Is taking on a mum and her 3 kittens unhinged?

[Brindille]

Our lovely DCat died a few weeks ago. We had had him since he was a very young kitten (about 6 weeks, because his mum had died) and he lived until he was 11. So we do have experience of cats.

I have seen a mum and three kittens up for adoption. Is 3 kittens absolutely mad?!

We do have a reasonably sized house and a garden, but I just can't really remember quite how excitable kittens actually are.

Please tell me. I am struggling because they are lovely cats but I only want to do it if it works for us and the cats.

Do it!!
My ndn's dcat had her 4 dkittens in my airing cupboard.. A week before I moved!! With permission I took them all with me. I kept 2, returned the dm to ndn and rehomed 2...no regrets.

Not unhinged at all.

Absolutely lovely and if I were in a position where I could take them in, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Ooh you're both really making me want to do it. Just concerned about the house descending into complete mayhem!

It will be absolute mayhem, but in the loveliest way! Make sure Mum has somewhere she can hide away from the kittens for the sake of her sanity bless her

It is slightly unhinged. Do it, and let us have pictures!!

I adopted a momma and her nursing kitten, and it was a wonderful experience, I highly recommend it. With momma around to tell them off, the kittens will be well behaved! Do it, and share pictures!

Oh I'd be all over that like a rash!
Kitten mayhem is gloriously nuts! And therapeutic! Think of it as your own SAD therapy! Who needs a lamp?

It's fine, and four cats really is nothing! Do it.

I took mum and her 2 boys from celia Hammond years ago. Best thing ever
All have their own character but mum rules the roost even now!
Do it

Definitely do it

I don’t mean to be rude but can you afford four cats? Neutering mum and inoculating her and the kittens will be the first expense. Plus flea and worm treatment for all four. Then in a few months the kittens will all need neutering as well. Then more flea and worm treatment. On going costs of foodobviously, and four cats will eat a lot! If you choose to insure that will be expensive, but if you choose not too then obviously four cats have a 400% greater chance of needing veterinary care than a single cat. Just things to consider because you sound like a lovely person who want to do the best for this little family.

This will be an expense that you will have to bear for many years, you say your last cat died at 11, my last cat was 17, and the others all lived well into their teens as well.

It might be a better quality of life for them all if mum and one kitten were rehomed, and the other pair rehomed together. In which case take mum and a kitten as pairs of kittens are easier to rehome.

@viques

I don’t mean to be rude but can you afford four cats? Neutering mum and inoculating her and the kittens will be the first expense. Plus flea and worm treatment for all four. Then in a few months the kittens will all need neutering as well. Then more flea and worm treatment. On going costs of foodobviously, and four cats will eat a lot! If you choose to insure that will be expensive, but if you choose not too then obviously four cats have a 400% greater chance of needing veterinary care than a single cat. Just things to consider because you sound like a lovely person who want to do the best for this little family.

This will be an expense that you will have to bear for many years, you say your last cat died at 11, my last cat was 17, and the others all lived well into their teens as well.

It might be a better quality of life for them all if mum and one kitten were rehomed, and the other pair rehomed together. In which case take mum and a kitten as pairs of kittens are easier to rehome.

^ this

If you can comfortably afford them, then yes.

I would really consider getting insurance; you could potentially have 4 elderly cats at the same time, with a decent chance of vet bills for hypothyroidism, kidney disease, potentially diabetes and other conditions.

I have taken in a pregnant stray who went on to have 6 kittens and also a stray mim with 3 newborn kittens.
It is a truly wonderful experience- do it!!

Do it!!! Please post pictures for us to coo over 😊

@viques and @AwkwardPaws27 yes these are all things on my mind.

We can afford it.

Our late dCat unfortunately had a number of long-term health conditions, so we are definitely not strangers to vets bills! Thankfully we had insurance for him, although we actually still paid thousands of pounds in excesses over the years.

So we would definitely insure the cats.

The rescue centre want to rehome this family as a group because they are so closely bonded, so just taking mum and one kitten isn't an option in this case.

@Brindille

The rescue centre want to rehome this family as a group because they are so closely bonded, so just taking mum and one kitten isn't an option in this case.

Sounds like a plan then!

Kittens would be fine.

4 adult cats though?! Cats are ultimately solitary creatures so you've got to think about the social hierarchy when they are grown. They'll be happy enough together for 6-12 months but then they all need room to escape to. Ours always ignored each other unless it was v cold and they wanted to get body warmth together!

A better idea might be the mum and one kitten, leaving two to go together. Or two kittens leaving one with mum.

@headintheproverbial

Kittens would be fine.

4 adult cats though?! Cats are ultimately solitary creatures so you've got to think about the social hierarchy when they are grown. They'll be happy enough together for 6-12 months but then they all need room to escape to. Ours always ignored each other unless it was v cold and they wanted to get body warmth together!

A better idea might be the mum and one kitten, leaving two to go together. Or two kittens leaving one with mum.

I see this sort of thing repeated so often and it just isn't true. Cats aren't naturally solitary at all. They live in feral colonies where there are strong bonds and friendships. Having had a minimum of 20 cats at any one time in my house for the last 20 years or so I'm always touched by the strong attachments they have to each other. Many will all squeeze into one cat bed when they are lots of empty ones available. They groom each other, head rub each other, etc etc.

Four adult cats is absolutely nothing.

I'd never disagree with advice from thecatneuterer!.
Also, years ago I took on three sibling kittens when I was down to one older cat. No problem at all having 4 cats (I have four now) and three kittens in the house was just a joy .

Do it, do it, YAU only in not posting lots of photos (and come on OP, if you wanted someone to say no you wouldn't have posted in The Litter Tray )

Run, don't walk, to bring them all home

Do it!!!!!!

I've two kittens in the house, siblings, and they are the most bonded pair you can imagine.

And oh, how much joy they bring I was even happy when one sat on top of me and started purring at 4am this morning!

Oh - one more piece of advice.

Vets across the country are overwhelmed at the moment - due to loss of numbers post-Brexit, and an increase of 2 million new pets since the start of Covid.

Most vets in my area aren't taking on new animals, and waiting lists for neutering were months long.

Cats can become fertile from 16 weeks, so with siblings, you need to have the appointments booked way in advance to avoid a litter of three-headed kittens