What to do about stray cat with kittens

I got an email from a friend who just discovered a litter of kittens living next door. She's trying to figure out what to do, so I thought I'd post her note here to see if anyone has any advice. Here is what she said:

sigh, the cats. yesterday we found out theres a litter of kittens next door. we're not sure how big they are, they are under that shed in baldys yard. i left barb an email about the anna shelter, how to go about it etc. mom is stressed out about it too. we're like ok, if we call and they come, whats to say they're going to get them all, and if they don't and scare the mother away, thats not going to be good. and also what if that lucy down the block traps the mother! so i left barb an email. i dont even know if the anna shelter comes out to the location or if you have to take them there. and also if you can call them when they're on another person's property. its a pure black cat and mom said the kittens looked black. she only saw them once for about two minutes.

What is the goal - TNR, fostering, moving them all to a shelter?
Ferals aren't usually considered adoptable. Is you friend willing to foster and rehab them?

The are resources out there. Someone with more knowledge will be along soon.

She can't keep them. She lives in an apartment that doesn't allow pets, and she's allergic to cats anyway. She wants to make sure nothing happens to them, but has no clue how to go about doing that, or what would be the best thing to do in the circumstances.

It sounds like there's a neighbor down the block that's trapping cats? Is she practicing TNR? (Trap-Neuter-Release) Does she foster kittens for adoption? Does she work with a rescue group? You might actually want to talk to her about the situation and see if she can help.

The problem with trying to catch a mom and kittens after she's had them is you have to catch all of them. Depending upon the rescue organization, feral kittens and cats will either be killed or the kittens will be fostered and adopted out. Some places then kill the mom cat or they simply have her spayed and then release her.

We live in a rural area where it is safe to leave the kittens with their mom for 12 weeks (which is how long they should be with mom to learn everything they need to know) which is what we do, then we trap them all and have them spayed and neutered and release them - unless we can find fosters for the kittens, though once they're 12 weeks old, it can be more difficult to socialize them and get them adopted out.

Here are places you can search for rescue orgs to see if you can find one that will try to trap them all and foster the kittens:

http://www.pets911.com/local-shelters-and-rescues Enter your zip code in the upper left corner, and then hit "Find Local Shelters and Rescues."

You can also contact Alley Cat Allies to see if there's a person or shelter in your area that can help: http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity...=444&srcid=355 Just click in the box that you're contacting them for individual assisance, and fill out the form.

Hope this helps,

Laurie

Thanks for the good information, Laurie. I"ve passed it along.

I should mention that my friend lives in a different state, so I can't really help. I'm not sure about the neighbor down the block who traps cats, but I remember Lee complaining about her before. I can't remember why. Lee does have another friend (Barb) who takes in strays, but can't get hold of her. Also, I guess Barb's husband has told her no more cats (she adopts every one she finds).

No idea how old the kittens are, but I was just there for a visit a week ago, and they weren't there then.

Update: The neighbor traps cats and takes them to a local no kill shelter. Lee has a call in to this particular shelter, but hasn't heard anything back from them yet.