How long can kittens hide??

marine

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I don't know if some of you remember that I posted a message about a pregnant feral, and I was trying to figure out if I should try to trap her or not, etc. Then she had the babies and I didn't want to trap her to get her fixed until I found the babies. Well, I still have not found any babies. They should be about 4 weeks old now. I have decided that she hid them really, really well, or they didn't survive. I have been looking and listening around the car where mom "lives". (The car doesn't move). By now they should be running around and a little hard to keep hidden. I am scratching my head.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by Marine

I don't know if some of you remember that I posted a message about a pregnant feral, and I was trying to figure out if I should try to trap her or not, etc. Then she had the babies and I didn't want to trap her to get her fixed until I found the babies. Well, I still have not found any babies. They should be about 4 weeks old now. I have decided that she hid them really, really well, or they didn't survive. I have been looking and listening around the car where mom "lives". (The car doesn't move). By now they should be running around and a little hard to keep hidden. I am scratching my head.
Lots of things could have happened to them..but you are right...they are at the age where they would start to explore. I would go ahead with trapping mom to be spayed and plan to return her as soon as possible.

Katie
 

lexington

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Not to be gross or anything but she might have eaten them... given the fact you where circling around them like a hawk. She may not have known you from a larger predator. Could be a number of reasons but i am almost sure you would be seeing them by now.
 

fostermomm

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My current foster kittens didnt come out of their hole in the wall till they were over 6 weeks old. So they might still be there.
 
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marine

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Lexington- I have been feeding the mom for over a year now, so she knows me, and even recognizes my car. She will run back to the feeding station when she sees me coming. But I do I know mom's are different when they have babies.

Fostermomm- I won't give up looking. Last night I saw mom at the basement feeding station. She has several hangouts so I guess they could be anywhere. I wanted to catch them and foster them so we didn't have 5 or 6 more ferals in our parking garage colony, but the older they get, the less likely it is that I will be able to socialize them. Sigh.
 

keith p

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A mom cat by me would only bring the kittens out at first late at night, usually around 12am-1am because it was quieter then and cats are naturally nocturnal.
After about 2 weeks she brought them during the day, but since they took a while to keep up with her they would only "explore" for short periods of time then sleep the rest of the day.

Only after 2 months was I able to be in the yard the same time as the kittens, before that they would run if they heard me.

So there is a chance they are alive.

If you give her a big chunk of turkey or chicken and she carries it away in her mouth, then that is a good indication she is feeding little ones.
 
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