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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To keep feeding these cats and letting them in my house?

45 replies

LavenderLedge · 26/09/2015 20:27

My neighbours have a very chaotic household full of a variety of animals, none of which are looked after properly. It's not a situation bad enough to warrant calling the RSPCA but it is bad enough that their cat has constantly been in my garden and getting in my house through catflap/open windows etc and eating my cats' food and snoozing.

I am a cat lover so didn't really object.

However, the family refuse to spay the cat and in the spring she had kittens on my bed. Now the cat and the kittens have taken up residence in my garden shed. They do not return home and when I carried them to the neighbours' house the other day (they had asked me if I'd seen their cats) the cats fought and ran and cowered. Within two days they were back, ravenously hungry.

I let them sleep in my house and eat my cats' food and I am really falling in love with them.

But they're not mine.

What should I do? The cats obviously do not want to go home, preferring my cold shed to their own home but I don't like being a cat thief!

OP posts:

PoppyPopTart · 27/09/2015 00:13

The mother cat has clearly chosen to live with you, and to have her kittens in the safety of your house

This^

Poor cats/kittens . They would obviously have a loving, happy life with you OP, and the mother cat thinks so. Please do all you can to ensure they don't go back to that horrible family.

Lurkedforever1 · 27/09/2015 00:15

Just do it. One of my cats originally came about cos the other kept bringing her home. She was a mess, I think she'd been in a fight, and therefore couldn't hunt which is how she chooses to eat even years later. Apart from checking for a chip the vets never questioned my right to have her treated, even for non essential things like jabs. Just be truthful about how you've been feeding her and the kittens etc and leave out the neighbours part.

Just out of interest worth mentioning if you have a feral cat that's not nuetered, the cats protection will take it and it's kittens, rehome the kittens and spay the adult, and if you are volunteering to take on responsibility they'll return the adult to you. Very easy to mistake a cat that lives in your garden with no collar and chip for a feral. Obviously they are a charity so if people who find Ferals, especially ones they'd like returning can afford it they should make a donation. It wouldn't be said persons fault though if they accidentally got someone's non feral pet spayed.

thecatneuterer · 27/09/2015 04:46

I haven't read the whole thread but if they're not going to get them neutered then you need to. The kittens are now old enough to get pregnant and mum is probably pregnant again.

The neighbours are not going to care and, even if they did there is nothing they can do. If you happen to be in London please pm me and I'll sort it all out for you.

TheBunnyOfDoom · 27/09/2015 05:00

Please get them neutered! If the kittens are 5 months, mum is probably already pregnant again and the kittens could get pregnant too - possibly by the toms in the litter - if you end up with inbred kitties you could be in real trouble so please get them fixed!

thecatneuterer · 27/09/2015 05:13

Very easy to mistake a cat that lives in your garden with no collar and chip for a feral.

A feral cat is one unused to humans that you would need to trap as you can't get near it. What you have in your garden are stray cats and the CPL or any other charity would certainly still neuter them. They do not 'belong' to the neighbours as they are not taking care of them and they are not even living with them, they are living with you.

I really do hope you're in London so I can help.

Senpai · 27/09/2015 06:15

I'd call animal control honestly. They can round up the cats in your yard and take them to a shelter where they'll be spayed, neutered and put up for adoption. I wouldn't spend any money on them though unless the owner signed them over. Otherwise, you'd put all that energy in just to have them returned to their current situation.

Spartans · 27/09/2015 06:52

I would all a cat charity (I think the rscpa are shit so wouldn't call them) for advice.

Or ask the neighbour of they would like you to take them off their hands then round them up and take them to a car shelter. Or at the very least get them all spayed.

thecatneuterer · 28/09/2015 17:31

I've just seen the appallingly bad advice from Senpai. In the UK at least there is no such thing as 'animal control'. Councils deal with rats etc, but not feral cats. The only people who deal with feral/stray cats are charities (but not the RSPCA) and we've already advised contacting them.

The appalling advice is that to not do anything if they risk going back to the owners. If the OP organises (and indeed pays for if necessary) neutering she will be preventing the suffering of literally hundreds more cats/kittens that will be born in her shed, predated by foxes and ultimately dying of starvation when there are just too many for the OP to feed.

Neutering is always worthwhile, whether they end up going back to the 'owners' or not. And since these cats have taken up residence in her shed they really don't have owners.

NameChange30 · 28/09/2015 20:32

Are you still there OP? Or are you staying away because we all said what you didn't want to hear?

LuckyBitches · 29/09/2015 11:13

Who would blame her is she had left, considering the bullying tone of some of the comments on here?

NameChange30 · 29/09/2015 11:24

"Bullying tone"? Eh?

TheBunnyOfDoom · 29/09/2015 13:39

Nobody's bullied anyone! FGS.

Original poster

LavenderLedge · 02/10/2015 15:13

Sorry about not returning sooner - things have been hectic of late.

The advice about getting the kittens spayed is all well and good in theory but the reality is that they do not belong to me and it could get me into a lot of trouble! I have just got off the phone with Cats Protection who advised I don't get them spayed as they are not my cats but suggested I write a note (conversation is difficult as they don't speak much english) asking if they want me to take responsibilty for the cats.

They said the RSPCA would not help as the cats are being fed and housed by me.

OP posts:

Original poster

LavenderLedge · 02/10/2015 15:14

Sorry, to clarify - write a note to the neighbours.

OP posts:

Original poster

LavenderLedge · 02/10/2015 15:16

Thecatneuterer, thank you for your kind offer of help but I'm not near London unfortunately.

OP posts:

MistressMia · 02/10/2015 16:05

FGS just take them to a vet and say they are strays and get them done.

They are hardly likely to be chipped.

If you don't get them spayed you are going to have another litter(s) to deal with very soon. What will you do then ?

Get them done and just keep them in till the fur has grown back or hand them all over to a rescue as 'strays' / privately re-home them out of the area.

Your note will most likely be ignored and in the mean time one or more will be knocked up again.

Pointless fannying around going on.

TheBunnyOfDoom · 02/10/2015 16:12

If they're not chipped, you won't get into any trouble by getting them spayed. At least take them to the vets and get them scanned. By letting these cats into your house and feeding them, you're taking responsibility for their welfare. If you didn't want to do that, you shouldn't have allowed them to make their home with you.

EponasWildDaughter · 02/10/2015 17:55

Just treat them as if they were yours. Get them neutered and let them live at yours.

The cats are unlikely to ever set foot on the old owners property if there are vicious dogs living there, so the people probably wont even know (or care) that their cats have buggered off permanently to your house.

thecatneuterer · 04/10/2015 22:37

Jesus that is also appalling advice from Cats Protection. You cannot get into any trouble at all for getting them neutered and CP should really be helping you. Could you possibly pm me the details of the person you spoke to there? We need to have a word with them/take this further. They shouldn't be giving out such terrible advice.

The neighbours really aren't going to care if you get them spayed or not. I wouldn't bother with a conversation. Just get it done. Nothing, NOTHING, can happen to you as a result. It's perfectly legal to neuter abandoned cats and that's what these are.

If you're anywhere near Liverpool or North Wales I know of a great charity that could help incidentally.

thecatneuterer · 04/10/2015 22:44

(From our website): If a female cat mates every time she comes into season and all her kittens survive and breed there could be up to 21,000 extra cats in just seven years!

Can you cope with 21,000 cats living in your garden? Get them done.

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