Oh. No.

[alphagrrl]

I've been feeding a stray that wandered up and decided to stay under my house.  My plan was to make friends with it and then my neighbor would take it.  She lost her kitty awhile back when another cat scared it and chased it away.  We never found her.  

This stray is getting more used to me.  I can feed it and talk to it, but I still can't get too close or it runs under the house.

I added to another post just today that I don't know if it's a boy or a girl.

I just found out 30 min. ago.   Oh.  No.   

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

   

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

   

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

   

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017
• 1

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

  

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

   

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• alphagrrl
• Mar 18, 2017

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Congrats!  Looks like your neighbor can have a pair

of sibblings

  So Sweet 

 

[Willowy]

If you want to tame the kittens, you'll have to catch them soon. Is there a way you can rent a humane trap? It's a good sign the mama is trusting enough to have brought them to you but if they don't get human contact soon they'll never be fully tame.

Another option is to start feeding them in a large carrier, then when they're used to it, you tie a rope to the door and close it on them while they're eating.

 

[StefanZ]

I agree with Willowy, that is what is need to be done.  If you could also spay the momma, the happiness would be total.

They are at least 4 kittens, no?

 

[kittychick]

We've had THAT delight of a surprise before-so I know the feeling! Years ago - before we realized our neighborhood had a big feral problem -we started seeing a feral kitty in our neighbor's yard. We started wirking with her, feeding her, providing shelter, working in getting close--but couldn't quite get within more than 4 feet. Then one day not only Maddie (the cat) pops out from under the deck --- three tiny babies Coke waddling out too! So much for working on trapping/neutering & releasing just one cat!

Momma sounds like she's probably feral vs stray if you've fed her & been around her a lot & there's still so much instinctual fear. If your neighbor is willing to take her & work with her- that's fantastic! But if she is a true feral - any socializing as an adult will take a decent amount of work--and it's possible she won't be able to be socialized. Worst comes to worst though - she could be placed back out if you put her right where she came from. She'd need food & water provided (even as a feral) daily, and a really good shelter (tons of resources are available on those -on this site we can guide you and guide you to resources). I'm not saying she CANT be rehabilitated, but it will be harder as an adult. FANTASTIC is she still wants to try!!!!

Obviously you now have 4 adorable additional projects----SOOO stinking cute!! (What does everyone out there think on age--4-5 weeks? 5 or a little over?) How steady are they? You might even video with your phone how they move ---and show video to your vet. They should be even closer on age. Bottom lline - I wouldn't take them from mom till 7 weeks minimum--- but to get best immune support, etc for their tiny bodies - I'd wait till 8 weeks to trap. Not much later --as feral kittens get harder to socialize after eight weeks (can DEFINITELY be done --but if you can start by 8-9 weeks - that's perfect. Lots of us on this site can walk you through trapping a mom & litter ---a little trickier than trapping just mom & you have to be more careful as kittens can get injured in some kinds of traps. But but it can be done (I've done it-& if I can, you can!). And we're hear for you!!!

The main thing is they'll 100% need to be "fixed"---Momma will need to be spayed shortly, as several weeks after she's given birth, she can go back into heat and get pregnant AGAIN (it's a muyth cats can't get pregnant while nursing)!!! And the babies can get pregnant around just 4 months. And cats/kittens don't descriminate -- kittens can get pregnant by siblings. & moms can get pregnant by her kittens once they're old enough! That said --and there are varying opinions on this --I'd risk it and let the kittens get to 8 weeks and then trap ALL.

Start taking LOTS of pics now --- pics help in getting the babies adopted (who isn't a sucker for a fuzzy kitten pic!). Unless you find very patient & understand adopters, you may need to take the babies in yourself & work with them for a few weeks till they're ready to go to a forever home.

In the short meantime --- keep feeding & watering (mom needs even more nutrition as she's nursing - & the less she has to go out to hunt - the more time she can spend taking care of babies! If they're in a place you can get to several times a day --- you might even put down a few little plates of a bit of soft kitten food---getting them excited about you coming over AND helping them transition out of weaning.

Keep us posted on this adorable family (post pics!!)!!!! You're doing so much already! And I'm sure eventually there will be 5 very appt endings

 

[kittychick]

*Not Coke waddling - came waddling

 

[alphagrrl]

The day after I discovered the kittens, I spent about an hour at Lowes trying to find something to fence off the part of the shed they were hiding under.  I thought at least they could be safe there for awhile since they were used to that area.  I couldn't find ANYTHING that would work without having to dig posts etc..  I didn't see the kittens that night.  The next day when I came home from work, Mama Cat and little black kitten were out there.  They started walking off across the yard, and I banged on the window to scare the kitten back under the shed.  I didn't want him wandering off and getting lost.  Mama Cat turned around, looked at me, sat down, and started calling her baby again.  He came running out to her, she looked back at me once, and they walked off.  I almost cried.  I didn't want the responsibility of taking care of them, but now I'm wondering what will happen to them.  I think she must have moved the others the day before.  I haven't seen them since. There are some houses and lots of woods, so they could be anywhere.  I wish I'd never know they were out there.   Mama Cat stayed away for a day, but then she came back.  She knows I'll feed her.  She might even bring the kittens back at some point.  I thought well, it's not my problem anymore since I don't know where they are, but I am still worried about them.

Mama Cat was still not quite as scared of me as she used to be, but she's got a long way to go.  I could feed her on the back steps with the door open as long as I stayed a good distance away from her.  I try to leave her alone, because it can't be good for her to be scared while she's scarfing down the food like she's never been fed before.

The other night I managed to get her just inside the back door for the first time.  While she was eating, I went out the front door, came around to the back, I shut the back door so she couldn't run out.  I thought maybe she'd be so shocked and scared that she'd just sit there so I could talk to her calmly and let her know that I wanted to help.  Nope.  It sure didn't go like I thought.  I had all the doors closed inside (especially Max's room!) so she couldn't hide under anything, but she tried her best to go through the couple of windows she saw.  She can sure jump!  She was mad, so I knew I had to let her back out fast.  But she decided to get on a kitchen chair and just stay there, growling like a panther at me if I got too close.  I had already opened the back door, but she was too scared to realize it.  It took me about 15 minutes to herd her back outside.  She finally made a run for it, but she took the long way -- across the top of the TV stand, the bookshelves, and the fireplace.  I think she might've tried to jump on top of the fridge if I hadn't been right behind her.

I immediately knew I pushed her too soon.  I should've let her get used to coming in the back door several times before I tried to trap her.  It worked with Black Kitty, but I know that he was a stray, and this cat is obviously feral.  I don't think she's been around any people at all.  I felt so bad after she got away.  I figured I had ruined what little progress I'd made with her and she'd never come back.

She stayed away one night after that, but then she did come back.  She was sitting on the back steps when I got home from work.  I thought she'd run the second she saw me, but she didn't.  So I'm back to feeding her again in the morning and when I get home at night.  She usually eats and then wanders off, but I can't tell where she's going.

I hope the kittens are OK.  Mama Cat probably told them to be sure and stay away from my house from now on.

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• alphagrrl
• Apr 2, 2017

  

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• alphagrrl
• Apr 2, 2017

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• alphagrrl
• Apr 2, 2017

  

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• alphagrrl
• Apr 2, 2017

 

[tabbytom]

This is not an easy task for you. You have to do it step by step and day by day. Of course the safety of the kittens are momma's first concern. She probably hid the kittens hopefully thy are safe.

Guess you have to win back momma's heart bafter the ordeal in the house. You can also follow her without her knowing, and see where the rest of the kittens are. My guess is that they are nearby.

 

[alphagrrl]

I can't follow her without trespassing. I hope they're all OK right now. Severe thunderstorms are expected all night. [emoji]128542[/emoji]

 

[tabbytom]

I can't follow her without trespassing. I hope they're all OK right now. Severe thunderstorms are expected all night. [emoji]128542[/emoji]

But at least you know their whereabouts. Hope they are safe from the storm and other dangers and hope momma cat will bring them back to your yard.

 

[alphagrrl]

So Mama Kitty has still been coming around. I didn't want or need any more animals around, but I worried about the kittens anyway because of traffic, mean people, loose dogs in the neighborhood, etc.. I just wanted them to be safe. I think I know who Daddy Kitty is. I never saw the kittens again....until this past Thursday morning....

 

[orange&white]

Very cute. In your first post, there were 4 kittens, 2 black and 2 tabby. Are both of the black kittens still around, or is there only one now?

They look like they're a good age to be taken to a shelter so they can be socialized and adopted out to good homes so that they have nice long lives.

 

[alphagrrl]

Yes, there are still 2 black ones. My daughter has been in contact with someone at the Humane Society, and I'll call them next week. It's my understanding they will catch the kittens (or show me how) and either TNR or find them homes. My daughter is also taking care of a mama with 4 kittens, in addition to her own two grown cats. My neighbor still might want one or two kittens, so she's got plenty to choose from now! One at my daughter's house looks exactly like the neighbor's cat who went missing awhile back.

 

[orange&white]

It's "kitten season", so they'll probably want you to borrow a trap to catch them. I've taken two ferals in this year. The second one had a litter of 4 kittens four days after I dropped her off.

 

[alphagrrl]

So the kittens disappeared again around May 3 after a big storm. The next two nights I saw young foxes in my backyard! I thought surely the foxes didn't eat them -- maybe 1 but not all 4. Mama was still around and looked fine, so she obviously hadn't been in a fight to the death to defend her babies. She really is a good mama, even though she's so young.

They all showed back up on May 11 and just sat on the back steps waiting for me to feed them. Of course, I did. I've seen them wander off across the field to go play somewhere, but so far, they end up back here at night.

I've been feeding them in a plastic tray that they can stand in, and I sat beside them a few times while they ate. I actually touched the orange one and the gray one a few times, not really petting but barely touching their backs, until they realized I was touching them and then they ran. But of course they always come back to the food.

I can sit outside at dusk and shine the laser pointer around and they'll chase it. It's hilarious to watch them playing. Mama doesn't really care for it though.

I call the orange one Little Bad Ass, because he/she's the bravest and the most curious. He's actually meowed back at me a few times.

I'm still waiting to hear back from a woman at the Humane Society. I called over a week ago. I'll call again this week. My neighbor is still willing to take the kittens if we can get them a little more socialized first. It might be impossible, but I'm going to work with them and see what happens.



I think the Daddy must be Black Kitty's son. So these are probably my grand-kittens. *SIGH*

 

[orange&white]

Time to trap them and start socializing them as indoor kitties.

 

[IndyJones]

Please trap and fix the adults too inbreeding is horrible for them.

 

[alphagrrl]

I finally got a call back from a different woman at the HS. They take strays and ferals to be fixed only once a month, and I missed it by one day. She said she'll call me back in a few weeks and loan me some traps. So I'll have about a week to entice the kitties into the trap. I don't think it will be too hard with the kittens, but Mama is gonna be difficult. I haven't seen Daddy in several days, and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to trap him.

 

[alphagrrl]

Status update:

Kittens are getting more used to me, but Mama is still very cautious and skittish, even though she sometimes wags her tail at me a little. Kittens have started meowing back at me when I meow first, and they all run up to the back door when I'm there. I'm pretty sure that's just because they know food is coming.

On two different occasions I managed to get the orange one inside the back door before he realized it was a trick. I just sat down with him for several minutes and tried to pet him gently, but he didn't want any of that. I think he's the bravest and most curious, but he wants nothing to do with me up close....at least for now.

The smaller of the two black ones is the second bravest but also the "runt" of the litter. He seems so fragile. I got him inside a few times too, but I didn't want to scare him, so I let him right back out. The other morning we had a major breakthrough when he actually ate a few treats I held out to him. This morning was another "win". I got him in and just sat beside him for awhile so he wouldn't panic. He didn't want to take any food from me this time, but when he crept closer to the door, I moved closer to him. He finally had nowhere else to go, so I started petting him real slow. He didn't try to run, and he didn't even hiss at me. So I picked him up and put him in my lap. He froze for a few seconds, but I just kept talking quietly and petting him slowly. In about two minutes, he started purring louder than any cat I've ever heard before! It took all I could do not to dance around with him, but I knew that would end badly. I put him down for a little while, and then I put him back in my lap again. I did this about four times, and I never kept him for more than a few minutes. When I let him back out, he ran under the house but then came right back to the door soon afterwards.

Baby steps!