What do you do...?

[MelissaPenguin]

My boyfriends last kitten was attacked by my dog. We took her to the Emergency Vet and since the surgery to fix the wound in her stomach was going to cost $700-$900 we decided to put her down because we just had no way to get the money... Not even a week later we found kittens in our shed, and he immediately picked one out. We had plans to get her shots, fixed, the works. She already had a name and everything. They're about 6 weeks old now. Early this morning at about 5am, my boyfriend found her dead at the bottom of our front steps. I don't know the whole story, and we're not sure what happened since they were living in a shed across the yard, but it looks like she was attacked by a dog... By the time he found her she was already hard and had apparently been there a while. While I don't think it was our dogs, the neighbor has a cat aggressive dog that we've had problems with before, before my mums cat passed away from old age. My problem is now I have a dead kitten wrapped in towels in my front yard... I don't know what to do with it, and I don't want to ask Robbie what he wants to do with it because I know the last kitten just broke his heart. I really don't want to bring it up, but I don't want to bury her and find out her wanted to do it, or something... And my next problem is, how do I help him get over this? Last time he picked out a new kitten and that apparently didn't help at all... so what now? ray: :hearts:cry1::rainbow:

 

[MiniLopHop]

I am so sorry for your loss. It's horrible to have one but even worse to loose two so young. I would burry it and then he can say goodbye and perhaps plant some flowers. He wouldn't want to see the little body. I think time is the only thing that will really help. Are there any other kittens from the group left? I highly recommend keeping cats indoor only, it's safer that way.

 

[MelissaPenguin]

Yes there's still 4 kittens left. We were planning on bringing them inside, but momma is somewhat feral. She's warmed up to me and lets me pet her, feed her, play with her kittens, ect, but I don't know how well she'd do in the house, confined to one room. I guess that's the best decision at this point though. He told me to do something with her so I went ahead and buried her. The kitten we had put down he sat in the car while the procedure was done, but I didn't want to leave the kitten alone to go through that so I sat with her while she was put to sleep. I know he was upset this morning after he found her. Is just kind of 'ignoring' the problem the best route here? I don't want to bring it up, but should I really act like nothing happened? At least around him?

 

[MiniLopHop]

You know him best, but sometimes men have a hard time letting others share their grief. Perhaps just giving extra hugs and being a little extra nice for a few days will let him process to the point of being able to share.

I would bring the cats in. You will probably have to treat for fleas and worms right away so you don't get that into your house. The mom will probably try to escape a lot at first, but I know from experience that with time and patience they can be converted to house cats.

Victoria was ferral until she was about 3 years old. Someone brought her and a litter of kittens to the shelter, all sick. The kittens didn't make it, but Victoria did. At first when we brought her home she ran for the door every chance she had and didn't want anything to do with us. Over time she warmed up to us and being inside. She has been with us 5 years now and wouldn't have a clue what to do outside. She hasn't darted for an open door for years. She will sit on the windowsil when it rains and it looks like she is gloating. Warm, dry, and fed makes for a happy girl. Victoria still is not a lap cat, but she likes her ears scratched and tollerates her nail trims. She likes to sleep on my feet at night, particularly in the winter.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I agree, you should bring them all inside in a quiet rom if possible. Like MiniLopHop said, the mom will be a bit frantic and try to escape for sometime. But its for the best that she stay indoors. Trust me in time she will relax and feel more and more comforatble. She may not become completely broken but she will get more trusting. Be sure to leave enough things in the room to keep them all stimulated and happy. Toys, scratching post a self made box house for her to hide in so she can feel safe until she is ready.They will love empty water bottles, mine love them.

 

[MelissaPenguin]

Thanks for the tips guys. He slept longer than usual, but I figured he would. He's awake now and acting like he's in a normal mood, but I guess time will tell. I will work on making a spot in the bedroom for the cats crate (an XL crate) that they'll sleep in. I already planned on getting their shots and getting momma fixed, so I guess just continue what I was doing with the other babies.

 

[Little Cow]

What kind of dog do you have? Some have a very strong prey drive (greyhounds are notoriously bad). I would contact a dog trainer for advice on how to train your dog to accept a kitten before bringing in more. I agree 100% about keeping kitties indoors. Best of luck to you!

 

[MelissaPenguin]

She's a Whippet (same personality virtually as a greyhound). She has never seemed to go after larger cats, but she does like to chase the kittens. The neighbors dog is like a big fluffy chow chow thing. I think he's just a mutt, but he definitely doesn't like cats. My dog is usually outside, and sleeps in the bathroom at night, so the cats in the bedroom shouldn't be a problem. My boyfriend just really wants a cat o.x He's already talked about going to get another baby, one that I would have to bottle fed for him for a couple more weeks. We will see how it goes though, I guess.

We had cats in the bedroom a while back when I was into rescuing them. We never had a problem then, but most of the cats were adults.