We had an adult male cat coming into our house who looked rather injured, so we started feeding him and mending his wounds when he got into a fight. It became such a regular thing that he soon brought another cat for feeding. It turns out that this new cat was female and pregnant but we treated her the same. Fast forward to a couple of weeks when we notice she’s not pregnant anymore but we could tell she was breastfeeding.
She decided to bring her little kitten along two days ago and we’ve been trying to get the baby acquainted with us and our cats and everything looked fine and dandy. We even set out a box with a cozy blanket outside for them. We can’t take them in so that’s the best we could do. They quickly started using it as a shelter.
Well, they came in this morning looking for food as usual. But just a few moments ago in the afternoon, my family member got home and found the little kitten maimed and unresponsive in the box. It had signs of injuries but worse of all his little leg had been amputated by something sharp. We think the neighbor’s dog got to him and killed him.
It’s so heartbreaking. Why would anyone do this to a baby kitten? I can’t even imagine how the momma cat feels because I’m sure she saw it. I don’t even think she’ll stop by anymore. I’m so angry and upset and I’m crying. Life is so fucking unfair.
If she and/or the adult male return, see if you can connect with a local TNR group which can trap, neuter/spay, ear tip and release them. Better than doing it yourself so the cats don’t associate it with you, plus they may have donations to pay for it. When the cats come back, they’ll continue to hold the local territory without reproducing further, and will live longer because of less physical stress. I assume they’re too wild-minded to adopt.
My local one is Kitty Bungalow Charm School For Wayward Cats, which also sets up fostering for the kittens so they’ll become adoptable, and finds farm and business jobs for cats who aren’t afraid of people but don’t want to be pets. Your local situation may be different but it’s worth looking into.
Ah, thanks for the thoughtful reply! It shows that you care.
We managed to spay the female at the local Animal Control and she’s doing great. She just got done with her antibiotics yesterday and she’s running around as usual tipping over our potted plants. lol We’ll see what we can do and hopefully find a home for the other kitten soon.
So proud of you!