Need advice on feral cats

[kehorner]

Last night, two feral kittens showed up on my back deck. At first I just saw the one, and he looked pretty skinny from what I could see. I wanted to get a better look at him, so I put out some food for him. He was very skittish, and ran away every time he looked at me, pretty much. After I put out the food, though, another one came out and ate, too.

The kittens look to be about 10-12 weeks old. They ate the dry food with no trouble. The one appears to be very healthy, bright-eyed, etc. The other one I didn't get as good of a look at, but looks skinnier. They are both incredibly shy of humans.

My roommate came home and saw the kittens and thought that she'd seen them with another cat earlier in the week. So I put out some canned food (for the stink factor) and waited. And waited...

The mom finally came out a few hours later and ate. She's absolutely gorgeous, but very small and skinny. I didn't get a great look at her because I turned off the light to try to encourage her to come out, so it was dark. She was also terribly shy.

So, I've got a mom and two kittens, all feral. I'm not sure what to do with them.

I can't keep feeding them because I live in a condo and it's against the association rules. And they do strictly enforce the rules. And I would get noticed (already got noticed last night).

I looked up the animal control website, and they will "impound" strays, but only if they are already captured and ready for pick-up. And they don't say what they do with them after they are "impounded."

I think the kittens are old enough to be separated from their mom. They look big enough, and they were eating dry food with no problem. Is it possible to tame feral kittens after they are 10-12 weeks old, or is it too late? I was thinking that maybe the best outcome would be to catch the kittens and somebody from animal control would be able to tame them down and make them adoptable.

My parents have a live trap that I could borrow (although I'd have to sweet-talk my mom into driving it up here for me). However, I'd only be able to catch one at a time, and I'm not sure how that would work out, or if it would just scare the other two away.

So, keeping in mind that I can't get away with feeding them forever, and I absolutely can't take them in (I've already got three and that's the legal limit, plus the limit of my budget and my sanity), what should I do?

[Traci]

I was thinking that maybe the best outcome would be to catch the kittens and somebody from animal control would be able to tame them down and make them adoptable.

Not gonna happen! Very few shelters ever comitt or take the time to work with ferals or feral kittens, nor strays. Very few shelters will bother with hooking up with foster parents etc. So, no, this is NOT the best outcome.

I looked up the animal control website, and they will "impound" strays, but only if they are already captured and ready for pick-up. And they don't say what they do with them after they are "impounded."

Which is a pretty good indication they don't want to be bothered with anything. If they didn't state "what happens to them", then ASSUME they will be euthanized, period. This sounds like (according to your post), this is a true KILL-shelter with no intention of changing the way they do "business".

What to do? Call all local and area animal RESCUE organizations and ask for help, state specifically you do not want them in a kill-shelter and that they ARE adoptable (including the mother cat, most likely she is fairly young herself). Yes, feral kittens are adoptable, providing they have foster care, a nurturing environment and someone comitted to them. Some adult ferals are also adoptable, it depends on the situation. Most rescue organizations network with others in the area to find foster parents or places to house/place the pets into adoption.

[Cindy]

I found a few links for you:

http://www.catswithnoname.net/Michigan.htm

http://www.1-800-save-a-pet.com/adoptio ... 72062.html

[kehorner]

Okay, I've been working on finding some rescue groups. A daunting task, since most of them are full to capacity. I contacted one that looked very promising, and they said that they might be able to take the mom, and recommended another group for the kittens.

I'm going to have to convince my mom to drive up here and bring me their live trap so I can actually catch these cats, because there is no way I'm ever going to get near them to grab them.

Any suggestions on the actual catching of the cats? I've got three cats to catch and only one trap. What's the best way to go about this?

[Cindy]

make sure you put something inside the trap like newspaper to hide the foot plate cuz some of them will actually step over the plate, eat the food and leave without getting caught!

If you can catch the kittens, you may be able to handle them enough to place them in a crate and keep them until you get the momma. Then transport momma in trap and babies in crate.

[Traci]

If you use the trap, be prepared that you have to watch the trap so that no other animal is trapped, or so that they are not left in the trap for long periods of time (weather elements, other people seeing the trap/interferring, etc)

Use tuna fish or other strongly scented cat food. Keep the trap covered and in an area away from people, noise, rain/cold/wind, and try to camoflage it if possible. Depending on the weather, if it's too hot, the cover could make it even hotter, so be careful with that. Likewise, if it's too cold, and the trap is not monitored, they will be at risk for hypothermia. You may have to only catch one at a time, so you'll have to have a place to keep them/attend to them as each is getting caught.

Stay quite, hidden from view if possible, and if you catch a kitten or the mother, keep the entire ordeal as calm and quiet as possible. Being trapped is an extremely stressful event for a cat, you have to make it as stress-free as possible, and provide for their safety and comfort, provide food, water, etc.

[kehorner]

The good news is that they are coming up on my back deck, so it's right outside my back door, which is convenient to keep an eye on. Plus, if anything really exciting is going on out there, my boys will let me know as well. That's how I found the kittens in the first place. There was a whole lot of hissing and meowing going on at that back door (it's a glass panel door).

Is there any concern that after I catch one, the others won't come back? What can I do to minimize this risk?

Hmm... Just got an e-mail that the place I was told to check with is full and can't take the kittens. Back to searching. Until I find a place to send them, I can't catch them anyway. I don't really have anywhere that I could even shut them up in for a long period of time in my house. Other than two bedrooms and two bathrooms, there aren't any doors. So fostering them isn't an option. Especially since I haven't got a clue how long that would last and I've already got the three cats, plus I'm getting my dog at some point soon. Also, local law (and condo association rules) cap the number of pets in a home to 3, so I'm full.

I've got some other rescues that I can check with still. Hopefully somebody will take them!

[Cindy]

have you tried calling Michigan State University Veterinary School? I have no idea if they can advise or help you, but it's worth a try. Here is an article I found about their work:

http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/08 ... cats.shtml

[slvrwhispr]

kehorner, I live about an hour away. If you wanted to check rescues in the Waterford/West Bloomfield/Pontiac area, I would be willing to come get them from you and take them somewhere out this way.

[kehorner]

Well, I found someplace that will take the kittens, but only if I can work with them for 2 weeks before I turn them over. Now, practically, that just would not work. I'm out of the house most days from 9-10, and I don't think it would do them much good to sit around locked up alone all day. It sounds like the lady wanted me to get a head-start on taming them, but with my schedule, it just wouldn't happen. I let her know the problem, so maybe she'll have some other ideas.

It seems that most of the rescue groups are (like most rescue groups) full of cats and understaffed. Sigh...