Wild And Wonderful Animal Rescue's Feral Cat Tails...

[foxxycat]

love the pictures! Wish I was closer so I could help!! Love the little hidey spots for the cats-what a nice caretaker!!!

 

[tabbytom]

Have you tried the KFC with the injured cat?

If the foot is backwards it may be a case of contracted tendon/swimmer's foot and no injury. May just need a splint and physical therapy.

I hope you get him today!

 

[ashade1]

Bad news. We weren't able to catch the injured guy. Due to miscommunication the caretaker fed and he just wasn't hungry enough.
Good news is we found the young kittens! We were able to pick them up and use them to trap the momma!

 

[ashade1]

Good news is while we had the drop trap set for injured cat, we definitely could have caught two of the other females and a boy! We are going to our spay neuter clinic 10/6!

 

[Sarthur2]

The kittens look incredibly healthy! Adorable too! So glad you got them and mom.

Do you have things squared away with the catetaker now about feeding the injured cat so you can trap him?

Could he get him in a trap? Surely the kitten is familiar with him. Might be easier and quicker for him to do it. Possibly ask him!

 

[ashade1]

He gets closer to him, but not close enough. I told him not to feed Tuesday and we will go out Tuesday to try to get him! My friend that has the drop trap cant come then, but she let us take it today to try Tuesday morning!

 

[foxxycat]

omg so cute!! I love them!! especially the white belly tabby head one-oh man I wish we were closer!! I would adopt her in a heartbeat!! That face!!

 

[ashade1]

Caretaker said momma is 8 years old. She has had litter after litter after litter of kittens
He named her Arabella (spelling?) No more litters for this momma.

 

[IndyJones]

Poor thing. That can't be good for her especially in her golden years.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, poor mama kitty!

 

[foxxycat]

Poor girl=She looks really healthy! Nice clear Eyes! I love her expression- "What the H am I doing in here?!!"

 

[ashade1]

Momma is settling in very well surprisingly! I would think an older feral would be impossible... but maybe since she has had a consistent caregiver the whole time is why she is doing better than I hoped. She may just be adoptable after all of this! I think all three of her babies are boys! They are very chunky babies! 3-4 weeks old? What do you think?

 

[foxxycat]

They are just adorable. Does that tiger one have a star on it's back?!! Oh my I am in love with that one. They all look really good considering they are wild...good job!! I have no clue about age..sorry!

 

[Sarthur2]

Do they eat any soft food yet?

I'm thinking 4 weeks for sure. Are their baby teeth in yet?

 

[ashade1]

Just checked, they do have teeth! No interest in wet food yet! But mom had them away from the feeding stations.

 

[Sarthur2]

They are probably closer to 5 weeks old now, and should begin to eat mushy food now.

Try Gerber turkey baby food.

 

[ashade1]

Oh good! They are just the cutest chunky babies! I started them on wormer today but didn't mess with them too much because I didn't want to push my luck with mom lol.

 

[tabbytom]

They are so so lovely, all of them!

 

[ashade1]

So once we start TNRing the rest of the colony I could use some advice. The clinic we take mass trips to is about an hour and a half away. So we pack them up at 4:30 AM and drop them off at 7ish then pick them back up at 4 and make the drive home. The males I usually keep overnight and release them the next morning... what should I do with the females? I know they have a longer recovery time. Should I not trap once it gets too cold since they have to shave the girls bellies? I have a garage that stays around 70 degrees that I have kept cats in during recovery. How long is too long for them to be in the trap? The plan is to trap the whole day the day before we go.

 

[Norachan]

Does the clinic give them an injection of pain killer and antibiotics? I only keep the cats I TNR confined for 24 hours, males and females. I don't think you need to keep them any longer than that unless they need to have meds mixed in with their food for the next few days. If you have a place you can keep them for a bit longer that would be great, as long as you can keep them comfortable in the traps.

I actually prefer to do TNR when it gets cooler. Less bugs and flies around, less chance of infection. The cats all have shelters they can get into, so I don't think having that little shaved patch will make that much difference.

If they are going to be in the traps a long time make sure they have water until you load them up to make the drive to the clinic.

Do you line the bottom of the traps with straw or cardboard? That will make them a bit more comfortable. If you stand the trap on a couple of bricks it will mean they can pee without having to stand in it for too long. You just have to make sure they have something more solid than the wire at the bottom of the trap to stand on though. A bit of cardboard cut to size works well. Test to make sure the trap will still close with the cardboard in place.