Stray mother cat ran away

I took a stray mother cat and her newborn kittens into my home last night. She's usually calm around me and had no problem moving into the house but I could tell she had to use the bathroom this morning so I let her outside and she got scared and ran away. I left the door open in case she comes back for her kittens. Do you think she'll come back or did I scare her away? Please help.

I am not sure if she will come back, but if she has been gone all day, you have to step in and take care of the kittens if you want them to survive.  The most important thing is to make sure to keep them warm.  You will also need to feed them kitten milk replacer every 2-4 hours.  The easiest way to do this with newborns is to use a dropper and drop a few drops at a time into their cheek, and then repeat until they won't take anymore.  They should always be fed belly-down, like they would feed if they were taking from mom.  You also will want to weigh them daily to make sure they are gaining weight.  10 grams a day is the minimum you want to shoot for.

Good luck! Let us know if you have questions or need help.

I agree with Tulosai.   Healthy kittens may survive some time without help.  In the nature they do (of course, not all do survive into adulthood. Having such friends they dont really needs any enemies).   But you, having them in your protection, dont want to take any unnecessary risks, so begin with feeding them with kmr or goat milk as soon you can.

Mom wont protest if she comes back and understands you handled them.  dont worry about that!

If the mom wasnt scared away by say, a hostile territorial neigbour cat, or  mean boys she will return.  Or got run over by a car, she will probably return.   They do, they arent much afraid of a friendly caretaker, as long as its OK with their babies.

If the kittens arent just newborn, but are 1-2 weeks, she may have become again in heat, and this was the reason she wanted out....   whe she is mated she will try to come back, unless run over by a car, or simliar ill fate...

But please, make a litter for her inside, so she isnt forced to go out every time she needs.  And dont let out again!!!

Please, continue to report and ask!

Good luck!

If she isn't in heat, she'll likely return to care for her kittens. Most mother cats have a strong instinctual urge to care for their kittens. It's unlikely you did anything to scare her away--she's a feral and likely just wanted to return outdoors. Did she walk into your home or did you trap her to bring her inside? Please purchase a litter box. You can get an inexpensive one at Walmart or any number of places. It is not a good idea to take in a cat and not provide it with access to a litter box.  The kittens will need one, too--please don't open the door to let them out to relieve themselves. You can call your local animal shelter once the kittens are about 6 weeks old and they will try to find homes for them. Good luck.