# I woke up yesterday morning and my 3 baby kittens were dead.



## teisha888 (Mar 6, 2005)

On February 18, 2005 our outside female cat had a litter of kittens fathered by our outside male cat. There were 3 of them.  They were so cute and sweet. We kept them outside in a large doghouse lined with soft fuzzy blankets right outside our back door. We live out in the country, but we have several neighbors up and down our road. When I woke up early Friday morning to check on the kittens, 2 of them had just vanished and 1 of them was laying dead with a small bite mark on the top of his head. The mother and father cat were still there and doing fine. Needless to say my daughter was devestated. I guess I am just looking for some answers as to what may have happened to them. At first I thought a coyote or something was the culprit, but I figured if that was the case then a coyote would've killed them 2 weeks ago or more. Then I got to thinking about the fact that I had seen a black and white strange acting tom cat lurking around our back yard the day before. Someone told me he may have killed my kittens. I blame myself of course because I didn't keep them inside our house, but I tried that and it didn't work because we have a neutered indoor male cat. When I had brought them indoors.. the mother cat kept jumping on my indoor cat when he tried to come in the living room, so I moved them back outside. Today, that black and white strange acting male cat was back and biting on the neck of my female. He even had her pinned up in the windowsill outside of the house. Do you think he is the one that killed her babies? Please respond, any input is welcome. Thanks.


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## vanillasugar (Nov 11, 2004)

Yes, it is VERY possible that the other tom killed the kittens. It is also possible that if he is not neutered, he could impregnate your female again, and you'll have more kittens on your hands. Your cats should both be fixed immediatley, to prevent any MORE problems... (and I'm sorry about the kittens, I know how sad that is to find!  )


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## Heather102180 (Nov 19, 2003)

Sorry to hear about your kittens. So sad.  But yes, sounds like another cat or animal got to them and the mom and dad might have known another animal was coming and were able to run off but the kittens probably weren't able to. I'm very sorry for your loss.  Hang in there!!


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## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

They should have never been outside. Outside kittens are a death sentence  Plus, we have enough unwanted kittens in this world...PLEASE get them fixed!

Abhay


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

spittles said:


> They should have never been outside. Outside kittens are a death sentence  Plus, we have enough unwanted kittens in this world...PLEASE get them fixed!
> 
> Abhay


I'll second that.


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## Heather102180 (Nov 19, 2003)

I think everyone can agree that the cats should be spayed and neutered but the poor girl just had 3 of her pets die overnight! We should be sympathetic rather than preaching to her at this point.... :?


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

You're right....I didn't mean to come off like that...just wanted to encourage her to get her other cats fixed.

Teisha888- I AM sorry about the kittens... I know how sad that must have been...*hugs*


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## teisha888 (Mar 6, 2005)

those kittens were not unwanted, we wanted them. we were gonna keep one and we had already found good homes for the other two, people we knew that wanted a new kitten for their home. i know i should have had them in, and i have learned from that experience. the problem with having them inside was that the mother kept attacking my male indoor cat who is neutered. i sincerely hope that the female does get pregnant again, so we can start over with a new litter. after that, i will have her spayed. my 4 year old daughter was taking such good care of them and her heart was shattered upon finding her little cat family dead. she was learning so much about how their little eyes open and everything.


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

If it happens again, maybe keep the mom and kittens in a room by themselves where the indoor cat can't get in, then you don't have to worry about fights.
Also, I'm not sure about cats but I know with some animals even the father can't be trusted around babies.
Jennifer


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## emma_pen (Nov 2, 2004)

Sorry, but I really don't think you should be allowing your female cat to get repeatedly pregnant. She has just gone through the trauma of pregnancy, labour, rearing her kittens and now losing them, to go through half of that again? Poor cat  

Since your cats live outside and your cat has been mated by this stranger tom, your female, unneutered male and kittens could be infected with a disease called FIV.


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

I think this quote best sums it up...

_"People who let their dogs and cats have litters in order to show their children the 'miracle of birth' should come witness the 'miracle of death' performed in the back rooms of animal shelters all over the country."_
--Phyllis Wright, Humane Society of the US

I'm sorry that you've had to go through this, but to repeat it again? :dis 

There is absolutely no excuse to let your cat have kittens for no other reason than to just *have kittens*. It is completely irresponsible to contribute to the already enourmous animal overpopulation problem, not to mention your cat may be carrying disease and/or congenital problems.

**hugs**

You've been through a tragedy, and I can't imagine how devestated you are. But use this as a learning curve, please


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

Please remembers guys to try and respect each other.
By all means inform members of the dangers of doing something, but please be respectful.

If teisha888 is set on letting the cat have kittens again then isnt it better to educate and support, than to drive a member away with no advice for the future?


teisha888 if you really do intend to breed your guys again then please first take both the male and female to the vet to be checked for FIV and others disease's before you breed them. The last thing you want to do is risk infection of your indoor male and bring into the world kittens which are ill. You wouldnt be able to rehome them then and would be left with huge vetbills or your daughter having the see sick kittens having to be put down. 
Do you have a room you could keep the female in next time she is pregnant and close to birth? away from your indoor male?
Thats what I did with my Vienna.

Please keep us informed.
We would love to see pictures of your other guys


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## 4cats&counting (Jan 20, 2005)

i most definatly believe that the kittens where killed by the tom cat, cats like lions will kill young from another cat to make babies of their own...i am sorry for your loss it is very sad...when another male cat kills the kittens from another father, the female will go into heat again, thats why you saw him mounting her...

but like others have said get them to a vet and get them fixed...im not trying to dissrespect you..as i am not you and do not know you and your capability on caring for cats/kittens...if you decide to let her have another litter, be very careful and bring her into the house, maybe in a seperate room where she wont attack your other cat...and get them to a vet to get tested...(if you have not already) sadly if you dont take her inside and the kittens are born and outside your other male will do the same...it will be a vicious cycle of whos top male of the yard...

again i am sorry for your lose...**HUGS**


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## teisha888 (Mar 6, 2005)

Well, none of this matters now. I went outside only to find my female cat ran over about a half a mile down the road.  
I appreciate everyones comments and input on my disaster. I am deeply saddened at this time.


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

oh no  
Does your daughter know, is she ok?


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

Wow
I'm so sorry to hear that.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

You have had so much heartbreak. You have my sympathies and my prayers. God bless.


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

I can't imagine what you're going through. My deepest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers for you and your daughter 

**HUGS**


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## teisha888 (Mar 6, 2005)

Zalensia said:


> oh no
> Does your daughter know, is she ok?




I just told her that she ran away.


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## teisha888 (Mar 6, 2005)

by the way.. i posted a picture of my indoor male kitty over in the Meet My Kitty section. He's a beaut!


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## catnip (Aug 19, 2003)

Hope all works out, that's an awful lot of grief all at once. :sad


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

I am so sorry...hugs and prayers to your entire family.


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

I am so sorry for the loss of your kittens and now your cat. 

When our cat Macaroni died, my older daughter was four just like yours. We buried him so at least she could say goodbye. We also donated all his leftover food, litter, etc. to our local shelter. I told her that he would want other kitties to enjoy his things so they could be happy like he was. She visited with the cats there and we talked about how lucky he was to have had a home and a family who loved him.

Perhaps you could find a way for your daughter to say good-bye. Plant a tree, blow bubbles, or have her make a card for the cat. It's important to give your child some closure and make her feel that she can do something positive in this difficult situation.

I wish you luck. I'm so sorry.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's an excellent idea. It will help her to get out her emotions and assure her that you understand and join her in her sense of loss. It is so hard on children to lose a pet. Bless her heart; she has had such a shock, and a taste of the bittersweet quality of life.


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## Bengal Cat (Aug 17, 2004)

I usually try and keep it light when I'm on the forum. Its a place to for me to have fun and maybe learn something to boot. And on those very rare occasions give some adive that may help somebody. I have to say this thread is a prime example of what "timskittes rant" thread in the lounge was all about. Here's a person who just experienced a loss and was looking for a little info and some sympathy and compassion and the 1st few posts responding just blew me away. We have no idea who the person is, what the situation is or any of the circumstances and those are the type of replies we get on far to many occasions. How very sad.....


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

True, Bengal Cat, but 99% of the posts in this topic have been sympathetic, at least in my mind. Could be wrong, it's been known to happen  You can only gloss over the truth so much, and from what I read people were respectful. Even the original poster said that she had learned from this experience. And once she shared with us the sudden tragedy of losing her cat, I was proud that so many members rallied around her.

I guess it just seems...odd to post this after this person has gotten so much support from the members here. Like, why bring it up now? *Please* don't think I'm being defensive, just curious as to the motive.


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## 4cats&counting (Jan 20, 2005)

i am so sorry for your loss, i can only imagine the heartbreak...

**HUGS**


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## Bengal Cat (Aug 17, 2004)

Hi Emily.....There was no motive. I was just saddened to see how some people responded to that particular situation. I'm not triing to resurrect "timskitties rant" thread I think many people stated their feelings and thoughts very well there. I just think this was a perfect example of what some people were talking about in that thread. Just my feelings on the matter. I usually dont get involved in these types of matters on here. There's enough strife and stress in my regular life where I dont need to bring it into my hobbies. The first few responces of this particular thread just hit a note with me today thats all. No hard feelings I hope. Ive enjoyed many of your posts...


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

You're right, its something we all need to keep in mind. :thumb

We can't read a person's tone in a post, just their words. So we should be careful to assign _positive_ intent to other people, and remember what they say (and what we say) is taken at face value.


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## SammyO (Nov 27, 2004)

What a horrible thing to happen to your family, I hope all is well and your daughter isn't taking it too hard. I also hope you stick around, the majority of people here are very supportive and we would be happy to help and support you as much as we can. 
:luv


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## violina23 (Jun 28, 2004)

teisha888 said:


> Well, none of this matters now. I went outside only to find my female cat ran over about a half a mile down the road.
> I appreciate everyones comments and input on my disaster. I am deeply saddened at this time.


I am really sad for you that this all happened, but I must beg you to think about the health of your other outdoor cats. What happened to your kitty & her babies is awful, and nobody, including you I presume, would ever want that to happen to another kitty family. As tough as it is, please consider bringing your remaining outdoor cat(s) inside, or at least spaying/neutering those that cannot adjust to that kind of change. 

Once again, sorry for your losses.


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## Misty (Nov 14, 2003)

I am so sorry for your loss. Remember if you need to talk then we're here for you. Sending big hugs to you


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## Lynda J (Sep 8, 2004)

I am so sorry about the loss of both the kittens and the mother. I have 7 fur babies but none are outside. All are someone elses throwaways. 
I also have two wild little girls at the shop. I have managed to catch one and get her fixed but the other I haven't been able to trap. She is to street smart. Hopefully I can get her caught and get her fixed.


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