Urgent Cat question. Please Help

karenvictoria

karenvictoria

Cathlete
Please any info would be so helpful to me and my family right now. About two months ago we found a cat who had three kittens. We have faithfully put out water and food for all of them for the past two months. We have semi gained their trust enough so that they watch us at close distance and come out when we place there food. They no longer are being weened by their mom at this point. Over the past two weeks we have been able to pet one or two of the kittens and play with them at a distance with yarn balls and toys we have bought. The mother cat is there somtimes and sometimes not. She has never hissed at us or minded that we are feeding any of them. With the weather getting cooler we were making the decision to catch them and keep the babies. But today when we woke up there was only one kitten there. The mom is gone and two of the other kittens are gone as well. This kitten has been crying on and off all day but has come out only to eat. I'm heartbroken. My kids are heartbroken. We have never owned pet before. I'm 37 and have never had a pet so this is killing me. Last night we were playing with all the kittens on the driveway and tonight only one kitten. Is the mother and kittens really gone??? When does the mom seperate or does she?? If so how long do I wait to take this kitten into my home. i don't want to take her if the mother is going to come back. Is this normal. I'm lost as to what to do to help this cat. Really i know this sounds nuts but I'm crying over the fact of this stray cat. Help.
 
Hi Karen - I really don't know what to say. I'm a big-time animal lover (I have three cats), but have not had any experience with this. I know in the wild that mothers sometimes leave their babies alone to go out and hunt, so it's never a good idea to remove a wild animal. However, a domestic cat? It seems odd that she would leave only one kitten behind, if she was going to abandon them, I would think she would leave them all. I would take the lone baby in, but as I said, I'm not sure if this would be the right thing to do. Hopefully others with more knowledge can provide advice. Good for you for caring:):):)
 
Cats who live outdoors have very uncertain lives. Most feral cats only live 2-3 years unless they live in a managed colony of some kind. There is no way of knowing if the kittens and their mother are going to come back, unfortunately.

If you are willing to take any of these kittens in, I would recommend using a feral cat trap (you can usually borrow these from the local SPCA or from a vet) and getting at least the one remaining kitten in to see a vet ASAP (it sounds like they've bonded with your family, so you may be able to catch the one kitten by luring her with food or something).

If you decide to keep the kitten(s), the sooner you get them accustomed to living indoors, the better - the best time for them to adapt to living with people is 5-8 weeks, if they've essentially been feral since birth.

Sounds like you have a chance to save at least one life - you've done all you can so far, keep up the good work and give at least that one kitty a good home!
 
OMG. Right after I posted this my kids came screaming to me that the kittens are back. I dont' see the mom but I'm sure she is there. We do see all the babies though. I'm sooooooooo happy. Man who knew I would react this way. I'm telling you I was nervous. The one cat has been by herself for all day now. Now I can sleep and no crying kids. :D:D:D:D

I dont' even know if they are considered kittens anymore. I know they have been here since the beginning of Sept and they don't feed from there mom anymore.

Thank you to the above posters. I am going straight out to get a trap and get me some kittens so I don't lose them again. I may even keep all three. One for each of my kids. We named them all already. Thanks so much. i feel so much better now.
 
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Yay!!!

What a relief. I was so worried. :D

If you're feeling super-generous, you might look into trapping the mother and getting her spayed. My local SPCA has a TNR program (Trap, Neuter, Return). You could release the mother cat again after a short recovery and it would prevent at least a few more homeless kittens. Generally there is no charge for the surgery. I think some Animal Control centers do TNR, too.

Keep us posted!

Lisa
 
Talk to your local shelter or see if there are any rescue groups in your area that can lend you a trap so you can get the mom spayed. You will probably save her life that way. She can be spayed and then released and will have a much better chance of survival and no more vulnerable kittens. You may even be able to adopt mom as any outside cat and at least feed her regularly. The kittens also should be spayed/neutered. if you plan on keeping any of the kittens as an indoor pet, the sooner you get them in the better. Good luck!
 
I think it's wonderful what you are doing! I would try to get all of them, including the mother, but that's just me! I couldn't bring myself to leave any one of them out there especially with winter coming.

Keep us posted on your progress! Cats are so wonderful to have around!
 
Thanks girls, being completely a new pet owner now :eek: I was worried about taking the mom. I feel much better now knowing that if I trap her I can release her again if she doesn't want to stay indoors. A couple of questions. Will the mom be mad if I take the kittens indoors and leave her alone with no children. If I can get her too will she want to be an indoor cat. Am I doing her harm but making her come indoors when all she knows it outdoors. I feel that she doesn't want to come with us sometimes out of fear only. She is more than willing to let us feed her and the kitttens but she always stays back. She will let the kittens eat and she will eat too but will run when she sees us or stays near but not out in the open. The kittens will stay and play. She has no issues with the kittens playing with us. Do cats love there kittens like humans love their kids? Like I said I feel bad taking her kittens away from her which is why I haven't done it yet. I feel as if she loves them and I'm breaking up the family. Is she eventally going to ever leave them to fend for themselves. If that is the case then I would take all of them as indoor cats and just spay her and try to get her to stay with us. What are my chances that the mom would want to stay. Thanks girls.
 
After doing some research, I have a local TNR spca in the area but will only help in colonies of 5 or more cats. I have four cats total. So maybe they will lend me a trap with only 4. I will call in the am.
 
karenvictoria said:
Thanks girls, being completely a new pet owner now :eek: I was worried about taking the mom. I feel much better now knowing that if I trap her I can release her again if she doesn't want to stay indoors. A couple of questions. Will the mom be mad if I take the kittens indoors and leave her alone with no children. If I can get her too will she want to be an indoor cat. Am I doing her harm but making her come indoors when all she knows it outdoors. I feel that she doesn't want to come with us sometimes out of fear only. She is more than willing to let us feed her and the kitttens but she always stays back. She will let the kittens eat and she will eat too but will run when she sees us or stays near but not out in the open. The kittens will stay and play. She has no issues with the kittens playing with us. Do cats love there kittens like humans love their kids? Like I said I feel bad taking her kittens away from her which is why I haven't done it yet. I feel as if she loves them and I'm breaking up the family. Is she eventally going to ever leave them to fend for themselves. If that is the case then I would take all of them as indoor cats and just spay her and try to get her to stay with us. What are my chances that the mom would want to stay. Thanks girls.
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Cat mothers are very attentive, but families usually do not stay together for very long. She will know where they are, and she will appreciate a steady source of food and a friendly "home base" if you continue to provide these.

Whatever the outcome, you should NOT feel bad about anything! Ultimately, if you had not intervened, everything would've been SO MUCH worse. There are millions of feral or "homeless" cats, and about half of them die during the winter. Plus, cats generally produce 2 litters a year - so you'll be preventing hundreds, possibly thousands of homeless kittens, who would have had short lives afflicted by parasites, disease, and danger. You're also probably saving lots of songbirds and other small critters (cats are very good at killing these).

Here's the HSUS page about feral/homeless cats. It sounds like you're on top of things, though.
 
Karen,

I've had 3 stray cats spade by an organization called "Dumptster Cats" (here in Cecil County). I think the woman I went through has since left the county, but I found her number in the newspaper... Look at the classified ads at ads that talk about adopting rescue cats. Then call that number... The person there should be able to direct you. Otherwise maybe call a pet store. Sometimes they work with a humane society to help adopt out kitties - so they might have a contact for you to help get Mama cat spade.

I've had feral cats born on my porch, and once they're weaned, no, the Mama won't be mad if you take the cats away. I was amazed that the Mama didn't look for her kitties when we gave them away.

You can PM me if you need to! Good luck!!!

Bernadette
 
Bernadette,, I 've missed you. My life has been so much differnet since we last spoke. My mom passed of cancer in DEC and it was life changing for our family as it is for every family. We have come out the other side. In many way this cat situation is killing me more so because of all that we have been though this past year.

I will defeintly look for that number. People on this site are truly amazing caring people.

On a side not Bernie, not to highjack my own thread. I'm running a marathon Sat. Can you believe it. I'm doing it for Live Stong in honor of my mom. Thanks so much everyone. Going to check on my kitties.

Mom is named Pumpkin, and her kittens are named. Tika, Lily, and Kyra.
 
Hi Karen,

We had a similar situation. A strange cat showed up on our deck and we began feeding him/her. Found out it was a she, saw her pregnant then one day she wasn't. We saw no sign of kittens, figured they didn't make it since she lives outdoors and anything can happen. Trapped her, had her fixed, released her and some time later 3 kittens appeared on the deck with mom. None of them let us get closer than a few feet away from them, unfortunately, they are definitely ferals rather than strays. Subsequently we have trapped each of the kittens and had them fixed and released them back to their family group. We see mom occasionally but I believe that their nature is to distance themselves from the kittens at some point since they may become too dependent on her and couldn't survive on their own. The kittens were all too eager to nurse, even when they were pushing 5 months old, and obviously that wouldn't be good for their survival (nor for poor mom's sore teats).

So here we are, 6 months later, with 4 feral cats who come to feed at specific times each day pretty much every day (when we feed our indoor family). DH is going to build a shelter for them for the winter, although they have been burrowing under a neighbor's shed that is so overgrown with bushes it looks like a jungle. It gets cold where we are, but not Michigan type cold so an insulated shelter would work for us. You may want to go the Alley Cat Allies website---they have a lot of useful information there. You were lucky to be able to touch them, they say human contact should be no later than 6 weeks or they pretty much stay feral.

You are doing a good thing and your children will certainly learn a great lesson about compassion and living with our fellow creatures. These little guys have a way of growing on us, don't they???
 
OMG- I just went outside and the one kitten is by herself again.The two kittens came back last night real late but this morning when i just went out there the one kitty is by herself again. Why are they leaving her or why is she not going with them. She is crying.I have to get this one cat for sure now.
 
Karen-

I just realized that you live in Maryland! Me too - although I'm down here in Anne Arundel County (actually, right now I'm in B'More, but I live in AA).

I wouldn't worry too much about the cats wandering - the mom has to go hunting, and the kittens will explore a limited range while she's away. The important thing is that they routinely return to your place - and the one little kitten sounds like he/she isn't ready to go adventuring yet!
 
Karen,

I agree with Afreet. Although our three stick together more than they used to, for awhile we'd see a mix of kittens--sometimes only one, sometimes all, sometimes two of them and not every day. One of "ours" we think is the runt since she has a bobbed type tail (it doesn't look like a manx cat, it looks deformed) and she is much shyer and less adventurous than the other two. She tends to hang out under our deck where the others wander around more. I definitely understand your concern---DH and I would look out back constantly and report to each other who was there and if we didn't see one for a day or so we'd get worried and think something happened (yes, it sounds crazy, but we really have gotten attached to them despite never touching them). For us, so far, so good but we realize they are outside and there's always the danger that something could happen to them. Know that you're doing the best that you can and they have a much better chance because of your help!
 
I agree about getting the mother (and all the kittens) fixed.
Adopt as many as you can!

IMO, the kitten who is staying behind wants YOUR company more than mom's right now. I think that guy/gal is going to be a great family kitty. (Unless something is obviously wrong with the cat, as mothers will abandon sick kittens, but I'm hoping it's just because she likes your company).
 
karenvictoria said:
Bernadette,, I 've missed you. My life has been so much differnet since we last spoke. My mom passed of cancer in DEC and it was life changing for our family as it is for every family. We have come out the other side. In many way this cat situation is killing me more so because of all that we have been though this past year.

I will defeintly look for that number. People on this site are truly amazing caring people.

On a side not Bernie, not to highjack my own thread. I'm running a marathon Sat. Can you believe it. I'm doing it for Live Stong in honor of my mom. Thanks so much everyone. Going to check on my kitties.

Mom is named Pumpkin, and her kittens are named. Tika, Lily, and Kyra.
Click to expand...

Awww. I have yet another little kitty on my porch, wearing a collar, but obviously not belonging to anyone. She never leaves and keeps trying to get in the house. The Humane Society has changed its' hours and days so I don't know how I'm going to get her in there. Just a while back I opened the front door and a tiny gray kitten with big green eyes just ran right past me into my house... only to be greeted angrily by 3 of my 6... It never ends Around Here.
 
Update on my babies. Well, yesterday when I got up I told you that Tika was the only one there again but after I posted I didn't see her again. I put out all there dinner last night and two came back with the mom but one kitten was not there. This morning NOTHING> I'm so mad at myself for not asking these question one week or even on day earlier when all the kitties played in my yard all day. I really have learned so much. I honestly thought that since I was feeding them, that they would love us and want to stay in our yard and eventually keep them. I really really didn't know they would all leave us. So now I'm waiting to get a trap and get them spayed. At that point when I do catch them will I be able to keep them or will they be feral and I have no shot. They have to be going on 12-14 weeks now. I'm not sure. They are at the point now that they are gone all day and only come back for dinner EVEN Tika:(:(:(
 
Karen, don't give up. If you are able to trap and neuter them (way to go, btw!!!) you may still have a shot at domesticating the babies. They have been around you and your kids for bits of time which is different than never have been handled or exposed to a human.
I've been *taming* a stray. No clue to his age or history...(trying to domesticate him a little bit before rushing him off to the vet in case he is traumatized by the car ride and wants to take off when we get back.)
Anyway, 4 months ago he ran as far and fast as he could if he heard the door or saw a car....now he is running TO the door when he hears it and will actually *tackle* me when I try to go back in. So far I am the only one who can get near him, but my DH says he is getting closer. I'm sure he has had some human contact sometime in the past, which is my point...I think any contact is a starting point and you should still hold out hope!

Becky
 
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