Feeding a feral momcat... no idea where the kittens are

Hi! 

I'm new to this forum. Trying to keep this post as short as possible, so I'm just going to cut/paste what I wrote to the Pocono Wildlife Center (they do a LOT of good but are overwhelmed and understaffed, so I'm not going to complain about not getting a response). 

"I need some advice... I've been feeding a very cute stray/feral cat since 5/21/2013 on my patio. She just showed up and looked through the screen door and meowed. We have a cat, so I had cat food and I offered it to her and she gobbled it up like she was starving. Since then I've been feeding her every night, and occasionally she comes for breakfast. I noticed early on that she seemed to be pregnant. I've had experience with pregnant cats, so I could tell. A little over 2 weeks ago she showed up for her meal and was visibly NOT pregnant, so she must have had her kittens. I don't know where they are. I've tried to follow her, but she goes across lawns/property that I don't have a right to tramp around in. I have an idea where they are, but I don't know for sure. . I want to help her, maybe along the lines of catch/spay/release? Or catch and find her a home? The problem is that her kittens are too young right now to lose her... I'd like to help the kittens too. So I'm really looking for advice/instruction. I've "bonded" with this little kitty (whom we've named "Kitty"). She lets me get right up next to her, but so far she won't let me pet her."

The update since I wrote this is that her kittens are probably 3 to 4 weeks old by now (assuming nothing has happened to them) and that "Kitty" is comfortable coming inside my house to eat, and I've touched her ear (trying to pet her) twice, but she flinches and takes a brief step back. She is still afraid to let me touch her. 

ALL advice is welcome!! I've been wondering what to do for weeks, and I really want to help her. 

There's also another cat that sort of shows up when she does, but only after she eats. I think it's a "he:, and lets her eat first, then he eats the scraps. We call him "Ghost Cat" or "Ghostie".... not because he's white. He's actually a very pale orange cat, but his orange is so pale that in dim light (like when he's eating on our patio), he looks like a ghost. 

I've gotten some good photos, so I'm attaching them. I hope there's some good advice out there! I certainly didn't look for this, but I love cats and these cats are here in my life and I want to help them. 

The cats are adorable.  I don't have a lot of advice on this issue but I am sure someone will because there are a lot of people here with extensive feral knowledge.  Maybe she will start to bring the kittens around when they are a bit older?  One of the cat's I have was brought around by his mom when he was a couple months old and I was eventually able to tame him and catch and fix the mom.  Good work on getting the mom to trust you.

The Mom may bring them around later when they are old enough.  Yet, you really want to get her spayed soon.  With another cat hanging around that you believe to be male, she could soon enough get pregnant again.  If they kittens show up, you will want to trap them too and have all of them spayed/neutered.  The male would need to be neutered as well or you will just continue to have many problems. 

I just took another look at your pictures.  From what I can see, the male looks to have the large squared off jowls of a tomcat.  You can usually tell when a male cat has matured, they develop large faces with jowls that kind of stick out.  Any chance you have seen the back side of him?  The testes are often visible in unneutered males.
 

Thanks for replying... dahlia and ShadowsRescue.  So far no kittens have shown up... if I was right and she did have kittens they'd be about 6 1/2 weeks old by now. I'm starting to question myself as my memory fades.... was I wrong? I was sure she was pregnant and then obviously not pregnant. But where are the kittens? And to add to it, she's looking like she pregnant AGAIN, already. Is this possible? I'm so confused....

I have more questions, and since this is my first post to this forum, I think I should do a "Hiya" post, so here it is:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263577/introducing-me

xoxo

Yes, it is entirely possible she is in pregnancy again.  So it may be best to trap her now, spay before she is really high preg, and release 24-48 hours later.  The kittens should survive.

That male, as he comes after her, and let her eat first.   I suspect it is her husband. Ie, they are a bonded pair, and thus, he is co-protecting them kittens too.

If so, this makes the decision to take her away for spaying and releasing, easier.

Otherwise, as everyone knows, non friendly males can be dangerous to kittens.  But probably not here!

As the others said, such a mom comes usually forward with the kittens when they are 6-8 weeks.

But you dont want her to get more high preg. Besides, you want ideally to catch the kittens NOW, so you have possibility to foster them and socialize, so they can be adopted.

You can socialze cats almonst anytime, esp if they are not aggressive and friendly. But the easy period for entirely socialization into sociale home pets is at latest at week 8...

Try to talk with the land owners to get their permission to seek out the cats...

Talk friendly and sweetly with the cats, and crooning so, try and follow them...  

Pity you didnt took her in when you could when she was visibly high preg. It would be the easy way to help her successfully.

Now you must do it the difficult way.

Good luck!

I would bet money she's pregnant again.  The first litter may not have survived.  If the orange cat was not the father, he may have killed them.  Sounds cruel, I know but it's his job to continue his line, not some other Tom Cat's.  This may be why he's now protective of her - she's pregnant with his kittens.

First thing first.  TRAP the cats, both of them, and have them fixed.  You can release them back outside and continue feeding them.  This way, they have a steady source of food and they aren't reproducing.  Are you able to provide them with shelter?  A small doghouse, filled with straw is all they need.  Perhaps you can locate it on a patio?

Doing nothing will mean you have more cats.  Fixing them now will mean the world to these two kitties.

Thank you for helping them!

I think I got the video uploaded ( FWHEW!)... me and "Kitty" as of a few hours ago....  see how she's still scared of me?

Here's one of the problems.... I don't have the finances to spay her. If I want to do a catch and release, I have to pay for it. I totally would do it, but we basically live paycheck to paycheck, so I'm doing what I can. Like I said before, I reached out to the Pocono Wildlife Center and didn't get a response. I know there's places that do the catch and release thing, but I still have to pay for it, and it's a few hundred bucks that I don't have.

Hubby and I went to Atlantic City for a mini vaca 2 years ago and they have a stray cat problem but they are taking good care of it. There are signs that basically say we know there's stray cats, we're feeding them (so don't feed them), and we're spaying/neutering them, then letting them go back to where they came from. But my town (and I love my town) doesn't have that. 

So I'm doing what I can for this cat, and the other cat (Ghost Cat.... the dad). 

I'm totally on the side of the cats....I can only feed her (and him) at this point.

I did actually make a "cathouse" for her... hoping she'd have her kittens there, but it was an epic fail, lol. I'll take a pic of my "cathouse"  and post it if anyone is interested. 

Btw.... Does she look pregnant???

And also btw, I don't usually feed her or my cat on a paper plate....  it was just one of those nights.... I ran out of plastic bowls.  

Most areas have low cost spay and neuter clinics and some areas offer free vouchers.  My low cost clinic is $35 to neuter and $45 to spay.  This includes a rabies shot.  Check online or call a local vet and ask about low cost options.  Is there a humane society in your area.  They often do spay and neuters very cheaply as well.  I would try to exhaust all my resources to get her spayed if you plan on keeping her outside.  You could always bring her inside and keep her inside until you get the funds to spay her.  She will get pregnant quickly outside and then continue to rapidly keep reproducing.

It is so wonderful to care for her and provide her with food and shelter. 
 

Our local spay neuter group recently got a grant from Petsmart and will spay or neuter for free.

The Atlantic City Cats are being helped by Alley Cat Allies.  (www.alleycat.org)  Go to their website and see if there's any info about your localities.

I did a simple bing search and got this info:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=low+co...+cost+spay+neuter+poconos+pa&sc=0-23&sp=-1&sk=

You are doing a good job but unfortunately, it is only half the job.  Until they are fixed, they're are actually in danger.  Dad will fight with other males and possibly get hurt or contract FIV.  Mom may end up searching for another mate and get run over.  These things happen all the time, so the more quickly you get them fixed the better.

Thank you for caring.

Another way to find cheap vets and spaying places:

If you are in the U.S. ,  the ASPCA has an online database.  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter

 Or here is a hotline number that will find you a low cost clinic in your area  1-800-248-7729    ( Franksmom just posted this for someone on another thread,  and that poster called it and they were able to help him find some options at good prices.)   

Good luck!