When a local cat owner planned to care for three adult female cats, he never expected his feline family to expand so fast.

All three of the owner’s cats were unneutered and able to roam freely outside, and in just a few short months, he found himself with seven new born kittens to look after – and future litters undoubtedly on the way. The owner quickly realised that he would struggle to cope with a constant cycle of pregnancies and an increasing number of new mouths to feed. He was also understandably concerned about the long term welfare of the cats and kittens, and called Mayhew to ask our Animal Welfare Officers (AWO’s) for advice.

After assessing the situation together and discussing the best outcome for everyone and every animal involved, our AWO’s were granted permission to bring the three adult cats in to Mayhew, where we re-named them Papaya, Guava and Apricot.

Papaya had very recently given birth to her litter of five kittens, who the owner also agreed to sign over to us. We named these young girls Kiwi, Mandarin, Lychee, Coconut and Cherry. Papaya and her daughters are currently being looked after by a foster carer, until they are each ready to be neutered and placed up for adoption.

Apricot was also a relatively new mum, having given birth to the two remaining male kittens just a few weeks before. She has now been neutered and is reserved by a potential new owner, whilst her original owner decided to keep her two kittens himself. He will be bringing them in to Mayhew to be neutered when they are old enough, to prevent a similar situation occurring again.

Risks of keeping unneutered pets

Many pet owners are unaware of the risks of keeping unneutered animals, and can quickly discover that the cat or dog population in their home has snowballed out of control.

This can result in multiple pressures on both animal and owner, including mounting care costs, an increased amount of time needed to train and socialise new-borns, and the additional stress associated with re-homing if an owner is unable to cope. Mayhew therefore firmly believe that neutering is the most responsible and caring action you can take for your pet.

As well as actively reducing the number of animals in need and the unnecessary stress and suffering for animals and owners alike, neutering has many benefits – including less risks to a mother’s long term health, a decreased chance of developing certain diseases, and a lower chance of displaying adverse behaviour such as fighting and spraying.

To find out more about Mayhew’s low cost neutering services, please visit our Community Vet Clinic. If you would like to find out more about neutering, we have a guide to help you understand the ins and outs of this low-risk, quick and easy procedure.

If you’d like to keep up to date with Papaya and her fruity kittens, and find out when they are available for adoption, you can sign up to our rehoming alerts here.

Happily, Guava has already found her own fairy tale ending – she was neutered and adopted shortly after arriving at Mayhew, and is now fully settled in her brand new home.