Adopting a triplet of sibling cats

by JAI SHARMA
(Hyderabad, India)

I recently encountered a post on a social media group where people rescue animals and put them up for adoption. The guy who posted told me that a mother cat gave birth to three female kittens and left them after a while.


He has been taking care of them for the last 2-3 months. The place where he stays is not at all appropriate for cats - no hiding places, no boxes, no toys. He doesn't let them enter his apartment and the poor beings have to roam around outside on the balcony (around 30-40sq ft. area).

This guy has been feeding them properly but they're not getting any affection from the owner. Also, the kittens tend to play and cuddle with each other a lot.

Here's the problem. This guy's neighbors and owner are asking him to get rid of all three because of a couple of reasons.

The playful kittens tend to enter neighbors' houses and sometimes defecate outside their apartment.

One of the three has a different personality and tends to shy away from (or is scared of) human touch. She's not very playful with her siblings either, unlike the other two.

I was ready to take one of them, but I'm afraid I'll end up separating the bond. If I take two (the playful ones), I end up hurting the third one.

I actually tried taking one of 'em yesterday in a cardboard 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 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 two 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 hard enough, it's possible to find three owners taking all of them separately. But how would they react on finding out: change of place and missing siblings and changed owner?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Take them
by: Anonymous

Hey Nathalie,
Not sure if it's too late to reply. I'd take all of them if money isn't a constraint. If you want to separate them, better to do it sooner than later. There's always going to be someone who gets separated which isn't the most terrible thing. If I were you, I'd prioritise getting a good home for the cat (s) you're leaving which implies making sure there's pre and post adoption home checks, getting few pics a week for fist few weeks, making sure you ask questions like what happens if they have a newborn, what happens if there are allergies, what happens if you get a new job in different country. Stuff like this would give you and the kitty peace of mind that they're in good hands.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Help
by: Nat

Hi
I'm not sure when you posted this question but I want to know what did you end up doing ?

I'm going through something similar , I'm over seas now and I rescued a litter of 3 kittens when they were about 2 weeks old ... now they're about 8 month old and been taking care for them ever since .

I think the 3 are bonded as they always sleep next to each other and play with each other .

There's 1 kitten from the 3 that is closer to me ( she was the runt of the litter ) and the other 2 sometimes will want my attention.

Now the issue I'm having is .. I'm moving back to canada
And I don't know if I should take the 3 with me or only 1 or 2 or all of them ... should I separate them ..I'm still over seas because of them , I'm never going to abandon them ... if it were to take 1 kitten with me , the other 2 I would find good homes for them before I travel . But I don't know if it's they should be separated. Or should I take all 3 with me .

Or should I stay here a couple more months till they turn 1 to see if they're bonded .

I appreciate if you can help me
Thank you
Nathalie
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starstarstarstarstar 		I would keep them together if possible
by: Angela

Thank you for having a kind heart. I would keep the kittens together, if possible. While they do get over being separated, I prefer to adopt cats together if they have already bonded.

Adopting them just before you go away is not ideal, but if your flatmates will take care of their basic needs while you're gone, it seems like a better alternative to what is happening now.

Best of luck with them.

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