Capturing Feral Mama Cat and Kittens?

[NewKitty2019]

More drama in a few days. My friend took one of the kittens home and soon realized the kitten was too attached to its sibling. He was not eating, was crying and hiding all day long. So, I had to take the little Shadow back home to his sister. When we came home he started eating and playing with his sister almost right away. These two are best friends.
Now, my kitty Richi was begging to get to the Kitchen where we keep the two kittens. So, I let him in to smell the playpen. He is typically a very gentle loving cat. But now he is very offended at me. I have to spend a lot of time feeding the kittens and playing with them, cleaning around them... etc. I noticed he was watching me today playing with them from afar. When I came to him he did not even purr when I petted him. He looked very pissed.
Also, when he gets close to the kittens he hisses so loud. And gets mad. I love Richi and whatever he decides we will have to accept. But I hope he will come out of this. I still try to play with him daily and he gets very active during the games. He has not been playing like this in a while now. I thought he was just getting old.
When we took Richi from a shelter he had a lot of issues. The main was he was terrified of human hands. It took me a long time and work to get him where he is. I can actually pick him up and carry around and he loves it now. But this last week he changed. I am really worried about him going back to his scared self... I guess it's been only a week. I need to wait.
On another note, how do you adopt kitties that you fostered? Is there a process you go through? Or an organization? I think if Richi doesn't accept these two we will have to give them away.

 

[Norachan]

Give Richi time. It always takes a cat a while to accept any changes, but as the kittens are bonded to each other they won't bother him too much. As long as you get them both spayed/neutered before they are five months old they won't be too much of a threat to him. My cats all hissed and growled at any new comers at first, but they get along now.

Have you seen these articles?

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

If it doesn't work out, would you friend be able to take both kittens? They always do better in pairs.

I adopted the last litter of rescue kittens through a Cat Cafe, who took care of finding suitable homes for them. Before that I found homes myself. I always recommend that you get the kittens blood tested, vaccinated and spayed/neutered first. Keep all receipts and vaccination certificates and charge a re-homing fee to cover your costs. This will mean that you are more likely to get serious adopters. People who intend to give the kitten a forever home, not just get a kitten and dump it when it becomes troublesome.

Write up a simple contract and print out two copies, one for you, one for the adopter. Just include things like your contact info, the adopter contact info, description of the kitten and what vet work has been done, with the amount paid. Make sure you include a clause that the adopter won't get the kittens declawed and won't pass them on to a third party.

Paying a fee and signing paper work like this is something only serious adopters will do, so you'll feel more secure about where the kittens are going.

Give it time with Richi though. He can probably still smell the mother cat in the house, which must have been a lot for him to deal with.

 

[Furballsmom]

Norachan is absolutely right, hang in there and give it, and him, more time

 

[Jcatbird]

Follow what Norachan said. Very good advice. Click on those links too. Those articles contain valuable tips for getting kitties properly introduced to each other. Cats have their own thoughts about how they should meet and greet each other. Following the advice should help a lot! If you friend would take both kittens, that would be great. In many ways it’s easier to have a bonded pair than a single kitten. In working with ferals I have seen amazingly close bonds that are extemely loving.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

IF you need to find them a home, this can help:

“kittens To Good Homes” – How To Find A Good Forever Home For Your Kittens

That said, a week is NO TIME AT ALL when introducing cats. It takes time...sometimes LOTS of it. You'll know better in another 2 weeks how things are really going, and even that isn't very long.

 

[NewKitty2019]

Hi Ladies! I have some questions about kitten fostering. Hope you can help from your experience.

1. Took the little girl (gray color) to the vet last Thursday. They did all the blood test and looked at her overall health. They vaccinated her as well on something other than FIV. All the blood tests came back negative. She should be fine. But both kittens still have diarrhea and I feel like hers is worse. The vet recommended this special food for upset stomach, but it's not really helping and I am not sure what to do. I will take her stool for a test tomorrow and I hope everything is fine. I did try adding pumpkin and sweet potatoes last week but the vet said I need to just stabilize their diet with the same food and not give anything crazy. I am also still giving them HomeoPet WRM Clear over the counter med, 2 drops each. Can that give diarrhea? Should I stop? It's supposed to be for 14 days. And I am adding just a bit FortiFlora to their food, not the whole package, it just seem like too much for kittens.

2. They both are very playful and can play for hours with toys and each other, but it looks like she is breathing funny. Very short breathes, even if she is sleeping or just seating there. The other kitten is breathing normal but hers are very short breaths, similar to when they smell something... What can it be? Is she ok? I am worried... Have you seen anything like that? The vet said her lungs where ok, but she was not breathing like that before the vet visit. I actually just noticed it today, Sunday.

3. Another issue I am seeing, and more on the girl kitten than him. Her 3rd eyelid is showing. It was actually really bad right the before and after vet visit and I feel like it got less, but still there. The vet did not even say anything about that. Can this be from her stomach issue? The vet gave her some deworming medicine during the visit as well. Could that mess her up?

4. Our older cat Richi is very upset about the kittens. He gets into the kitchen, where we keep them, and starts hissing. They boy kitten runs up to Richi and wants to be friends, but Richi just hits him with his paw. Is that normal? Richi is usually such a sweet loving cat and I have never seen him this upset. Is there anything we can do to make him like the kittens? I am trying to introduce them slowly but he is still upset every time he sees them. I do spend time playing with Richi more than before just to show him that we care about him still. It's not helping. Any recommendations are welcome!

On a bright side, the boy kitten just allowed me to pet him for the first time today.

 

[Furballsmom]

Is that normal?

I can help with this part - it's normal
You may find this useful;
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And I can help with another thing...diarrhea is not uncommon after worming, if that is what the WRM Clear is for and it sounds like it is. The tummy is unloading all of those parasites.

 

[Norachan]

They're starting to look more at home now. Great new cat tree!

it looks like she is breathing funny. Very short breathes, even if she is sleeping or just seating there

Is she coughing at all? Did the vet check her for heart worms? If you could get a video of her breathing and send it to your vet they will be able to tell you if it's anything to worry about.

They vaccinated her as well on something other than FIV

She probably got the standard three-in-one vaccine (FVRCP) feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia vaccination. If her blood tests were all OK, her brother's probably will be too, but he should get the same vaccine whenever you're able to get him to the vet.

Another issue I am seeing, and more on the girl kitten than him. Her 3rd eyelid is showing.

That happens whenever a cat is feeling under the weather. If she's had vaccines, worming medication and is having diarrhea too it's not surprising that she is feeling a little run down.

It should be back to normal soon, but if her eyes are watering a lot, you notice any discharge or she starts coughing or sneezing she might need to go back to the vet.

Kittens can get cat flu of they have been exposed to the feline herpes virus.

Cat Flu: Signs, Symptoms & How To Treat It

It would be a good idea to postpone any introductions with Richie for now, wait until both kittens are in perfect health. Make sure you wash your hands well after handling them too, just in case she has got a cold and passes it to him.

 

[NewKitty2019]

Thank you so much! Grey kitten seems to be doing so much better! Yesterday she played as hard as the black kitten. They are a team of little hooligans now.
Still some diarrhea with both. But it's starting to shape up. She prefers more dry food and the back kitten prefers wet.

I am more concerned about their mom Daisy now. The Humane Society of San Diego has been such a disappointment! I've never worked with them before and I hope I never will. They do not have a system to track cats and it was almost impossible to find Daisy and to check how she is doing. I finally found our her ID number but still don't know if she is eating over there.
Before they took her from the vet she bit, I was told that they would spay her and then hold for 10 days at the HS, so she can heal and get pain medicine. I was even given an option to do it at the vet that day or at the HS. So, I went the cheaper option which I am regretting now! They lied to me. Or whoever picked her up was completely uninformed. Now it's been almost over 2 weeks since capture and we still don't know how she is doing or when the spaying will take place. Yesterday I spoke to some manager he said that there is a mark on her case for "something to happen" on 16th. He can't even tell me what exactly!!! Is it spaying, release or killing??? I am so worried that they will kill her or something.
So, with that said, would you just wait and see till 16th? Or would you call and take her to a regular vet and spay and keep at home for 2 days before releasing?
I was just so worried we don't have much room at home and she is very scared... maybe a bit aggressive trying to get out. So I agreed to give her to HS. But if I kept her here she would be out already! I am not sure what to do!!! I've been sooo stressed over her! Crying and became a nervous wrack. Just getting to someone at HS has been so hard and nobody knows anything in their offices! It's like a prison in there. And nobody can help... Even the lady who volunteers with them is shocked with my case. What would you do? Wait or try to take her out to a vet myself?
Here is Daisy before capturing.

 

[Furballsmom]

If it were me, I would get her out.

 

[NewKitty2019]

We decided to name kittens Leia and Lucy.

 

[Furballsmom]

Geez, they're ridiculously darling!!

 

[NewKitty2019]

If it were me, I would get her out.

Do you think they may kill her?

 

[NewKitty2019]

Geez, they're ridiculously darling!!

I know. Mama Daisy is so cute too!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Do you think they may kill her?

I don't know, I just would really have preferred a more definitive clarification of what's slated for the 16th...

 

[Norachan]

I finally found our her ID number but still don't know if she is eating over there.

She must be eating. If she hadn't been eating for this amount of time she would have survived

So, with that said, would you just wait and see till 16th? Or would you call and take her to a regular vet and spay and keep at home for 2 days before releasing?

I'd keep calling to tell them that you want her back. Chase them up and make sure they know you are willing to care for her. Hopefully she will have been spayed by the 16th, but if not can you get her a spay appointment this week?

What a nightmare, I can't believe the Humane Society have handled things this way.

 

[NewKitty2019]

If it were me, I would get her out.

They finally spayed her yesterday and we picked her up and release Daisy at lunch time! I hope she will come back to eat. She was at HS for 14 days and when I opened the cage she was staring at me for a few seconds like she was not sure if she could go... Hopefully she will be ok...
From your experience, how soon do spayed cats come back to you to eat?
Thank you guys for your support during this crazy time!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OH THANK GOODNESS! I'll bet she'll be back. They don't hold grudges, and her last memory of you was BRINGING HER HOME!

 

[Norachan]

Fantastic news!



Oh, I'm so relieved to hear that. She will remember her home territory as she's only been gone for a few weeks. Cats actually have very good memories. Most of the feral cats I TNR'd were back to eat within 48 hours. She might be a bit shy about letting you see her again, but leave some food and water out tonight just in case. If you have security cameras or a trail camera you could leave that set up to check if she comes to eat or not.

I only ever had one cat not come back after being TNR'd and he was a young male that I'd been feeding for about a week before he was trapped. All the more established cats came back and stuck around.

You've done so well to get Daisy spayed and both kittens indoors. I know it's been really stressful for you. You deserve a gold star for all you've been through.