Kittens, on a third-floor porch...

I've been taking care of a rather skittish little pregnant cat for the past month... she was badly malnourished, so I started feeding her, and now she's grown quite comfortable with me. She essentially lives on my porch. She birthed her kittens about two weeks ago, and I had no idea where she'd hidden them... I live in an apartment complex so I was naturally terrified of somebody else meddling with them.

Last night, I walk outside and she has deposited two little balls of fluff on my porch, on the third-floor, and they can just barely walk... I put some cardboard lining against the fence rail so they wouldn't accidentally take a spill off the edge of my balcony. I'd love to take them all inside, but despite mom's comfort with us, she's not quite ready to move in, and I know she has fleas, but most treatments I've found can't be used on nursing cats or kittens under several months old...

Should I leave them outside? Is it safe? Am I totally psychotic and stupid in my fear that they might fall off the porch, since they can only waddle about awkwardly? I'm scared she'll move them again, and someone a little less knowledgeable about kittens might try to make off with them before they're of weaning age... but she's left them out there all night and all day, and she's been pretty much living on my porch for the past week... think they'll stay there?

What should I do?

I'd say you're taking the right steps. Kittens under 8 weeks have difficulty judging distance and could easily fall and hurt themselves. Keep looking for a safe flea treatment and move the food closer to the door and eventually inside and you might have the lot. Get the queen fixed if you can and try to make a family of them all. What fun!

X

I think they're likely to stay. Mom sees the porch as a safe place, after all. The cardboard is smart--kittens can be clumsy and adventurous at the same time.

If it were me I would get a deep Steralite container from Target, line it with fleece and put them in there. She is looking for somewhere they can be safe and she is not likely to take them out of the container. She brought them to you because she is trusting you to be their mom too. She will probably get into the container with them as needed. Leave her food and stuff outside it and put the kits inside (assuming this fits on your landing!).

When they get big enough to be weaned she will take them out of the container and you can take them inside.

I agree with you that there is a chance they will tumble. Other than the cardboard maybe you can try using netting or fabric, anything you can tape and that you can purchase that is unbroken and will act as a shield.

Also I read on another thread that you can bathe the kittens carefully with a very mild soap and use a flea comb on them, being careful to not leave them wet in any way. You might want to do a forum search in this area and see what you come up with.

You can put Frontline on the mom.

Frontline, Advantage, and Revolution are all safe for pregnant and nursing moms.

I would put (tie) some kind of screening around the porch rather then cardboard which can fall off or blow away. Then get a nice size cardboard box and put it on the side witha a few towels and put the kittens in there for more protection.