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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

wanting to rehome a kitten

114 replies

shannonxox · 21/05/2018 13:17

i recently got a 10 week old kitten, im wanting to rehome her because of my 14 month old daughter, she doesnt understand yet but she keeps trying to squeeze the cat all the time and im afraid of the cat going for the baby, another thing is she was good when she first got here she would go in her litter tray but recently she seems to take a poo either behind my sofa or the kitchen floor, her litter tray gets cleaned out every night, another thing aswell i am not always in the house im always running around doing something, like either working or in college, so when i get home im shattered and havent got the energy to have a play session with her, shes scratching my doors and the walls in the kitchen, i need advice on what to do?

OP posts:
LittleMissMarker · 21/05/2018 14:43

Do ask a rescue to rehome the kitten. She is young and will easily find another place. Kittens are harder work than they seem! It's a bad idea to keep a kitten if you are going to be out a lot, they need a lot of attention and playtime at least for the first year.

You might be able to improve things a bit by just making sure that your DD can't get near the kitten; especially when the kitten is on the litter tray or eating. I used a baby-gate on the door of the room with the litter tray, the cats could get through but the baby couldn't. If your kitten feels safe and private on the litter tray she will probably use it, if she doesn't she will try to find somewhere else.

Your DD is still too little to know how to interact safely with a kitten. It's dangerous for both of them. So you need to make sure the kitten has plenty of safe spaces away from her, and that your DD is never left unsupervised with the kitten. And of course your DD may get scratched, kittens are scratchy little creatures at the best of times. Don't let your DD grab the kitten or squeeze the kitten, ever.

One of my adult cats trained my DS to treat cats properly when he was a baby, the cat would come to him and if he annoyed her or poked her or tried to grab her she would just walk away or jump up on a high surface where he couldn't reach her, then after a few minutes she would forget about it and come back. DS soon learned not to make the kitty go away! (And I was always in the room and watching closely when they were together). A 10-week-old kitten isn't big enough or strong enough or smart enough to look after itself like that.

I'm sorry the kitten got dumped on you like that. You've done your best. And I understand that you and DD are fond of it now. But really it would be safer and happier elsewhere, and your DD would be safer too. You can get another kitten in a few years time, or maybe an adult cat (adults tend to be calmer and less scratchy!), when DD is older and when you're in a better situation to look after it.

Original poster
shannonxox · 21/05/2018 14:44

unfortunately not because i live no where near

OP posts:
Luisa27 · 21/05/2018 14:45

shannon don’t contact the breeder - she/he sounds like a total tit selling kittens on gumtree

If Awkward can help/advise you that’s great - if not there are many excellent rescues who will rehome the kitten responsibly

Don’t feel overwhelmed - pm me if you need help in contacting rescues in your area

Luisa27 · 21/05/2018 14:47

Lovely post LittleMissMarker Smile

Original poster
shannonxox · 21/05/2018 14:48

i do keep the baby away from the kitten as often as i can so the baby doesnt try anything like i will have the kitten in the living room with me and the baby will be in her playgym with her toys to keep her distracted whilst the kitten has a run around

OP posts:
AwkwardPaws27 · 21/05/2018 14:49

Unfortunately OP lives a long way from me, but I have sent her the details of her local Cats Protection - OP is clearly trying to make the best of the situation (by seeking advice) and is taking the right route by asking for help to finding a rehoming centre.

Wolfiefan · 21/05/2018 14:56

Hope cats protection can help.

Luisa27 · 21/05/2018 14:57

....excellent news!
Cats Protection are great Shannon - give them a call and someone will get back to you. They’re so helpful

ilovesooty · 21/05/2018 15:14

I imagine your sister bought the dog from Gumtree or similar?
Please don't let her foist a dog on you too.

Beaverhausen · 21/05/2018 15:18

Contact your local cats protection and their rehoming centre and put her on theirbwaitin list so that they can find her he right home.

GalwayWayfarer · 21/05/2018 16:11

You're being criticised because so many poor animals end up miserable in shelters because their owners haven't don't their research and can't look after them properly. It's not at all fair on the animal. But in your circumstances you should definitely rehome her as you can't adequately care for her.

AlexaAmbidextra · 21/05/2018 16:18

Why the fuck did you get a kitten if, as you say, you’re out all the time. For God’s sake give it to a rescue centre and let them find it a home where it will be loved and cared for. Let’s just hope you’re child doesn’t start pooing in the wrong place.🙄

TheDairyQueen · 21/05/2018 16:36

YANBU, the kitten sounds like she'd be well shot of you.

As for this Gumtree business, the sooner the sale of live animals is prohibited the better.

Original poster
shannonxox · 21/05/2018 22:45

if you had read the messages above you would have seen that i didnt get the cat she was my sisters and my sister wanted me to look after her for the day until she left her here and didnt want her back but went and got a dog, the reason why the kitten keeps pooing behind the sofa is because i dont think she likes crowds of people she only seems to do it when my father and stepmum come over with my nephew and his mum and even though my nephew has been told numerous times not to chase or pick up the cat he still tries too

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 21/05/2018 22:51

So stop him or rehome the poor bloody thing. Your set up sounds completely incompatible with taking on this poor cat. Rehome through a reputable charity before you have an older cat with behavioural issues nobody wants.

Luisa27 · 21/05/2018 23:00

Did you contact Cats Protection Shannon?

theycallmebabydriver · 21/05/2018 23:08

Except of course that before you made your own thread you resurrected a zombie thread to say you had bought the kitten.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1490478-To-get-rid-of-my-fucking-horrible-cat-long-sorry?pg=10&order=

The sister story appears when people on this thread got uppity with you. Personally I couldn't give a monkeys how or why you acquired that cat just that it works out well for all of you in the end. I suspect your motive was to post in the hope that someone would PM you saying they would take the cat, sadly you're going to actually have to do the leg work and rehome it properly.

SilverySurfer · 21/05/2018 23:37

An interesting find theycallmebabydriver so the sister story is bullshit; not surprised. The poor animal was bought via Gumtree and I would take a guess that's where it will be resold. Actually making the effort to do the decent thing and re-homing with a shelter is obviously too much like hard work.

Threads like this disgust me.

WittyJack · 21/05/2018 23:50

Fucking hell.

If there is a she's awful and thick as a brick. If there isn't a sister, then...

Why why why is it still legal to sell vulnerable live animals on sites like gumtree? Sad

Why do people not look beyond awww cute when taking on an animal?

I fucking hate people sometimes!!

alltoomuchrightnow · 22/05/2018 00:01

Shannon, in the other thread you clearly state you BOUGHT this poor animal.
I worked for the RSPCA. They are overrun with animals from backgrounds like yours. My own cat is a rescue from them.
Unbelievably selfish and stupid. Why did you get this kitten in the first place?

Luisa27 · 22/05/2018 00:11

Oh fgs - surely the priority here is that the kitten is rehomed quickly via a reputable rescue such as Cats Protection?
At least Shannon is doing the right thing in recognising that her home isn’t suitable for the kitten, and attempting to rectify this?
You lot shouting and swearing about if, and how, and where she bought the kitten isn’t helpful...and more likely to ostracise the OP from seeking any further advice.
Shannon please pm me if you need any help in rehung the kitten - you’re doing the right thing!

Luisa27 · 22/05/2018 00:12

*rehoming

LittleMissMarker · 22/05/2018 09:32

A couple of other things to be aware of - your kitten should be vaccinated round about now, certainly before it goes outside, and again in a couple of months' time. And also you need to spay or neuter your cat, especially if she is female she needs to be spayed in a couple of months' time or you will soon have a houseful of kittens! Are you up to date with flea and worm protection too? Neutering and these bits of routine medical care are going to be an extra expense.

It really would be much better to call Cat's Protection League or RSPCA, or call a local vet and ask for advice on local shelters and re-homing. I know some people have not been very kind about it but everyone here is really saying the same thing - you asked if it would be reasonable to re-home your cat and it's more than reasonable, it's the right thing to do as soon as you possibly can. And do it through a reputable shelter, you care about the kitten and they will make sure she goes somewhere she can be safe and happy and properly looked after.

Tink2007 · 22/05/2018 09:35

If the kitten is doing her wee and poos elsewhere it is either because of an infection, lack of litter training or she doesn’t want to have to pass your child who pulls at her to get to her litter tray, hence why she is doing it somewhere she can’t be seen.

alwaysiero · 22/05/2018 09:45

I wonder what you were expecting when you got the kitten. Oh we'll pass it on to a rescue, make it someone else's problem, not like they're already full to bursting. Sorry to sound harsh but I work for a dog rescue, I'm beyond tired of people thinking rescue is the go to option when they've had enough.