"Outside" Kitten ;0(...

[bckrazy]

First of all, UGH. On Thursday night, me and my sister were going to the store. It was raining, and freezing cold outside. I was picking her up from my Mom's, who lives in a townhouse complex... when we were leaving the parking area, I had to stop suddenly as I saw something tiny run right under my car. I got out, and I found this sweet little gray/white kitten - 8-10 weeks old - drenched and covered in car grease!

Of course, I took him back to my Mom's and cleaned him off and warmed him up. He was shivering, but he had no discharge from his eyes or nose and he seemed fine otherwise. He stayed in the bathroom, isolated from Lola, with an extra litterbox and a few of Lola's toys that she doesn't play with. He seemed to not even know what toys were but he definitely caught on and had a TON of fun playing with us. He never scratched anyone, and he was soo sweet and cuddly. But, definitely not neutered and he was a skinny little thing so he was either wormy or underfed (no evidence of worms... but who knows?).

We put up fliers THAT night, and no one called all day Friday so I made arrangements to take him to my Dad's house and take him to the vet when they opened on Tuesday. Then, on Saturday, a man called and said he lived in the next building to us and it was his kitten... he came over to get him right away, and I promptly asked him why the heck his kitten was outside in the pouring rain at 8 weeks of age?! Apparently, "Spot" "got out" while he was shopping on Thursday night. Then, he asked my Mom if she was "looking for a cat" because he had other kittens that would be ready in a couple weeks . Last night (Sunday), I heard mewing on the deck and I went out to find the kitten again!! This time, he was with a male unneutered white cat who we fed all summer and up until about a month ago he was on our deck day and night. I put two and two together, and apparently the white cat is the father of the gray/white kitten, and both are free to roam. I can't find any reason these cats could get out of a townhouse while people aren't home, unless they leave their windows open in the dead of winter!! I brought the kitten in and dried him off and fed him (He was very hungry) and I called his "owner" back, and asked him if he didn't want the kitten. He said the kitten is his daughter's and they were "accidentally" let outside.

My Mom called me this morning and said the kitten is back! I just don't know what to do. On one hand, I'd like to take him from the people... he'll become sexually mature soon and will just be breeding prolifically like his Dad and Mom. On the other hand, I don't want to take the kitten from his family, I'd LIKE to try to educate them since they obviously have more kittens in the same situation. Does anyone have links or fliers that I could anonymously send to him? I HATE seeing this sweet little guy living in danger, probably without any shots at all, especially since right behind us is a big woodsy forest preserve, where mountain lions, coyotes, etc are roaming. Here are some pics of the little angel boy....

[animal_rescue]

Hmm I don't have any links or flyers, I would say take the kitten and find him a good home. Thing is if there not willing to take care of him or bring him in the house then I don't think they would care much if he dissapeared permently. He's a cutie though!

[caseysmom]

Erica, The poor guy is going to get hit, I say take him.

[bckrazy]

The thing is, he HAS other kittens and cats. Sure, I'd be saving this kitten, but what about the others? It's almost like taking a puppy from a pet store but what about his parents and siblings?

And I'd feel horrible just taking a kitten. I'm thinking, they're just uneducated. They obviously raised him indoors, atleast, and apparently they think it's fine for a kitten to be roaming around outside at 8 weeks old with no collar. My Dad said we can only keep him until I find him a good home and get him neutered and such... who knows if that means I could keep him or not. I'd like to talk to him and give him some educational info if I could.

[Husky_mom]

definately take him, maybe they wont even miss him, and he´ll be much better with someone who cares for him properly

such a cute cat!!

[catmandu]

I hope that those Idiots do know your name or address.
Obviously they dont give a damn about thier responsibilities to the Cats,or Society as a whole.
I would place that Wonderful Kitten ASAP,and the White Cat too,and then if any more Kittens show up,take them too.
Its too bad that Animal Control cant swoop in and take All Those Cats from that Jerk.Its Scum like that that give Cat Guardians a Bad Name.

[moosmom]

I'd LIKE to try to educate them since they obviously have more kittens in the same situation

You can't education stupid, irresponsible pet owners, and he's definitely one!! I'd take the kitten in and if he asks where it is, say you haven't seen it. Just from what you told me, this guy doesn't like cats. Accidentally got out HOW MANY TIMES???? PUHLEEZE!!!

Please do this cat a favor and give it a good home. If you give him back to that jerk, God only knows what would happen. I'd sleep better at night knowing that precious grey boy is warm, fed and above all, SAFE!!!

[orangemm]

That little guy looks like our RB Buzzy. There is now way I'd let my babies roam like that in the cold and rain. Something is not right with that guy; he obviously does not care about his "pets".

He'd be MINE.

[bckrazy]

I went over to my Mom's, and after I left, she talked to the kittens owner and brought him back. He says he will wait until "Spot" has all of his shots to let him back out... which I hope he'll follow up on. I really don't think he's malicious, I thought so at first, but he is just very uneducated. He's in his early 20's and just found the white boy and had a female cat and he never knows when she's in heat so he doesn't know when to seperate them. They've had 3 litters, and both the Mom and Dad are young... under 2 years old. He has placed all of the kittens from the 2 past litters except for "Spot". I informed him about spay/neuter clinics at our local SPCA which charges $10 per cat, which he had no idea about and seemed very interested in. He also had no idea about feline leukemia or other diseases/parasites outdoor cats can contract, but he has them all vaccinated for Rabies which is a start. So he said he will look into all of that.

I will definitely call him before we move on Friday, definitely. The biggest problem is that my Grandmother isn't a big cat fan because of Lola waking her and my Mom up every morning at 5 AM, and she is just not a fan of animals (except for Gonzo, of course!). She says one cat is enough, as she will be moving with us to a big house on Friday. I'm really trying to convince her that Lola will be much happier and less clingy with a feline companion. My friend Grace is very interested in adopting him and she already has 3 cats, so that is the other option which seems more do-able.

Thanks for all of the advice I'm really hoping I can keep him.