen on allowing us to take them back. To be honest, I'm surprised they weren't more insistent to have the one baby back when they found out my boyfriend had it. He is very hesitant to talk to them about it and I don't really blame him. Any advice on exactly how to ask them?

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would offer to take them off their hands and make it seem like you're doing them a favor. If that fails, I would offer to buy the kittens.

 

[Sarthur2]

Absolutely ask for the kittens and buy them if necessary!

They need their mom full time and this has got to be upsetting the mama.

The kittens will die soon otherwise.

 

[AbbyMariTate]

The neighbors gave over all the kittens willingly so we have them all now. Mama seems to have accepted all of them.

 

[Sarthur2]

A AbbyMariTate

Fantastic! I am so relieved to hear this. Mama must be too!

How many are there?

Please see that mom has unlimited dry food 24/7, fresh water, and several wet meals per day. A litter box nearby will keep her from going out.

It's awesome you plan to spay her. This is done when the kittens are 8 weeks old.

Thank you!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

The neighbors gave over all the kittens willingly so we have them all now. Mama seems to have accepted all of them.

This is great news for the momma cat and kittens! I was just going to draft a post to you before I saw this update, about what a bad situation this was and other thoughts I had on what to do... I'm glad I checked the thread for updates, as we do not get email alerts for every post.

Can you locate and contact a nearby rescue or no-kill shelter group, to see if the momma cat and kittens can be fostered and helped via that route? They should be very experienced in this kind of situation, and if you are really in a bind, they can help you -- whether it's to help take the cat family into good care or even just "apprentice" you through this tough time. Meanwhile, for the moment (even though it's not your end-goal?), can you keep the cat family in your boyfriend's house in a crate, closet, enclosure until things get more stable?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Update on the other kittens:
...

In response to the possibility of a microchip, I am planning on taking her to be spayed in a few weeks when she is done nursing. Should I take her to be scanned for a chip before then or just do it when I take her to be spayed?

Personally, I would take her and the kittens in to a vet sooner than later, and check for a chip. (Just perhaps she is owned by someone and, if the owner is located, they might be able to help decide what to do in this situation.)

 

[Sarthur2]

I doubt she is chipped, but I would not take mom to the vet right now to check.

She needs to settle in with her kittens and nurse them. The poor babies have apparently been without mom for some hours. It's critical that they spend as much time as possible with mom for now.

If you decide to take her to the vet next week, you'll need to take mom and all the babies together. They should not be separated any more.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

sarthur2, I was just long-term problem-solving,
as the OP has been trying to explain her dilemma with keeping the cat family indoors.

Of course, of immediate concern is the kittens' eating.

 

[ashade1]

How are mom and kittens doing now? Have you been able to come up with a solution for their living arrangements?