Please help! Rescued Mama & 4 month old kitten.

Hi all!

Long story!!!

I work at a hospital in a busy metro area and a few of us began feeding a kitten in the winter of 2012/2013. Initially she would wait until we left the area to eat but after a year and a half of having food readily available, she would run to greet us and impatiently await her meals! She's had 2 litters and only one kitten has survived. She's had two "homes" that she's had to relocate from either from construction or fire. Each time it was a week to 10 days before she would return. I finally decided to trap, spay and relocate her and the one kitten to my home. Have a home built attached to my deck with a covered feeding station above it. I've never had outdoor pets, but figured having an acre of woods to frolic in, constant food, shelter and vet care would be safer than her having to find a new "home" every 4-6 months in a metro area and multiple litters. Trapping Mama was quite simple, she trusted me so much she walked right in the trap and never looked back. Baby was a little harder, but after a few days was able to trap her also. I have a small storage room in my garage that I set up for them during their post op phase. 2 litter boxes, food and water, and 3 cardboard boxes with purr pads in them with a small mouse hole cut out for them to go in and be able to look out from and a Feliway diffuser plugged in near them. Mama was trapped on a Friday and wasn't going to be able to get to the vet till Monday. Without doing serious research on feral cats and relocating them, I let her out of the trap in the "kitty room" thinking she trusts me! I knew she was scared and angered beyond belief, but my perfect kitty rescue was going to go exactly as I planned, I just knew it! Well it took her 3 minutes to scale the wall and get through the drop ceiling. Now I had a feral cat hiding & roaming in the ceiling of my 2 car garage. I left the "kitty room" door open so she had open access to the food/water & litter boxes then went upstairs and had a small breakdown! A few days later I was able to trap her kitten, thankfully on a weekday and immediately took her to the vet. My hope was once Mama saw her Baby healing in the cat carrier for the first 36 hours, she'd stick around in the "kitty room." Nope, had to retrap her when Baby came out of the carrier and the "kitty room" door access was closed off. Thankfully that went as planned the first night. Brought Mama home from the vet and after her 36 hour post op cat carrier confinement period, prepared to let her out. We had reinforced the ceiling tile she was able to get through with about 12-15 lbs of plywood boards running over them. Baby also tried to get through them but was unable to. It took Mama 2 hours, but with sheer will & determination she got through the ceiling again! At this point I thought screw it, let her and Baby have their post op heal time together roaming in the garage. They've had an automatic feeder the whole time they've been in the garage, now we're at the minimum two week mark recommended by the vet. Wanted them to get used to the noise of it and the recorded message of my voice when it releases their food. It will be set up in the feeding station part of their outdoor home. My hope was to have them heal in the "kitty room" for a couple weeks then transfer them in the cat carrier to the outside shelter/home and to enclose it with chicken wire for 10-14 days to help them acclimate to their new outdoor surroundings. Obviously the transfer via cat carrier will not be happening! I spend time in the garage talking to them multiple times per day. Scoop the litter and put out fresh water & a bowl of canned food with the Jackson Galaxy Spirit Essence Feral Cat Rehab in it every morning. It also goes in their water. They still won't come out while I'm down there. They played with the laser light and would get within a foot of me while still living near the hospital, but now nothing. I set up a kitty cam so I could watch them, they play and have totally adapted to the litter boxes. It's really quite entertaining watching them! Here's where the help and advice is needed!!!! How do I help them learn where their shelter/home/feeding station is since I won't be able to physically put them there? Will they leave & not return? That would break my heart. I had such good intentions thinking they'll be so appreciative and behave exactly as I planned. Wrong! I feel like a feral kitty failure! Please help me!

Oh, you are definitely not a failure!  Believe it or not, this is a success story.  All that's missing is a little time.  Cats are such creatures of habit and you've disrupted their habits, that's all.

They will need a few weeks to a few months to get used to their new digs, so you will need patience.  Where is the garage set-up in relation to their new outside area?   Might you be able to allow them to continue to use it as "home base"?   (or at least a portion of it?)

I say that because they are getting used to it and because it will offer them a good place for shelter and eating.  If not, can you build a wire "tunnel" from the garage to the outside area?  That way, instead of you trying to get them back into the carriers, they can use their natural curiosity to explore the tunnel and make their way to their new digs.

Maybe you can keep the outside area wired over permanently?  If not, a minimum of two weeks to a month will be needed to keep them confined outside.

And don't worry, they will soon realize they can trust you again.  Keep their routine, visit with them often but don't approach them.  Let them approach you when they are ready.

You are doing everything right.  You've observed they are playing and relaxing, so that tells me they are feeling comfortable.  Right now, you are being seen as the "disrupter," so it will take them a little more time to understand you aren't so bad after all.  Without pushing it, you can bribe them with yummy food and play with them with wand toys and the laser.

Thank you for the encouragement! Mama Kitty has been such an active part of my life for the last year and a half that it would be devastating if she and Baby Kitty didn't adopt the shelter/home outside we built for them. I work 3 twelve hour night shifts per week & on my off days would have fellow pet lovers set up to take food out to them. I so wish I could sit them down & say.....now girls, I'm sorry I relocated you but I worried about you & your safety. I would love for them to get comfortable enough to let me pet & love on them, but respect their space. They'll have warm covered hidden shelter, constant food & water, toys catnip & scratching posts and a safe semi wooded yard to go exploring and have wonderful kitty adventures in! I just wish I could somehow explain & convince them of this verbally. I know with time my actions will get some of this across. I just miss how easily Mama & Baby interacted with me outside the hospital. Hopefully with time and patience it will happen again! The garage is below my house and their home/shelter is elevated and attached to the side of the back deck. Approx 20 feet from the garage doors is a brick stairway leading to a walkway that then leads to the back deck. There is a 10' X 20' landscaped area off the house between the deck and walkway that has bushes and a tree that ended up being perfect to aid in the home/shelter disguise. I really like the idea of a tunnel set up leading to their home, will look into that! Otherwise I've been researching feral cats obsessively and read multiple times that leaving a trail of their urine saturated litter to their new home could also work. Thoughts? I took pictures of the garage/deck area for you to see the area for possible other suggestions. Thank you so much! I so want them to stay & be safe!

So the new digs are above the level of the garage?  If the garage has a window, you can build the tunnel from it that leads right into the new area.  You may even consider making an enclosure next to the garage that surrounds the feeding /shelter area.

I have a friend with a very similar set-up, although her below level area is her basement.  She built an enclosure, complete with shelter and feeding station along the side of her house.  She gave the cats access to her basement through a basement window (she put in a cat door and ramp and they go in and out as they please).

I can see something like that set up along the garage wall of your house.  It doesn't have to be big - say just wide enough to encompass the feeding station/shelter and the length of the side of your house.

That feeding station/shelter is to die for BTW.  Great design!

I know some people leave used litter to deter other cats from their property.  I never heard of using it to remind cats that this is "their place." but it makes sense!  Once it rains, though, you will have to remove/change it.  Otherwise, you'll have lumps of clay that will harden into cement!

Yes it is above the garage level, unfortunately no window access. Great idea tho! Thanks on shelter! My guy built it without seeing any of the shelters I had wanted to mimic. He's pretty handy! Have multiple purr pads that was to line the interior of their home with, however neither of the girls have really taken to them. I rescued a female kitty last may from work that had probably been dropped off by someone or had had people interaction. She immediately knew she wanted love, a home and instantly took to snuggling on the purr pads. I'm at a loss with what to put inside them now if they don't like the way they feel etc. Any suggestions? They'll have an outdoor safe pet heating pad in it during the cooler months.

Straw is usually best for outside situations.  It doesn't mold and you can refresh it easily.  Fabric (blankets, purr pads, etc.) tend to mold and wick moisture.  I think most heating pads designed for outside use will still be safe. There are microwave discs that are safe, too.

I think your boyfriend could begin a business.  That shelter rocks!