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!

Well I can't think why else they'd have put the green bin out. Unless they thought it got collected at the same time as the black one last week? They left on the sat and took both cars and the dog. So I imagine it's a uk holiday. In which case I'd have thought they'd be back on the sat as most uk holiday let's are rigid 6 nights aren't they? I'm really hoping I'm wrong but it does seem to be likely that if they don't come back today, that they are away for the full fortnight. Which is just isn't it!

I guess they wouldn't mind coming back to two dead cats.

I feel sorry for you that you even have to deal with people like these.

I'm gutted tbh, that house had been empty for months and I was really hoping a nice family would move in. Our house is lovely, really big for the rent I pay, tonnes of built in storage and let by a company so no real chance the landlord would suddenly need the property back. But the string of awful neighbours we've had are making me seriously consider moving. Which I don't want to do because the house is fantastic and has enough space that we won't outgrow it even with DCs are teens. Due to neighbours job however there's a small chance they may have to move again in a few years so im tempted to wait it out.

You don't think it was deliberate do you? Regret getting them, not wanting to have to take them to a rescue and admit they shouldn't have got them in the first place so just leave them shut away, go off on holiday thinking they'll slowly fade away and come back when it's all over and the bury them in garden? I know that sounds so so barbaric but I can't get my head around anyone being that stupid to think they'd be fine locked away for that long.

Btw they've already put weight on since being with me, they're not looking like they've been starved anymore which is fab, and they've started being able to have a bit of dry food and leave some in the bowl if they're full whereas before they were ravenous all the time.

It actually breaks my heart. I have really fallen for them, they rank on a par with my human children I will honestly do everything within my power to keep them away from the bastards next door, I have a huge protective thing going on! Am going to order cat box later and cousin is on holiday and am ringing the vets on Monday. I'm going to try and take them in and get them chipped, flea'd, wormed and jabbed before neighbours get back. Ill book the neutering while I'm there.

So should I, that should say "as cousin is on holiday"

Cats on the brain, thecatneuterer .

It beggars belief that someone could think of leaving them shut in like that. My two kittens are similar age - we deliberately only went away for 3 nights, my ex was given the key, came to feed them twice a day, 2 bowls of fresh water each time (they're always standing in it or knocking it over) and was left strict instructions to play with them for at least half an hour a day, told how each of them liked to be held etc. I couldn't have left them for any longer than that.

I'm so glad they've got you Shadows.

Right, am in process of registering cats online with my local vet. Cat box is ordered and once that's here I can book next day apptmnt via the online booking system. They do a pet plan which is £10 each cat per month but which offers discounted neutering and preventative care (fleas, worms etc) and the first lot of flea and worm treatments are practically free with it. Does that sound like a good deal or is it a rip off? Oh and they do free ID chipping when you take out the plan which sounds ideal.

Neighbours still not back, cats have really settled in now. I'm actually quite glad neighbours aren't back yet as the longer they are here the more likely they will be to accept this as permanent home.

I've sat and run figures this morning and even with the new chicks I preordered last month needing full payment, and accounting for having to pay full price for everything cats need including neutering (just to be on the safe side) I'm still well within budget for this month and next so that's really good.

It's feeling like the Good Life here though.

£10 is fine for the first year. Ask for advocate flea control, frontlines not working so well these days.

I can't understand what the neighbours were thinking. Surely the kittens would have died? Horrendous. Thank goodness they've got you and you've got them.

I can't understand it. I'm getting angrier and angrier every day that passes that their car doesn't pull up in their drive. It's such a disgusting attitude towards a vulnerable young animals life. I am drawing closer to a point where I will tell them, when they eventually turn up, that their wilful neglect would have led to a slow and painful death of their kittens, and that as such they can't deliver the level of care that kittens require and that I will be keeping them. If they kick off I will happily reimburse them the money they paid for the kittens. What are people's thoughts on that? Because I'm really bloody tempted. It's not just the basic needs if food and water either, it's the emotional neglect. These are babies, they do go outside because twatty neighbours started letting them out far too early, but they come back in every 20 mins or so just for a cuddle or to check I'm still there. They actively look for physical contact at every possible opportunity. They would have been absolutely frantic in that house still. I'd imagine they'd have put all their energy into trying to get out which would have exhausted them.
It's needlessly cruel, especially given three other families in this street are friends with them and could have popped in to feed the kittens at least.

My sensible head tells me confrontation is not a good idea. I think I need to just hide them, and if asked say that whilst I've seen the cats in passing, I haven't had them in the house for weeks. It's abundantly clear however that if they do get hold of the cats again that I will need to go round and confront them, and will not leave until I've got the cats back safe and sound. I tried to be fairly impartial and "I'm only acting to keep them safe" at the beginning but I really don't care if I get flamed now, I am not going to allow them to keep those cats, they don't deserve them, no way. I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on their dog as well when they get back and if that seems to be similarly neglected I won't hesitate in reporting them. I really thought they'd be back by now, clearly they are indeed away for two weeks.

Don't confront, you have to live next to them.

They are heartless bastards and you can't change that, you can bring your dc up to love animals and stand up for them when they see neglect.

They surely have had someone popping into feed them, I can't believe even the biggest arseholes would do something like that.

Yes you're right. I'm just so so angry. It's like just now, I've been upstairs wrestling a teething DS into bed so hadn't been down to put downstairs lights on. I came down, put lounge lamp on and they both bombed down the garden, through the cat flap and tried to climb on my lap at the same time. I'd only been upstairs an hour, and they missed me. I've registered them at the vets as mine, they're down for microchipping when I next go in with them. DCs are very good with them, they are used to being around animals. We've always kept hamsters, there's the chickens and I've rescued a few baby hedgehogs in the past. Their grandmother has gun dogs as well and they go round there a lot. It's astounding really that I've managed to instil a 16mo with more compassion than two fully grown adults have between them.

:o I don't have a cat. And know very little about cats but stumbled on this Over on active threads and have been glued to it!

Can't believe they have left those poor wee kittens for so long. You are such a fantastic person for taking them in and I'm all jealous of your wee kitten cuddles!

Non confrontation probably most sensible way but can understand how angry you must feel!!

Don't know if anyone else has said it but don;t let her have milk.x I have a cat....he doesn't roam but if he did...well that's his choice.

Fanny they have not. It's a terraced house, even trying to be quiet, you hear the front door of the houses either side opening and shutting. The day I rescued the kittens we didn't go out, no one went next door. Their food bowl was empty, their litter tray was overflowing. No one had been in or has been in since, several other neighbours are onside and one of us is always here so one of us would have seen if someone had gone in.

MrsWinnibago, they have had kitten milk which I believe is fine? But I haven't given them dairy. They may have pinched the odd yoghurt pot and got a lick before I wrestled it off them but none other than that. They're lactose intolerant like hedgehogs aren't they?

I'm lurking on this thread, I'm no cat lover and even kittens scare me but reading your thread has me all emotional, so I need to follow for updates.

I don't envy you your job thecatneuterer, I don't think I'd be able to stay calm and smiling. Does that stand about the cats and chipping, even if the neighbours can produce proof of purchase?

Also meant to ask, on the offchance they have already been chipped, will the vets find out when they go to chip them for me? Or would they not be able to tell? I know it's highly unlikely they have been chipped but I've got a whole load of what ifs going round in my head!

Shadows I'm so so glad that you got the kittens out and they're safe & happy with you. Absolutely gobsmacked at how the neighbours seemed happy to lock them in for 2 weeks unattended!
I wouldn't confront the neighbours as it would only turn nasty and they might try to snatch the cats back to prove a point. Just get them chipped to your address and keep them away from the neighbours as best you can. Cats aren't stupid, if the neighbours neglect them & don't feed them they are not going to hang around there. Good luck with getting everything sorted out before neighbours return.