As of yesterday, I have a new kitten to nurse back to health and take care of. But now, I'm having a bit of a dilemma, so I've come here to ask my fellow ProUers for their advice. I'll do my best to present the situation in an unbiased way, and give only the facts.
My neighbor feeds the wild cats living in the area. Recently, one of them gave birth to several kittens. These kittens ended up getting sick with upper respiratory infections, which are common among kittens, because their immune systems aren't up to par when they're so young. It progressed to the point where their eyes became swollen shut and were seeping yellow goop.
More than a week ago, my mom and I went over to try and clean some of the goop out of their eyes so they could at least see a little bit, and be able to find their food and get around. My mom was really worried. She said that if the kittens didn't get to a vet and get some medicine, they would most likely go blind.
My neighbor cannot afford to take a wild cat's kittens to the vet. So they went untreated another week. Yesterday, we had to take my dog to the vet because she had cut her leg open on something or other. We decided to take one of the kittens with us to get medicine for them. Our neighbor had told us we could take one of the kittens the week before, one my mom was fawning over. When we called and said we were going to take it to the vet, she said that it was sitting out on her porch.
So we went and picked up the kitten on the porch. My mom wasn't sure it was the same one, and I couldn't remember for the life of me, but there were no other kittens to be seen, and we were in a hurry.
Everything got sorted out, and we got antibiotics for the kittens and some gel to put in their swollen eyes. I named the kitten, who had been giving me a hard time about being held in a towel for an hour, Saffron, and we brought her home.
When my mom went to give the other kittens their medicine, she found out that we had, indeed, taken the wrong kitten. The one we had was the one our neighbor actually wanted to keep. She agreed to part ways with it, but she was pretty sad about it.
And now here's my dilemma. I love this kitten. It kept me up all night wanting to play, but I've gotten very attached to her. But I feel really bad about taking her away from my neighbor who wanted her. But here are my thoughts on the matter.
She can't afford to take Saffron to the vet if she gets sick again. We can't afford to take ANY pets to the vet, and the cost of yesterday's visit was taken from my college fund. That includes the dogs, and the Frontline we bought for all the pets. I'm fine with that. I'd rather graduate college in debt than see an animal suffer. But I know how it feels to have an animal you love taken away from you. It's awful. But I'm worried that Saffron won't be properly taken care of.
What should I do? Should I give Saffron back, and being home one of the other kitten? Or am I doing the right thing, taking her in to care for her and nursing her back to health? I'm having quite the internal conflict about this, so I'm here asking for your advice. Please be honest... I really want to do the right thing.
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Do you have a shelter nearby where you can bring all the kittens to? They'll get attention they need from staff and volunteers and I think some shelters provide immunizations and veterinary care. Also, because they're kittens, they're probably more likely to be adopted. Maybe the veterinarian knows of a place you can take them.
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The only "shelter" nearby we know of only takes dogs, and one of ours we actually "rescued" from them. They keep the dogs locked in cages in a garage, and they hardly get any exercise. The only other option is the SPCA, and they immediately euthanize all wild cats, because they've got too many domestic cats as it is.
In truth, cats around here thrive in the wild, and plenty of people feed them... It;s just... erg, I hate seeing sick animals. I really do.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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Objectively speaking, I think it's in the kitten's best interest to be with the person who can give it the best life, and basic needs are the first step in giving a kitten a happy existence. In a custody battle for kids, the judge would take into account who is able and willing to make sure that the child at least has basic needs (like medical care). It seems like you are more willing to make sure that the kitten is cared for, even if you have to make sacrifices to do it. As long as your neighbor is allowed open visitation, I see no problem with you keeping her. You have the ability to care for her even if it does mean sacrificing a little of your college money, but it seems like your neighbor either cannot or isn't willing to do so.
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So it's probably for the best that I keep her, then? I was thinking the same thing, and I'd love to be able to take in the others until we can find them loving homes. And I have no problem with my neighbor visiting, should she choose to do so. She's more than welcome to come play with Saffron. ^-^
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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The Story of Myself
I would suggest getting the cat and her kittens fixed. Since you can't afford to do it all at once, start with the cat once the kittens are old enough to take care of themselves. Then take care of the kittens one at a time, as you can afford it. As for who can keep the kitten, I think it soundslike you can handle it better than your neighbor.
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I'd hate to say it, but I do think you should be the one to keep the kitten. You've probably bonded with it enough for the kitten itself to grow attached to you. And even if the neighbor is sad, it's something that she'll be able to get over with eventually. I've had to give away numerous kittens, sometimes ones I've bonded with for months, but they needed a less crowded home so I did what I thought was best for them. To be honest, if I'd kept all my cat's kittens (two mother cats) then I'd probably have 20 cats and one Maltese dog with an inferiority complex.
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