Need help with feral cat!

I'm new to this forum, but I have a problem that I need help with.

A feral cat had kittens that are now 3 weeks old in a rather dangerous spot.  I've been trying to get her and the kittens out, and I wouldn't mind taking them into my home permanently.  However, the mother cat is obviously not accustomed to people at all.  I can't get near her, and I'm afraid of making the situation worse than it already is.

One of the kittens crawled out and I grabbed it and put it in a cat carrier, expecting the mother to come for it so I could get her and the kittens all at once.  She came for it, sure enough, but when I trapped her she grabbed the kitten in her mouth and started going nuts!  I had to let her out so she could take the kitten back because I was afraid that she'd accidentally hurt it in her frenzy.

What should I do?  The kittens can't stay where they are or they'll probably die.  We have tons of predators, and it's kind of a high traffic area.  I've been doing what I can to keep them safe where they are, but the babies are old enough now to where they try and crawl all over.

Should I try and take the mother first, and when she calms down give her the babies?  What should I do?

Welcome and wonderful of you to care so much for this little family. I would always recommend taking the kittens first. Then trap mom. Have a room all set up for them - a small confined space. Since the kittens are three weeks old, now is the time for socializing them to humans. You were right in letting mom out with that kitten or she might have definitely injured her baby in her panic. I would just go right up to the nest and take the kittens from her and then set the trap and cover it with a towel so it seems more den like and tempting to go in. Use tuna or sardines in the back of the trap. IF you don't successfully trap mom, then you will have to put the babies back outside OR plan to bottle feed them until you can trap mom. There are other's that might have another suggestion and a different way to do this. Also, some will tell you to leave them alone until they are older, but since you say they are in a dangerous area, then taking them now is of the utmost importance IMO. Since you plan on keeping them I would start right now trying to trap mom and just pick up the babies and take them in. Keep us posted.

Thanks a lot for the reply.  I've got the kittens with me right now and am waiting for the mother to fall for the trap.  So far, she's just frantically looking for the kittens, even though she saw me take them.  I have one anxious mother outside.  When she calms down a bit, I hope to catch her and reunite her with the babies inside the house.

Once I have her, should I leave her in the room alone for a bit, or place the babies with her right away?  As I said, she's very anxious and gets quite frantic.
 

When you bait the trap, I think you shall see there is the smell of the kittens. So the smell itself will be part of the bait.  When trapped, lay something on the trap, so it by itself is like a hide place.

It is perhaps possible to rig the trap so, you do have the kittens behind the trap, the trap like a corridor, and the only way for mom is to go into the trap??  Sounds and is elaborate, but if you manage with it, done.  I know some forumites did managed with such a set up.

You will see how she behaves it the trap. if she calms down, you can reunite them rather quick.

Otherwise, I guess it is better to wait till she is calmer.

A highly stressed mom is a danger for her kittens, as you saw.

Good luck!

Who knew that rescuing cats could be such a chore!  I've got the entire family with me now.  The mom has a room all to herself, but she's still a bit panicked.  She has food and water in there, and I'm thinking of going to the store to buy some catnip toys for her.  I'm beginning to wonder if she maybe escaped from an abusive home.  She looks woefully malnourished, so I picked up some science diet meant to help put weight on underweight cats at my vet's recommendation.  The kittens, while being a healthy weight and having vibrant personalities, look rather small, like their growth has been stunted.

Since the mother cat is still too panicked to be left with the kittens, and because I question her health in general, I've been bottle feeding them with KMR formula that I got from the vet.  I sit in the mom's room with them on my lap so that maybe she'll get used to me being there.

This whole thing has taught me a lot, and I'm very proud of my miniature pinscher and dachshund/chihuahua mix for taking such an active role in their care.  I used to be a dog breeder, but then turned to taking in unwanted dogs, and I was nervous about the dachshund mix, as those dogs can sometimes have a high prey drive.  However, these two came into my home with the best personalities ever, and they love just about any animal they see.  They've been keeping the kittens clean and being surrogate mothers to them.  The dachshund mix is partially paralyzed due to back problems, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to baby them all the time.  He panics about as much as the mom does when those kittens aren't around!

Any tips on how to get the mother to calm down a bit and maybe trust people some more?  She very wild, and I just wonder if perhaps she was abused in the past.
 

A feliway diffuser, or feliway spray, cant hurt but can help much.   Relaxing classical music, preferably harps, but almost any will do, may also help.

Im not sure the catnip will work here. dont overdo it, not catnip spray for example...

I would think, once in, and the worst stress over, you can unite mom and kittens. As part of her stress is lacking them.

But now you had found two such nice surrogat moms...  The reunion with biological mom may be now extra complicated - unless the mom immediately understands the dogs are friendly and her allies...

Possibly you want to play it safe, and have them separated, mom from kittens + dogs.

Good luck!

Wonderful and excellent news that you have the whole family. I would advise you to NOT allow the dogs to lick and care for the kittens. I suggest (please!!) that you put the kittens in with their mother right away. She is frantic because she knows you have her kittens and she went into the trap and so she should not be reunited with them immediately. I hope the smell of the dogs don't put her off as they will smell different. But I think she will trust you MORE if you give her her kittens. She also has milk, and that is much better for the kittens than anything else right now. Keep the dogs away from the cats during this time. That is not going to help mom cat at all, the dogs, and that will only make her more stressed and she could become quite sick as well. Allow mom to settle in and care for kittens. You can still go in and socialize the kittens many times during the day. thank you for caring and rescuing them. Good luck.

Maybe I'm not as cut out for this job as I thought...

Anyway, I think I didn't make myself clear.  The mother has been with her kittens.  She's still panicked, though, and according to the vet, she's malnourished and doesn't seem to be producing the proper amount of milk (I called the vet out, since I didn't want to try re-trapping the mom), so I'm supplementing with KMR.

No, the dogs aren't allowed even near the room where the mother cat is, but the vet said that since the mother doesn't seem too alarmed about the new scents on the kittens and more upset about her general surroundings, I should probably expose the kittens to the dogs a bit and allow the mother to get used to their scents.  So far, the mother seems to be fine with this.

Anyway, I sit in with the mother and kittens once in a while, and I've got some classical music playing.  She's a bit calmer tonight, but she's still anxious.

At any rate, I spoke with my brother and he said that if I'm afraid of making too big of mistakes, he'd take the family.  I don't really want to have to move everyone again, but I'm really afraid that I'm doing a crappy job and I'm sure my brother could do a better job.  Do you think this would be a good idea, or should I wait and see what happens at my house?  I've had cats before, and I'm not adverse to having them again (I am quite attached to this little group), but I'm not sure I trust myself with something like this.

Advice?

You do as you feel. Although I think you began, and the psychologial bond, and thus, the quest, is yours.  You do allright!  Unless your bro is a real wiz & cat whisperer, do continue if you can and wish.

About the dogs. One important aspect is we dont recommend immediate contact with residents. Quarantine is ALWAYS highly recommended.

I didnt reacted, as the deed was already done.  If there was any contagion, it was already made, them dogs washing them in every aspect....

Good they kittens are also back with the mom, and mom is accepting them.  AND accepting the scent of them dogs.

Good luck!

I know it can be overwhelming caring for a feral mom cat and kittens, but you are doing alright I think moving them to your brother's is totally up to you. It would be more stressful for the mom cat rather than the kittens. Excellent about supplementing with the KMR. Mom will still nurse the babies and that is good for many reasons. Not just for milk, but for bonding and reassurance for the little family. I think you are doing great. Please keep updating, we are here to help in anyway we can. Mega vibes for the kittens to thrive and for mom cat to begin to settle in. YOUR DOING GREAT!!!!!!!!! :nod:

OH here is an article that might help you with some suggestion for mom cat and ways to keep her comfortable and begin socialization. I think your dogs sound very nice too and well behaved. I would still try to keep things very calm for mom so she can just concentrate on caring for her kittens right now. http://www.catnipchronicles.com/may2012/laurie.htm

The mother cat is doing well.  She hides her kittens from me the second she hears the door to her room creaking open, but the kittens seem to be doing well.

Shounenbat said:

The mother cat is doing well.  She hides her kittens from me the second she hears the door to her room creaking open, but the kittens seem to be doing well.

Click to expand...

YAY!!!! This is a very happy update :happy3:!!!!!!!!!! See, your doing a great job. :nod:

Okay, I have a new question.  The kittens haven't gone to the bathroom lately, at least not that I've found.  I don't know if they're going somewhere else (the mom finally, reluctantly used the litter box) or what's going on.  Would it be a good idea to get them to the vet?  I brought them in for a checkup last week and she suggested I start giving them some canned kitten food.  Is it possible they're blocked up?  They continue to eat and drink, as well as play with each other, but I can't find any stools or urine spots from them.

Now, one more question concerning the mom.  Do you think she will ever come around?  I go into her room to change her litter and give her food and water, but she still hides under the bed (she's in a spare bedroom) and growls at me whenever I come in.  It would probably be a good idea for me to get her to the vet as well for a checkup (and probably a deworming), but she seems determined to scratch my hands to bits whenever I get anywhere near her.

It is possible that she is eating her kitten's business Since she hides the kittens from you too, this could be the reason you are not seeing their poops, etc. If they are playing and eating, then all is good. :nod: Right now I would just let mom be until the kittens are away from her and then you can start working on socializing her. Don't worry too much right now about that. Keep working with the kittens. I'll pop back later and see how it's going!!

Okay, here's an update.  As it turns out the mom was eating the kittens stools, so that's good.  Mom is nowhere near socialized, but the kittens have been growing and playing and eating.  I brought them to the vet for their first round of shots, and since the mother is growing increasingly independent of them, they spend an hour or two each day running around the house, playing with the dogs, destroying my curtains, and all the other things kittens do.  They still spend the majority of their time in the room with their mom.

As it turns out, I have one boy and one girl.  The boy is definitely the adventurous one, finding ways to get into everything in he sees, whilst his sister is a bit more timid.  When she finds a new area to explore, she kind of sits and takes in her surroundings first before chasing after her brother.  The two of them are completely inseperable, and I find it hilarious that if the girl (Quasi) is crouching low and the boy (Modo - my brother named them) can't find her, he starts "humming" and then mewing until she reveals herself.  He's also really bad at sneak attacks because he shouts it out when he pounces.

Absolutely mom could be eating their poops.... and then you have your answer. Continued vibes for momma cat

Quasi and Modo (cute names :happy3 sound adorable. Sounds like they are having a ball and are a joy to watch.