Well, wild Mama Cat brought her six brand new kittens into our backyard a week ago ..

[Maat]

and it is now time to ask DUers for advice.

I guess our neighbor, 'J' brought wild Mama Cat with him from his last house when he moved here. Apparently, my other neighbor saw the kitties suffering some place, and almost called the local shelter. Anyway, Mama Cat then brought them to our backyard.

All six kitties are thriving, growing, and have gained a ton of weight. Mama Cat put them under our fake rock in our backyard in SoCal. The Maat Family backyard is as safe as it gets, and as pleasantly cool, out here in SoCal. The only danger is our pool, which is just outside the planter box that houses the fake fountain rock. The kittens have been safe for the last week and a half because they were not very mobile, and Mama Cat kept them on a tight 'leash' so-to-speak.

We currently have three SOLELY INDOOR cats. My ten-year-old, Beloved Princess, has fallen in love with 'Sly,' the oldest kitten. I told her she could adopt him. Dad (Mr. Maat) is now giving me a bit of hasstle about it. I don't think it will be so bad with four cats (the house is just under 5,000 sq. ft. - long story - we grabbed it cheap - we are environmentally responsible - but that's another story).

Anyone else have four?

Should I grab them tomorrow, and take them to the no-kill shelter? They are 4-5 weeks.

Any ideas?

[LeftyMom]

1. I used to have seven, in less than a thousand square feet.

You'll have a much easier time with four than with a brokenhearted kid. Definitely grab them, and either get the others homes or take them to the shelter. Also, try to get mama kitty if you can, so she can get altered and stop making babies.

[Maat]

2. I tend to agree with you.

Twist my arm - o.k. - you got a deal!

[Maraya1969]

18. Hear Hear on the altering!!!!

[smokey nj]

3. Mr. smokey and I have 5 in a one bedroom apartment.

They don't always get along, but who does?

[Maat]

5. Oh, yeah, Smokey NJ!

Mine like chasing each other (etc., etc.), but, then, that keeps 'em busy.

[Mz Pip]

4. It they are at all feral

you have to catch them and socialize them now. If you wait you will not be able to catch them.

I have 4 cats and 2 ofv them were feral kittens. I rescued them at 3-4 weeks. Even then it took a long time to get them sociable. If you can socialize them they should be much easier to adopt out.


And get that Mama cat fixed or you'll be dealing with this again in anothe few months.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Maat]

6. Yes, I hear you.

Well, they are about 4 weeks or so; so, it would be best if we adopted Sly now, and placed Mama and the kittens with our local no-kill organization, who can help with the situation.

[Maat]

7. I've decided to leave them with Mom tonight.

Our concern is our pool. But they don't wander at night, and darkness just hit.

We both work out of the house, so we can, except when we are asleep, keep an eye on things.

[Mz Pip]

8. FYI

Feral kitten mortality rate is around 70%. So if you can do anything to get these kittens homes and the mom fixed please, please please do so.

When they get bigger they will wander off, get hit by cars, starve, get eaten by raccoons, dogs, get sick, etc. I've been doing rescue work for years. It all started when 3 pregnant females were dumped on our block 8 years ago. IT took a lot of effort to trap the kittens, get them fixed, get the moms fixed, find homes for the ones who we could tame. My neighbor and I still feed the ones who we couldn't tame. They live outside and we feed them. They are all fixed and over the years the colony has dwindled. There are 5 left and although their lives haven't been ideal, they have been safe and fed.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Maat]

9. Thanks.

These guys seem VERY social (at least right now), so maybe I ought to grab the opportunity.

I don't hold much hope for Mama Cat. The best we can do is capture her and spay her, if that's possible. I'm getting NO help from the neighbor who dumped her here.

We're going for the kittens first; capturing Mama Cat may take some time.

I would put them in a baby pen or something, but there would be no way for Mama Cat to get in and out. Hubby is losing patience with this, as my kid is focusing on the kittens, and not her homework (she's homeschooled for skill-related reasons).

Your words make me feel better. I think that I can cope with this now.

[LeftyMom]

10. You'll need a trap for MamaKitty

If there's a local org dealing with ferals they might be able to let you borrow one, and sometimes anyplace from the vet's office to the animal shelter to the feed store might have one you can rent for a couple of bucks. For the mechanics of trapping a cat, you'll probably need to ask Bertha Katzenengel, as she's the resident expert.

As for hubby, remind him that learning compassion for animals, and a bit about mammalian reproduction, is itself a worthwhile lesson. Maybe take her down to the library and get a few books on kittens since you'll be taking one in, and have her go with you to the shelter and the vet, especially if you can call ahead and arrange for her to get a tour, and instead of working to get her attention on other things use this experience as something she can learn from.

[Maat]

13. Thanks. I have the trap (humane, nondangerous).

It's sort of a long story. When we lived in Canyon Lake, a multitude of species found refuge at our chateau. Fish and Game friends, and shelter friends, laughed. We had a rare owl who raised her babies in our attic. That was good - no mice or snakes around for quite awhile. She raised 'em and left. Then, there was the possum (sorry about the spelling - I'm looking that up). Safely relocated. Anyway, I digress ...

I will just consult with Bertha about the exact plan.


Good ideas. Thanks. Hubby - he's a rock and a BIG SOFTIE. We've been together for 3 decades.

He was this way about kids. Didn't want to have them for 15 years. Then I put us on the adoption list. The nanosecond that little toddler was put in his arms - well, Beloved Princess has controlled the household (and has had Dad wrapped around her finger) since then. He spoils us both. Sorry, didn't mean to compare animals to humans, or vice versa (HeeHee), but all life is truly valued in our household one could truly say.

AND, he does realize this will be quite the learning experience for Beloved Princess. I'm just realizing how bored our 1-year-old cat is (Dot is 6, Snowie is 5 - Coco is only 1). I think that 'Sly' would keep her busy (the one my kid has bonded with).

[Withywindle]

11. I think this is very educational for a kid.

See if the vet will let her watch some of the procedures. I had a vet who did when I was a kid since I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. (I fainted. Clearly I was not cut out for the job.)

Make sure the vet screens the kitten before you bring him into the house. You don't want to expose your indoor cat to diseases they might have. Just be safe with that.

And bless you all for caring so much. :hi:

[Maat]

15. Thanks ... yes, I plan to ..

rush Sly (that's what we've named one of them) straight from the kitty nest to our vet for testing. Arrangements have already been made.

[haf216]

12. I have 5 in a two bedroom apt.

Granted three are foster, and wont be here forever (hopefully), but I still have room.

[Maat]

16. That's good to hear (n/t)!

[Flaxbee]

14. We have 7 -- moved here with 2, adopted one who blew in

on a hurricane, and then lo and behold, a sweet-as-pie (and completely tame) stray tortie brought us her three kittens (all girls). I told myself many times I was going to find homes for MommaKitty and her babes, but somehow no one ever measured up (lol) and now we have 7 (every single furry family member has been 'altered').

I recently trapped a totally wild - frighteningly so (he was fierce with a capital "F") - male cat and had him snipped, dewormed and vaccinated. Two others are in line, provided I can lure them into our humane trap. With the wild ones, the best you can do is to try to get them spayed or neutered to reduce the feral population. Grab your Mamacat while you can (though the vet might not spay until the kitties are weaned). The no-kill shelter might not take her if she can't be 'handled' by humans, and it will probably be best for her if she's fixed and left wild, rather than doomed to a life in a cage b/c no one can hold her or adopt her. But your local no-kill shelter, along with your vet, can help you figure out what's best for the MamaCat. The kittens you can hold and socialize, no problem (but don't wait too long).

Thanks for caring for these kitties! Everyone needs some help now and then and I'm so glad to find other humans who are compassionate.

[Maat]

17. Thanks for the story!

Everyone has been so great on this thread.

Yes, I expect that the best we can do for Mama Cat is to somehow get her spayed and release her back to our neighborhood.

As for the kittens, I tend to think that they will be adopted fast - with the exception of 'Sly,' who is headed for OUR household, AFTER a visit to my vet.

[eridani]

19. Alert on this thread!

It mentions kittens, and has NO PICTURES!!!! You cannot mention kittens or puppies here without pictures, period. Get with the program!

[Maat]

20. I hear and I obey!

I'll have the picture on by tomorrow!

[Mind_your_head]

21. Had a similar situation happen here two years ago

A stray momma cat and her 5 kittens were living under someone's deck in our neighborhood. (I'm going to greatly abbreviate the story and leave out the WHY we did it this way b/c it is a story all by itself) A neighbor & I took it upon ourselves to lure the momma & the kitties out from under the deck with food (they all came except for one of the kitties, which ended up staying alone under that deck for the night and came out for food in the morning).

We kept Momma & the kitties in my cool garage (the cars stayed outside for weeks)... we built them a great little play area in there. Momma didn't have to hunt anymore, gained some much-needed weight and took great care of her kittens. My kids (and some of the neighborhood kids too) played daily with the cats and they learned to socialize very well and became very affectionate instead of cautious - two of the kitties stayed on the shy-side though, but they all got used to people.

We (my co-conspirator cat-loving neighbor and I) took the Momma and the kitties to the vet. No fleas - Mom got got spayed when she was done/almost done with nursing (remember she was confined in the garage, so she couldn't get pregnant again when she was nearing the end of the nursing).

Between the neighbors who came to visit and got to 'know' the kittens and an ad in the paper, we found GREAT homes for all of the kittens and my cat-loving neighbor took the Momma cat (which made her home a 5-cat home and it's working out great).

Btw (funny little aside)....we contacted the local animal control (they're GREAT, kind & compassionate in our town) and told them about the Momma & kitties in the off-chance the momma belonged to someone, etc and kept in contact with them off/on through the process. My neighbor mentioned to the officer that she was planning on taking the Momma & would then have 5 cats. The Animal Control officer said, "I didn't hear that". Turns out the town ordinance only allows 3 cats per household. Good thing those animal control folks love animals and know a good home/owner when they see one! :-)

Good luck with your kitty situation! You got some very good advice on this thread and I hope my story might help in some small way in how you decide to handle your situation there.

Peace & best wishes (and post pictures!),
M_Y_H