3 Attachment(s)
Need Some Advice & Help On This Please!
Hi All-
Many of you know that I rescue kittens/cats for time to time. I try hard not to get involved as much as I can with not doing it but sometimes it just happens.
My sister sent me a message not too long ago about 2 kittens showing up outside her place. There was also a bear spotted last week too. Needless to say I didn’t want anything to happen to the kittens so this past Friday evening I went out to my sister’s place to trap them.
Before I went I tried my hardest to find a place for them to go because my place is full and I didn’t want to bring 2 kittens into it. Two weeks ago I found a rescue to take one of those cats from the 100+ house in NJ and John was kind enough to help transport this cat to her. The rescue told me that the pregnant mom would stay in her house. So I contacted this rescue group again wanting to know if they could take in 2 kittens. She said they could and they could also take in a pregnant cat if I got one.
On Friday evening I set the trap up and waited. I don’t recall what time it was exactly but I got both of the kittens in the same small trap! Both are boys.
I was so excited. My sister and I took them up to her spare room and let them out and of course they acted like a bunch of crazy monkeys for a while and they did settle down a little bit.
I tried to catch the mom cat because she’s pregnant but I put tuna in the cage and then I tried can food and that didn’t work.
On Saturday night I put the trap back out hoping to get the pregnant mom cat. Instead I caught a black and white male cat. Poor guy had some battle wounds on him and his skin behind his neck looked like either he was scratching himself or something might be up with his skin. So we moved the 2 younger kittens in the bathroom area and put him in the spare room. We opened up the trap and he walked out pretty casually like he’s been in a home before. I just thought this poor guy getting dumped and getting in to fights.
He was definitely not a stray or feral. We let him alone and put the trap back up because pregnant mom was back outside again and she wouldn’t get in the trap. I’ve had this trap set up before and she has gone in the traps to get the food and walked out without setting it off. She is very tricky.
After waiting another hour or so it was around 11:50 p.m. Saturday evening and I caught a younger kitten ~8 months or so, feral as well…but female this time.
I put this kitten upstairs with the other kittens because my sister said they know each other and they have been seen eating food from her front porch together.
This kitten as well was feral and acted like a crazy monkey too. Finally it was time to get some sleep and I gave up getting the mom cat for now because she wasn’t going to get in it and I wanted her to eat.
In the morning I already made arrangements with the rescue that I was going to take 2 kittens and a pregnant mom. I didn’t know if she would take the black and white one or not or the other grey kitten.
But I figured I’d try and she could say no.
We arrived at the rescue, first we went to her house so I could meet Lily the cat she took in 2 weeks ago.
Lily was upstairs and she looked very comfortable.
Then we had to go the barn which is a converted into an office and the one other part is converted into the rescue.
When we walked in there was a big horse in the first stall. The end stall had 2 dogs in it that she left outside so that we could deal with the kittens and black/white cat.
So she opened the second stall and there were cages, 3 or 4 big ones on the side that had 2 cats in one cage. A big dog cage that had 3 kittens in it. Along the left hand side there were about 5 cages, 3 seemed bigger than the first 2. So she said she would put them in the bigger one at the end. We put all 3 kittens in there and meanwhile I’m feeling uneasy about leaving them in this type of environment even though I’m sure cats love barns, etc. But I just felt terrible putting them in a cage like this. It has a wire bottom too.
The other 3 cats that she had looked good and healthy and so did the kittens but of course my gut is just like maybe you should take them home with you. But I can’t take all 4 cats with me. Then the grey tiny kitten put its head though the cage, OMG I freaked a bit. But luckily he got it back out….then a few minutes later he was out of the CAGE!
I went down to try to get him and he tried to bite me and then actually bit me and ran off and got out of the stall.
I was able to corner the kitten and the rescue lady got the cat carrier and I had a towel and I went ahead and grabbed him and put in him the cat carrier.
While this was all going on the 2 dogs were back in the stall too and when we went back into the cat stall the orange/white one was out and standing on the stall while the dog was barking at the kitten and the kitten was trying to scratch the dog. So I put one glove and tried to grab the orange kitten and he bite me…and I was able to get him down and in the corner and he was just so scared. I felt so terrible for them.
I put him into the other cat carrier and my sister said you are going to take them home aren’t you.
I said yes right away but then I had to think…should/could I do this.
I didn’t feel right leaving them and I don’t know if it’s just because it was not in a home environment or if it was because this lady said she was more the dog person and her sister was the cat person.
This really sucks…I just felt so terrible about this whole thing and maybe because the 2 kittens got out and they were like take me take me even though maybe I was just thinking that and not them.
So I left them there…I kept feeling like I should go back and I told her in 2 weeks if they weren’t any better than I could possibly take them back but she said her sister was this cat whisperer and maybe she is..but I just didn’t feel a lot of comfort.
I guess I’m asking what you guys think about this and I’m not trying to offend anyone who uses a barn or has a barn that cats stay in, etc.
It was just a new situation for me and it was so hard leaving them in that cage. It was small but they are small still. I felt bad too for the black and white one because on Saturday morning he wanted attention and he was such a love and I hated to put him on a dirt floor even though I’m guessing it’s cooler for the cats. I also know I shouldn’t judge places either because they are a new rescue and they are probably trying the best they can but I didn’t like it either that the 2 bigger cats had a small rabbit litter box. It just didn’t seem fair. I just don’t know what to do I can’t take 4 cats in but I don’t know if any of you might be willing to help them out?? I would travel to you…I just feel terrible right now that I left them in this condition and I shouldn’t have should I have??
I thought this morning I would feel a little better about leaving them and I know I can’t save them all and that this is better than them getting eaten by a bear or dying outside but I just feel terrible. Below are the photos I took of 2 cats that have been there and are waiting for home as well. There is also 3 kittens and that the size of the cage that they put the 2 into.
Melissa
