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Crying cats and kittens....

Hi everyone,

my next door neighbour has a cat and just a few weeks ago they informed us that she was pregnant and was due to have the kittens any day.
We never saw these kittens and then found out via somebody else that the poor cat had given birth to two kittens but they had both died.
Now I see that there are two little kittens out with the mother and all they do day and night is sit on our outhouse roof and cry... non stop.
We asked if the kittens were hers but were told that they weren't and, because hers had died, they got two new ones out of our local paper.
The mother is SO skinny and you can clearly see her spine and her ribs when she walks. The kittens are absolutely beautiful but, again, they seem very skinny.
I just don't think they are being well taken care of... or fed as much as they should be.
We have also found out recently that another cat they had got really badly injured by a dog a few doors up and, instead of rushing it to the vets (as I would have), they didn't bother to do anything and the poor little might died in the garden.
Instead of burying the dog like most people would they put it in a black bag and left it out for the binmen!
I can assure you that if I had know this BEFORE then I would have done something about it. However, this happend about a month ago and I have just found out.
What I would like some advice on really is what I should do. I really don't think they are looking after these cats properly and I'm just not sure if I should get involved.
We live in a house but they live in a flat next to us and every morning I see them open there upstairs window to let the cats out and then close it again until late in the afternoon.
The cats spend pretty much all day up on our roof and I have now started feeding them and leaving water out for them.
What should I do? Something or nothing?


pinkilady  Tue 15/07/08 21:59
blackcat77
Tue 15/07/08
22:58
A difficult situation, but if it was me I would leave food out for the cat and kittens and report the owners to the RSPCA, they do not sound like the sort of people who should have animals.
I do not normally advocate feeding other peoples' animals but in this case I think that you would be justified in doing so.
pastafreak
Tue 15/07/08
23:24
I agree with blackcat...and with any luck-the cats will adopt you!!...good luck
gelda
Wed 16/07/08
07:19
I couldn't bear to watch that sort of thing going on, please report it and let us know what happens.
Jugglering
Wed 16/07/08
16:47
Please do call the RSPCA as soon as possible - they are not called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for nothing !

Their 24 hour Cruelty and Advice line is 0300 1234 999 (all calls are confidential).

More info here:- http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?page name=RSPCA/Utility/Contact
elaine33
Wed 16/07/08
21:17
I am reading this and in tears at the cruelty involved. Please report these people and get these little creatures taken into care. The RSPCA must be told.
to put a dog out for the binmen is just too awful and people like this make me so very angry. Please please report them.
monizee
Wed 16/07/08
23:58
It is difficult to get involved, especially as you are the neighbour. I do feel that something should be done because there are unfortunately some people who are not capable of looking after animals, and something should be done to protect the animals. For this reason alone, and especially because the animals can't do anything about it, I believe that the best way would be to contact the RSPCA. They will be able to send someone around to check out this household. I am sure that if you say you wish to remain anonymous to your neighbours (but not to the RSPCA of course) that they will honour that. Alternatively the Cats Protection League.
pinkilady
Mon 21/07/08
00:13

Question Author

Just thought I'd update you all on what the situation now is...
I have yet to report them to the RSCPA but this has been a very difficult decision for me.
Basically, as I said, I was leaving food out for the cats and they were wolfing it down in seconds.
However, the neighbour came out and started talking to my husband today and said that he had noticed we had been feeding the cats!
rather than be angry (which I thought he would of been) he said thankyou and said that apparently they eat 'like horses' and will devour anything that's put infront of them.
Also, he told my husband that the mother was pining for her kittens that she had lost and that's why she keeps crying... which bizzarly now seems to have stopped.
Granted, to put a cat out for the binmen is absolutely disgusting but I am thinking that they are 'poorly educated' to say the least and maybe think that this kind of behaviour is ok.

Anyhow, I am going to continue to feed the cats and see how things go.
I would always choose the welfare of animals over not wanting to upset a human every time but I do not want to be in a situation where I call the RSPCA and it turns out that I was just overreacting.
My neighbour now knows that I have been feeding the cats and so if the RSPCA were to come out and investigate then he would be sure to know it was me who called them.
He is not really the type of person I would want to get on the wrong side of really but please all rest assured that if I still think something is not right then I will contact the RSPCA with my concerns.

Thanks to all : )
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