Neighbours kittens

[ShadowsShadowsEverywhere]

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!

Gently, I take it you haven't read the full thread.

To your way of thinking I 'stole' a cat last year. He was a poor old thing and I have no way of knowing if he had an owner or if he was abandoned. I contacted local rescues and, guess what, they couldn't help and there was no way he was getting into the clutches of the RSPCA. I took the decision to 'steal' him (to use your terminology) and he was rehomed with my mother. You probably think I was wrong but, do you know what, my only regret is not doing something sooner so he could have had more than 6 months of love and care.

If an animal is being neglected or ill treated then as far as I'm concerned someone has to step up which is what the OP has done. There are so many good, caring people on this thread that at least the ones who would stand by are outnumbered.

As someone who has had one of their cats stolen by a neighbour for no reason other than that she wanted to, I find the OPs actions and the widespread (though not, thankfully, universal) support she has had on this thread offensive. It was quite obvious from the OPs first few posts what she was going to do - people told her not to feed the kittens and yet she did. She planned this from the start. The point at which it became theft was when she burglarised the neighbours' home instead of calling the police/CPL/RSPCA. She had a clear choice at that point and chose to steal the cats. I'm going to hide this thread now because it's actually really upsetting to me. My DD still regularly cries about her stolen cat even though we have 3 other cats. Perhaps OPs neighbours aren't as upset as my DD about losing their cats - but still. OP could have gone about things a different way but she chose not to.

Gently, I have been following this thread all the way through and have to agree with some of what you are saying. When ever I read the updates the thought of someone taking in and/or feeding my beloved kitten keeps coming in to my head. My 8 month old boy is loved, cared for and well fed. Fortunately he seems shy of strangers at the moment but can sure put on that 'nobody loves me.... nobody feeds me....' look. Would love to hear the other side of this fascinating story.

I think it's deeply out of order to say that the OP 'planned' a 'theft' from the start.

I'm sorry for anyone who genuinely cared for and looked after their cat and had it stolen, but I really can't believe that these neighbours DO care about their kittens.

It's not about the kittens putting on a " 'nobody loves me.... nobody feeds me....' look.' The neighbours have demonstrated irresponsible behaviour: they let the kittens out when they were too young, KNOWING they were too young, because they were too much of a 'pain' to keep inside.

They've gone away and left the cats locked in with no visitors to change their litter trays and inadequate food and water.

They just laughed when told their kittens were scavenging a lot, raiding bins and dog bowls, and having diarrhoea as a result.

Cats Protection were as good as useless.

The OP has done a good thing. Not necessarily 'right' in the eyes of the law, but sometimes the law is an ass.

OK, may be there is more to it or may be not. The 'nobody loves me.... nobody feeds me....' poor little kittens is where it can all start. Myself like most cat owners on this board have my kitten vaccinated, neutered, flead, wormed and insured. He can come and go during the day and is kept in at night for his own safety. I am well aware, though, that not every one who has a cat thinks as I do and doesn't believe that all of the above is required. Personally I would not agree with them and think it irresponsible but it is not illegal or classed as cruelty. Taking someone else's cat, whatever, the circumstances, can surely be wrong - reporting them is surely the right thing to do. If the CPL/RSPCA aren't stepping in may be there is another side to things ???? We don't know for sure.

The rspca won't do anything.

The kittens weren't being looked after properly. We've aquired a cat this way, the owners were banned from keeping animals but did anyway and the dogs were attacking the cat so we took him in. When the neighbours moved they tried to get him and he ran off and hid all day.

Obviously we should have left him out in -5 with an open wound and no flesh on his bones (did I mention he was underfed?).

Massive difference in feeding animals who are greedy and feeding animals because the owners are feckless and leave them locked in a house with no food for a week.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/2138803-If-in-doubt-feed

Please stop bashing op, she is a cat guardian

Fuckin' 'ell didn't expect to come back to find this having kicked off! Am rather amused at the accusation that I planned this from the start. I didn't but that's not going to convince you is it?

I understand that some posters obv have experience of the other side of this kind of story. That possibly makes you react differently than you perhaps would if that hadn't happened.

When I started this thread I had no experience of cats. I have however been fostering underweight hedgehogs over winters for several years. I have been the owner of rescue hens for several years and many years back I worked for an animal charity. Were I a cat thief I wouldn't have got to the grand old age of 24 without amassing a houseful of them, nor would I have posted asking for advice, I'd have just got on with thieving the kittens straight off.

Anyway things have moved on slightly this afternoon and it looks like the boys will be going to a new home following a conversation with the H earlier and then some phone calls to the lady at the local shelter and my vet. It seems that there is a medical issue with Tortie which coinicides nicely with them being left for two weeks. He was very vague so tomorrow in a frantic dash before my holiday I will be lent a cat trap, taking Tortie to the vets and then either tomorrow or friend will have to oversee while I'm away, a plan of action will be sorted out. The H will be dropping round a note with what he was told was wrong with Tortie. But basically what it boils down to is that the neighbours didn't want to have to pay vet fees or infact keep a cat which had something wrong with it. I obv have no insurance in place for the boys and ATM am thinking they'd be better getting treatment covered by the shelter or whatever happens with strays needing medical care and then rehomed to somewhere quieter and less busy. This does explain why Tortie has become so aggressive, he's in pain ...

It's all a bit of a muddle and obv I need to get him to the vets tomorrow and get a diagnosis sorted. The holiday really is a spanner in the works. At least now I know what I'm dealing with.

Have a great time and we await your update with interest on your return

OP, it just gets more and more twisty, doesn't it!

I'm very glad it sounds like they've been taken out of the neighbours' incompetent/uncaring hands.

Have a lovely holiday. I'm sure we'll all be here waiting to hear the latest when you get back!

As someone who has had one of their cats stolen by a neighbour for no reason other than that she wanted to, I find the OPs actions and the widespread (though not, thankfully, universal) support she has had on this thread offensive

Had you shut your cat in for a fortnight with no food?
Had you stopped feeding it because it could hunt?

No? Well, it isn't the same scenario at all is it?

thecat, the husband, I think, as in the man next door.

The H is the husband out of Shadow's neighbours, TCN.

He decided he no longer wanted Tortie because he's ill. So handed them both over to Shadows. At least no-one can accuse her of 'thieving' now.

See? I said they weren't nice people.

Good luck shadows. Poor tortie, hungry and in pain

Oh poor tortie! Shadows I really hope you manage to catch him and his condition is treatable. Good luck with trying to sort everything out before your holiday. What a rush for you.

Well it seems to have worked out. I must say, I think it is better all round that it is being done in this manner, with the neighbour's agreement. Has he agreed for you to keep Merlin too?

I hope the vets fees for Tortie weren't too high.