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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get their cat neutered?

25 replies

Fairybatman · 14/07/2020 00:18

Bear with me on this, neighbours a few doors down have a cat. Their kids have told me that it’s not their cat anymore and she isn’t allowed in the house. She looking a bit scraggy and thin so I don’t think she is being looked after properly or at all.

Over the last couple of days we have noticed that she has had kittens in our garden and is
Raising them behind our shed (much to the disgust of our cats.)

I really don’t want a colony of stray cats taking up residence at the bottom of our garden and I’ve spoken to our local shelter.

The shelter won’t take her or the kittens as they are full, but will trap neuter and release her and the same for the kittens when they are big enough.

The neighbours are awful and I know without asking that there’s no point trying to get them to sort it out.

AIBU to get her done without asking them?

OP posts:
violetbunny · 14/07/2020 00:39

Oh please do, and take her in if you can. It breaks my heart to think that people can treat animals like this 😭

violetbunny · 14/07/2020 00:41

Also they clearly don't care about the cat or they wouldn't be treating her like this. So I wouldn't worry about them coming after you for helping the cat.

Enough4me · 14/07/2020 00:43

Please do and tell people through NextDoor neighbour online site or similar as people may take kittens in and then try to get cat mum in a shelter later.

ToBBQorNotToBBQ · 14/07/2020 00:43

What horrible people. Can't the RSPCA do anything? Poor cats.

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:45

Of course you should, but can you take them all in in the meantime? If you don't the kittens will either grow up feral, so you won't be able to get them neutered without getting a rescue to trap them, or they will be eaten by foxes. Where in the country are you?

In most places there is still a demand for friendly kittens, so they could probably be homed (through a rescue) once they are 8 to 10 weeks old, but it sounds as though the rescue doesn't have enough foster places for the mum and young kittens.

So obviously forget completely about the neighbours. No owned cat gives birth outside. But you need to bring them all to safety somehow. Do you have a spare room you could use?

There may be other rescues that can help. A full list of rescues by region can be found here: www.catchat.org

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:48

And obviously you need to feed her in the meantime, whatever you do, but I'm sure you're doing that already.

Shinesweetfreedom · 14/07/2020 00:49

@Fairybatman There will be other shelters,or cat rescues.You could ask on Facebook or maybe you don’t want to give the game away to the neighbours.
Where in the country are you,I could start looking for rescues.

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:54

Oh and don't mention anything to rescues about the previous owners. That will complicate things legally for them. Just say she's a stray that has turned up.

Once again - a full list of rescues is here: www.catchat.org

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:56

@ToBBQorNotToBBQ The RSPCA don't do anything about stray or feral cats (don't ask me what they do in fact do with all their money ...)

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:57

And I really wouldn't put anything on Facebook or Nextdoor. Try to find another proper rescue. Have you tried Cats Protection? Please tell us where you are.

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 00:58

Who the hell voted YABU? Did you press the wrong button? Or not read the OP?

Original poster
Fairybatman · 14/07/2020 02:07

Absolutely can’t take them in, I have two cats already and am allergic to most cats so couldn’t have 5 in the house, plus I don’t think my boys would accept her and she would end up more stressed inside.

She’s found herself a good spot where she is and we are feeding her.so she is relatively safe.

I believe all the local rescues are full but will try some from @thecatneuterer‘s list.

I really can’t ask on Facebook etc. if the neighbours get wind they will want the kittens and then do the same thing when they aren’t cute anymore.

They have been through three cars and 2 dogs in about 5 years and their current dog is always wondering. They just don’t care.

OP posts:
Josette77 · 14/07/2020 04:13

You should at least report them to the RSPCA. They should not be allowed to adopt animals.

Anordinarymum · 14/07/2020 04:42

Many years ago a family near us had a cat and rabbits. The wife ran off with another man and the husband had some sort of breakdown. The children went to live with relations and they just abandoned the animals.

The next door neighbour fed the rabbits which were eventually taken away by the RSPCA and we fed the cat. We already had a cat so we just fed theirs. It moved in with us, and since nobody claimed it we looked after it.

Much later the guy and his kids came back and didn't want the cat at all. I had it neutered.

They did not want it back but they gave me a lot of abuse for taking it to the vet without their permission.

Lesson learned. You never know what the owner of the cat may do, but I would say go for it.

CazzaCat · 14/07/2020 06:04

@Fairybatman I would try RSPCA in this instance, they have committed animal abandonment which is against the law. The kittens should make the cat a priority for them.

You sound really caring OP, glad you are looking out for them, don’t give up on the rescues, try them all. We had to wait weeks on a list to rehome an abandoned cat in our area but it was better than nothing and now he has a family of his own.

Do you have an animal lover friend that could take her in and foster while you wait??

Newdaynewname1 · 14/07/2020 06:21

The RSPCA aren’t going to do anything (I actually wonder if they ever do anything - I called them once about a clearly lost dog loose one a building side dragging 2m or do of chain behind him - apparently not their business to even check as the dig must have been a guard dog....)
Try other shelters...

BovaryX · 14/07/2020 06:53

The poor animals that end up with your vile neighbours. They are cruel and irresponsible, that is evident by their failure to look after this cat or neuter her. Their children are being raised to think animal cruelty is normal. Vile behaviour. I strongly recommend reporting them.

thecatneuterer · 14/07/2020 10:52

DO NOT involve the RSPCA. Claiming that the cat has official owners will put their care into a legal quagmire that will not be in their best interests. They need to be reported as strays.

SallyWD · 14/07/2020 11:02

Even if your local cat shelter can't take them in, a cat charity should keep a record of them and rehome them as and when they find homes. Your situation is exactly the same as the situation our cat was living in before we homed him. A local family had washed their hands of their cats and the cats moved in to their neighbours garden and started breeding! The local cat charity neutered the adult cats and kittens when they were old enough. They gradually, over time, found homes for all the cats. Until they were rehomed the cats continued to live in this woman's garden. She took pity on them and fed them outside. The cat charity provided a little outdoor shelter for the cats to sleep in whilst they waited for homes. Despite my cat having a less than ideal early life he's really settled in to our house now and is very affectionate. With the support of a local cat charity (not necessarily a shelter but a charity) these cats in your garden can have a happy ending too.

FizzyGreenWater · 14/07/2020 11:05

Please don't tell the neighbours - they'll go find the kittens and sell them on gumtree probably. The prices for kittens at the moment is astonishing!

RSPCA are awful.

Cats Protection much better.

Get in touch with them and say they're strays. Don't involve neighbours at all.

user5656 · 14/07/2020 11:14

Do what the thecatneuterer suggests. She always gives excellent advice.

Milsplus3 · 14/07/2020 11:31

Please feed them for now and keep an eye on the kittens. If shelters aren’t able to take them in then I’d consider rehoming them all to families when they’re old enough. I know it’s not a popular thing to do this online or wherever, but it might be their only chance of getting good homes. I’d be inclined to report the ‘owner’ to the rspca for animal cruelty too in hope they’ll be banned from owning another animal again.

TamzinGrey · 15/07/2020 19:43

The RSPCA don't do anything about stray or feral cats (don't ask me what they do in fact do with all their money ...)

WTF are those poor little creatures that I spend all of my time looking after as an RSPCA cat rescue volunteer then ? Hmm

I know that you hate us #thecatneuterer but constantly slagging off another animal charity on a public forum is wrong in so many ways. Celia has worked with my rescue in the past and would not be impressed I'm sure. Please stop doing it.

Original poster
Fairybatman · 10/08/2020 19:57

Just a small update. There were actually 5 kittens.

After a lot of waiting one of the local places has space for them. It’s a shame really as they will be a lot harder to tame now that they are older.

No 1 has gone to a local shelter today. Operation trap number 2 is underway.

To get their cat neutered?
OP posts:
AlmostAJillSandwich · 10/08/2020 20:01

Oh my what a gorgeous little pickle!

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