So maybe a couple weeks ago, we saw a mother cat and kittens in our backyard. We figured they were just passing through as I'd seen the mother cat pass through our yard in the past. They quickly scampered over the fence so I couldn't tell how many kittens there were. There appeared to be at least three.
Well, today my wife was looking out the bedroom window and saw a kitten walking around in that same area of our backyard. By the time I went out to look for it, it had hidden under some rubble of broken-up concrete and rebar. I tried to coax it out but it wouldn't come. I could barely see its face in the dark recess of the rubble. I put a bit of tuna out to entice it but it wasn't budging.
I went back inside and a bit later heard some rustling outside the window. The mother had returned and now I saw four kittens in total. They appeared to still be nursing or at least trying to nurse, but they were old enough to climb over fences, so I'm guessing they're at least six weeks old. I'm not very good at telling that sort of thing, though. They appear to be living in a tight nook inside the rubble! The rubble is in no danger of collapsing on its own but the nook is pretty much inaccessible to us. As it got dark, I think they all went into there to sleep for the night.
This is obviously not good but to make matters worse, it looked like one of the kittens had either an injured or malformed front leg/paw. That kitten was a good deal smaller than the rest and was limping as it walked, just barely able to put its left front paw on the ground. It was difficult to tell looking from the window but that leg/paw looks like it might just be deformed and withered, perhaps even missing the paw part entirely. Although I guess it's possible it's injured. But the fact that it's smaller than the rest tells me it might just be the runt due to a physical abnormality. In fact, I think it's possible that was the kitten my wife originally saw that went hiding in the rubble. It could be that this kitten gets left behind as the mother and the others go out and hunt for food?
Needless to say, this is very sad and upsetting! I don't know what we should do! Trapping a whole litter and its mother doesn't seem very feasible. I figure they would eventually "move out" but I'm afraid the little one might not make it and end up suffering and/or getting left behind. It's really quite impossible to retrieve these cats from the place they're hiding. I don't want to try to move the rubble to gain access because doing that might actually wind up injuring them.
I can take a photo of the area tomorrow to show you what the situation is, if that helps. I'm going to call the local Humane Society tomorrow as well to hear what they suggest. Any ideas?
Well, today my wife was looking out the bedroom window and saw a kitten walking around in that same area of our backyard. By the time I went out to look for it, it had hidden under some rubble of broken-up concrete and rebar. I tried to coax it out but it wouldn't come. I could barely see its face in the dark recess of the rubble. I put a bit of tuna out to entice it but it wasn't budging.
I went back inside and a bit later heard some rustling outside the window. The mother had returned and now I saw four kittens in total. They appeared to still be nursing or at least trying to nurse, but they were old enough to climb over fences, so I'm guessing they're at least six weeks old. I'm not very good at telling that sort of thing, though. They appear to be living in a tight nook inside the rubble! The rubble is in no danger of collapsing on its own but the nook is pretty much inaccessible to us. As it got dark, I think they all went into there to sleep for the night.
This is obviously not good but to make matters worse, it looked like one of the kittens had either an injured or malformed front leg/paw. That kitten was a good deal smaller than the rest and was limping as it walked, just barely able to put its left front paw on the ground. It was difficult to tell looking from the window but that leg/paw looks like it might just be deformed and withered, perhaps even missing the paw part entirely. Although I guess it's possible it's injured. But the fact that it's smaller than the rest tells me it might just be the runt due to a physical abnormality. In fact, I think it's possible that was the kitten my wife originally saw that went hiding in the rubble. It could be that this kitten gets left behind as the mother and the others go out and hunt for food?
Needless to say, this is very sad and upsetting! I don't know what we should do! Trapping a whole litter and its mother doesn't seem very feasible. I figure they would eventually "move out" but I'm afraid the little one might not make it and end up suffering and/or getting left behind. It's really quite impossible to retrieve these cats from the place they're hiding. I don't want to try to move the rubble to gain access because doing that might actually wind up injuring them.
I can take a photo of the area tomorrow to show you what the situation is, if that helps. I'm going to call the local Humane Society tomorrow as well to hear what they suggest. Any ideas?
