Fifth grader goes to a Halloween event and surprises his parent with a kitten instead of candy

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Oct 28, 2026 10:15 AM EDT

Kids have a talent for bringing home unexpected treasures. Rocks, sticks, mysterious objects they found on the playground, and occasionally something that probably should have stayed outside. Parents learn pretty quickly to check their children's pockets before doing laundry, because you never know what might be hiding in there.

A live kitten, however, is a pretty impressive addition to the collection.

Most parents expect to come home from a school Halloween event with a bag of candy, a few decorations, and a child who's had way too much sugar. Bringing home an entirely new family member probably wasn't on the schedule. But when a kid spots an adorable kitten who needs a home, good luck convincing them to walk away.

We have to admire the confidence of children who decide they're getting a pet without consulting anyone. They don't worry about litter boxes, vet appointments, or introducing a new animal to the family cat. They see a tiny furball, fall in love, and figure the grown-ups can handle the paperwork.

One parent recently experienced exactly this situation while helping out at their fifth grader's elementary school trunk-or-treat event. They were busy running a trunk when their son discovered a nearby house giving away kittens. Rather than asking permission, he simply picked one out and brought her over.

His parent was understandably stunned. It had started raining, though, and they couldn't bring themselves to return the little kitten to the house. They already had a seven-year-old cat at home, so caring for a feline wasn't completely unfamiliar territory.

The kitten appeared to be around five weeks old, much younger than the age kittens should normally leave their mothers. Her new caretaker knew she needed extra attention and immediately made a trip to PetSmart for supplies.

They bought kitten food, kitten milk replacer, a litter box, bedding, and other essentials before setting her up in a separate bathroom away from the resident cat. The little one was dirty and had fleas, so they carefully cleaned her with a warm washcloth and flea comb while arranging a vet visit for the following morning.

Although the family hasn't decided whether they'll keep her permanently, they're determined to give her the care she needs. Her unexpected arrival has certainly made this Halloween a memorable one.

That fifth grader might have gone looking for candy, but he came home with something considerably sweeter.

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  • 01
    Last night was trunk-or-treat at my 5th grader's elementary school and I was running a trunk. At some point he saw a house right next to us that was giving
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    40 mL 5 mL PL-2838 REA ** NEW
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  • 03
    away kittens so he took one of them and brought her to me (I think it's a she, but I'm not 100% sure). I was stunned but didn't want to take her back to the
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    house since it had started raining. I have a cat at home as well so I have at least some experience.
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    Cheezburger Image 10673063680
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  • 06
    I'm pretty sure this kitten is around 5 weeks old, which I know isn't old enough to be separated from mom but whoever had her
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    was going to get rid of her someway or another and I have the means to take care of her for now. I made a trip to petsmart to buy some paper litter and litter
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    box, a cat bed, a food and water bowl, some kitten wet food, and kmr powder. I set her up in the bathroom last night so she and my cat were separated. I'm going
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    Cheezburger Image 10673064192
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    to take her to the vet this morning since she was quite dirty and had fleas. I used a warm wash cloth and flea comb on her and did what I could to clean her up.
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  • 11
    Is there anything else that I'm missing that I should get or do? I haven't had a kitten in a long time as my cat is 7 and I adopted him
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    when he was 10 weeks and properly weaned. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep her yet but I want to give her the best chance I can.
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    Cheezburger Image 10673063936
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    thewaltz77 That baby looks right at home.
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  • Looks like this little kitty has already made herself comfortable, and we're pretty sure there's no going back now! She's got her own bed, food bowls, and a human who's already making sure she has everything she needs. Sorry, but we don't make the rules. Once a kitten moves in and starts getting comfortable, it's officially a no-backsies situation!

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    HurryMundane5867 Love it forever.
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    Opitmus_Prime Congratulations you have a cat now. Next steps: the usual, vet, food, clean, play and enjoy
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    Aggressive-Task-669 Congrats on your granddaughter
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  • Congratulations, you're officially a grandpawrent! Your son has apparently decided he's ready to become a cat dad, which means you've been promoted to the very important role of kitty grandparent. Sure, you'll probably be handling the feeding, cleaning, vet visits, and pretty much every other responsibility, but that's beside the point. Your job is to spoil your new grandkitten rotten and pretend you had absolutely no say in this arrangement. We hope you're ready for lots of tiny pawprints and family photos!

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    Dry_Frosting5739 Cat distribution strikes again! Keep him/her!
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    MarkOutrageous1191 Keep her. She will change your life I promise
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  • Having a cat is one of those things that makes life so much better. You get a little buddy who greets you when you come home, curls up next to you on the couch, and somehow makes you laugh every single day. They might destroy your furniture and wake you up at 5 a.m., but you'll love them so much that you'll forgive them every time.

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    Lopsided Astronomer76 Keep the kitten, foster out the child.
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    Silly_Cheetah_706 She has a home now...yours
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