Advice about Animal Stealing...

[peasnsoup]

There are two very young kittens (eyes barely open) living outside of a nearby restaurant. Someone obviously owns them, they are both tied with a short rope to a bench and they have a sideways styrofoam box to sleep in. They are out there even when it's freezing, never taken off the leash. The restaurant puts their scraps outside for them to eat (I don't know whether they can eat this or not - I've not seen them eat anything). My question is, is this the norm for the treatment of pets in Korea? Or should I do something about this? I'm not above stealing people's pets...

[red dog]

Do the kittens have a mother? If their eyes are barely open, they can't survive on scraps. They need their mother's milk, and if that's not available then bottle feeding around the clock is their only chance.

Can you post a picture so that more experienced cat people can provide reliable advice? If they're really as young as you say, this is an emergency and not a question for a message board.

[red dog]

OP, are you still out there? Can you ask what happened to the kittens' mother? Can you offer to adopt or foster them? Are you sure the mother isn't still in the area?

[annie]

I would "conveniently un-tie" them and take them home or to the vet. Cats don't do well tied up (dogs neither, but don't tend to panic and wrestle as much).
In need of milk or not, I would still take them.

It's always a debate with dogs as I tend to think that the owners will just keep getting other dogs if we take them away. With cats, it's a little more uncommon.

Keep us posted

[red dog]

I'm glad Annie saw this, and I hope the OP is still checking the boards ...

[peasnsoup]

Still out here, working on a home for them, she should confirm today and then I will go take them...It's a bit more complicated though, evidently they belong to the restaurant owner and several of my coworkers have already been harassing him about his treatment of them, which means that when they go missing it's going to point back to me or my coworkers...

[luvadog]

Years ago, when I was a novice in Korea I used to see a calico cat tied in the alley. I walked into town almost every day and used to untie her. But she never ran away...just stayed there. The next day she was tied up again. I did this for a long time until she disappeared finally.

She was so skinny. Looking back, I wish I had taken her, but I knew nothing about what to do with her, I had roommates, and didn't know if I could take her home or even where a vet was.

Thanks to this site, I've learned a lot and now know better what to do. Try to get them but be careful. Did I understand you've talked with them about it? Maybe offer to buy them? Be very polite. Hand them a man-won, say choo-say-yo? (give them to me? or can I have them?) and see what they do. Kittens are easy to foster.

Good luck and let us know. Poor babies.

[annie]

I wouldn't offer money as it can have very negative effects: they will go buy other ones with the money or try to get more hoping you'll walk by again and offer to buy the next ones...

The fact that your co-workers have talked to them already complicates the matter a little, but you didn't. Plus, they won't have any proof. They can go talk to your co-workers: they don't have the cats!

[Scarlet13]

I am not above freeing animals in need either. Do what your heart tells you!