What can I do about kittens?

Question

I took in a mommy cat and her 4 kittens who were born near my house. I kept one kitten, a neighbor adopted another and my son's girlfriend's family adopted the other two. My son's girlfriend brought the two they adopted because I'm taking them to get neutered as part of a kitty rescue, which is cheaper than a regular vet's bill. She had told me that the kittens were very aloof, but when I saw them again, both started purring and when I reached for them, they cringed...like I was going to hit them. So, and sorry this is so long....I asked if they wanted to get their first shots done with the neuter because they were cheaper...and the answer was...no, they won't get anymore shots anyway.

So, I'm between a rock and a hard space here. I feel horrible that these kittens are being treated this way, but if I take them back, I have 5 cats in my small condo and my son will probably never speak to me again because I've deemed his girlfriend's family unworthy of having a cat family. I thought I was doing a good thing by taking in these kittens and finding homes for them. Incidentally, I had the mommy cat spayed.

Answer 1

I had some difficulty understanding exactly what happened in your first paragraph. If you feel they're not taking good care of the kittens, taking them back may be a good idea. You could still find homes for them. I think it's great that you took them in, and that you're concerned how they're doing in their new home. Maybe the veterinarian knows of someone who would adopt them. If your son loves cats, hopefully he will understand why you want them back.

Answer 2

If you feel that the new family is abusing/neglecting/not providing adequate medical care, you should remove them from the new family.    Sometimes having kittens - esp 2 - is more than adoptive families bargain for! perhaps, explained the right way, your son will understand ..... eventually...  in the best interest of the kitties, they need a new home.  

You can also call the aspca / local animal shelter and have them investigate.  your info will be anonymous and then you aren't the bad guy if the kitties aren't being taken care of properly.

Answer 3

The kittens NEED their first shots..does her family understand this? Perhaps e-mail them information on the matter...people like this really frustrate me. I am a vets assistant and have owned cats all my life, never have I hesitated to bring them in to the vet for anything I thought might have been wrong as well as to get their shots. Maybe you can work out a payment plan with them, have them pay you back a certain amount for a few months. If you don't trust them with that then perhaps work out a payment plan with a vet. Otherwise I don't know what to tell you. Kittens should have their first shots BEFORE being spayed/neutered..  

Answer 4

Well you have four choices:

1) Take in the cats. You might not have enough space, but I'm assuming you have enough money to get them taken care of?

2) Tell the family what you think and take the cats back, and try to find a new home for them.

3) Let them keep the cats. Sure, they might not get vaccinations, but they'll be alright, really. A lot of people have cats that aren't vaccinated and they do just fine.

4) Take the cats away and take them to a shelter... I strongly discourage this because then, they'd most likely be put down.

Edit: Guys, it's no use calling the SPCA to investigate, there's no law saying that your cats must be vaccinated, it's just in their best interest. Seriously, cats live without vaccinations, when I was little my parents were poor and had no money to get my cat vaccinated, he didn't get his first shots until he was 4 years old... He's a big, healthy 9 year old cat now. He never died. Of course, we're not poor now so he's up to date on his vaccines now.

Answer 5

Take the kittens back and if they won't let you, turn them in to the SPCA.  The kittens lives have to come ahead of being disliked by people who don't care about other living things.