# What to do? *UPDATE* Happy Endings



## Gypsy Girl (Jun 9, 2006)

Hi everybody,

I'm brand new to the forum and to dealing with cats in general. I have a dilemma. A mama cat (now named Ellie) decided to have her kittens under our shed. I don't think she's a feral because she's in pretty good shape and is REALLY friendly. A little spazzy perhaps, but nice. We didn't know about the kittens until about two weeks ago when my mom scared Ellie out of the yard, and all of a sudden, a little white ball of fluff popped out from under the shed, looking for its mom. :love2 There are three babies, all sweet. The first week we tried to get them to be comfortable with us, and succeeded pretty well. They didn't always want to come out, but they never bit or anything like that. The second week we started to feed them and bring them inside for a little while. Finally, last night, we managed to get them all (including Ellie) into the garage where we penned up the babies (an interesting thing when one's an escape artist with boundless energy :roll: ). Ellie could get in and out of the pen, but she was confined to the garage, a small space in comparison to the outdoors. Although at first she wasn't happy, she accepted it and didn't even hold a grudge this morning. We're keeping the babies inside now and letting Ellie in and out as she pleases. At night the plan is to put them all in the garage again. 

My question is, are we doing the right thing? Is there a better way to handle this? The babies are (we think) almost six weeks old. At what age can we allow them to be adopted? When can Ellie get spayed? How do we litter train babies who have been outside all their lives?

Sorry for all the questions. I've never dealt with cats before. (My parents aren't really cat people) Thanks in advance for any help you can give. 

God bless, Kate


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Kate, thank you for being so considerate of this little family.  It's wise to pet the kittens and get them socialized. If you have a cat, however, you can't be sure that Ellie is not carrying disease. As soon as she weans the kittens, please take her to be spayed. There are organizations (listed at the top of the forum) that will spay her for a reasonable price.

The shelters like the kittens young, six to eight weeks, because the public prefers younger kittens. Perhaps, the same shelter will handle the spaying for you also. It would be great if you could give Ellie a home. Most adults left at shelters are put to sleep or, at no-kill shelters, spend a lifetime in a cage.  

As for teaching the kittens to use the litter box, just put them in, one by one, and scratch their little paws in the litter. They learn quite easily. Mother might use the box too, if you keep her in. Just wash your hands after handling her and the kittens and, until you know that she is free of disease, keep her away from your cats. I wish you the very best. Let us know the outcome, please.


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## Gypsy Girl (Jun 9, 2006)

Thanks for your advice, Jeanie. 
I don't have any cats so the spread of disease isn't a really big issue. Right now the kitties are camped out in the living room. Ellie hasn't decided if she likes indoor life yet. Sometimes she'll yowl to get out and walk around somewhat nervously, and other times she is content to just lay in the sun. I'm hoping to get her to be a completly indoor cat.

She's using the litter box (much to my relief), and the babies know it's there too; however, they seem to think of it more of a sandbox as opposed to its real purpose. Thus, I'm a little hesitant to look under the couch, since that's where they like to sleep. 8O (It reminds them of under the shed) 

I wonder... since Ellie knows how to use a litter box... if she was an indoor kitty and was abandoned. Or maybe she's one of those cats that her owner leaves the garage door cracked so she can come in for food, water, and the use of a litter box, but that's about it.  Whatever the case, I'd rather she have a new home, somewhere where she'll be taken care of.

Right now we're trying to find homes for the kitties without taking them to a shelter. All the no-kill shelters are full so our only option would be the local humane society, which, I believe, puts them down after a while. The kittens should be able to find homes. They're adorable. I'm a little afraid for Ellie though. I'd love to keep her, but I don't know if I can. We have two pet rats that we're having to hide in another room to keep them from becoming rat chops. The kittens could probably be trained to stay away from them, but Ellie's been living outside for a while and knows exactly what little rodents are for. If anyone has any advice on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again, Kate


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's great advice. I think you're wise to keep Ellie in also. Eleven or twelve weeks is a good time for kittens to stay with mother. It's the shelters that ask for younger kittens.  The public doesn't know it's not the best thing for the babies. 

If you find homes for them yourself, make sure you charge a fee for the vet care, etc. It's never wise to give away kittens. Keep us posted!


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## Gypsy Girl (Jun 9, 2006)

****************UPDATE******************

Hi,

Thanks so much for all the advice. I figured I should let you guys know what's going on. First, the bad news. We still haven't found a home for Ellie. We can't keep her. My family is very close, and my aunt has severe allergies and asthma. The only way we can keep a kitty is if it can be bathed and groomed on a regular basis to reduce the allergens, and I don't think Ellie can handle that. Also, she isn't taking to completely indoor life quite as we had hoped. She does all right, but she needs outdoor time or she goes bananas. My mom feels that it would be hypocritical of us to keep an indoor/outdoor cat since we hate it when other people let their cats wander the neighborhood. Thus, the search continues. It's very possible that we will be working with an organization that spays and gives shots at the expense of the people adopting her. It will mean we might have to foster for a while, but at least she won't be shipped off to the pound.

Now for the good news. All three of the kittens will have loving homes, one of them with me!  My parents figure that if we start while she's early, Cricket will be able to be trained and get used to baths. As for the other two, my brother has some friends that will be adopting them a week from Friday. They've decided to go through this organization that I was talking about so we're going to meet with them at the vet's, and they'll take them home after the kittens get their shots. I can't think of a better home for them. The two boys are both very quiet and one of the brothers has a real gift with animals.

Right now I'm so thrilled about keeping Cricket. I fell in love with her at the beginning, but it took a lot of convincing for my parents to agree to letting me keep her. If only we can find a home for Ellie, I will be completely happy. 

Thanks again, everyone. Below are some pictures of the kitties.
Kate

Here's Blaze. He was named for the white blaze on his face. He's the snuggler.









Here's Erin. An Irish name for her fighting Irish spirit.









Here's Cricket. The first time I saw her, she kept chirping like a little cricket.









And here's Ellie. Pretty kitty, isn't she?


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

What a beautiful little family! Congratulations, "Mommy." :wink: Cricket is such a little sweetheart! I'm so glad the other kittnes will have good homes. I so hope Ellie gets a good home too. I'd hate to see a sweet cat like her in a cage for life or put down.  Please update us about her and how little Cricket is doing. You have saved four lives!


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

There are powders you can buy in pet stores without using water. Very easy to use. Once Ellie is spayed she will calm down. Our stray was the SAME way then she became content (still sleek and active) 

Please adopt Ellie, everyone wants kittens, it is not fair  Let Cricket keep her Mama


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Of course, I'm also hoping Ellie doesn't have to leave.


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## Gypsy Girl (Jun 9, 2006)

Good news, everybody. Happy endings all around.  The humane society found Ellie a family; so all four kitties now have new homes! Blaze and Erin (now called Shadow) are doing great with my brother's friends. They are the calm ones. Cricket, on the other hand, is Destructo Cat. :roll: She's completely adorable though. Even my mom, who is known to not be a fan of cats, has fallen for her. 

I just wanted to write and tell you all that everything turned out great. Also, I wanted to say thanks for all the help and suggestions you gave. I really appreciated them. 

God Bless,
Kate


P. S. Here's a better picture of Cricket. In the other one, you couldn't see her face.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That really is great news! As for Cricket, it's great to have a kitten with personality.  You have saved FOUR lives! God bless _you_; you've done a great job. Thanks for the update.


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

That's wonderful news. Good for you! Your Cricket looks just like my Tiger Lily when she was a kitten. Watch as she gets older, her true colors will come in and her body will have light stripes all over!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

She's a little cutie, isn't she?


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## Gypsy Girl (Jun 9, 2006)

Thanks, Jeanie.  I love her to death.

Sweetvegan, I just saw a picture of Tiger Lily. Except for Cricket's face being a tiny bit lighter, they could be twins! It's amazing how much she's changed already. When we first found her, she was mostly white with a few grey patches. My dad said she looked dusty :lol: It'll be interesting to see what her final color becomes.

Kate


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

I thought twins too! Even the paw markings are the same  

Take lots of pictures when she hits about 10-12 months old her "true" colors should all be in. I can't tell from her picture are Cricket's eyes blue, if so I am really thinking some cloning went behind our backs  LOL

BTW our cat Clover has a nickname and she always "chirps" when we call her by it.. CRICKET :wink:


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