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So, apparently someone in the neighborhood moved away and left a young female cat. That cat decided to bless us with herself and 4 adorable kittens about 4 weeks old now and all living under the natural stone front porch. I have been feeding her and, boy, does she feed a lot and the little thing is still thin. Good sized kittens and I bet her first litter.
So, I have two dogs, one of which I am sure will terminate the kittens if she gets the chance and the other is "ify" as the neighborhood cats like to tease the dogs. We are also very near a busy street, within feet. In the past, we have seen kittens that for whatever reason, didn't make it.
So, my question is, best approach. Now about 4 weeks, they rarely stray very far, maybe a couple of feet from the opening that they slip through. We have Animal Control, The Humane Society and a Cat Rescue. I'm guessing that starting with the Rescue might be the best approach. Not sure when and how they can be gathered up and obviously since still nursing, the mother who is not super friendly but will ask for food if she is hungry and sees me in the yard but won't be touched.
We had a couple of cats several years ago and they were spayed/neutered which I am a BIG advocate of. Kittens is something I have never dealt with.
Thoughts? I'm guessing I need to move forward on this soon. I do not want these kittens to become feral cats, since that is no life for a cat.
I don't think she will move the kittens at this point, but I guess she might.
Sounds like the mother cat needs a wormer. Perhaps you could pick some up with some kitten milk:easily found at Petco and even Walgreens.
Grab some gloves, towels and a cat carrier and get them to the Humane Society ASAP. Have a friend help. It.s summer and with the busy road plus mom.s health you need to get involved. You were blessed with them so it.s your turn to act! Save their lives.
Or press upon the Humane Society and get them to come out and you can assist them. I have certainly trapped 1 cat in our complex but the kittens make it dicey: the local HS lent me a trap and i faithfully set it every night with stinky fishy food.
Are you at least leaving food and water out?
Thanks! Yes, I am feeding 2 cans of food plus dry food. It is running 90+ here and I am providing water in two places for them. They should easily stay cool though under the porch as it is old-style and natural stone, large area with dirt floor, but no way for a human to get under there.
I will call the Humane Society today for assistance. Thanks!
I will have to call Animal Control tomorrow since they are closed today. Humane Society can offer me a trap to use to catch the kittens and the cat which need to go in together to Animal Control that has limited hours. With the extreme heat, it doesn't make sense to capture them and have to leave them outside in the heat in a trap. They cannot come in the house as between the dogs and my adult son with Down syndrome, I am sure it would lead to a meltdown. Everything always turns out to be so difficult.
Well, if you feed a cat for 3 days, it is your cat and any kittens that it has. With circumstances as they are, it will be a couple of weeks before the kittens can be separated from the mother and then they will go to Animal Control BUT our humane society works through Animal Control, as well as the cat rescue. If the mother doesn't disappear after the kittens are removed, she'll be live trapped. There is a remote chance that someone owns her but doesn't take care of her. We live near a college and we have a LOT of elderly people. She is a young light gray stripe cat, obviously owned at one time and not feral, the Animal Control Officer said that with just a little work, she would easily be adopted out.
They put very few animals "down" at the shelter here. They get quite a bite of support and, seriously, we don't see that many dogs/cats like some other areas. Right now, I checked the website and there are no kittens available. Town has about 25,000 people and even more in the outlying counties (the sticks, rural farming area).
In the state, I think all areas require spay/neuter of any animals being adopted.
So, they have a good outlook. I will not, however, be feeding anymore cats and we will seal all openings that might become a habitat.
Update: Both mama and all 4 kittens have been adopted from the Animal Control facility. I was particularly concerned about mama and the black kitten, they actually were adopted before what I considered the two prettiest kittens. Kittens and younger cats, I suspect same with puppies and smaller dogs, are "showcased" by taking them to the local pet shop, one that does not sell puppies or kittens, just fish and rodents.
I see a lot of people sell Animal Control facilities short. We have been to only one that was just a terrible place to be. Not always the most impressive buildings, but staff that care is SO much more important. Animal Control will always be first on my list for animal problems or new family members.
Update: Both mama and all 4 kittens have been adopted from the Animal Control facility. I was particularly concerned about mama and the black kitten, they actually were adopted before what I considered the two prettiest kittens. Kittens and younger cats, I suspect same with puppies and smaller dogs, are "showcased" by taking them to the local pet shop, one that does not sell puppies or kittens, just fish and rodents.
I see a lot of people sell Animal Control facilities short. We have been to only one that was just a terrible place to be. Not always the most impressive buildings, but staff that care is SO much more important. Animal Control will always be first on my list for animal problems or new family members.
That is awesome news. So glad to hear there was a good outcome for them (and for you too).
Thanks for that update.
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So glad to hear there was a good outcome for them (and for you too).
