Stray mumma and kittens

[Melomac]

Hi wonderful cat people
There is a stray mama cat I've been feeding that I've been trying to catch, plus her kittens which my partner and i suspect are nested in our roof.
Kittens should be 4 weeks old by now (not seen them yet but can tell she's nursing) and mama is skittish - she hisses at me in between meows for food even tho I've been feeding her for months but (grudgingly) allows me to stroke her head whilst she's eating. I believe she's trapwise cos we failed to catch her some time back with a pro animal rescuer and she didn't appear for 2 weeks after i hired a trap recently to do DIY trapping.
This time my plan is try and trap her first using food as bait, and then get the kittens up in the roof. Hopefully they are not too scared or agile to hide from a couple of clumsy humans through the piles of insulation batts. There's a chance disrupting the nest will freak her out and she moves them elsewhere, less safe and less warm than my roof. I'm keen to get them all this week as my partner has time off and can help. The alternative is wait til they're ready to wean when presumably she will bring them round for meals, and then try to socialise the kittens a bit then catch them all then.
My question is, is it better to try now or wait a bit til the kittens are older? Got 2 indoor cats of my own but I'm a newbie at this trapping and fostering thing. Want to give it my best shot and do right by mama cat and kittens. Any other advice, thoughts or ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Melomac]

 

[mailynsca]

I'm in the same boat. A momma gave birth inside my fence and the kittens are about 4 weeks old too. I wish I had some advice to help you. I'm going to wait till the kittens are a couple weeks older so I can trap mom and get her spayed but have the kittens be old enough that they can stay by themselves. Don't want to risk them starving if momma has to stay overnight at the vet's. Good luck to you!

She's so pretty

 

[Melomac]

I'm in the same boat. A momma gave birth inside my fence and the kittens are about 4 weeks old too. I wish I had some advice to help you. I'm going to wait till the kittens are a couple weeks older so I can trap mom and get her spayed but have the kittens be old enough that they can stay by themselves. Don't want to risk them starving if momma has to stay overnight at the vet's. Good luck to you!

She's so pretty

Thank you. She is a beautiful mama. It's crazy but TNR is officially illegal where i live im Australia and i have to surrender any strays i catch to the designated shelter which is of cos pretty much a death sentence. SMH. Good luck with your situation too!

 

[Melomac]

Update..failed to trap mum cat after getting her to feel safe enough to eat next to it for a day. The trap shut for some reason, twice. I turned my back and didnt see what happened. Maybe the hook that holds up the door is too flimsy/sensitive and any slight movement will release it? So mamacat is now once again very wary and skittish.
It's been hot yesterday and today..we found 4 kittens in the roof, and pulled 1 out from the wall where he apparently fell and got stuck.
Here's a pix of the Fantastic 4. Not sure what to do next....

 

[Melomac]

Update..failed to trap mum cat after getting her to feel safe enough to eat next to it for a day. The trap shut for some reason, twice. I turned my back and didnt see what happened. Maybe the hook that holds up the door is too flimsy/sensitive and any slight movement will release it? So mamacat is now once again very wary and skittish.
It's been hot yesterday and today..we found 4 kittens in the roof, and pulled 1 out from the wall where he apparently fell and got stuck.
Here's a pix of the Fantastic 4. Not sure what to do next....

I know the best thing to do is try to keep kittens together and with mama. Failing this, should i let mama see her kittens are safe? She was lurking in the bushes and saw us fishing them out from the roof..so at the very least give her peace of mind..while i figure out how to care for 5x 4 week old kittens with 2 other cats who are going bonkers in the house.

 

[Melomac]

Decided to manually spring the trap using the string and water bottle method since we couldn't trust that the dodgy hook in the trap won't fail again. Inspired by Kitten Lady's vid on reuniting feral mom with kittens we put the kittens in a carrier at the end of the trap, covered everything up and waited, exactly as shown in the vid. Mamacat turned up, heard and smelled her babies, called to them and then parked herself next to the covered carrier instead of exploring and entering through the open end of the trap. She eyeballed us crouched in the shadows and hissed everytime we tried approaching. After nearly an hour of this impasse we decided it wasn't going to work with her, plus it was starting to rain so we needed the kittens back indoors dry and warm.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Oh my gosh it’s a good thing you didn’t wait to get the kittens since one of them had gotten its self in trouble! Momma wants those babies so she will likely take enough of a chance that you can get her too. Members who have experience with this will post soon with tips I’m sure. Have you got some replacement Mother’s milk to feed them until you get mom? Since you are watching the kitten lady videos There is excellent info there too Please keep us posted ! Good luck your doing Great!!!

 

[Melomac]

Oh my gosh it’s a good thing you didn’t wait to get the kittens since one of them had gotten its self in trouble! Momma wants those babies so she will likely take enough of a chance that you can get her too. Members who have experience with this will post soon with tips I’m sure. Have you got some replacement Mother’s milk to feed them until you get mom? Since you are watching the kitten lady videos There is excellent info there too Please keep us posted ! Good luck your doing Great!!!

Thanks, it's been quite INTENSE being the first such situation for us. Kitten Lady's instructionals have been sooooo helpful (as have been the forums here). The one stuck behind the wall would have been in serious trouble if we hadn't cut him out and i imagine the other 4 would have suffered as the temperatures hit almost 40 degree celsius that day on the rooftop. Been feeding them Wombaroo Cat Milk Replacer (for any Aussies out there) which I've been using to supplement Mamacat's meals since she's been pregnant/nursing, thanks to advice posted in the Pregnant Cats & Kittens forum. I mash in some canned kitten food (FancyFeast) in a small dish and they've been lapping it up in the messiest and cutest ways

 

[Melomac]

Sleepy again after feeding, burping and being wiped down.

 

[moxiewild]

She eyeballed us crouched in the shadows and hissed everytime we tried approaching. After nearly an hour of this impasse we decided it wasn't going to work with her, plus it was starting to rain so we needed the kittens back indoors dry and warm.

May I ask why y’all kept approaching her when you were trying to trap her?

You did GREAT work with the kittens, thank you for going to such great lengths to get them to safety. They’re adorable!

You also did good with Momma, but I think it was perhaps too soon to attempt again after the malfunctions. Give her a day or two to forget while still feeding her near the trap unset/zip tied open (or in it if she’s willing!).

Earlier this year we tried tirelessly to trap an older kitten who’d shown up to no avail. A few months later she showed up with an injured kitten.

We grabbed the kitten, rushed it to the vet, then came back trying to trap Momma. She circled our house tirelessly nonstop, vocalizing and searching for the kitten. It was gut wrenching.

The next day we used kitten as bait like you did and caught her immediately!

It will work for your Momma too, but between losing her kittens and the trap going off when it wasn’t supposed to, your odds of trapping her right then and there were going to be slim no matter what you did.

Like I said... give her a day or so around the trap without setting it, then try again.

I know Australia is particularly hostile in the attitudes toward unowned free roaming cats, so thank you so much for caring and offering them safety and a better life.

 

[Melomac]

Hmmm not sure why we approached her while trying to trap...we were probably a bit confused haha wanting to comfort and reassure her...

 

[moxiewild]

Hmmm not sure why we approached her while trying to trap...we were probably a bit confused haha wanting to comfort and reassure her...

Yep, completely understand that. I actually really hate trapping, it is so hard to see them upset and scared I constantly want to reassure them, but it can certainly make things harder for them.

With trapping, you’ll arouse the least suspicion from her if she perceives that you are not around whatsoever. You absolutely should be, just don’t let her be aware of it.

Never leave the trap unattended, just stay hidden, still, quiet, and most of all, patient. Let the trap do the work for you!

 

[Melomac]

Update: successfully trapped mama cat using fish-based wet food as bait. We covered the trap with a sheet, propped it open with a water bottle and string, and continued feeding her near it per usual, moving the bowl closer to the trap each time. I reduced her portions the day before, so she was keen to follow the trail of food to inside the trap. Once she was safely inside, I cued my partner (who was waiting, hidden from sight) to pull the string and we got her!! I stayed in her sights throughout cos she was used to me watching her during meal times and we thought it was best to keep up appearances.

Contacted a few rescue groups and happily managed to find one which took her in with her babies (bless them!!) They will be fostered until the kittens (and mum) are ready for adoption. Me and partner needed a few days to decompress after that.