can anybody reassure me that things will be ok with my cat and kittens. i'm feeling so emotional and worried right now.
my story is quite a long one (explained more in my first post a few weeks ago - http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=168940), but to cut it short, i have a 9-year old neutered male, buster, who has always been my big spoilt baby, and i have 4 kittens that were born in our house 9 weeks ago. their mother kept coming through our cat flap in the last few days of her pregnancy, and then gave birth here.
the mother cat has now gone back home on the next street where she came from.
i always planned to keep one of the girl kittens, as buster is very territorial, so i thought he might accept a girl better.
so i advertised the only little boy, who we called sweep, free to a good home, and he went to his new home yesterday, leaving me with the 3 girl kittens.
i found it absolutely gut-wrenching when his new owners left with him. i have got so attached to these babies, that i just cried when he'd gone.
my best friend who lives round the corner from me, is having gizzmo, one of the girls, in a couple of weeks, so i'm not worried about her going, as i know who she's going to, and i know she will be looked after well.
however, whenever buster even sees any of the kittens from a distance, he does nothing but growl and spit and is so grumpy. even when the kittens are out of sight again, he's horrible to me, still growling etc. it breaks my heart as we have always been so close.
the kittens are confined to one downstairs room most of the time. i only let them out to have a run around the rest of downstairs, a couple of times a day when buster isn't around, then he doesn't get upset.
when the mother cat was still around, she had the run of the house, but buster was spending more and more time out of the house, hours and hours at at time, and i was always worrying that he wouldn't come back.
since she has left, i have allowed buster to use one of the upstairs bedrooms, and he has made that 'his' room, and sleeps there now, rather than spending time with us downstairs. but at least he isn't disappearing for hours on end again.
so, my big worry is, when i keep one of the kittens, she will have to have more run of the house when she's older. will it push buster away completely do you think. i'm worried he will leave home altogether. i know he will probably never be best of friends with her, but do you think he will learn to tolerate her at least. i couldn't bear to lose him.
when i went to the vets yesterday to get the kittens checked over, the nurse told me it was possible that he might leave altogether, and that he probably would never tolerate the kitten. i wish i hadn't asked her about it now.
my other problem is, because i found it so heartbreaking when sweep left yesterday, i just can't decide which of the two girls left to keep.
do you think i would make matters with buster even worse if i kept both the girl kittens.
i would appreciate any reassurance that things might be ok with my big baby, and the kittens, whoever, or however many i decide to keep.
my mind is in such turmoil thinking about it all.
sorry about the long post!
my story is quite a long one (explained more in my first post a few weeks ago - http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=168940), but to cut it short, i have a 9-year old neutered male, buster, who has always been my big spoilt baby, and i have 4 kittens that were born in our house 9 weeks ago. their mother kept coming through our cat flap in the last few days of her pregnancy, and then gave birth here.
the mother cat has now gone back home on the next street where she came from.
i always planned to keep one of the girl kittens, as buster is very territorial, so i thought he might accept a girl better.
so i advertised the only little boy, who we called sweep, free to a good home, and he went to his new home yesterday, leaving me with the 3 girl kittens.
i found it absolutely gut-wrenching when his new owners left with him. i have got so attached to these babies, that i just cried when he'd gone.
my best friend who lives round the corner from me, is having gizzmo, one of the girls, in a couple of weeks, so i'm not worried about her going, as i know who she's going to, and i know she will be looked after well.
however, whenever buster even sees any of the kittens from a distance, he does nothing but growl and spit and is so grumpy. even when the kittens are out of sight again, he's horrible to me, still growling etc. it breaks my heart as we have always been so close.
the kittens are confined to one downstairs room most of the time. i only let them out to have a run around the rest of downstairs, a couple of times a day when buster isn't around, then he doesn't get upset.
when the mother cat was still around, she had the run of the house, but buster was spending more and more time out of the house, hours and hours at at time, and i was always worrying that he wouldn't come back.
since she has left, i have allowed buster to use one of the upstairs bedrooms, and he has made that 'his' room, and sleeps there now, rather than spending time with us downstairs. but at least he isn't disappearing for hours on end again.
so, my big worry is, when i keep one of the kittens, she will have to have more run of the house when she's older. will it push buster away completely do you think. i'm worried he will leave home altogether. i know he will probably never be best of friends with her, but do you think he will learn to tolerate her at least. i couldn't bear to lose him.
when i went to the vets yesterday to get the kittens checked over, the nurse told me it was possible that he might leave altogether, and that he probably would never tolerate the kitten. i wish i hadn't asked her about it now.
my other problem is, because i found it so heartbreaking when sweep left yesterday, i just can't decide which of the two girls left to keep.
do you think i would make matters with buster even worse if i kept both the girl kittens.
i would appreciate any reassurance that things might be ok with my big baby, and the kittens, whoever, or however many i decide to keep.
my mind is in such turmoil thinking about it all.
sorry about the long post!