A year ago, a pregnant stray cat started visiting our house regularly. Even though we had no experience with pets and were hesitant, my father allowed her inside, saying he would take care of everything. In July 2025, she gave birth to five kittens at our place.
Out of the five:
Two were adopted by neighbors
One died due to a dog attack
Two male kittens are still with us
Initially, the mother cat used to visit and feed them regularly, but she stopped coming around about five months ago. Since then, we’ve been responsible for feeding the kittens.
We are a vegetarian family, so at first, the kittens were given milk. Later, after a lot of convincing, we managed to get my father to buy dry cat food. We soak it in water so they stay hydrated. However, after buying cat food, my father became very controlling and inconsistent.
Whenever the cats meow (which is normal behavior), he complains that they are “always shouting” despite being fed. He believes that in the past, cats survived on regular household food and insists on feeding them items like namkeen, grapes, vegetable pulao, and bisibele bath—even after we repeatedly told him not to.
Another issue is that when the kittens catch prey like rats, they sometimes bring it inside the house to eat. We’ve asked my father to keep doors closed to prevent this, but he often leaves them open, claiming he forgets.
Earlier, the cats would occasionally vomit after eating prey, which we understood could happen. But recently, one of the cats has been vomiting frequently. We asked my father to take them to a vet, but he refused, saying they will recover on their own.
We are still students and don’t have much financial independence, but we are willing to save money and take responsibility for feeding them properly ourselves—without relying on our father.
We’re looking for:
Affordable, cat-friendly food options (especially alternatives to expensive wet food)
Simple, safe recipes we can prepare at home
Guidance on how to improve their health, especially regarding vomiting
TL;DR
We took in a pregnant stray cat last year. Now we have two kittens left, but the mother disappeared. Our father refuses proper care, feeds them unsafe human food, and won’t take them to a vet. One cat is now vomiting frequently. We’re students and want cheap, safe food options and advice to take care of them ourselves.
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