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NJC

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I have been feeding a young feral cat that I found starving and in bad shape in my yard. I got a trap and tried to catch her to spay her but couldn't catch her and she disappeared for weeks. She has now returned and she brought at least 2 kittens that look 5-6 weeks old. She also brought another female cat with 4 kittens that look 3-4 weeks old. These kittens have goopy eyes that get stuck closed and fleas. Two are very small and I have been able to pick them up and clean their eyes and noticed the fleas. They are now hanging out at my feeding area and the sickly looking ones are trying to eat the dry food and are standing in the wet food trying to eat it. Now the two moms run to me with tails up and crying for food every time I go outside. It seems they have relocated to our house. I have 3 dogs and can't keep them in the house and there are too many. I have been putting out dry kitten food now and wet food sprinkled with Lysine along with water. There are no agencies in my area for ferals and the shelters are full of kittens. My husband and kids are mad and tell me I shouldn't have gotten involved. I don't what to do.
 

KatKnapper

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Hi NJC. The best advice I can give at this point is HELLLPPPP!!! TCS members???? Sorry. I got all sorts of reasons why I shouldn't be posting to ya, but I just could not stop myself. Just some things that scrolled across the marquee on my forehead: You are following your heart and conscious by getting involved. Yes, you may get overwhelmed as you are, but hold it together. You're wired for this, which is why you are where you are, at that point in time. The kitties feel that you are their best bet at surviving.

I'm probably too tired, too exhausted, and seriously lacking sleep (cat peed my bed btw grrrrr) to be offering "hindsight" advice, but take care of you and your family first and foremost. Whether they realize it or not, they are your support group, to anchor you to reality, so to keep you on solid footing, and not allow you to fall overboard. First, you have to win them over, get them on your team.

The little info floating through my brain at this late hour says first and foremost the kitties need food and clean water. Secondly, some sort of shelter nearby if none already exist. If you have too, enlist your team to help you construct something fast. You can refine, design and rebuild as you go.

For your wellbeing, your family's, your pets, you have to take every precaution possible, not to allow the outdoor cat's flea problem become an indoor problem for you and your family. Sadly, the kitties could have an illness or other that you don't want to make its way into your home or to your pets. Please please, don't become complacent and comfortable thinking that because a kitty purrs, meows, bunts you, allow you to pick them up and all...that they won't bite or scratch the daylights out of you...for no reason at all. Had both happen to me by the same stray cat in one week. Tonite when I thought we were getting along well, going for a walk together, he all of a sudden put a claw through my jeans for no reason (suspect he may have a vision problem at night). Please be careful and take precautions.

There are no agencies in my area for ferals and the shelters are full of kittens
Please don't settle here. Please keep at trying to get them medical help locally. Can you use Facebook or other to shout out for help locally? Maybe there is a vet that makes house calls, that can donate his/her time and medicine. Give a description of symptoms you're seeing, and TCS members could probably narrow down the conditions and point you in a direction. For starters I know there are many here, that can walk you through fabricating easy'n cheaply done shelters. Gotta run! Please keep us posted often. Here for you.

PS: It may seem like an overwhelming problem for you now. It's probably not. As for your community, it could quickly grow into a big problem if they don't get involved and help you. One mom can have three litters in a year. Those little ones reach maturity very fast, and then they have little ones, three batches a year.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ― Calvin Coolidge
 

StefanZ

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Where are you living? Possibly some of us can find an rescue group nearby.

Can you talk some friendly neigbour or someone other friendly person to cooperate with you helping out?

Some vet around willing to cooperate and giving a pris reduction? the mommas will soon need spaying...

Not much help from me so far, but Im sending vibes to you personally, and to the cats you are trying to help. *vibes!*
 

jcat

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ondine

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First off - THANK YOU! We need more compassionate people like you in this world. Tell your husband and children that unless they are willing to watch these cats die, they need to pitch in and help.

Katnapper is correct - these kitties need food and shelter now. If you only get them a plastic tote and fill it with straw, it will help until you can get something more permanent done. Buy the best quality kitten food you can afford and try to have fresh water at all times. The L-lysine will help but they also need flea treatment. If you can't afford a topical (like Revolution) from the vet, try to get some food-grade Diotomacaeous Earth and sprinkle just a pinch in their wet food. You can sprinkle it around the food area, too. Be careful, though. It is flour-like and can be easily inhaled. Sprinkle it when there is no breeze.

I would ask the vet if he or she knows of any organizations that might help and or guide you.
 

Sarthur2

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N NJC

Thank you for helping these cats and kittens. They are clearly desperate.

I have been in your shoes and feeling overwhelmed with cats and their issues, and things do work out in the end.

Please do enlist your family's help, and do not let them get you down. You are doing the right thing!

Please do seek out help from local rescue groups. Though they may not be able to take the cats, they may be able to help with vet services if you offer to foster these cats for them.

Your best bet is to catch the kittens and try to get them sterilized and/or re-homed through a rescue program.

If you can trap the moms in a humane trap, they need to be spayed. Humane societies will rent traps out for a small deposit, and they will spay and neuter ferals for free or low-cost. They can then be returned to the neighborhood.

What is your city and state? I'm happy to research organizations for you. :)
 
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NJC

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Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions. I have been feeding the two moms 2xday with wet food sprinkled with Lysine and have been wiping the kittens eyes to keep them open. I bought Purina one dry kitten food and fill the bowl twice a day. I got a outdoor cat feeder/ house that has a shelter underneath and a landing that is reachable by ramp with a shingle roof. The kittens walk up and have been eating. I have been fixing a bowl of cat milk supplement and they are lapping it up. This morning they seem to have turned a corner. They have a lot more energy and we're starting to play with each other.
I live in Fresno CA. I talked with Hope Now who will spay/ neuter but I have to get them there and one cat per cage. I spoke with a vet who was recommended and she will accept more then one cat in the cage but they have to be over 6 weeks. I spoke with my neighbors and there are no fans of cats and would rather get rid of them. Most of the neighbors are elderly. I have one cage that I borrowed and I would be willing to take them in as I can catch them.
I asked my vet about the fleas and he suggested cap star for the moms but then said no when I told him the kittens get into the food. Every time I feed the moms the kittens appear and share the food. I could try the D Earth.
Any other suggestions are appreciated!!
NJC
 
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NJC

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*typo-we are not playing,they are playing with each other. They are hissing at me.
 

Sarthur2

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Many vet offices, pet stores, and rescues sell cardboard carriers with vent holes and handles for $5 apiece that can be used to transport.

If at all possible, the kittens need feeding 3 times a day. They are growing quickly and need as much food as they can get. It's wonderful to hear that they are gaining energy.

Thank you for all you are doing! :)
 

surya

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You might have something around your house you could transport the kittens in. Maybe a small laundry basket, that you could make a lid for. You could make a lid out of a corrugated plastic political signs and use zip ties to hold the lid on. Or if you have a Rubbermaid storage bin you could put some holes in it and then wrap a bungee cord around it. Just make sure it is escape proof.


















+32.
 
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NJC

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I was just getting the momma cats and kittens used to the feeding station/cat condo. I have it in the corner of the yard farthest from the street next to the fence where there is shade and trees/large bushes for the kittens to hide. I also put a pop up nylon cube with a blanket in the bottom away from the feeding area for the kittens. Today I came home and there were kittens running around on the driveway. The neighbor is tearing down all of his fences and there are jackhammers and dust everywhere. One group of kittens were in the fence so they have been displaced. I fed everyone in the driveway and will move the feeding station to the other side of the driveway but it is not as shady.
My question today is what happens if the kittens eyes stay closed with gunk? I was cleaning them but I can no longer catch them to wipe them clean. I saw two today whose eyes are stuck closed. They are up moving around and eating.
 

Sarthur2

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You really need to catch these kittens and take them inside and not let them go loose again. It's only going to get harder to catch them as they grow.

If you sit in the grass near the food, will they come to you?

The kittens will go blind if the gunk is not cleared and builds up behind the lids. :(
 
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NJC

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Yikes. There are 7 or 8 with the 2 litters together and I have 3 big dogs. I do not have a room with a door where I could keep them. We live in a warm climate and the temp in the garage that runs 90+ So it's not an option. The kittens won't come to me but I've been sitting by them and talk to them when they eat. I can try and catch them to clean their eyes. At least it's not all of them.
I've been getting through each day but always worrying about what the final plan is. The shelters here are full of kittens and several are kill shelters. Craig's list is full of kittens too. I was thinking that eventually I would try and trap them for TNR. I would keep feeding them but that will be expensive. HOPE Foundation here costs 60.$ per cat to spay/neuter but they will only take a cat in a trap and one cat per trap. Our SPCA no longer has a clinic. There is a vet that will take as many as I can catch at a time and she charges 70.$ per cat. I also need to trap and spay the two momma cats. I feel sad today.
 

Sarthur2

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Oh my! Do you have a large dog crate you could put the kittens in so they are contained for now?
 

surya

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You might be able to get a crate from a thrift store cheap. Or you could put a wanted posting on freecycle. I bet someone on freecycle would give you one if you explained your situation. Or maybe ask rescue groups to loan you one. The rescue organization I work with loaned me one.
 
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NJC

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What do I do if I got them in a crate? Then keep them from the moms? Mix the litters together? They are really tiny and weeks away from being ready to spay /neuter
 

surya

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I feel like you at least have to get the one's with the goopy eye's in a crate. How old do you think those one's are?
 
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NJC

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Maybe 4 weeks. They were swimming /scooting on their bellies last week and are standing this week.
 

surya

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If you have a big enough crate or a kitty condo you could get the mother of the four week old kittens and all her babies in it. It would only be temporary until the babies are old enough to be weaned. Other wise you will have to bottle feed them and mother's milk is better for them. I know it is an inconvenience to have them in your house, but if you save their lives it will be worth it in the end.
 

Sarthur2

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I thought the kittens were old enough to eat cat food - my mistake.

At only 4 weeks old you should be able to catch them to clean their eyes.

Can you get terramycin antibiotic ointment to put on the eyes? It's available over the counter at tractor supply stores and online for about $16 for a tube.

In another 2 weeks when they begin eating cat food they can be separated from mom. I'm afraid if you wait too long they will be difficult to catch.
 
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