Trapping Mom And Kittens - Help!

[unbridledspirit]

I need advice/encouragement from someone who has successfully trapped a mother cat and her kittens. I'm guessing the kittens to be at least 6 wks old. I have traps set up in my garage and have been placing the food in the traps so they're accustomed to eating in the traps. I usually see them in the neighboring yard/garage, but there have been a couple of times when I don't see them for an entire day or two, and I don't know where they are. However, I know they still come to eat. Mom usually comes first by herself then will show up again after a few hours with the kittens. Kittens come with her mostly in the evening. They've come with her a few times in the morning, but not as often as I'd like to see. A volunteer from a rescue group will be helping with the actual trapping, but I'm panicking/worried something will go wrong and we won't get mom + all 4 kittens.
My concerns are:
1. If mom is trapped first, will the kittens remember where the food is? Are they too young to find their way? I can't deal with the thought of the kittens being by themselves without their mom to protect them.
2. If any of the kittens are trapped first, say one or two, will mom still come back with the others? My husband thinks if mom sees any kittens get trapped, she'll take the others and not come back.
3. What if mom and 3 out of 4 get trapped? That's probably my biggest fear. We get all of them except one kitten. I would prefer to get the 4 kittens first, then mom later, but there's no way to know what's going to happen.

I need to get mom and kittens as soon as possible. I'm really stressing over this and so scared that something will go wrong. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ondine]

I am of the school of thought that one should begin trapping and assess the situation as things move along. If you get mom and find some kittens won't go in the traps, set up a large dog crate as a feeding station. They may be more tempted to go in there as it doesn't seem as closed in. Tie a length of twine around the door, loop it through the top of the crate and walk away with the other end of the twine to a hiding spot. When the kits go in, slowly pull it to close the door. I caught four kittens at once like this.

If you think mom may go into a crate and you have a friend who can quickly run secure the door, you might be able to trap her and a couple of kittens at the same time. Good luck!

 

[orange&white]

If the kittens are at least 6 weeks old, then they can eat solid food without needing to nurse, so you can start looking at them as individual "independent" cats instead of as nursing momma and kittens. I would take ondine's advice and just start trapping any of them you can. You may be able to use the babies to lure the momma to them or vice versa.

 

[RLG]

I need advice/encouragement from someone who has successfully trapped a mother cat and her kittens. I'm guessing the kittens to be at least 6 wks old. I have traps set up in my garage and have been placing the food in the traps so they're accustomed to eating in the traps. I usually see them in the neighboring yard/garage, but there have been a couple of times when I don't see them for an entire day or two, and I don't know where they are. However, I know they still come to eat. Mom usually comes first by herself then will show up again after a few hours with the kittens. Kittens come with her mostly in the evening. They've come with her a few times in the morning, but not as often as I'd like to see. A volunteer from a rescue group will be helping with the actual trapping, but I'm panicking/worried something will go wrong and we won't get mom + all 4 kittens.
My concerns are:
1. If mom is trapped first, will the kittens remember where the food is? Are they too young to find their way? I can't deal with the thought of the kittens being by themselves without their mom to protect them.
2. If any of the kittens are trapped first, say one or two, will mom still come back with the others? My husband thinks if mom sees any kittens get trapped, she'll take the others and not come back.
3. What if mom and 3 out of 4 get trapped? That's probably my biggest fear. We get all of them except one kitten. I would prefer to get the 4 kittens first, then mom later, but there's no way to know what's going to happen.

I need to get mom and kittens as soon as possible. I'm really stressing over this and so scared that something will go wrong. Any advice would be appreciated.

The only way we got the mom feral was being able to get the babies first. We ended up putting a baby in trap as it was the only way she'd get in, then baby was quickly pulled out a slat in bottom, I believe. It's no ideal cuz mom could step on or hurt baby but this mom is small and babies were about 18 days

 

[unbridledspirit]

Thank you for the replies. I'd like to point out that I have a trail camera set up so I have pictures of the kittens eating in the traps so I know they will go in. If mom is trapped first, will the kittens come on their own for food? Are they old enough to remember how to find their way when they get hungry?

 

[orange&white]

I would hope they know at 6 weeks where to find the food. It may depend on how far away the nest is though. (I'm no feral expert. I've trapped 3 this year, but I'm a novice.)

 

[surya]

If one of the kittens goes in first, you can put the kitten in a separate trap or carrier and place it at the back of the trap, so the mother will go in the trap thinking she can get to the kitten. If you get the mother first, put her in a separate trap or carrier and put it at the back of the trap and that will lure the kittens in. Maybe you can figure out where their nest is, in case the kittens don't show up with the mother. That would help with trapping them, in case they don't show up together.

 

[unbridledspirit]

I wish I knew exactly where the nest is but mom is confusing me. They were in the neighbors yard all week and hiding in the garage - owners moved about 2 months ago, house is still empty and the garage door is cracked just enough for kittens to get in and out (door can't be opened). But when I watched for them this morning they never came out of the garage. Mom showed up to eat but came from the yard on the other side of me. She showed up for evening feeding but again by herself. I don't think anyone else is providing food; otherwise she wouldn't be coming to my yard for food. I don't understand why the kittens don't come all the time with her. I'm praying when I look for them in the morning they'll be back in the empty garage. My heart aches for them and this is weighing heavily on me. If I knew they were in the garage and I could get in I'd go in after them.

 

[orange&white]

If the kittens are 6 weeks, they'll have cut all their baby teeth and momma will quit nursing them like she used to. I would try to get any of them you can before they all scatter and go off on their separate ways.

Is the trail camera something that you watch on your computer "live" or is it one you check manually? Does it have a time and date stamp where you can tell what time the kittens (and momma come out)?

I would set those traps to snap and sit at a "safe" distance in a lawn chair to watch and wait for a bit if you know about what time they are eating.

 

[RLG]

I wish I knew exactly where the nest is but mom is confusing me. They were in the neighbors yard all week and hiding in the garage - owners moved about 2 months ago, house is still empty and the garage door is cracked just enough for kittens to get in and out (door can't be opened). But when I watched for them this morning they never came out of the garage. Mom showed up to eat but came from the yard on the other side of me. She showed up for evening feeding but again by herself. I don't think anyone else is providing food; otherwise she wouldn't be coming to my yard for food. I don't understand why the kittens don't come all the time with her. I'm praying when I look for them in the morning they'll be back in the empty garage. My heart aches for them and this is weighing heavily on me. If I knew they were in the garage and I could get in I'd go in after them.

Under cracks on people's porches or under an overhang where she could fit them under a house/town hse....that's where mine had hers

 

[unbridledspirit]

If the kittens are 6 weeks, they'll have cut all their baby teeth and momma will quit nursing them like she used to. I would try to get any of them you can before they all scatter and go off on their separate ways.

Is the trail camera something that you watch on your computer "live" or is it one you check manually? Does it have a time and date stamp where you can tell what time the kittens (and momma come out)?

I would set those traps to snap and sit at a "safe" distance in a lawn chair to watch and wait for a bit if you know about what time they are eating.

Oh no, The thought of them going off on their own at such a young age adds to my worries. At what age is that most likely to happen? I've seen mama nurse them just the other day.
My camera is not live. I have to check it manually and it does have a date/time stamp. The times are a little sporadic but generally around the same time.

 

[unbridledspirit]

Under cracks on people's porches or under an overhang where she could fit them under a house/town hse....that's where mine had hers

When I had a feeling she gave birth, I was prepared to look for the kittens but I was told not to look, the reason being if I didn't find them and mama felt threatened she would move them. How I wish I didn't listen to that advice.

 

[orange&white]

I don't know if ferals go "independent" sooner than indoor domestic cats or if it depends on the momma cat. The 5-6 week old kitten I trapped last Wednesday had been abandoned for a minimum of two days when I decided to take it.

 

[unbridledspirit]

This morning I had a pleasant surprise when I checked my trail cam. After having not seen the kittens since Saturday morning the camera captured pictures of all 5. I didn't have food in all the traps but they did go in the traps that had food. So I know the traps don't scare them. But now for my next challenge: the lady who was going to help me is no longer available. So I may have to do this on my own. When I start trapping will the sound of it going off scare the kittens who aren't in a trap so much they don't return? Or will their little tummies and hunger bring them back to the food? My husband suggested waiting until all are in the garage eating and just shut the garage door. That way we'll have all 5 captured in one spot and can then work on getting them out.

 

[surya]

I'm thinking you might not be able to close the garage door fast enough, because the noise of the door closing will scare them? It's possible it could work if they just hide inside the garage when they hear the noise. The sound of the trap closing does scare them and they will probably hide, especially since the trapped cat may struggle and cry. But kittens are so naïve, they will come back quickly, the mother will take longer to come back, but be patient and she will with the trapped kitten to lure her. When you get the cats all trapped, you should cover up the trap with a cloth or an old towel, this helps keeps the cat inside calm. I am new to trapping, but I have trapped over 40 cats. I get nervous about trapping a mom cat and her babies too. But stay calm and be patient and you will be successful.

 

[orange&white]

I think their hunger will bring them back for food, unless there are more people putting food out at different locations.

 

[unbridledspirit]

I'm thinking you might not be able to close the garage door fast enough, because the noise of the door closing will scare them? It's possible it could work if they just hide inside the garage when they hear the noise. The sound of the trap closing does scare them and they will probably hide, especially since the trapped cat may struggle and cry. But kittens are so naïve, they will come back quickly, the mother will take longer to come back, but be patient and she will with the trapped kitten to lure her. When you get the cats all trapped, you should cover up the trap with a cloth or an old towel, this helps keeps the cat inside calm. I am new to trapping, but I have trapped over 40 cats. I get nervous about trapping a mom cat and her babies too. But stay calm and be patient and you will be successful.

Thank you for the encouragement. I'm very nervous with the trapping. And I'm afraid I won't be able to trap all of them, especially the kittens. I would love to trap them all at once. About three yrs ago, I was able to trap a mom cat and two kittens in the garage by closing the door. I placed the food far enough inside and on a table. The door was open a foot at most. So when I saw them go in, I hit the button. They did hide for awhile and I spent a month of going thru a window to feed them, gain their trust and coax them into a large carrier but I was able to do it.
Can you describe/explain the trapping? Say a kitten goes in the trap and sets it off. Do I cover it immediately, set it aside then get out of sight and wait for the next one?

 

[unbridledspirit]

I think their hunger will bring them back for food, unless there are more people putting food out at different locations.

OK that's encouraging. I don't believe any of the neighbors are feeding as well. Not that I'm aware of anyway.

 

[surya]

Say a kitten goes in the trap and sets it off. Do I cover it immediately, set it aside then get out of sight and wait for the next one?

I have only trapped older kittens with the mother twice and both times it has been only one kitten with the mother. I trapped four mothers with batches of kittens last spring, but the kittens were all younger (easy to scoop up after you trap the mom). The feral mother and kittens were then kept in a cat condo until the kittens were older. That is a much better way to do it, you can keep the kittens with the mom longer which is better for their socialization and they are safe inside. You could probably wait to cover up the kittens, they may cry, but you have multiple traps, right? So you might want to wait to cover them. The garage door idea seems much better to me, now that I see you don't have to close the door the whole way. That would be easy peasy if you can just get them all in the garage.

 

[orange&white]

Thank you for the encouragement. I'm very nervous with the trapping. And I'm afraid I won't be able to trap all of them, especially the kittens. I would love to trap them all at once. About three yrs ago, I was able to trap a mom cat and two kittens in the garage by closing the door. I placed the food far enough inside and on a table. The door was open a foot at most. So when I saw them go in, I hit the button. They did hide for awhile and I spent a month of going thru a window to feed them, gain their trust and coax them into a large carrier but I was able to do it.
Can you describe/explain the trapping? Say a kitten goes in the trap and sets it off. Do I cover it immediately, set it aside then get out of sight and wait for the next one?

At the moment, your fear of not trapping them all is preventing you from trapping any of them. The more days that pass, the more you risk having them scatter, or hit by cars, or eaten by predators. Helping ferals doesn't always have a perfect scenario outcome, like being able to get every one, but you're going to have a better chance of getting all or most of them while the kittens are younger.