Leaving For 2 Months, Will The Stray Cats Be Okay?

[fpace]

Hi,
Sorry if this is in the wrong place!
It been perhaps 4-5 months since we moved into our new house which we have built, since then a mother cat and her two kittens (they are stray) have been visiting us daily, we have been giving them food, water and other resources, they sleep in our outdoor living area. We are going on a two month holiday out of the country soon, so my question is? Well they be okay? I know the mother cat is very healthy and catches birds, mice, lizards and even these massive moths in the summer. I also wonder, will they leave us completely and not be there when we come back? I know they stay around the area, i just hope they don't feel rejected by us or feel mad which stops them from coming back. I would also like to add that we would get someone to take care of them, but they are stray and if it weren't for my mother we would have owned them and brought them in, but she doesn't want to keep a pet inside, or have a pet overall.
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Norachan]

Hi F fpace

Before you go please get the mother and her kittens spayed and neutered. If you are leaving food out and if there is plenty of prey in the area they are going to breed really quickly. The mother will have another litter by the time you get back and the kittens will start having kittens of their own at about 6 months of age.

You really need to get them fixed as soon as you can. If you let us know which city/state you live in we can suggest a low cost spay and neuter clinic. If you can't get the cats into a carrier we can give you more advice about using a humane trap.

Could you ask a friend or neighbor to come over and at least leave some water and dry food every day? It will be hard on the mother to go from catching a few things to catching enough to keep her whole family fed just like that.

You can also get timed feeders that only need to be filled up with dry food once a week. Better than nothing if you can't find anyone to come over every day.

I know you say your mother doesn't want a pet, but if you've been feeding these cats and letting them sleep at your place they think they are your pets. It's not really fair to just go off and leave them. Why not look for a pet sitter in your area who could come over and leave some food for them every day? You could pay a local (responsible) teenager to do that.

Absolutely get them all fixed before you go though, otherwise you'll come home to a lot more cats.

 

[Sarthur2]

Agree, someone needs to feed them once a day. A two month holiday is a long time. If they are accustomed to being fed, they need to continue being fed.

Trap, neuter, release (TNR) is the best solution to keeping the colony from growing and future cats/kittens from suffering.

 

[adriennes]

I agree with what everyone else has been saying. Please get them TNR'd. Some rescues have a budget for TNR programs, and can help out with the entire process. We were lucky to find one that did our four ferals. And if they're used to being fed on a regular basis, it's very hard for them to get back to fending for themselves when they're expecting a meal. The people next door to us usually help us out when we go away - and if not, then we've hired a cat-sitting company to come and do it. The rate is half-price, since they don't have to go in the house and play with them and empty the litter and all that - it's just putting food out. As far as whether or not they'll leave.... I honestly don't know. I've developed a very strong bond with my ferals, and when we go away, they're excited to see us come back. (From a distance, lol). I guess it depends on the rapport you have with them.

 

[orange&white]

You've been providing the cats with the one thing they value more than food itself: food security. They have developed a trust for you as their humans to provide food for them so that they do not feel stressed over mere survival.

Nice, friendly cats turn into wild untrusting ferals when their humans suddenly abandon them. Yes, they will feel rejected, but they won't be "mad" at you. Cats don't get mad like humans do.

Unless there is truly abundant wild prey in the area, they will venture off further and further seeking the food security they lost. Hopefully they would find it quickly if your house is in a populous area. If they're lucky, they'll quickly find a family who brings them indoors and feeds them for their lifetimes, or keeps one or two and gets the remainder into adoption.

Worst case, they get run over or they run across someone who hates cats and may poison them or worse. The further they have to venture, the more likely a predator will get them. The longer they go, the more they will learn that they cannot trust any human ever again.

So, you can cross your fingers and wish for the best. Better yet, you can get all of them into a no-kill shelter and let them have the lives they deserve as someone's indoor cats.

 

[kittychick]

F fpace I'm sure you're overwhelmed - both with moving (even if it's temporary) AND with trying to figure out what to do with these two beasties who obviously care very much for you and have become quite dependent on you. Many good points have already been made above - so I apologize if I repeat anyone. An I want to say right away that I give you credit for caring about them!

To me, you have a few basic issues (their basic needs) to to deal with before you go before you can rest easily while gone:

1) Food/water: I don't know where you're located, but if you're located in an area that freezes, they will need some sort of non-freezing water resource. The best that you can provide is an outdoor heated water bowl. Many places like Walmart, Tractor Supply, etc.carry them, but an easy way to find them is at amazon: . Cats cannot survive the winter without water - - and eating snow, as many think they can do, don't work. These bowls aren't expensive, and take very little electricity to run.

Food-wise, although she brings you mice/crickets/etc, she's become far too used to being provided for, and it's highly doubtful she could catch enough to feed herself AND her baby. Chances are catching those are more of an "instinctual play" vs finding enough to feed them both - - she simply hasn't had to as she's (wonderfully!!) had you as a food source. It would be far more likely she and her baby would starve (or at the very least, begin to travel so far to search for food that she'd end up starving, getting run over, or venturing into an area with dogs (or worse). I would utilize da timed feeder (it would still need to be filled periodically as no feeder will hold 4 months worth. I would say your mother could check on the food - but it sounds as though despite the fact that you live with her, she wants little to do with them? Hopefully you can find a friend/neighbor/neighborhood kid who will double check their food and water supply several times a week

2) Shelter. What kind of an "outdoor living space" is it? Something as simple and exposed to the elements as a deck or patio? Or something a bit more safe? If you're in a cold climate, they'll need somewhere they can go that shields them from the elements and provides some warmth . There are many places on the web where you can find easy "two rubbermaid tub" shelters that are easy to build. We use them, but we add outdoor-rated heated cat mats for added warmth. Many spay/neuter clinics have very inexpensive shelters for purchase - but this is an easy do-it-yourself guide (so that they can be done even more cheaply!. 50-Gallon Storage Container Shelter The mats we use are here --they come in many sizes: Please don't just leave them to "survive the elements" -- - most cats don't survive through the winter without alot of human help.

3) Health. As noted above by several -- - it's CRITICAL that you spay/neuter them before you leave. Cats can get pregnant as young as 4 months old - - - and certainly by 6 months - - and can easily have at least 3 litters a year. Which is cute when it's 3 babies. Not so cute when suddenly you have 20 or 30. And kitties don't "discriminate" as humans do (family is as good as another cat (in other words - mothers will mate with sons, etc). And if unsppayed/unneutered - - they will be driven by the urge to mate - - one which will cause them to wander far and take chances they wouldn't normally - such as cross busy roads. And kittens born outdoors have a very poor survival rate, as do their mothers. So PLEASE --- fix them before you leave. They will be far safer while you're gone!

And if you can consider finding someone to truly take care of them - as in take them in and give them safe indoor homes, that would be the safest. But if you can't do that -- -- if you can't do that, doing the above will go along way to making sure they're alive and healthy for when you return. And as far as being 'Mad" - - that's definitely assigning them a human emotion/reaction that they really won't feel. They'll be thrilled to have you back to dote on them and take care of them daily!

Keep us posted on what happens!

 

[fpace]

Thanks for the help everyone!

1. I was able to convince my mother to allow my friend (who more then gladly) said that he would take care of the cats for the two months period, he said he can take them into his home for the time, and provide them with all they need. If i knew this would happen I wouldn't make this thread but I managed to convince my parents into letting someone take care of them because they are still skeptical about the cats, whereabouts they came from, and there health. I've also got them to get cats spayed and neatured. Thank you so much for your help, if I new this would have happened i wouldn't make this thread, but thanks for future references!

 

[Norachan]

That's great news! I'm so glad you were able to find someone to take care of the cats while you are away.

Do you need help finding low cost spay and neuter clinics?

Please come back to TCS and let us know how everything goes.

 

[orange&white]

That's terrific news all around!

 

[kittychick]

Never feel sorry for making a thread! It sounds like doing it gave you the confidence to find them a caregiver (& hopefully a spay/neuter clinic so you don't come home to lots more kitties!) - - so making the thread was a good thing! Keep us posted on how they're doing in their new (temporary?) - and how they did while you were gone!

 

[catsknowme]

Wonderful news about your friend caring for the cats! I am glad that you started the thread - if you look at the "who's viewing count", you will see that lurkers/just passin' through viewers far outnumber the members. Therefore, all the excellent advice in the responses to your thread will be benefitting many others and the cats in their lives! Enjoy your holiday