Who is being unreasonable? Found a kitten in garden.

[Deathsquito]

I know this should go in the litter tray but posting for traffic before our guest disappears as we don’t know what to do!

Kitten is a female, looks around the age where you would buy one but I didn’t think they are supposed to be running around outside yet. She’s currently playing with my bemused old rescue cats tail in the garden.

Dh thinks we should just leave them to find their way home. He thinks it’s the feckless estates couple who keep buying animals then chucking them outside.

I think we should bring them in and call the local vets to check whose they are. We live on a very busy main road, lots of dogs around (and a neighbours cat has been killed previously).

It’s such a young cat I’m worried it could easily get killed running around loose and I think there is a frantic owner somewhere.

What should we do?

@Deathsquito

Neighbours son has managed to get in contact with his friends family. The friends mum is headed round now with some pictures but it sounds like we may have found her owner!

That would be a happy ending

Best you call them inside, it would be awful if she turns up & it's gone!!

Our cat was probably not much bigger than that as an adult! She literally fitted into a tissue box at 12 weeks (we knew how old she was as she was born at a stables). She was always tiny- just like her mum and she was the runt of the litter.

Because she was so small we waited til she was 8 months to neuter her and in the meantime kept her inside to avoid any little accidents!

It doesn't look as young as I waas expecting. I'm sure our cats were out and about at a similar age.

Hope you've found the owner OP. She definitely is older than weaning age- looks at least 12 weeks and probably just wandered off a bit.

I have a 1 year old girl that isn't much bigger than her. I had a few people comment how she looked too young to be out. But we kept her in until she was 9 months old!

She is a beauty op! I hope you find her owners. Looks like you might have a new visitor!

This is one of our 2 year old girls. She's an indoor cat but I can imagine her being mistaken for a kitten because she is tiny.

Oh baby 💙 she’s tiny! Far too young to be out! We were always told never to send them out before they were spayed so at least six months! She can’t be older than twelve weeks.

12 weeks? She looks to be about 5 months old to me!

And there's no need to wait six months to spay a cat either - ideally as soon as they're the right weight, so around 4 months is perfect. They can easily get pregnant from that age.

My 5yo female looks around that size - she's fully grown, just titchy. I call her my
little midget

Please keep us updated

My old cat was that size.
She was absolutely tiny.
There’s no way that ‘kitten’ is a young baby too young to be old.
She’s just a really small cat!

**too young to be OUT

Oh she's fabulous!! Our cat is 13, he's just really small, maybe she's the same!

Definitely bring it in. Ask the feckless neighbours if they have lost a pet.

did you find the owner?

She doesn’t look full grown to me, her ears still look massive which makes me think she has more growing to do. She looks to be 3-4 months old which i think is too young to be roaming around out of the owners sight; my vet wouldn’t spay my cat until she was 6 months old, I know it can be done younger but I wouldn’t assume it has been.

I’m glad it looks like you’ve found the owner anyway, hopefully they will be pleased to be reunited with kitten - I’ll be interested to hear how old they say she is!

I see so many posts like this on Facebook cat sites. I know you mean well but please leave the cat alone. It isn't a tiny kitten and is most likely someone's loved pet. If you are concerned write your number on a paper collar and attach it to the cat.

Sorry I answered before reading the full thread as you said you wanted quick advice- I don't think it's as young as your OP made out but it's definitely not 4 years old. This place is hilarious sometimes 🤣. Glad you've potentially found an owner. Lots of people don't let kittens out til a bit older which is why you won't have seen one (plus they aren't that small for very long)

@Deathsquito

Ok, I’ve brought them inside and put down some water. They are happily still playing with old rescue cat so I’ll check the local Facebook pages first. If not anything there I could call the vets and see if there is a microchip?

Put a photo of it on face book, it could have escaped someone's house (through a window for example) and they could be out searching

I hope the owner is found. I honestly can't believe the amount of people telling you to keep it. It is someone's pet.

Aprilx "You need to post a photo alongside an every day object so people can get some perspective."

She did that in her post at 11:51:09.

Oh she's utterly divine! I'd say about four months - definitely not an adult cat! Hope she is reunited with her slaves owners.

I’m happy to report that garden kitten (who is called Keira) has been reunited with a very relieved family!

The mum had been desperately trying to find her since she secretly slipped out around 8am! She hadn’t thought to search houses/gardens across the main road because she thought the kitten could never get over it in one piece. She cried saying she was so scared she’d be dead somewhere at the side of a road.

And Keira is 11 weeks old, they fetched her last week.

Thank you everyone who helped us do the right thing! Think our old cat is relieved to be able to nap in peace again 😂

@Soubriquet

Yes I estimate she’s about 4 months old and probably already speyed if she has caring owners

She looks very well cared for so I hope someone contacts soon about her

There’s thee rub though, if she isn’t spayed and isn’t chipped then she hasn’t got caring owners . Caring local owners will be frantically contacting local vets because it’s one of the first things you do when your young cat goes walkabout. Uncaring owners on the other hand might have pushed her outside first thing this morning and expected her to cope on her own. Don’t let her out, wait until you have checked for a chip with local vets.

@Deathsquito

Neighbour’s dc just came home and he knows someone a few streets over across the main road who got a kitten that looks like this one. He’s trying to get in touch with them.

I’m a bit flabbergasted at the replies saying that she looks like someone’s four year old cat. I never knew adult cats could be so small!

Hopefully will hear something soon. She’s just sat with our cat still in the garden.

I have an adult cat, she’s at least 6/7 years old and is kitten sized. Maybe 5/6 month old kitten but teeny for an adult. She’s awesome.

Posted too soon! So pleased Keira is back home safe and well, she is clearly a very sensible sort of cat since she tracked you down instinctively!

Well done, Deathsquito!

I was about to 'help' by attaching a photo of our last litter, aged 10 weeks, for size comparison.

There's no need now, but here is an entirely gratuitous picture anyway.