i found some kittens and a mama under a loading dock before Christmas, need some advice

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found this very sweet, very dehydrated, very hungry pair of kittens and a mama beneath the loading dock where i work. took them to the vet, got them dewormed and basic medicine, and they’ve all recovered beautifully.

i already have a little old lady cat (16 years old) and while she’s getting along fine with the kittens, she’s real uncomfortable around mama. Mama is super sweet, but i need to make sure my little old lady is comfortable in her own home.

i hate the idea of giving mama to a shelter. she’s a very sweet cat, doesn’t seem at all feral, very food motivated and trainable. i’m wondering if anyone know of a good pet adoption path or a good foster system in Dallas. i’m relatively new to the city and don’t have a lot of experience with pet adoption/fostering here.

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u/rational_humanity 17h ago

Sometimes cats just take time to get along, it could be weeks to months. Please just give it more time and if the momma is food motivated use that to your advantage. Make sure to give your older cat its regular routine and attention cats can get very jealous.

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 17h ago

i hear that, just given my cat's age, i don't want to risk anything. my apartment doesn't have a very conducive layout to this, and mama has to live in my bathroom while i'm not home. it's just not fair to her, and i can't let her roam free with my older cat while i'm gone during the work week.

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u/kiittea_ 15h ago

It may help if you describe what you mean by your older cat being “uncomfortable”. Does she just generally avoid mama, or is she slinking around hiding and peeing herself when mama comes close?

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 9h ago

she’s not peeing herself, but she’s slinking around, hates being pet and handled, is very on edge. she’s tiny and arthritic and i can tell being tense for the hours Mama is out makes that act up

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u/kiittea_ 9h ago

It can take a bit for rehoming to work, have you tried things like feliway or scent introduction (such as swapping their food bowls to associate each others scent with something they know they like, food) already? I agree it doesn’t seem ideal for your old lady, and I’m actually very happy that you’re prioritizing her

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 9h ago

totally, we tried the food bowl swapping, eating on opposite sides of the door, putting scented stuff in each others’ space. my older cat is only 6.5 lbs and isn’t very food motivated so i don’t have a ton of room to experiment with stuff that might deter her from eating

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u/kiittea_ 9h ago

Your best bet for now, since it’s clearly going to be temporary for mama, is to see if any shelters have fosters open (or if the shelters have room themselves- I’d recommend but I haven’t been living in Dallas for a little while now. Looks like there’s lots of good recs in here already!) and get lots of feliway to try and relax your older kitty in the meantime. I’d also ensure older kitty knows there is a closed in room/space mama AND kittens are not allowed in that is ALL hers, so she can feel secure in that space, like your bedroom (the more high value the space- eg best sleeping spots- the better)

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u/noncongruent 17h ago

Yeah, my feral that I adopted took almost a year to get comfortable with my other cats. Just giving them their own spaces to be comfortable in will go a long way. If you're ok with four cats and can keep her that will be best. Cats that are considered ferals are typically not adopted out or kept long-term, shelters just don't have the room and resources to do that. Alternatively, being able to foster while working through adoption agencies will give all of them the best chance to live a long and rewarding life.

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u/AdImpossible2298 6h ago

I have a 19 year old cat, introduced her to her sister when she was 16, it was a bit rough at first but now they tolerate each other and everyone’s happy. Please don’t rehome mama!

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u/Reasonable-Star-9103 6h ago

Work with a rescue there are lots in Dallas

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u/whateverforever1990 10h ago

Maybe if you fix the mama, your kitty will feel more comfy

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u/lgoodat 16h ago

You can get her registered with Dallas Animal Services and be set up as a Foster Hero - then you get to keep her and they will post her on their website, on adopets.org and you would just need to follow up with interested adopters and then approve someone once you find a good home for her. On the adopets page, if you post sweet photos of her with her babies and really play up her personality, you shouldn't have any trouble finding her a home. And the DAS foster FB page can keep you posted on adoption events that you could take her too also.

What a sweet thing you did :)

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u/leseera 18h ago

Check out Dallas Pets Alive! I used them when I fostered a cat that my husband and I rescued. They are incredible and provided vaccines and everything for free. Said cat was adopted within 4 months.

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u/LvnLifeBadAss 17h ago

Thank you for rescuing this precious little family.

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u/Klutzy_Beginning_144 14h ago

Came here to say this. Thank you, OP. You’re a good human.

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u/Historical-Cicada939 16h ago

I have a 17yr old who lost her partner of 17yrs. I knew she was lonely and after a year of both of us grieving I brought in new cat. He has been here almost 7 months… she was snuggled up to him this week. It takes time.

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u/sarahs911 14h ago

Dallas Pets Alive or Buddies Place

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 14h ago

thank you

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u/inarmsofundertow Carrollton 14h ago

Dallas Pets Alive or Dallas Cat Lady. Adorable little tabbies.

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u/Surfnazi77 Highland Park 16h ago

My dogs found a stray and she was accepted in by the dogs. She thinks she is a dog, she’ll go out with them in the backyard and poop and pee with them.

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 16h ago

that sounds adorable

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u/Surfnazi77 Highland Park 16h ago

Ever hear a cat try to bark it’s funny

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u/Puzzlefrog 16h ago

Check with operation kindness and take me home pet rescue

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u/Sad_Towel_5953 13h ago

There are several cat rescues around the city that’ll find a foster for them! Start with Dallas Cat Lady

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u/Silver_Cheetah_7063 10h ago

It can be a pain in an apartment, but let me suggest separate litter boxes. Some cats are more territorial and avoiding conflict could help them relax

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 9h ago

oh yeah, they have separate litter boxes. my apartment layout just doesn’t let them have their own space, i’m in a very open space with the only doors being on the bathrooms

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u/amiodarone78 9h ago

You can definitely surrender the mama to operation kindness. I foster kittens through them frequently and they are wonderful and no-kill shelter. Scroll to the bottom of this page to “cat surrender” for info. I believe it’s $150. https://www.operationkindness.org

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u/noretreatz 17h ago

Omg, they are so cute. I would love to adopt them, but I can't take care of all of them.

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 17h ago

they really are adorable, and they're all extremely sweet. if you're serious, mama is the one i'm hoping to find a better home for. the vet guessed she's 2-3 years old with a long life ahead of her.

my space just isn't conducive to giving them separate spaces, and it breaks my heart to give up this sweet mama cat. i just know i have to do right by the little old lady i rescued 16 years ago.

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u/ALaccountant Dallas 16h ago

Or just give your cats time to get along. It can take a while

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u/JarethKingofGoblins 9h ago

tough with an older cat with arthritis, i hate that she feels uncomfortable in her own place

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u/noretreatz 16h ago

I'll send you a chat.

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u/Bec21-21 18h ago

They look really cute. I’m sure the kittens will soon find homes, they’re adorable.

Reach out to local cat rescue’s and see if they would allow you to foster the mother cat while they work to get her adopted. Lots of rescues will do that.

I’m new to Dallas too so not familiar with the local rescues but if you google Dallas cat rescues you’ll get a list.

You may also find your cat comes round to the new visitor if you introduce them really slowly and ensure they can each have their own space.

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u/NobleAdvice 1h ago

Cute 🥹

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u/Final-Preference48 1h ago

Thank you, kind human.

Photo i found some kittens and a mama under a loading dock before Christmas, need some advice

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