Stray outdoor cats with kittens

DoodleStrudle

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hello!
We have an outside cat who got pregnant before we could spay her. (Plan to after shes done with the kittens)
She has had 3 kittens who are now around 4 weeks old.
Ive been socializing them as we plan to get them homes. So far i have one thats getting pretty friendly, ones still a bit skittish and the other one is curious but still not a fan of me.
Today the momma, Little kitty, had her sister, we call, Other kitty, show up with 4 more kittens.
Im aware queens will occasionally merge litters if they know eachother, which im hoping these two will merge. But i also know they sometime will steal kittens or sadly kill.
Fortunately they havent fought and dont seem to be trying to run eachother of or steal kittens.
The only things ive seen that bothered me were they hissed at each other once, and one of lil kitty’s kittens did get a lil hissy and swatted at the other momma which she hissed a bopped him back. Seemingly just to put him in line.
Sadly i ca not bring any inside to a safer spot as we have no room and my cat isnt a fan of other cats.
The shelters here are kill shelters and usually filled with kitties, the cat shelter doesn’t seem to take them unless its from an animal shelter so that would be a kill risk.
Im hoping they will merge and we can get homes, we have some people already interested.
The worst thing is the other momma might take her kittens elsewhere but i hope the original group will stay and not follow so i can at least help get as many as i can into a home. (Preferably all 7 lol)
has anyone delt with a similar situation? If so how did it turn out?

p.s original group is a group of tabbies 1 female 1 boy and 1 we think boy
Second group is two light colored tabbies and a black and black tux, genders unknown
 

Sarthur2

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Living outside is always a risk for disease and predators, not to mention one or the other or both mama cats may suddenly disappear because they are in heat, and would likely return a few days later pregnant again. So your best bet is to get both mother cats spayed immediately to curb that issue.

Can you get or borrow a large dog crate to put the kittens in? Or is there absolutely no way to bring them all into one room only just for a couple of weeks until the kittens are eating soft foods and the moms are spayed? I fear that one or more of the kittens may meet a poor outcome if they continue living outside or a mom will go into heat any day and disappear.

Your cat may be unhappy but will forget about it once the moms are spayed and let out or rehomed, and the kittens need to learn to use litter pans.

Or, do you have a friend who has room to foster these two families while you spay the moms and arrange homes for the kittens?

I do share your concerns about kill shelters, but it seems to me that your fears may be realized unless you quickly get a plan and take action!
 
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tarasgirl06

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hello!
We have an outside cat who got pregnant before we could spay her. (Plan to after shes done with the kittens)
She has had 3 kittens who are now around 4 weeks old.
Ive been socializing them as we plan to get them homes. So far i have one thats getting pretty friendly, ones still a bit skittish and the other one is curious but still not a fan of me.
Today the momma, Little kitty, had her sister, we call, Other kitty, show up with 4 more kittens.
Im aware queens will occasionally merge litters if they know eachother, which im hoping these two will merge. But i also know they sometime will steal kittens or sadly kill.
Fortunately they havent fought and dont seem to be trying to run eachother of or steal kittens.
The only things ive seen that bothered me were they hissed at each other once, and one of lil kitty’s kittens did get a lil hissy and swatted at the other momma which she hissed a bopped him back. Seemingly just to put him in line.
Sadly i ca not bring any inside to a safer spot as we have no room and my cat isnt a fan of other cats.
The shelters here are kill shelters and usually filled with kitties, the cat shelter doesn’t seem to take them unless its from an animal shelter so that would be a kill risk.
Im hoping they will merge and we can get homes, we have some people already interested.
The worst thing is the other momma might take her kittens elsewhere but i hope the original group will stay and not follow so i can at least help get as many as i can into a home. (Preferably all 7 lol)
has anyone delt with a similar situation? If so how did it turn out?

p.s original group is a group of tabbies 1 female 1 boy and 1 we think boy
Second group is two light colored tabbies and a black and black tux, genders unknown
Hello DoodleStrudle DoodleStrudle and family! I don't know where you are, but you might do a search on google or bing for "cat rescues in (your area)". You can also visit animalrescuedirectory.net for this purpose. AlleyCat.org is the website for Alley Cat Allies, the global database for all things cat, especially outdoor/feral cat. They have numerous resources and members who may be able to help. Also, you may want to check BestFriendsAnimalSociety at BestFriends.org to look into their resources. And Sarthur2 Sarthur2 has excellent suggestions and info in her post. Please keep us informed, okay?
 

momof3b1g

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I've been there. When our homes are not set to take in stray cats. Its heartbreaking to leave them outdoors. But I took a mom and kittens for 1 week. Because the lady that originally took them. Was letting mom cat out and leaving kittens to feed themselves. And she didn't come back that night so we had to reschedule our rescue appointment. So one week of hell. Caring for her and kittens upstairs and my own 7 cats downstairs. They then got sick shortly after. Ironic idk. Now I regret taking in the last 2 strays and the boy cat got hit by car 2 days before the rescue was to take them. 😭 if you can find somewhere to keep them safe outside. I highly recommend it. Like a dog run with aa kennel to keep them safe. The problem though is the tiny kittens and size of the openings. Good luck
 

maggie101

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hello!
We have an outside cat who got pregnant before we could spay her. (Plan to after shes done with the kittens)
She has had 3 kittens who are now around 4 weeks old.
Ive been socializing them as we plan to get them homes. So far i have one thats getting pretty friendly, ones still a bit skittish and the other one is curious but still not a fan of me.
Today the momma, Little kitty, had her sister, we call, Other kitty, show up with 4 more kittens.
Im aware queens will occasionally merge litters if they know eachother, which im hoping these two will merge. But i also know they sometime will steal kittens or sadly kill.
Fortunately they havent fought and dont seem to be trying to run eachother of or steal kittens.
The only things ive seen that bothered me were they hissed at each other once, and one of lil kitty’s kittens did get a lil hissy and swatted at the other momma which she hissed a bopped him back. Seemingly just to put him in line.
Sadly i ca not bring any inside to a safer spot as we have no room and my cat isnt a fan of other cats.
The shelters here are kill shelters and usually filled with kitties, the cat shelter doesn’t seem to take them unless its from an animal shelter so that would be a kill risk.
Im hoping they will merge and we can get homes, we have some people already interested.
The worst thing is the other momma might take her kittens elsewhere but i hope the original group will stay and not follow so i can at least help get as many as i can into a home. (Preferably all 7 lol)
has anyone delt with a similar situation? If so how did it turn out?

p.s original group is a group of tabbies 1 female 1 boy and 1 we think boy
Second group is two light colored tabbies and a black and black tux, genders unknown
If you are in the US get the next door app. Volunteers from shelters might be on there or people interested. Some sites are just for people asking for help with cats and volunteers will be on their too. Many rescues have fosters whether or not they are no kill
 

catsknowme

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Typically, if food and shelter are adequate, mama kitties keep bringing their weaning kittens. I will allow a junky area where babies can escape predators, at least until moms are TNR''d and babies homed. You could make an enclosure using chick wire . If you have materials such as styrofoam and reusable ice packs, you can provide a cool area for summer naps.
I am also in an area with few resources so I know how tough it is. I use an old swingset frame with tarps thrown over to make a tipi-like longhouse with shelters inside. Some of the shelters are large styrofoam ice chests and others are straw lined, large clay pots.
 
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DoodleStrudle

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My apologies i forgot about posting here, luckly almost everyone is in good hands, we got homes for the two female kittens but safly the male kitten has vanished. We hope maybe he will show back up and we plan to get the mother spayed as soon as we can.
 

tarasgirl06

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My apologies i forgot about posting here, luckly almost everyone is in good hands, we got homes for the two female kittens but safly the male kitten has vanished. We hope maybe he will show back up and we plan to get the mother spayed as soon as we can.
*PRAYERS* for that little boy to return safely. And for all three to find the loving permanent homes they so deserve.
 
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