We recently moved into this house and I have seen a pregnant cat in our backyard a few times. She seemed extremely hungry so I fed her and she had been comming for food every day. I just went outside and heard some meowing under my deck! I brought out some cat food and shook the bowl and momma cat came out (definetly not pregnant anymore) and ate some food. I'm not really sure what to do now. I can't see or reach the kittens so I have no idea if they are ok or not. Will the mom just take care of them on her own as long as I make sure she has food and water or is there a reason I should make sure to get the cats out & in the house?
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Help! Stray had kittens under my deck!
- Thread starter livliv
- Start Date
If i was in that situation i would try to get them out and bring momma and kits in the house. They need to be seen so you know if they are ok....If you can try and get them out and bring them in so they are not outside and they will be in a nice house and taken care of but that is just my opinion someone else might think different then me.and congrat hope everytrhing is ok
your best bet is to copy and paste this post into SOS section, and caring for strays and ferals, cause you will get a better response from those that know their stuff in this area.
i jsut went though the same thing, a stray had kittens under my house! i had to tear off some of the siding and get under the house to find them, but their now safe and healthy in my house, and they adapted quickly, but they are about 4 weeks or so old. how old do u think your strays babies are?
i jsut went though the same thing, a stray had kittens under my house! i had to tear off some of the siding and get under the house to find them, but their now safe and healthy in my house, and they adapted quickly, but they are about 4 weeks or so old. how old do u think your strays babies are?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
The Kittens were born yesterday. We have tried everything and there is absolutely no way to get them out unless we tear apart the deck which we don't want to do unless we really have to. Momma kitty is doing great and comes out for food & affection when were outside. I think the kittens are all ok because she spends all her time down there with them. I hope they just come out when they are ready. I really know nothing about kittens - do you think they will be ok if I just leave them for now until they come out on their own??
If you leave them under there, when they are able to come out on their own, they may not trust you and will run. I would try as hard as I could to get them out. Could you pry a few deck boards out and reach them that way? My step mom had to do that when her cat showed up as a kitten and decided to live under the deck. She called me to come help her and we stood outside in the rain and pulled up some of the boards, got the cat and nailed the boards back down before my dad ever got home. He never knew we did it, thought the cat just showed up at the back door for the longest time, until my step mom told him the story.
Hi!
I would definitely try to get the kittens out and bring the family inside.
1. The mother can quickly get pregnant again, and it would be best if she got spayed when the kits are 8 weeks or so. Until that can happen, keep her indoors only.
2. A male cat could kill the kittens in order to get the mama to go into heat.
3. There are predators (raccoons, stray dogs) who could get to the kittens, or the mom, then leaving you with orphans to try to raise.
4. If the kittens aren't around people, they won't get socialized and house broken. This will make it more difficult to adopt them out in a world where there are far more kittens than good homes.
You may be able to contact a rescue organization to help you get the kittens out. They may also be able to take mom and babies if you aren't able to. Maybe you could even foster the family until they are ready to go to new homes. That's so much better for socialization than staying in a shelter. Also, shelters have to put a lot of cats to sleep because of overpopulation.
Thank you for taking an interest in this stray and her family. Obviously, she thought you were a friend because of the food.
Oh, and I'd give mom cat kitten food. She needs the extra calories and energy.
Good luck!
Devlyn
I would definitely try to get the kittens out and bring the family inside.
1. The mother can quickly get pregnant again, and it would be best if she got spayed when the kits are 8 weeks or so. Until that can happen, keep her indoors only.
2. A male cat could kill the kittens in order to get the mama to go into heat.
3. There are predators (raccoons, stray dogs) who could get to the kittens, or the mom, then leaving you with orphans to try to raise.
4. If the kittens aren't around people, they won't get socialized and house broken. This will make it more difficult to adopt them out in a world where there are far more kittens than good homes.
You may be able to contact a rescue organization to help you get the kittens out. They may also be able to take mom and babies if you aren't able to. Maybe you could even foster the family until they are ready to go to new homes. That's so much better for socialization than staying in a shelter. Also, shelters have to put a lot of cats to sleep because of overpopulation.
Thank you for taking an interest in this stray and her family. Obviously, she thought you were a friend because of the food.
Oh, and I'd give mom cat kitten food. She needs the extra calories and energy.
Good luck!
Devlyn
I would do anything to try and get those kittens out. Please try, for the kittens, the mom, and all of us here at TCS who are sending positive vibes.
I can only agree with everyone else! Try calling a local rescue organization to see if they can come and help you! It sounds as if the mother cat is not a feral, but maybe a "throwaway" cat that someone just no longer wanted, or maybe a lost cat, since she seems to come to you and is affectionate! All the more reason to try and rescue Mom and the kittens! Thanks for caring for them!
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- #11
Well the kittens are still under there! There is no way we can get them out without doing severe damage to our deck which we don't have the equipment to do either. Since we are in a small town, there is no animal control place nearby and I called the one in the closest major city and they told me that there was nothing they could do about it! I haven't heard the kittens meowing or anything lately but momma kitty spends all day under there unless I come outside. If there was something wrong with any of the kittens, would she still be under there or do you think she would run away?
If there is a big enough hole in there for her to get in, would you beable to fit your hand in there and grab them after trapping momma?
I know traps in my area start at 16.99 . Do you have that cris cross (sorry the real nameof it has escaped me right now) stuff on the side of it, if so that is not hard to get off and put back on, and that would allow you or someone to crawl under there and get the kittens.
I know traps in my area start at 16.99 . Do you have that cris cross (sorry the real nameof it has escaped me right now) stuff on the side of it, if so that is not hard to get off and put back on, and that would allow you or someone to crawl under there and get the kittens.
