To keep all 4 kittens taking the total number of cats to 20!

[Madzhouse]

Sorry this is long!

Right I live rurally. Since living here I have always had 2 or 3 cats as pets as rodent deterrents. I know the mice and rats are there but if I can't see them or any evidence of them they can go about their lives and ill go about mine. My current cats are spayed / neutered and frankly never leave the house through their own choice. They are pretty useless as anything other than furry paperweights.

About 3/4 years ago a feral cat showed up. Horrifically skinny and injured. Cats Protection trapped it for me, spayed it and under their trap and release policy released it back at mine. Tbh it wasnt a big problem. I put biscuits and water out in the stables and it hunts the rodents. Over time it learnt to tolerate me but its a yard cat not a pet. Great.

But ... a couple of years ago another cat turned up. Heavily pregnant and completely deranged. Wouldn't go in a trap. Disappeared and then came back with several juvenile kittens. All also feral. Short while later some of these also spawned kittens which went on to spawn more kittens. At one point there was over 40 (!) cats of varying ages roaming around.

Over time the majority of them have been befriended but cats protection still class them as a feral colony (even though they no longer are feral) and so won't take them to their centres for rehoming and neither will the 2 other local smaller charities I asked. I understand why they have other more urgent cases and these are fed and looked after. When discussing with them about trying to find some of them homes, they advised me NOT to advertise them because they had seen increased cases of kittens / cats being used for dog baiting! As a result i have been terrified of selling them, I know not to advertise them as free to good home and so all friends and family who can be have been persuaded to have kittens/ cats. This leaves me my 3 original pets, 10 ex-feral which now come in the house and 2 which tolerate me but live outside.

Just before lockdown another cat turned up. Shes pretty friendly so we thought perhaps she was lost. Advertised and put her on Facebook but noone claimed her. Arranged to have her spayed but lockdown happened (she was booked in for that first wed!) and so it was cancelled. She became pregnant and had 5 kittens. I really struggled to find people we know to take them but in the end managed. When the warmer weather came she vanished again. She returned about a week ago with 4 kittens aged about 4 weeks id guess. I've asked everyone I can think of and asked them to ask people but I cant find anyone willing to have them.

Whilst logically I know if I advertise them (for money) the chances of them going to a dog baiter is small I just panic at the thought that they might. So ..

AIBU to keep all 4 myself if I can't persuade anyone else I know to have them .....

@Bluntness100

Gosh this brings back memories. My grandfather was like this. They had a sort of gazebo summer house thing in the garden and a cat had a large number of kittens in there, who then went on to habe their own kittens,

My grand mother hated it, and when he was on a golf trip had the rspca come in and remove them.

When he came back we all sat and watched him wander round the borders of the garden with a piece of fish in his hand saying here kitty kitty as he couldn’t understand where they all were. No one told him. 😱

It’s a shame no charity will help out but if you’re happy and can afford to feed them, then go for it,

What a horrible thing to do to your husband.

I would actually advertise them for £150 and donate the money to the local cat charity after deducting vaccination costs and perhaps you can give them a voucher to cover spaying costs??

Imagine the smell

I love the fact that you "aren't a cat person" but the cats have clearly decided you are!

@yetanothernamitynamechange

I love the fact that you "aren't a cat person" but the cats have clearly decided you are!

Such standard cat behaviour. Totally self-centred.

showofhands Well if you happen to be anywhere near Staffordshire in 4 weeks or so I have ten one you can have ;) £500 I just ... wow. The dilemma with these is obviously I have no idea of their history because mum turned up and I don't know who dad is. I have no idea if there is a health storm brewing or if they will live forever so I've been loathe to sell them because I cant promise what people are getting.

Lockdown has driven animal prices insane. I compete with my GSDs and had a eagerly planned litter earlier in the year during the lockdown. The remaining pups had all been reserved off my waiting list ages before but I must have had easily 100 times the level of enquires id normally get and people were crazily desperate. Prices have trebled for a non registered, no health checks on parents, non experienced breeder pup. Its madness. It will be interesting to see if prices come back down!

I

For people that want a cat rather than a kitten many of the individual cat clubs have rescue and welfare sections with cats that need rehoming such as retired queens or have taken umbrage to living in a multi cat home or owner taken ill, had to move house etc.

You make a donation but it's a very inexpensive way to get a pedigree cat and skip the potential hard work and destruction of a kitten 😂

YABU to think you can devote enough time and attention to that many cats, when you are just one person. Clearly you would be an irresponsible pet owner to keep them all. Kittens especially need lots of attention.

You would be incredibly unreasonable. Obviously you need someone to come and live with you to ensure these cats and kittens get the love and attention they need.

PM me your address and I'll be there in an hour

I'm in Staffordshire OP. If you need any help with food or anything then I'd be happy to help if I can. I wish I could take another off you, but I have 3 and a dog. My DP wouldn't let me have anymore

@Madzhouse

showofhands Well if you happen to be anywhere near Staffordshire in 4 weeks or so I have ten one you can have ;) £500 I just ... wow. The dilemma with these is obviously I have no idea of their history because mum turned up and I don't know who dad is. I have no idea if there is a health storm brewing or if they will live forever so I've been loathe to sell them because I cant promise what people are getting.

Lockdown has driven animal prices insane. I compete with my GSDs and had a eagerly planned litter earlier in the year during the lockdown. The remaining pups had all been reserved off my waiting list ages before but I must have had easily 100 times the level of enquires id normally get and people were crazily desperate. Prices have trebled for a non registered, no health checks on parents, non experienced breeder pup. Its madness. It will be interesting to see if prices come back down!

I

There are other ways than charging an exorbitant fee to rehome kittens. Ask for a recomendation from their Vet

@Madzhouse

Are they really? That's daylight robbery!

These are listed in your area. Did you see my previous link for the ‘wanted’ kittens in your area? www.pets4homes.co.uk/search/?type_id=2&advert_type=1&location=staffordshire&distance=75&maxprice=550&results=20&sort=distance

Loads of people are struggling to get kittens atm. I'd advertise and carefully vet. It could get very eco for you as these cats get older and start needing veterinary treatment

That's at least 3 times as many cats as anyone could ever deal with, surely

This is my dream😩

Bluntness that is so sad, the ‘here kitty kitty’ bit is heartbreaking. Did he ever find out what happened?

Aww there so cute op

I paid start of the year for a kitten £70 just the normal moggie but she's adorable and gets on well with my other 2. Seems. She was cheap

Yes, the big rescues, especially RSPCA, do seem to be totally ruled by tick boxes, and it can be very frustrating. But when the smaller rescues have rules, please bear in mind that they will have seen things that thankfully the rest of us will never see - litters of kittens born so deformed from in-breeding that many will not survive. Kittens raised in rubbish dumps with eye infections so bad the eye bursts. Mothers that are still just big kittens themselves. All of this due to humans who won’t neuter, or who abandon or hoard cats. I didn’t have a clue until I started helping out with rescue work myself. Do bear that in mind when rescue staff have rules to screen people and their surroundings.

There are lots of small independent cat rescues in Staffs listed here, @Madzhouse. It’s worth getting in touch as it sounds like more strays/ferals may turn up in future:

www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-rescue-centres-staffordshire

It might also be worth knowing about the Feral and Farm Cats group, they know their stuff:

www.facebook.com/groups/535322183236607/?ref=share

But when the smaller rescues have rules, please bear in mind that they will have seen things that thankfully the rest of us will never see - litters of kittens born so deformed from in-breeding that many will not survive. Kittens raised in rubbish dumps with eye infections so bad the eye bursts. Mothers that are still just big kittens themselves. All of this due to humans who won’t neuter, or who abandon or hoard cats

Same here sadly. People complain that rescues are 'too fussy' but we're just trying to prevent further suffering and upset because the cat gets run over when people live near busy/fast roads, causes issues when people have to move between rental properties and can't find one that accepts pets, or young children get scratched or bitten because they won't leave the cat alone.

I'm now thinking our rescue should increase our homing fee. We charge an amount that covers neutering, vaccinations, flea and worm treatment and and microchipping plus a small percentage on top.

It's (hopefully) enough to discourage people wanting kittens on a whim or anyone who wants to do them harm but in no way covers even the most basic veterinary treatment that many of them need if we find them sick or injured, which many of them are unfortunately.

Personally I’d sell them and use the profits to get any spaying done of other cats

If you are near to the the Derbyshire side then the Ashbourne Ark are amazing. We got our cat there and the manager is really friendly and helpful

Op you are just lovely! X

I paid £150 for my fur baby in May

He is a bog standard moggy too but I adore him. We wanted one, and I thought that was an ok price

I think you are amazing feeding and letting all of these cats in but I do worry about the diseases they could be spreading to each other and so on without vet treatment. If I were you, I would definitely try to re-home the kittens ASAP. To people you have vetted. Then if you contact local vets, they may be able to help with local fosters and so on that could take on 1 or 2 of the other cats for now, and maybe local cat charities could re-home these also - as long as people were willing the spay and neuter straight away?

Kittens are going for bonkers money right now. £150-200 would be considered low in our area right now but assures they won't be used for baiting.

So glad they have you op , definitely rehome to some mumsnetters.
Then you could get updates as they grow up.

@demolitionduo

I'm looking for a ginger kitten (one colour I don't have presently) so if you are nr Hertfordshire I'd be happy to help you out.

Wait, you want a ginger kitten because you haven’t got that colour?

I have no words.