Adopting A Triplet Of Sibling Cats

[jaisharma639]

Hi all, URGENT advice needed on this one. I've browsed through forums for hours but couldn't really reach a conclusion because of my emotional thinking.

I recently encountered a post on social media group where people rescue animals and put them up for adoption. The guy who posted told me that mother cat gave birth to 3 female kittens and left them after a while. He has been taking care of them since last 2-3 months. The place where he stays is not at all appropriate for cats - no hiding place, no boxes, no toys. He doesn't let them enter his apartment and poor beings have to roam around outside in the balcony (around 30-40sq ft. area). This guy has been feeding them properly but they're not getting any affection from owner. Also, the kittens tend to play & cuddle with each other a lot.

Here's the problem. This guy's neighbours and owner are asking him to get rid of all 3 because of a couple of reasons. The playful kittens tend to enter neighbours' house and sometimes defecate outside their apartment.

One of the 3 has a different personality and tends to shy away (or scared) from human touch. She's not very playful with her siblings either unlike the other two. I was ready to take 1 of them but i'm afraid i'll end up separating the bond. If i take 2 (the playful ones), i end up hurting the third one. I actually tried taking 1 of 'em yesterday in a carboard box but she resisted so vigorously that i had to take her back within 2 minutes of coming out. I'll be out of town for 15 days starting from next tuesday and i've a feeling that adopting them when i'm not around is not a good idea. There's a solid chance that no one will be willing to adopt all three , not even 2 maybe.

What's the solution here?
- Is it too late for them to get separated? They're 2-3 months old and have a special bond maybe.
- Should i just take a couple of them and leave them in my apartment with my other flatmates? They'll feed them but i'm not sure if they'll cuddle and play with the cats. This way there'll be one of them left(shy one) and we can ask someone else to adopt her.
- If we try enough, its possible to find 3 owners taking all of them separately. But how would they react on finding out : change of place + missing siblings + changed owner?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site. Those darling little kittens are adorable. Thanks for your concern for them.

First off, I must say that I have zero experience with feral kittens. So this is just my opinion, based on knowledge I've learned from reading this forum.

It sounds like one of them is a bit more feral than the other 2, however, since they've at least been around humans, they aren't totally feral. Since he needs to get rid of them soon, it would be great if you could take all 3 of them to your apartment. I would not separate them at this time, though eventually, hopefully they will be social enough to adopt out.

Do you know if they are litter box trained? If not, you might want to get a large dog kennel to keep them in. You will definitely want to keep them in just 1 room until you get back from your trip and can work closely on socializing them.

Even though they've been together all along, most recommendations are to not take kittens from their mother till at least 12 weeks, so that is 3 months, and about the same age as those kittens. So they will be fine if you end out adopting them out separately.
Please let us know what you decide to do. Good luck.

Here are some TCS articles that may be helpful:
New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home
Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

This one doesn't completely apply, but might have some tips:
I Found Abandoned Kittens - What Should I Do?

 

[trudy1]

Wow just went through a similar situation several months back. I found a family of 11 living under a farmhouse porch. The short of it is I found homes for all but three which I figured was going to be a work in progress. And yes, in a group of cat siblings there will always be a shy one, an aggressive one and some waiting to be either of the above. I would say if at all possible try not to separate them. If you’re house is not currently undergoing what I call “the cat bulge “ you will find three are not that much harder than two. Those shy guys never really seem to “come out of it” based on my observations so the buddy system works for the little guy.
However they will not die if adopted separately nor will they feel bad toward you. After all you are providing them a MUCH better life just by removing them from the situation you described.

Please let us know what happens

 

[jaisharma639]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site. Those darling little kittens are adorable. Thanks for your concern for them.

First off, I must say that I have zero experience with feral kittens. So this is just my opinion, based on knowledge I've learned from reading this forum.

It sounds like one of them is a bit more feral than the other 2, however, since they've at least been around humans, they aren't totally feral. Since he needs to get rid of them soon, it would be great if you could take all 3 of them to your apartment. I would not separate them at this time, though eventually, hopefully they will be social enough to adopt out.

Do you know if they are litter box trained? If not, you might want to get a large dog kennel to keep them in. You will definitely want to keep them in just 1 room until you get back from your trip and can work closely on socializing them.

Even though they've been together all along, most recommendations are to not take kittens from their mother till at least 12 weeks, so that is 3 months, and about the same age as those kittens. So they will be fine if you end out adopting them out separately.
Please let us know what you decide to do. Good luck.

Here are some TCS articles that may be helpful:
New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home
Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

This one doesn't completely apply, but might have some tips:
I Found Abandoned Kittens - What Should I Do?

I talked to the current owner today and he's willing to keep them for another 15-20 days. In the meantime, another guy wants to adopt just one cat (the shy one) within a couple of days. Guess when i come back, either all 3 would have been adopted or just 2 of them will be left. I'm leaving it upto time to see how it turns out. Unfortunately, there's not much i can do here other than expecting other people to adopt them.

 

[jaisharma639]

Wow just went through a similar situation several months back. I found a family of 11 living under a farmhouse porch. The short of it is I found homes for all but three which I figured was going to be a work in progress. And yes, in a group of cat siblings there will always be a shy one, an aggressive one and some waiting to be either of the above. I would say if at all possible try not to separate them. If you’re house is not currently undergoing what I call “the cat bulge “ you will find three are not that much harder than two. Those shy guys never really seem to “come out of it” based on my observations so the buddy system works for the little guy.
However they will not die if adopted separately nor will they feel bad toward you. After all you are providing them a MUCH better life just by removing them from the situation you described.

Please let us know what happens

Unfortunately i can't keep all of the 3 given my lack of experience and not so strong finances. I'm pretty sure that other people would have the same opinion set. I guess their life is better off getting separated.

I also thought about the possibility of them growing up and living in streets like stray cats if no one adopts them till the end.

 

[rubysmama]

That's good that he will keep them until you are back from your trip. And if one gets adopted, that's good too.

If at all possible, please help these kittens not to become stray street cats. That is a hard, and short, life for a cat. And would be even harder for these kittens who know nothing other than being fed and cared for. Unlike true ferals, they haven't had their mother around to teach them street smarts, so would have a very difficult time surviving on their own.
Fingers crossed it all works out. Please come back after your trip and let us know what ends up happening.

 

[jaisharma639]

Wish those kittens had neighbours like you guys

The owner can't seem to take a stand anymore for the kittens. He keeps on telling me that he's going to leave them in a park. The guy is annoyed with kittens' habit of digging the dustbin to search for food. I'm quite surprised to see how petty humans can think. He would rather let the cats die to keep his dustbin covered.

Anyway, this thing is really burdening me now. I haven't been able to focus on anything for past 1 week due to the constant threats the owner is giving me about leaving them in a park. Today i'll try to contact some of the pet shelters to see if they take the kittens in atleast for a few days until i'm back. I just don't want to take the cats in my apartment as there's high chance they'll try to escape with no responsible person around trying to stop them.

I hope i'll find a solution. Human's cruel nature never ceased to amaze me

 

[msaimee]

The kittens will likely not survive if they are dropped off in an unfamiliar place without a food source. They have been dependent on humans for food and may not know how to hunt. I think the priority should be to provide them with some sort of rescue home, even a a temporary one. If you can't take the three of them into your apartment and give them a room of their own, then I would advise taking them to a shelter like the Humane Society where they will be cared for, socialized, and hopefully adopted out. Many Humane Societies have fostering programs for kittens and cats with special needs. Now is not the time to worry about them being adopted out separately or how they would adapt to being separated. Many kittens are separated from their sibling and mama at 6 - 8 weeks old, the shelters are full of them each summer. As long as they have a caring human caregiver to bond with, they will quickly adjust. The priority now is to get them to safety, a shelter if you're not able to take them, before they are dumped, because if they are dumped they will likely not survive and it will be a horrible ending for them.

 

[jaisharma639]

The kittens will likely not survive if they are dropped off in an unfamiliar place without a food source. They have been dependent on humans for food and may not know how to hunt. I think the priority should be to provide them with some sort of rescue home, even a a temporary one. If you can't take the three of them into your apartment and give them a room of their own, then I would advise taking them to a shelter like the Humane Society where they will be cared for, socialized, and hopefully adopted out. Many Humane Societies have fostering programs for kittens and cats with special needs. Now is not the time to worry about them being adopted out separately or how they would adapt to being separated. Many kittens are separated from their sibling and mama at 6 - 8 weeks old, the shelters are full of them each summer. As long as they have a caring human caregiver to bond with, they will quickly adjust. The priority now is to get them to safety, a shelter if you're not able to take them, before they are dumped, because if they are dumped they will likely not survive and it will be a horrible ending for them.

Thanks for your advice. I hope i and the kittens will make our way through this problem. Fingers crossed.

 

[jaisharma639]

Update - One of the 3 got a nice home where an experienced family will be taking care of her. They already have a cat whose sibling died and the family was searching for a cat to replace her sibling.

I've 2 kittens left now. I have taken decent care of them till now but they deserve more love. My finances are not that strong and i've been told that average maintenance cost per cat would be around 2000 INR/month($30/mon). My apartment is relatively open and the curious buddies want to explore outside environment where there are lot of stray dogs. I'm trying to search a home for the rest but i might end up separating them. I've no idea how the shy one will react upon separation.

 

[msaimee]

Congratulations on finding a home for one of them! I would not be concerned about trying to keep the two others together. Kittens are usually separated and adopted out, and it would be harder to find someone to take two of them rather than one. As long as they go to a good home, the shy one will adjust just fine. Often if it is a home with an older cat, the older cat will adopt the kitten. Thank you for helping these cats and keep us posted.