best approach for trapping feral kittens

juventas

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Hi, there is an unspayed stray black mom that I am on okay terms with.  She will come when I feed some strays, some of which have been TNR'ed already (including two of her older sons).  She allows me to pet her when she is feeding and sometimes will not run away when I stand up slowly (she only approaches when I am crouched with food, though).  She had kittens in a thickly wooded area to the side of the apartment community manager's office, but they sometimes hang out in the open until someone comes by.  I'm not good at estimating age, but they seem like they are almost done nursing.

The problem is the community manager doesn't like cats and won't permit TNR.  Although they are in a wooded area, it is in broad view of the entire parking lot and any traps would be easily seen.  The guy on the other side of the complex that TNR'ed the two sons has no problem hiding traps and I presume he got them during their wanderings.  The problem is the mom never approaches the TNR guy's area because there's another guy by the office who feeds her as well that she feels comfortable around, but she is more wary of him now that she has a new litter.  She won't show the kittens to him.

I was wondering what the best approach was?  I tried looking into the wooded area, but I'll need to break a lot of shrubs and tree branches just to advance a couple of feet in, and there's no guarantee that the kittens won't run (they seem old enough to do so).  Should I wait until they're older and then try to trap while they wander?  My dream is that when they are old enough, mom will just bring them over to feed, but that's a little unrealistic.
 

ldg

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hmmm, this is a tough one. And we need to get mom trapped and spayed too.

Question - who owns the community? Is there any way to go over/around the community manager? There are groups like Alley Cat Allies or Best Friends that have great brochures explaining WHY TNR is the best method of control. Given the cats are already there, maybe there's a way to appeal to ... the property owners? .... to see if you can get permission to TNR? Whether they like cats or not, I expect they'd like there to be less of them. :dk:
 

iris

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Your apartment manager is stupid. If they are TNRed there will be less. No trapping and the problem gets bigger. I trap and sometimes I tell a little fib. I say I will TNR them and keep my eye open for a barn home..there are so few barn homes..eventually management gets used to the cats and they know they can't breed.
 
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juventas

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There are a lot of stupid people out there.  Btw, it is illegal to TNR in my city, although the enforcement is fairly lax.  I will ask that other TNR guy what he thinks I should do.

Getting mom is going to be a little more difficult than I thought.  Since the kittens started hanging around her, the usual feeding crew has treated her with hostility, and now mom won't go near the guy that feeds her because the other cats hang around his apartment.  And they used to be buddies!  The funniest part is that they are scared of the kittens!  When the kittens go to the edge of the wooded area, where I feed the other cats, they all start running away!  What a bunch of scaredies!
 

ritz

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Yeah, some cities are so behind-the-times.

The woods probably aren't community property, so I would set out traps in the woods.

And in these cases I have no problems telling lies--the kitten/cat appears sick so that's why I'm trapping it.

And talk to the people who are friendly feeding the cats, and ask them not to feed the cats for a while.

Good luck.
 

feralvr

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Bummed to hear about that law in your town. That is just absurb :mad: Since you are able to pet he while she eats then you should have no problem with the crate method. Start feeding her in a crate with the door propped open. Since she already trusts you and eats in your presence, she will go in to eat. Then you simply and swiftly close the door. I have caught many strays over the years doing it this way. I also, as Cindy suggested, go ahead and set out traps regardless of what people say. Tell them the cats or cat is sick and you are going to take it in. They don't have to know details. Just tell them that. I would be furious about that law :sigh: I guess someone needs to start educating in your area about the benefits of TNRing feral cats. Feral Fixers http://feralfixers.org/ in Dupage County, Illinois has TNRd almost four thousand feral cats since 2007 :shocked: There is a great reduction in the population of feral cats in Dupage County because of this organization and its tremendous efforts. Maybe if you compile facts from other organizations and bring them to the city hall, things would change :cross: Wishing you great success in trapping this momma cat. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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juventas

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My apartment is in Kansas City, KS.  There are some pretty good rescue organizations that have not made any progress in the city.  I'm just glad I don't live in an area where they allow random shootings of domestic animals.

Anyway, I'm in a rather complicated living arrangement in that I don't live in my apartment more than about 10% of my life, and I rarely sleep over, so I will need to get the help of someone else to check the trap if I manage to set one up in a hidden area in the woods (it's tight though).  I can't imagine trapping a kitten and having it sit there for possibly 18 hours without someone checking the trap.

I don't own a crate, just a small carrier.  Crating the mom would be interesting because there's a lot more friendly cats that would definitely jump in way before her.  But should I wait until the kittens are finished nursing?
 

feralvr

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Yeah - that would be a real problem because the friendly cats will come up and just eat way before the mom cat will come. I would always say that if you are sure you can get the kittens, all of them, about the same time as mom cat, then go ahead and trap her. It is a tough situation because you don't know how old the kittens are. If they are done nursing, you could go ahead and start trapping all of them. It does sound like you need another person to help you since you are not around much. It is alright if a cat/kitten is in the trap for a few hours but you are right, over 12 hours is way too long. Also, you need to have a plan of action before you start trapping. Where will you keep them? What organization will assist you in the TNRs? The sooner you can trap the kittens, the better for socialization, if that is what the plan is. It is possible that mom will bring them around or they will just follow her when you are feeding. They might soon learn to trust you as well. :cross: Don't give up - you are doing a wonderful thing here :bigthumb: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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juventas

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Bwahahaha!  I got mom last night during one of my rare stays at my apartment overnight.  I'm taking her to the Heartland SPCA to get fixed this morning.  Her kittens are able to eat solid food (saw one nibbling on kibble the other day), so the SPCA told me that it should be okay to spay mom and not to delay too much since cats can become pregnant again right away after having kids.  The other guy has seen them up on his porch to get food, so maybe eventually they will come when I feed the other cats.  I hadn't planned to be feeding more than 4 cats though!

I think the kittens are probably a lost cause for socialization, as our shelters and rescue organizations are constantly full and constantly rejecting kittens (especially ferals), and I can't do the socializing (have no time or place).  Trapping will also be an iffy proposition because when I get the time to do so, they will probably be well beyond the magic 8 weeks old socializing period.  They must be at least 4 weeks by now; more likely 5-6 weeks, from what I've read.  My plan is to get them fixed too, eventually.

I actually was able to pick up mom last night and then attempted to put her in my carrier, but she was too swift and I thought I could do it without scruffing her.  She quickly twisted away and ran.  Turns out, though, she was really, really hungry.  There was only one other cat from the colony, so I made sure to feed him until he was full.  Mom kept trying to sneak in and take a bite but I scared her off.  When the other cat was done eating, I set up a trap in various positions in the wooded area.  She would not bite and kept coming back to the food bowls, but I had removed them, so she kept sniffing the ground.  Interestingly, I set it up where I usually feed the colony, which is behind the dumpster, and it is a wide open area.  She was so used to eating there that she thought the trap was okay after I left.  Snagged her in about 5 minutes afterwards.  Kittens were nowhere to be found (or they were skulking in the dark in the wooded area).
 

feralvr

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OH What a story - and I can't believe that she got away from you and you were able to re-trap her so quickly. WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap: The kittens need to be at least two pounds before they can be TNRd - so I would wait to start trapping them until they are a little bigger - but don't wait toooo long. They can start breeding at four months of age!! Not six, like some think. Some female cats can go into heat between four to five months of age.

As far as socializing. I do not believe in that notion that a feral kitten over 8 weeks or so cannot be socialized. That's hogwash :lol3: I socialized many feral kittens and they were much older - 7 months. I believe that each cat is going to be different in their personalities - feral or not. It does take time and you need space. For feral kittens, the best way to socialize IMO, is using a large cat cage enclosure like a Midwest Cat Playpen. That way you are able to reach in and start to handle them fairly easy - although they don't think so, but it is all part of the process.

Let us know how things are going !! :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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