More Feral Kittens

[Tambrey]

late yesterday afternoon and into the evening, a totally wild feral cat...just barely a year old herself, had five kittens in a box on our front porch...we had put the box there, with some foam padding in it, in hopes either her or her sister, just as wild and almost as pregnant, would give birth...we had success there!!

Now at least we can keep an eye on mom and babies, food is nearby, and the porch is screened (with a couple of tears near the bottoms) so semi-safe from predators, yet mom can come and go when she feels the need to do so...and as they grow, can get them used to handling, unlike mom who will not let anyone get within ten feet of her...and hopefully find them all good homes when they are ready to leave momma...

The babies are soooo tiny...but then, momma is small herself...*sighs*...I was hoping that they would not get pregnant so soon...we never have been able to get near these two, even though their mom brought them to us and they have been feeding on our porch for about nine months now...

So all we can do is pray they all grow and develop well...if this momma is like her own, she will be a good momma to them...so far she seems to be...
but I love it that all I need to do is peek out the front window to the porch and see into the box...I cannot see babies when she is in there, of course, but when she wanders off to eat or go potty, I can peek then...

[Ash]

It's always one of the best moments when newborn kittens have arrived! Can't get enough watching them. My neighbour just told me that in his garden two feral cats have given birth a couple of weeks ago, about 10 or 11 of them small fluffy ones ... He invited me to come some time and see them.

[k9Karen]

I'm glad you are there to take care of them. Is there any way you can catch the momma cat when the kittens are bigger and at least have her spayed before this happens again (unfortunately, in just a few months after she weans these wee ones)?

[Tambrey]

I know...this momma and her sister, the other one also pregnant have NEVER been touched by any of us...we cannot get within ten feet of them...

so we will have to resort to a live trap and go that route when she is old enough to leave the babies...

We also have four kitten in our garage that are close to three weeks old now...

[Ash]

Wow, I would sure love to see your place!

[charlotteluc]

Wow! It's really Kitty City in your neck of the woods!

At some point, I knew some feral cats I wanted to help, and did some research. (There was a link, I believe, regarding feral cats on the ASPCA website... something like that.)

To my surprise, but probably as you have experienced, adopting/taming them isn't really an option. Basically, what they said to do was to, yes, go ahead with the live traps and take them to the vet and get them fixed. They also said that some vets might do it for free? I know that there are some spay and neuter days occasionally at animal shelters.

The focus of it was to try and trap them, get them fixed, then put them back exactly where they were. That way you would only minimally disrupt their lives, and you could prevent more feral kittens.

Obviously, you couldn't do this immediately with the kittens needing their mommy and all! It's just something to keep in mind... that getting them fixed eventually would be the very best thing.

God bless you for watching over them!

Charlotte.

[FromBeyond138]

Hey Tambrey, great to hear they are screened in & under your care. Sounds like ideak feral kitten situation there.

Ive been able to TNR all but one of the ferals I manage & I think she had her kittens over the weekend, she went from very big to normal. I have no idea where she nested & I dont want to spook her so Im waiting to see if she brings them to the feeding station when theyre weaned. The plan is to take them out of the colony mid-June & foster them. And trap Mom for her spay.

[FromBeyond138]

(There was a link, I believe, regarding feral cats on the ASPCA website... something like that.).

Probably ACA. There's a link tacked to my signature.

[Tina B and crew]

The kitties always seem to know where they will get taken care of...thanks for doing what you do Tambrey (((hugs)))

[FromBeyond138]

My neighbour just told me that in his garden two feral cats have given birth a couple of weeks ago, about 10 or 11 of them small fluffy ones ... He invited me to come some time and see them.

Id advise against that. If they are truly feral, The Moms will see well-meaning visitors as predators & will move the kittens. Those kittens will need to be homed after theyre weaned, around 4-6 weeks & no later than 8-10 weeks. And the Moms need to be spayed once the kittens are weaned so they dont get preggo again. The Alley Cat Allies website has all the info you need. Good luck !!