Found kittens!

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abbygibson1212

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@cwagne13 They're all males. And I get why she moved them, and I think I might know where they are, but I don't know what to do because if I don't get them out and hold them they'll r be feral like her but if I do hold them she'll move them again.
 

Norachan

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TNR stands for Trap, Neuter and Release. If there are cats that are too feral to be socialised the best way to keep them healthy and to keep the cat population stable is to neuter these cats and return them to the area they were trapped in. If your neighbours are moving and leaving their cats behind TNR is the best way to make sure nothing bad happens to the cats. It's sad that they won't be taking the cats with them, but if they're not looking for mates, getting into fights and having more kittens every year, at least they'll stand a better chance of surviving on their own.

I suggest that you get in touch with Alley Cat Allies and see if they can help you.

http://www.alleycat.org/

You can borrow a trap from them. If I were you I would go and look for the kittens as soon as you have a trap. Pick them up and bring them inside. You're right about it being the only way to get them used to people and they're at great risk from being killed by other animals outside. You can use a kitten as "bait" to catch the mother cat and then either keep her inside with her kittens until they are weaned and she's been spayed, or try to socialise her too. (It's not impossible)

You might be able to borrow a trap from a local shelter or vet.

Please let us know if you need any advice about trapping, we've got some experienced TNR people on here.

Very cute kittens, by the way. Thanks for trying to help them.

 
 
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abbygibson1212

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Norachan Norachan Thank you. I don't think there are any TNR groups near me though. But I might try doing that with the momma and baby cats. What would I use to trap her? And how could I keep her from freaking out in the house? Also I do have one problem with doing this, I'm going on vacation in 2 weeks, and I don't wanna have to burden someone with taking care of a feral cat, Any ideas on what to do there?
 

maiaelizabeth

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Wish I wasn't at full pet capacity so cute I love baby kittens. Wouldn't recommend it but found my calico kitten when she was around 3or 4 weeks old I would guess. She was fearless yet so tiny. She still tries to nurse on my shirt and she just turned 3 yrs old. Can't guess on coat length yet maybe around 12 weeks you'll know for sure.
best wishes
LOL Maia does the same ! She suckles my shirt or blanket when I'm in bed she does the  same to my bf and also when I'm in the bathroom she's gonna be three in a couple days.
 

Norachan

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@Norachan Thank you. I don't think there are any TNR groups near me though. But I might try doing that with the momma and baby cats. What would I use to trap her? And how could I keep her from freaking out in the house? Also I do have one problem with doing this, I'm going on vacation in 2 weeks, and I don't wanna have to burden someone with taking care of a feral cat, Any ideas on what to do there?
Alley Cat Allies would be the best group to contact, if they're not doing TNR in your area they'll know of any groups that do. You'll need a humane trap, you can rent one from the Humane Society if you can't get one any other way. If you can pick up the kittens then you only need to worry about trapping Mama Cat. Once you have the trap put a kitten inside a carrier outside the trap, with the door of the carrier up against the back end of the trap. Cover the whole thing with a sheet or a blanket so that if Mama Cat wants to get to her kitten she has to go in the open end of the trap. As soon as she steps on the plate at the back of the trap the door will close and you'll have Mama in the trap and the kitten still in the carrier. (You leave the door of the carrier shut all the time)

You'll need a safe room for the mother cat and the kittens. Even a small bathroom or a closet would be OK. First of all take out anything that might be dangerous to the cat or get damaged. Block off any holes they might try to escape down, under beds or into air vents for example. They'll need a litter box, food and water and a bed, cardboard box lined with old clothes or a blanket is fine. Even if you only have two weeks if you go in there every day and talk to them quietly they'll start to get used to you. 

Is there anyone you trust enough to go in there and feed the cats and clean the litter box every day? It sounds as if Mama Cat is not totally feral and if she has her kittens with her she's going to be less interested in going out. There's always the option of spaying Mama Cat and releasing her before you leave, then you just need someone to take care of the kittens. The kittens won't be so feral by that point, it will be easy enough to take care of them.
 
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abbygibson1212

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Norachan Norachan Thank you for all of the information! I just found the babies again, all she did was move them across the drive way and put them in the house next doors basement window under a leaned over window screen, that house is empty so I went ahead and put a similar sized hard piece of plastic over the screen that way when it rains tonight they won't get wet, hopefully that doesn't cause her to move them again. Your trapping idea sounds pretty good, so I might do that if I can figure out what to do with the kittens while I'm gone. I'm not sure how old they are, if I knew that would help with the planning. When I found them 3 days ago they had just started opening their eyes, and now their eyes are fully open. About how old would that make them? Also what age should I start worming them?
 

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Good job, I'm glad you found them.



Kittens usually open their eyes between 7 and 10 days old, so I guess these kittens could be about two weeks old by now.

You can get worming medicine that is safe for kittens, but I'd really advise you to ask a vet about this as over the counter worming medicines can cause allergic reactions even in adult cats. It's not something you need to worry about too much now, once you've got them all indoors and have made an appointment to get the Mama Cat spayed you can ask the vet what they recommend.
 

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@Norachan Thank you. I don't think there are any TNR groups near me though. But I might try doing that with the momma and baby cats. What would I use to trap her? And how could I keep her from freaking out in the house? Also I do have one problem with doing this, I'm going on vacation in 2 weeks, and I don't wanna have to burden someone with taking care of a feral cat, Any ideas on what to do there?
If you are talking about the reconvalescation time after the spaying, its typically quite much shorter than for an average family home girl.

For a family girl we count on at least 1 week.  While for semiferales usually 3 days is enough.  Perhaps even shorter, if necessary, or if they visibly get stressed and begin to trash around.

Three days or even less.  Not because we dont care - we do, but because they do have typically excellent healing meat and strong immune system.  They must have, as  withhout these theye simply never become adult semiferales - they do perish.   The same about succesfull homeless, whom got dumped but manage OK anyway.

The question is of course what to do with the small kittens when she is in for spaying.  Best is to take them in and foster.  You can reunite them with mom later on inside - but you tell this is no option for you.

Is the father helping them, giving them some protection?   If so, you could possibly let them be left in their nest, with dads protection, and return mom after 24 hours.   Its calm there at your place, she doesnt need to fight against other dangers....Nor seek after food, as you are helping her with that.

Not optimal, but doable.
 
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abbygibson1212

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StefanZ StefanZ I was meaning if I caught the momma and brought her and the kittens inside, I don't know who would take care of them while I'm gone, I won't be able to just put her back outside and have someone take care of the kittens, because they'll only be 3 weeks old and still need their mom
 

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Do any of your local shelters have foster families that take care of cats while they are waiting to be re-homed? There might be someone who can take care of the kittens for you while you're away. I think it would be a good idea to get a shelter or a group such as Alley Cat allies to help you on this one, as there are going to be a few cats that need to be TNR'd as well as kittens that will need medical care and neutering. It could get pretty expensive if you try to do it all by yourself.

Where are the kittens now, did you manage to get them all in? Any luck finding a humane trap?
 

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Hey, Please do not spay the momma cat until the kittens are at least 9-12 weeks old--they need to bond with mom and SHE will wean them when the time is right.  Also, her milk ducts need to dry up completely and that won't happen until she is done weaning them, it usually takes 2 or 3 weeks for them to dry up.

She is moving them around because they are being handled too much, and she doesn't like all the attention.  If you can get her in a safe place, bathroom or quiet spare room for the next few weeks, that would really help.

There are many cat rescue groups here that can help, what state are you in?  Most will let you borrow a trap.  Also check for low cost spay/neuter clinics in your state, or try to collect for donations to get the male at least neutered.  You have to do all that you can to keep them from being born in the first place.  Please contact Alley Cat  Allies, they are wonderful people there.  Good luck.
 
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