How to Help without Scaring

wendyb

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Hi there,

My former mother in law (in her 80s) has a female feral that carried her kittens into the garage and is now hiding in there with the litter.  She's been feeding the female for a couple of months and refused to do a TNR.  And now, we have kittens.

She wants to keep one of the kittens as an indoor kitty, which I think would be a wonderful thing.  But, I'm worried about the rest of the lot. 

I'm not in a position to capture the momma and babies, and she certianly isn't.  Any suggestions?
 

StefanZ

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Do you have a good rescue group nearby?  If yes, let them help. They will surely be just happy at least one of the kittens have a waiting home.

How old are the kittens?  Ie, if mom is catched, it is just to fetch the kittens?   If so, a trap is easiest.

But also here we do need someone who waits with foster home for the family.

If there is none at all, the lest bad may be to let them be till the kittens can be taken.

Difficult to say, the plan must depend on what is lined up, respecively what is NOT lined up.

Observe, many shelters will send such a semiferale mom with small kittens directly to the chamber (or how they do it, perhaps better not to know the details). 

Sometimes they try to have cooperation with fosterers, but this is no sure thing.

I believe our CatNamedPanda, her pastime and holy quest is to save kittens from these situations at the  high kill shelter nearby. Fostering and finding adoptions home.

So DONT send them to a shelter before you are sure they are a non kill, and or do have good cooperation with fosterers.   Otherwise, it is just another way to kill them off.
 
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wendyb

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The babies are maybe a week old.  She can't find them in the garage, but saw momma kitty carry them inside and the momma comes out of the garage to eat in her backyard.  Right now the momma is getting milk (not the best, but my mil won't change her mind that cats need milk) wet food and dry food three times a day. 

Sounds like I need to talk to a rescue group to be ready when they're older.  And I will ensure that the kitten she keeps is spayed.
 

feralvr

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I agree in that you need assistance with a rescue organization. This is a tricky situation too. If your mother wants to keep a kitten, then the kittens need to start being handled by humans at two weeks or so. Otherwise, they will develop a fear of humans and be considered feral kittens. This will make it much harder to place and get adopted once weaned. See if you can find a TNR organization to come in and help trap mom and kittens. That way the kittens can start getting handled by humans. Mom cat needs to be spayed as soon as she is done weaning the kittens too so she does not have another litter. She may already be getting pregnant soon also. Much luck with these babies. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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StefanZ

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  Right now the momma is getting milk (not the best, but my mil won't change her mind that cats need milk)

Sounds like I need to talk to a rescue group to be ready when they're older.  And I will ensure that the kitten she keeps is spayed.
 Not so few cats do manage common, modern pasturized milk, she appears to be one of these. So let them continue.   (of course, your ex MiL perhaps doesnt know the quality of her poo, it may be whatever)

Talk with this rescue group as soon as you can. Let THEM decide when they can and want step in.

If they do have a foster person they can do it asap. It is easier to collect small kittens, if you are sure where they are.  It may be very difficult to find and collect movable kittens, even if you roughly know where the nest is.  A kitten if not collected, is defenceless and in practice, doomed.

Taking the mom in a trap, esp if we do have her food source, is often the easy part.

Perhaps can YOU raise up a fostering person?  and use this rescue group for the self catching?
 
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wendyb

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My ex MIL was raised in east Texas on a farm so they gave the stuff straight from the cows to their cats.

As for fostering, I'm not in a position where I could foster or I'd look into it. My older girl has a seriously compromised immune system and goes off her food when the weather changes (2+ years into a CRF diagnosis).

As for my ex MIL, she's in her mid-80s and getting her to foster would take a miracle. I have found a local place that will do feral spay/neuter and she does have a humane trap, so we can get some of the others around her. She spends ~$250 a month in cat food (wet and dry) for the strays around her.

I'm hunting still for a group that can come in and help us get them out of her garage. Ughs, this is harder than I thought.
 

StefanZ

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My ex MIL was raised in east Texas on a farm so they gave the stuff straight from the cows to their cats.

As for fostering, I'm not in a position where I could foster or I'd look into it. My older girl has a seriously compromised immune system and goes off her food when the weather changes (2+ years into a CRF diagnosis).

As for my ex MIL, she's in her mid-80s and getting her to foster would take a miracle. I have found a local place that will do feral spay/neuter and she does have a humane trap, so we can get some of the others around her. She spends ~$250 a month in cat food (wet and dry) for the strays around her.

I'm hunting still for a group that can come in and help us get them out of her garage. Ughs, this is harder than I thought.
I do have a theory, the modern pasturized milk is more unsuitable, than fresh milk directly from the cow...  For in the old time, cow milk WAS standard food for cats.  At least, for the cats who did survived...   :)

But some cats do manage modern pasteurized milk too, although you can never know beforehand who.  And thus, if you want to try out on a healthy cat without problems, do it if you wish.

Or a cat you know from before she manages.

But we dont recommend such experiments on preg moms or moms with kittens, nor sick cats.

IF they are of these who dont manage, it will be diarrheas at best....

Nay, it is not easy to foster, if you dont have suitable circumstances.

That is why we proposed you find a resuce group, and if possible, someone, a neighbour, coworker, or other, who is willing to foster.

It is not THAT difficult, and the person would get advices from us if need be.

So you must ask around, do some lobbying perhaps, but your part is not necessarily complicated.

Good luck!
 

feralvr

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OH good to hear that you found a place to assist in surgeries for the cats... yes, now the work begins of trapping cats. The sooner the better as I am sure you already know. There will be more and more kittens being born if not :shame: That is quite expensive for your mother - $250.00 per month for food. I am sure that is hard for her to keep up. I do hope that someone will hear of this situation through word of mouth and step in to assist and possibly foster some of the kittens. I do wish you so much luck with this endeavor, it will be so worth the effort. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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