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A child brought up to love animals grows to be a good adult.
I'm wondering how "wild" this mother cat might actually be. My Blaliko gave me a "kitty quickie" (see separate thread) just now - jumped up in my lap for maybe 45 seconds of petting/skritches and then hopped right back down. During my work day she's been known to spend upwards of an hour at a time schmoozing with me and getting her purr on. She was a stray, "feral" feline who first appeared while her predecessor was still in residence during the early summer of 2011. There was no getting near her for months. Even after I named her and was especially attentive to keeping a steady supply of food on the porch, I was eyed with suspicion and never allowed to approach. The incumbent cat passed away and she stayed antisocial. I wasn't able to have her TNR'd before she "got in trouble" and birthed a litter of six kittens sometime in March of last year. First contact didn't happen until Mother's Day, when I bought a can of tuna for the occasion in her honor. She let me sneak in some ear scratches while she gobbled down the treat and I held the can in place for her. After that (she was ultimately captured and spayed at the end of May) her adoption of me progressed rapidly.
As for the kittens, five were re-homed and the sixth (Seteria) stayed with us.
I would've most likely written off Blaliko as "too wild" had she not become reliant on my food supply and continued to stop by my porch in spite of herself. As a rule the homeless cats in my neighborhood - even the ones I've TNR'd - rarely stick around for long. So if the queen in question is a regular patience could pay off. A can of tuna this Sunday might not yield the dividend it did for me last year. But time would be an ally.
Thanks again for the input, and I'm "hearing" some very interesting opinions here... thinking my mother will bring them in soon (maybe in 2 weeks?), for all of the reasons mentioned above. I know it's not IDEAL, but as somebody already said, it's better than risking the babies becoming lost or killed.
Btw, my nephew seems to have chosen his favorite already. His mom, my sister, is the one planning to take two - her 20 year-old Abyssinian passed away a few years ago, but they were expecting baby #2 (my nephew) at the time. Now he's 3 1/2 and his sister is 5 1/2, so they're ready for kitties again! Have to share this picture, but I'll probably take it down after a few days:
A child brought up to love animals grows to be a good adult.
I agree! Somebody else said the same thing on Facebook, when I posted the photos on there... more about boys specifically, and how the nicest men are usually "cat men." Thanks everyone for the compliments, btw, and I have to agree that my nephew's a cutie. Of course, I'm a little biased as his Aunt - especially given the fact that he's my doppelganger (looks more like me than his own parents).
Now to update on the situation: One morning my mother went to check on the kittens, and they were missing from the shed. She was able to round up three of them later in the day, and brought them all inside the house. The fourth is still eluding her, but has been seen following mama around the yard - unfortunately, the wayward kitten happens to be the one my nephew loved (the tortie). But the others are now doing great inside, eating canned food like pigs and developing little personalities. My mother likes the orange one best, and might keep him if my sister decides against it. Anyway, that's the update!
Get them away from the coons ASAP because coons will rip cats apart, literally. Feed the cats, then immediately pick up the food and take it inside. Don't leave food in a tray or spilled in the shed, especially not at night. You want no food there to attract coons. Even if the coon(s) haven't attacked any cats thus far, there is no telling when they might start, or when a cat-killing coon might move in. The fact that the mom moved the kittens says something is amiss and that shed is no longer safe. She knows best.
I didn't have time to read the whole thread. But those are lovely kittens and you need to get them out of there or else trap and remove or kill the coons. Seriously. They killed 4 outdoor cats here in one night, after eating out of the same dishes for maybe 4-5 months. Rabies in on the uptick in the coon population in many places, too.
Get them away from the coons ASAP because coons will rip cats apart, literally. Feed the cats, then immediately pick up the food and take it inside. Don't leave food in a tray or spilled in the shed, especially not at night. You want no food there to attract coons. Even if the coon(s) haven't attacked any cats thus far, there is no telling when they might start, or when a cat-killing coon might move in. The fact that the mom moved the kittens says something is amiss and that shed is no longer safe. She knows best.
I didn't have time to read the whole thread. But those are lovely kittens and you need to get them out of there or else trap and remove or kill the coons. Seriously. They killed 4 outdoor cats here in one night, after eating out of the same dishes for maybe 4-5 months. Rabies in on the uptick in the coon population in many places, too.
Read post #26 above... three of the four have been safely inside for over a week now, and are doing great.
i have 2 huge raccoons in my back yard and a mom cat and kitten i wanna worried about then hurting the4 week old any suggestions please help the baby follows use when we go upstairs!!!!
read post #26 above... Three of the four have been safely inside for over a week now, and are doing great.
update?
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First contact didn't happen until Mother's Day, when I bought a can of tuna for the occasion in her honor. She let me sneak in some ear scratches while she gobbled down the treat and I held the can in place for her. After that (she was ultimately captured and spayed at the end of May) her adoption of me progressed rapidly.
