In need of good advice...please!

laurie314

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I am a sucker for a kitty in need. I have six rescue cats of my own ,I am fostering seven other babies for weightgaining and socialization. and lastly I rescued an abandoned feral kitten, who , by the way has adapted wonderfully to being a housecat..I just might keep him to.
Ok here is my problem....the feral kitten that was left alone to fend forhimself for over 2 weeks...well mama cat finally showed up. She looks a little ragged. He's adapted so well, I am not taking him back out there and also winter is comming soon. I have been feeding mama daily to fatten her up and I also called the animal warden for that city. Well, I got no where there..he was not willing to drop a humane trap so we could get her.He told me they are wild animals..you cannot tame them...leave them alone.
She waits for me each morning to drop off her food. The other day a notice was posted. It asked that the cats stop being fed. it is attacting other wildlife.(the overfilled dumpsters with racoons all over..thats not a problem) I feel so bad , but I do not want to lose my job over feeding her. I've been putting her food in hiding places where no one can see it.
The note also stated that they will "DEAL WITH THE CATS HUMANELY"
Today she was not there..I hope they did not put her to sleep. She is so sweet.
If she comes back what should i do...winter is comming and she needs all the bodyfat she can get. I just cannot let her starve. The racoons in the complex will kill her for the food in the dumpster..she has no chance against them. She is not the only cat there..that development is loaded with strays. She just made me feel bad cuz I have her baby boy. If I had the room, I would take her in in a second, but I am busting at the seams already and a large chunk of change is already being spent on all the needs of the ones I am taking care of. Any advice?
 

katiemae1277

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I'm sorry I don't really have any advice for you, but if you could get ahold of a human society or SPCA in the area that would let you borrow a trap maybe you could catch her? perhaps the groups would know a good barn home to take her too?
 

mzoricak

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I can totally relate to what you are talking about. Fortunately, I didn't have any issues with the 'do not feed' mentality. I sat by the window and could observe the feeder all day. It was hidden from customers, but all the employees knew where it was. Now the company is gone, but I still stop up there to feed every morning. There's a mama (we trapped her and her babies and they are all spay/neutered). Mama was too feral,but the kittens are ready for adoption. Unfortunately, there was another adult there that had 3 kittens at about the same time. I found her dead one morning (probably was in a fight and developed infection). The mama that I re-released is hanging with the kittens (now 5 months old) and I'll be she thinks they are hers. We need to trap them and get them fixed. I doubt they'll be socializable, but we can try.

Anyway, my advice to you is to contact a local rescue group. I'm sure there ar several. Check with your local Petsmart, Petco, or large pet supply store. They will know of a group you can contact. Most groups will be happy to help you trap or loan you a trap. Explain that you do fostering and that will let them know that you know what you are doing.

Good luck.
 

barbb

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Get someone to loan you a trap (call shelters) and trap the mom. You may feel inexperienced but people on this forum can help walk you through it.

Once trapped, and assuming she is very feral, you will need to put her in a room alone and socialize her. You will want the smallest room possible, or a covered kitty condo inside a room. Possibly a shelter will loan you one of those too, especially if they do foster care.

It will take you a while to socialize her if she is truly feral. If you are able to socialize her and then you need to find her a home, and a shelter will not take her, that is another story. I will send you a PM on that and tell you what to do. Let me know if that is the area where you need help.
 

barbb

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By the way, who posted the note? Is this your apartment complex?

I would call and tell them you have seen small children around the dumpsters and if anyone is planning to put traps or other things there, they should be aware of the kids who are there too.

Where I live there are ordinances against trapping raccoons and moving them anywhere. I would check that out in your town too. If your apartment complex was planning on doing that with the critters, it could be illegal.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by Laurie314

I am a sucker for a kitty in need. I have six rescue cats of my own ,I am fostering seven other babies for weightgaining and socialization. and lastly I rescued an abandoned feral kitten, who , by the way has adapted wonderfully to being a housecat..I just might keep him to.
Ok here is my problem....the feral kitten that was left alone to fend forhimself for over 2 weeks...well mama cat finally showed up. She looks a little ragged. He's adapted so well, I am not taking him back out there and also winter is comming soon. I have been feeding mama daily to fatten her up and I also called the animal warden for that city. Well, I got no where there..he was not willing to drop a humane trap so we could get her.He told me they are wild animals..you cannot tame them...leave them alone.
She waits for me each morning to drop off her food. The other day a notice was posted. It asked that the cats stop being fed. it is attacting other wildlife.(the overfilled dumpsters with racoons all over..thats not a problem) I feel so bad , but I do not want to lose my job over feeding her. I've been putting her food in hiding places where no one can see it.
The note also stated that they will "DEAL WITH THE CATS HUMANELY"
Today she was not there..I hope they did not put her to sleep. She is so sweet.
If she comes back what should i do...winter is comming and she needs all the bodyfat she can get. I just cannot let her starve. The racoons in the complex will kill her for the food in the dumpster..she has no chance against them. She is not the only cat there..that development is loaded with strays. She just made me feel bad cuz I have her baby boy. If I had the room, I would take her in in a second, but I am busting at the seams already and a large chunk of change is already being spent on all the needs of the ones I am taking care of. Any advice?
Contact a TNR group in your state and ask if they know where you could borrow a humane trap. The best gift you can give her is the gift of spaying.

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html

Katie
 

catcaregiver

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I don't have any advice to offer that hasn't already been given. I just wanted to say thanks so much for being a "sucker" for kitties in need.
 
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laurie314

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Thanks for the advice, The apartment complex is where I deliver the local newspaper. MaMa Kitty was back this morning and looked frantic about something, she was meowing and pacing...She came closer to me, I know it sounds weird but I think she was upset about something. I am not sure of the rules of the complex, but I would like to trap her and help her out. As far as the other critters there, I am there 4-5 am..so i see alot that daytimers would not see. I hid her food today in some bushes and was happy she found it. I have to do something before winter sets in. I am a nut but I just can't help myself. I love cats!
 

barbb

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If the complex posted the note, you could contact them to see what they are going to do about the cats. You could offer to help them if they are trapping. It is possible they will use your city's animal control group to trap the cats. That group would be happy to give you the cat.

If the mom cat was agitated, it is possible she wanted to bring you to some remaining kittens, or it may be that she is going into heat again. It is possible for her to be in heat even if she still has milk.

If her milk is gone and she is not spayed, it is definitely possible that she is in heat again, in which case you definitely want to trap asap.
 

catsknowme

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Sending {{{{prayers and vibes}}}} that you find out what mama-kitty was agitated about, and that you are able to trap her and get her spayed! Bless you for caring for those kitties!
 
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