Some questions about ferals.

d3sire86 · Jun 23, 2010

I found a feral kitten on the 15th and took her home. The vet thinks she is about 7 weeks old.

I have a few general questions about ferals. I found the kitten (Lola) under a building on my university campus. The campus is downtown in a busy metropolitan area. I have seen the mother cat around too. I tried to lure her over but she wont come anywhere near me and hisses and runs away if I try to get close to her. Since I catnapped her kitten I haven't seen her at all.

Now that I have Lola she is VERY active. She runs all over the place and climbs everything she can get her paws on. How do feral kittens know to stay where their mom cat leaves them? I suspect that her mom was off hunting when I found her but she knew to stay under the building in the 'nest'. In my house Lola wanders all over the place so why did she stay put when she lived outside? Also if I had left her outside with her mom would she have stayed with her mom for life? Or do they eventually separate when the kittens are able to hunt on their own? If so at what age do they usually separate?

I have also heard that it can be difficult to 'tame' feral kittens. Lola has been with me for a week and she is no different to me than my domesticated from birth kittens. She was a little scared the first night but since than has adapted really well. She purrs when you pick her up and seems to enjoy human company. Does it sound like maybe she was born inside and abandoned? Her mama cat like I said appears to be feral. She would not come near me when she came back to find me near her nest she watched from a distance hissing and growling.

Thanks for your thoughts!

strange_wings · Jun 23, 2010

Mother cat could just be a scaredy stray that's been on her own a while. Some will get rather wild.

It varies with kittens. Some people can find 5wk olds and have them act feral, some people find the same aged kittens and the kittens don't know any different and happily go about their kitten business.

Yours may just be one of these kittens - a bolder one with no sense to be afraid of people yet. Consider yourself lucky that she's so easily to handle at ~7 weeks.

It varies on how long the kittens will stay with the mother... usually whether mother cat has another litter on the way is a deciding factor. If food is plentiful enough, kittens will stay with their mother for a few months. If there's a feral colony the daughters may stay in the colony for as long as their lives allow it. (a bit like lions)

Kittens usually stay put when they're younger. As they get older, like yours, they start venturing out a bit to explore. By 12 weeks they're usually pretty bold and don't listen to mother that well, though they will generally stay close to their hiding spot and bolt to it if they sense danger.

hissy · Jun 23, 2010

Originally Posted by d3sire86

I found a feral kitten on the 15th and took her home. The vet thinks she is about 7 weeks old.

I have a few general questions about ferals. I found the kitten (Lola) under a building on my university campus. The campus is downtown in a busy metropolitan area. I have seen the mother cat around too. I tried to lure her over but she wont come anywhere near me and hisses and runs away if I try to get close to her. Since I catnapped her kitten I haven't seen her at all. Can you possibly trap the mom? You can call various places and rent a humane cat trap: feed stores, shelters, vets sometimes will have them, also police stations often have access to traps.

Now that I have Lola she is VERY active. She runs all over the place and climbs everything she can get her paws on. How do feral kittens know to stay where their mom cat leaves them? I suspect that her mom was off hunting when I found her but she knew to stay under the building in the 'nest'. In my house Lola wanders all over the place so why did she stay put when she lived outside? Also if I had left her outside with her mom would she have stayed with her mom for life? Or do they eventually separate when the kittens are able to hunt on their own? If so at what age do they usually separate? We make a very poor substitute for mom. The kitten stays silent and in place in the nest because mom reinforces this lesson with bites, and growls. they will usually leave the kitten when the kittens are 12 weeks old- then it is up to the kitten to make it on their own.

I have also heard that it can be difficult to 'tame' feral kittens. Lola has been with me for a week and she is no different to me than my domesticated from birth kittens. She was a little scared the first night but since than has adapted really well. She purrs when you pick her up and seems to enjoy human company. Does it sound like maybe she was born inside and abandoned? Her mama cat like I said appears to be feral. She would not come near me when she came back to find me near her nest and watched from a distance hissing and growling. If she were a true feral, you wouldn't have been able to make contact so fast. Her mom was likely owned and tossed outside, or just left when she was in heat.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Good luck with this kitten- you are up for some challenges.

d3sire86 · Jun 23, 2010

Thanks strange_wings and hissy!

I couldn't figure out with her being so active how she hadn't wandered away from her mama cat!

She really is an awesome kitty. So playful and affectionate.

In regards to the mom cat, I have been back to her hiding spot but haven't seen her around since I stole her baby. When I found her I was walking to the parking lot to get my car and go home and I saw what I thought was a cat stick its head out from underneath one of the buildings. I stopped and realized it was a kitten. I didn't see the mother and I waited around for hours trying to get her far enough out that I could reach her. Mama came back to the nest while I was trying to get the baby out. She saw me, hissed and ran. She came back a little later and watched me from a safe distance. I tried to approach her but she took off. I called some local cat rescues and told them about the mom cat in hopes that she would be caught and spayed. There may have been more kittens further back that I couldn't see. I have searched the area and no sign of mom or any other babies. I suspect that if there were more babies she would have moved them since her hiding spot was found.

I am wondering now if she might have once 'belonged' to one of the students on campus. This is the time of year that the people who live on campus go home for the summer so maybe someone left her behind. Poor girl. I plan to keep looking for her but I am not sure about leaving a trap in the middle of a busy university campus.... I did contact some rescue groups in the area but they are busy this time of year and I am not sure that they are actively looking for her. I don't want to call animal control as they would likely put her down....

kailie · Jun 24, 2010

Awww, I hope that somehow, someone will be able to trap the Mom. Does she have other kittens? Sending vibes doll.

Lola sounds like a real sweetie! As previously said, it completely depends on the kitten as to how difficult it will be to take. I've delt with numerous feral kittens myself and have placed a lot in foster care with Cat Rescue Maritimes. (One just this morning in fact!)

I DO know that the younger they are caught, the better chance they have of being socialized quickly. At 7 weeks of age though, Lola shouldn't take too long to tame, and trust me, socializing feral kittens is so incredibly rewarding!

ldg · Jun 24, 2010

Aw, thanks for rescuing this kitty!

She's gonna be a handful!

As to the mom... there are actually a number of University Campuses that have Trap-Neuter-Return programs on them. It can be really hard to tell if mom is a stray being scared given all the turmoil in her life or if she's actually feral. Either way, I'd do a http:/www.petfinder.com search for "cat" and your zip code and scroll through the pages to find the cat rescue orgs in your area - call or e-mail them to ask if the know of any TNR programs or low-cost (or free) spay/neuter services in your area.

Trapping cats on a campus is hardly the strangest thing you could be doing!

d3sire86 · Jun 25, 2010

Thanks Kailie! She is a special kitty! I am not sure if mama cat has other kittens. I found Lola under a building and there may have been more kitties further back. I tried to stick my hand in as far as I could but didn't see or feel any others. It was dark out and the hole under the building was pretty deep so there is a good possibility that there were more babies under there. Lola is pretty fearless so I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she was just a lot bolder than her litter mates sticking her head out!

LDG, I took your advice and found a couple rescue groups in the area that practice TNR. I sent out emails with the description of mama cat and the location I found her. Hopefully someone will be able to help! I am worried though that their mother might be caught while away from the nest and wont be able to come back to her babies... I let them know that there might be other kittens hiding as well!

ldg · Jun 25, 2010

Many vibes someone is able to help.

emilydickinson · Jun 25, 2010

It sounds like she is in very good hands. Our feral kitten only after 3 months of intensive spoiling and play has realized she loves us, and she was several months older. I think the fact that you can cuddle and she purrs is an excellent sign. And it also sounds like you are doing everything humanly possible to find her mother.

diggerled · Jun 26, 2010

Originally Posted by d3sire86

I have also heard that it can be difficult to 'tame' feral kittens. Lola has been with me for a week and she is no different to me than my domesticated from birth kittens.

When my Sasha arrived in November '06 we thought he was about 7 wks. He bonded to me during the first few days of his quaretine for rabies. He had bitten me through a welding glove when I was capturing him under my deck. The photo below was taken after he moved in the house about ten days later.

I love him dearly but he does not like being picked up or held. I can pick him up and hold him only for about six seconds. Then I have to put him down or bleed. He won't let us bathe him or trim his claws either.

If I had found the Cat Site sooner things might have been different. He's a feral born kitty and always will be. He now has an adopted feral brother. Our boys are not what the average person would select from a shelter but we wouldn't trade them for anything.

d3sire86 · Jun 26, 2010

Diggerled,

Sasha is insanely cute!

I must have lucked out with my feral girl because she is very sweet and affectionate. When I pick her up she purrs away with a content look on her face. She is a bit 'wild' but I think it is just a kitten thing, climbing legs & biting toes.

My cat Dexter who we believe was born in a foster home to a stray or feral mother doesn't like to be held either. He is very much a sucky boy who loves to sit on your lap but if you try to pick him up you will get scratched. He has always been like that. We got him at 8 weeks from a Petsmart adopt-a-thon and when the girl took him out of the cage he climbed all the way down her back. His brother Milo from the same litter is the total opposite. The first time I held him he curled up in my sweater and purred. He is the more independent of the two now but he still lets me pick him up. They both would of had the same exposure to people as babies so I am not sure what that is all about....

I have spoken to a few rescue groups but none will put out a trap for the mom cat as we aren't sure if there are more kittens. I have gone back to the spot that I found Lola a few times but I haven't seen mom or any other babies. I know that she likely moved them as I found her hiding spot. Do you think she would have gone far or stay within the same area?

ldg · Jun 26, 2010

She probably did move them if there were more... how far, that I have no idea. But if you found a group that would help, it'd be safe to try trapping her in five weeks even if there were other babies. Moms usually force their kids out on their own at about 12 weeks.

d3sire86 · Jun 26, 2010

Originally Posted by LDG

She probably did move them if there were more... how far, that I have no idea. But if you found a group that would help, it'd be safe to try trapping her in five weeks even if there were other babies. Moms usually force their kids out on their own at about 12 weeks.

The problem with her moving is we don't know where to put the trap. If she moved with her kittens it is unlikely that she would return to the same spot where I found her originally

The night I found them I must have called a dozen cat rescues trying to get help. I was hoping that someone would come down with a trap for mom and help me get ALL the babies out. Unfortunately it was after hours and nobody returned my messages until the next morning and by that time they were gone. Ugh! I am going to keep looking in the area but it doesn't look good. I am glad that I was able to get Lola out

It just makes me sad knowing her mom and litter mates are out on the street.

ldg · Jun 27, 2010

I don't know if you want to go to this far, or what the situation is, but the best way to trap any cat is to feed it. When we TNR, we put food out in a regular spot. We live in an area with a lot of wildlife, so we put out food early in the morning and pick it up after a couple of hours, and put it out again late afternoon and pick it up at dusk. Most people don't have this flexibility in their schedule - but picking a window of time when you're usually available works too.

You can try putting cat food (dry) out in a bowl and a bowl of water where you found the kitten - if there's anywhere there that's a little secluded, even better. If after a week no one's eating the food - then I'd give up. But without food, it's very unlikely you will find them.

killerapple · Jun 27, 2010

Originally Posted by LDG

When we TNR, we put food out in a regular spot. You can try putting cat food (dry) out in a bowl and a bowl of water where you found the kitten - if there's anywhere there that's a little secluded, even better.

If there is food, she will come back.

I rescued some kittens last summer that were around 7 weeks, from a feral mom. The kittens were so scared of me at first, but within a few days 2 of them became purr babies and you wouldn't know they were born outside. The 3rd took a while, but he's awesome now and again you'd have no idea about his background. We had no idea there was a feral cat around until we found the babies. We then started feeding the mom on a schedule and she quickly adapted to it, since we were her food source.

If there is food, they will come.

Some questions about ferals.

d3sire86

TCS Member

Thread starter

strange_wings

TCS Member

hissy

TCS Member

d3sire86

TCS Member

Thread starter

kailie

TCS Member

ldg

TCS Member

d3sire86

TCS Member

Thread starter

ldg

TCS Member

emilydickinson

TCS Member

diggerled

TCS Member

d3sire86

TCS Member

Thread starter

ldg

TCS Member

d3sire86

TCS Member

Thread starter

ldg

TCS Member

killerapple

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us