Please read. Very concerned about neighbours new kitten and urgent advice needed!

[CrazyCatLadies]

As a non cat owner, this is my first foray onto this particular part of MN. I didn't want the hyperbolic outrage of AIBU so I came here to get sensible and reasoned responses! Thanks.

Last weekend, the children next door proudly showed me their new kitten. It's a beautiful little thing.

They had just brought her home and told me she was 6 weeks old. First concern.

Then, this Saturday morning (and now 7 weeks old), she came into our garden through a gap in the hedge at around 9am. I took her home and told the neighbours she shouldn't be outside alone. I had woken the parents up by knocking as they were still in bed. They took her back and said the childen must have let her out and they'd speak to them. The children weren't outside at all.

But, last night, at 10pm, I was sitting in the garden and the kitten came into the garden again. None of them were in the garden with it and the children were in bed at that time.

My partner took her back round and explained that the kitten was far too young to be outside unsupervised and needed to be at least 4 months old, spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and settled into her new home before she was allowed outside unsupervised (sorry for any inaccuracies, we've never owned cats and this was a quick Google check!)

I have heard them in the garden with the kitten and talking to it and understand that this is already a much loved pet but I am very concerned about this kitten and its welfare.

I can't do nothing. Hopefully, the neighbours will have taken on board what my partner said and not let her out again but that obviously doesn't change the fact she was rehomed too early and I have no idea of the impact of that (but assuming both health and psychological implications?).

Aside from the cat specific issues around this, we have foxes and owls in our gardens and, from my garden she could get straight through a gate and down onto the road.

My gut feeling is that, if she does come into the garden again, I won't return her and will take her to the local vet to ask for advice. But I'm also not sure if that's appropriate or even legal!

Does anyone here have advice or a better solution. Thanks.

Pop it in your car and drive it to a vets 30 minutes away and say you found it on the side of the road. That cat will have a miserable future of disease, fights and death.

Are they the sort of family that would believe “I saw it get taken by a fox” when actually you could sneak it to somewhere safer?
I honestly don’t know what I’d do, this is the sort of thing that would keep me up at night, wondering what the right thing to do is.
The kitten is 100% in danger roaming around at night that young.

I agree that catnapping might help save kitten’s life. I would think about getting a bag ready for transporting it to the vet. Also perhaps a pouch of kitten food in case you find it after hours.

Some people get cats because they 'look after themselves' so they literally think they can just get a tiny kitten and leave it to its own devices without doing so much as chipping the thing. This cat, as you know, is far too young to even be rehomed let alone outside! It could be killed by numerous animals including roaming tom cats. I'd take it to the vets next time it gets out. They might get another one but they might not. Sounds like the parents can't be arsed to begin with.

I'm glad you're looking out for it op.

Most guidance now is to spay / neuter cats at 4 months of age. BVA, BVSA, Cats Protection, RSPCA, PDSA. Lines up nicely with a normal vaccination schedule and microchipping, and 16 weeks isn’t that terrible a length of time to keep a kitten inside.

Since kittens shouldn’t leave their mothers until they’re at least 3 months old, it’s unlikely even to be 16 weeks.

I mean, it’s certainly not ideal, but then I feel taking it to the vet might be worse. The poor thing would sit in a cage until/if the owners are found (maybe the neighbours won’t think of checking with the vet or are not in any Facebook groups), or handed to a rescue if no one turns up after a couple of days. It already got separated from its mother too early and now it would get separated from its humans and loses any affection and attention.

It was 10pm on a Sunday night. I felt it was best because they at least have the means to feed it etc and their house is its home.

I couldn't even have kept it until morning if id wanted to because I have no way of looking after it and none of the things it would need

That's why I took it back last night.

They are its humans.

Our neighbours did this last year. The kitten had a litter tray outside and slept outside - I was horrified. We found it in our garden one day clearly unable to move and with flies on its back legs and tail, we told them and they said they would take it to the vet, a few days later they told us it had passed away. It was awful. I dont know why they bothered to get a pet. The rspca weren’t helpful at all

Poor wee thing. I'd be allowing it into my garden and my house, and wait for them to come looking for it.

It will end up making its home with you (if you are happy for that!?) as it will be the safe place its gotten to know.

Useless humans though. There is a possibility someone at the vets may keep the kitten. I know a few vets and vet nurses and they all have quite a few pets because they have given an animal taken from the vets a home. Even if the kitten went to rescue it would easily find a home as people always want kittens and not so often full grown cats

Fucking idiots. Please just take her to a rehoming charity. They don’t deserve her and do not care.

OK. So I've reqs the updates. Thanks.

Other cats is also a big concern. We live in a high cat population area and we currently have three adult cats who visit regularly.

I've seen want they can do to a pigeon 3 feet in the air. A tiny kitten would have no chance.

As for the person who queried the age, it was the children who said 6 weeks. I presume the children have got the age from their parents. It didn't appear to be fully co-ordinated in its movements and it has the overall appearance of a very young kitten. But no, I haven't had the age verified. It's certainly not old enough to be out on its own though.

I also agree with the comment someone made about people believing cats can look after themselves.

Anyway, it's 5pm and I haven't seen it outside today so far. Hopefully, they're taking a bit more care of it now.

Eta: I have no idea what I typed but my phone corrected 'would' to 'puppy'. There are no puppies! 😄

We had a similar thing about a year ago, although I don't know whose cat it was. A very thin kitten that had obviously been in a couple scraps turned up in our garden. She was wearing a collar, but when we took her to the vet they said no chip and she was about 12 weeks, so far too young to be out. We debated how hard to look for the owner - let's just say, my sister has a very spoiled cat now.

I'd do this as well.

I might even give a fake name and location I found it....

I work in a vets , if this was brought in to us it would be put on facebook , maybe not an image of it ,we would ask for a description from the owner if we had a response.
If owner turned up we would not be able to force them to chip,vaccinate or spay.
If this were me i would ask friends /family or a reliable rescue to take it and when it comes again i would 'steal' it .
Most rescues would take it with what you are telling us, i accept no excuse whatsoever for a tiny 7week old kitten being alone outside.
If it's chipped they are the lawful owner but i very much doubt it will be!
Call me immoral all you like but i don't give a shit when it comes to innocent animals being neglected and if you are successful and they 'replace' the kitten should the same happen again i would have no hesitation in doing the same.

Me too & I'd keep her for at least 24 hours before I 'found' her in my garden. When I reluctantly returned her I'd be heavy on the dangers of being liked by a fox ( or car) in front of the kids.

Liked?? Bloody phone. Killed!

For all fox kill the kit they like

I'd kidnap her and find her a home either through friends or by telling a vet or rescue that you found her. My neighbours are idiots and have bought so many animals on a whim that they lose interest in as they grow up. During covid 2 of their 3 unspayed female cats had 3 litters each and it was a nightmare for the poor things with hungry feral kittens living in their outbuildings, then breeding with their siblings at 6 months and cats protection unable to come out or rehome due to restrictions. We secretly fed and caught most of them over several months in traps and re homed to people we know, through work and wider family who were willing to take them (some had never been handled). Our neighbours were oblivious, only knowing that a couple had been killed in the road and thinking the others had strayed. I think over a year we re homed around 10 and I found a small rescue who were happy to find homes for the other 30 or so as we caught them, without asking questions. I now have the original mums spayed and living with us and next door haven't even asked about them...

That's shocking!

I'm pleased to say the kitten wasn't out at all yesterday.

I don't think they don't care but weren't as vigilant as they should have been.

They're decent people with lovely children so hopefully it was just a combination of inexperience and a lack of awareness rather than anything more concerning.

Fingers crossed!

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice!

I think there's an old-fashioned feeling that cats are very self-sufficient. It's true that adults cats are easy pets compared with dogs, but kittens are little self-destruction machines and get into all sorts of bother.

I do hope they get her spayed and vaccinated though.

Me too!