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Neighbours kittens

767 replies

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 01/08/2014 09:38

We've recently had new neighbours move in next door. Towards the end of last week two kittens appeared in their garden, I'm not sure whether they'd just got them or had been keeping them inside for a few days.
One of the kittens kept popping its head over our fence and watching DCs playing.

Yesterday when I went to take the bins out the same kitten was sat on my path mewing. As soon as she saw the open door she was in the house. I ushered her out the back door, but she spent the rest of yesterday coming back in, or playing with the DCs toys in the garden. Every time something made her jump she ran to me and hid under my long skirt! By about 6.30 she was clearly hungry, had jumped up and eaten some scraps in my kitchen and drank DSs milk, so I shooed her back out the front door where I'd found her as she just didn't seem to want to go over the fence back to her own garden.

She was v v thin and seemed confused about where home was. Yesterday she was coming in the windows from the garden and mewing a lot. What do I do if she comes back today? It's obviously more interesting here as neighbours are out most of the day and we are home from lunchtime onwards most days and have a garden full of toys and balls etc which she spent hours playing with yesterday. I'm worried about how thin she looked but don't know a lot about cats or kittens so don't know how normal that is. Any advice would be v much appreciated!

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ToffeeWhirl · 09/09/2014 09:08

Shadows the witch Grin! Just as well you don't live in the time of witch hunts!

wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 10:13

Let us know when he's home! You witch

HopefulHamster · 09/09/2014 11:29

Exciting for you Shadows! Sorry haven't been around much, trying to deal with pfb in reception class and pregnancy hormones. I like checking in as for some reason your kittens story has really struck a chord with me.

Love the fact you are becoming witchy cat lady!

GerundTheBehemoth · 09/09/2014 11:47

I've been reading this thread from the start and am so pleased you are adopting a friend for Buttons. The chances are that Buttons' fur will turn properly black as she gets older - she does not look light enough to be a genetically brown ('chocolate') cat, but it's quite common for black kittens and cats to have a brownish tint to their fur when they have a not-great diet that's too low in tyrosine (which may well have been the case for her/her mum in her less-than-ideal living conditions before you rescued her).

It's good to hear that the neighbours are taking better care of the boys and that there's a plan in place with CPL if they neglect them again. Hopefully they will get them neutered - if they do not then I'd be careful about letting them in as when their hormones kick in they will start to spray, and they may be aggressive to Buttons and the new boy. If they are neutered soon there's no reason all four of them can't be good friends.

wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 11:57

I'll eat my hat if those neighbours pay or care enough to neuter the boys.

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 11:57

Morning all, meet Pumpkin!

DD picked the name last night, she reckons black cats, Halloween, pumpkins and it certainly suits him, he's a roly little thing!

So far the kittens are doing well at making friends. After some initial hissing from Buttons she's decided he's great and is following him about trying to play with him and jumping on him. He's too busy trying to explore and suss us out yet. Shelter lady made sure I'd had a long long cuddle with him before we left so that he got used to my smell. I was then very brave stupid and brought him home on the bus Grin

jux your daughter sounds fab! and it's lovely to hear that you are supporting her eccentricities as opposed to trying to have her prescribed sedatives in order to "take the spirit out of her" like my mother. Am very happy to be the witch of the family, means there's more chance she will leave me alone Grin

Neighbours kittens
Neighbours kittens
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ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 11:59

Awwww right after I posted I stuck my head around the living room door and they were playing!! Tumbling round the floor together and having a great time! Oh YAYYYY! They've made friends Grin Grin Grin

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wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 12:08

Yaaay! Loving the name Pumpkin, too. Awww, I love your little kitty family. He looks as if he'll be a fluffy thing!

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 12:23

Ok just how rough should kitten play be? They seem to be having fun, but there's an awful lot of biting each other and batting with claws out. Is that normal? In fact as I'm typing Pumpkin has done a little mew noise and Buttons seems to be getting v rough. But again as typing, they're now lying down together. Is it just a case of letting them literally fight it out? Maybe as Buttons came from dodgy home she didn't learn to play bite or control her claws? That would fit with th biting and clawing I get when she plays with me. Pumpkin played with me at the shelter and kept claws in the whole time, Buttons has hers out every time she plays and often gets stuck in things.

Ok again as typing (sorry I can't keep up!) it seems to be going from play to actual fighting, there was a wee bit of hissing then. Pumpkin seems to have started asserting himself though so that's good yes? I think it's them establishing hierarchy, they seem to be playing and fighting all at the same time!

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ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 12:55

They've settled down a bit now. Which is good as DS and I are about to leave to go and collect DD. Am praying we come home to two happy kitties!

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ToffeeWhirl · 09/09/2014 13:22

I worry about my two fighting sometimes, Shadows, although they are brothers so should know the limits. Usually they play nicely, but there's obviously a power struggle going on and sometimes one of them will cry out when the other has his jaws round his neck or is nibbling his ear. I have clapped loudly to stop them once or twice but, to my surprise, I never see any sign of injury, no matter how roughly they play. So I think they know how far to go and are testing each other. I asked the vet about it and she said to leave them to it. Not sure if this applies to unrelated kittens too.

Hope you come home to contented kittens.

This morning I lost one of my kittens. Turned out he'd managed to pull the base board off under the kitchen unit, climb under the kitchen cupboard and then into the cupboard through a small hole at the back. He then scrambled back, clutching a small kitten toy in his mouth (which I had put in there along with all their food). I think he thought he'd caught a bird, as it had feathers on it. He was very pleased with himself and his brother has now put it in his bed.

You are going to have your work cut out with two, Shadows Grin. I'm finding it really hard work at the moment, lovely as mine both are. They are going in to the vet's to be neutered on Thursday and I'm actually looking forward to a break!

OddFodd · 09/09/2014 13:40

My two brothers are just over a year old and play fight a lot with one another. But they also sleep together so I think it's largely good tempered. And although there's sometimes the odd yowl, there's never been any blood drawn or injuries.

You may find it settles down once they're neutered.

What a journey you've been on! So glad you've got Buttons and a little friend for her too. I think cats should always come in pairs :)

wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 15:33

I think they'll become fast friends once they get

wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 15:34

Sorry...dd knocked my hand! Once they get to know each other!

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 16:35

Hmm it's really hard to tell whether they are playing too rough or not. Buttons seems to be biting a lot, and Pumpkin keeps making these yelp noises, but he seems to be holding his own, and there's not a scratch on him. He's had a few cuddles and seems ok. It's probably still all a bit new and scary for him. This is obv established territory for Buttons and she's older, she seems to be trying to assert herself an awful lot. They seem happy to curl up near each other though.

I'm having to ignore Merlin who is miaowing at the window and cat flap interchangeably. He can see the kittens playing and is desperate to come in, but I know he won't play nice so I'm trying to pretend I can't hear him. Sad I will go out to feed chickens later and play with him a bit.

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ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 16:41

Aww look!

Neighbours kittens
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ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 18:58

Well. They had an almighty fighty thing with both yelping like mad and I went wading in. Separated them and then plonked them both on my lap and we had a chat about the house rules, what I expect of them in terms of behaviour and that we do not hurt others in this house. Since then they've been actually playing. Chasing round the house, much gentler play fighting with no yelping and they really seem to have made friends. They're both curled up on the sofa with me ATM, kids are in bed, lovely!

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HopefulHamster · 09/09/2014 19:06

Cute! I can't tell them apart :)

wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 19:16

Ha! They just needed a lecture!

Jux · 09/09/2014 19:38

Grin They sound to me like they are being very normal. They do have to know who is in charge and gets precedence, and they have to work that out themselves. Just keep an eye and do what you're doing, when you're there.

They are gorgeous! They look pretty relaxed that close to each other, so I imagine they'll be OK.

Buttons and Pumpkin. Lovely.

HansieLove · 09/09/2014 19:39

I had two cats gearing up for a fight yesterday and I threw something at them. It was a pill bottle. Yelling was not working. I have also thrown an almost empty water bottle. Just something to divert their attention.

I had to look at your picture several times to see two kitties! Super cute!

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 19:46

Yes I give a good lecture when required. Or maybe it's my witchy ways having an influence! They were cuddled up together on my lap a minute a go and were def relaxed (stretched out fast asleep kinda relaxed!). They are so bloody gorgeous! I have cats!

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Fluffycloudland77 · 09/09/2014 19:52

Dh told our cat to sit in his basket for an hour to calm down and he did.

He came out when dh said he could. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't believe it.

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 09/09/2014 19:56

Bahahahah no way fluffy! That's amazing!!

I've just melted. I've come back down and they're snuggled up together licking each other! Soooo cute!

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wantacatplease · 09/09/2014 20:50

Yeah it's only Day 1 and they're licking each other? Pretty sure that means love! Sweet!

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