5 recent feral kittens born. need help!

Yes, I am saying not to worry about possibly getting any kittens before getting the adults, I would try getting them all and get it done in one swoop.

Be sure you don't set the trap right out in the middle of her yard where all eyes will be able to witness the other getting trapped.

By the time you've trapped a few, the others will know what's up and not get near it.

Stash the trap in bushes, somewhere that the others won't see unless of course they are right along with the one seeking out that tuna smell. Try to make it not look so trappish, camouflage with branches/leaves, you know.

Make sure it is stable on the ground when it's set up, if a cat starts to go in and the trap tilts due to a rock under it, it will back out fast.

Once you have trapped the first, be sure to squirt the trap down well with 409 or other cleaner, and hose it off completely.

You need to always remove the smell from the former cat trapped, the fear/adrenaline will scare all of them off, making it impossible to accomplish what you need to.

Each kitten trapped can be added with the other kittens as you get them. 

go to www.alleycat.org      Alley Cat Allies..... and they will also be a help to you.  Search their webinar  " Help I have Found a Kitten."  Its free and its archived on their site.

jenny2786 said:

A mother and five kittens have been staying in my grandma's backyard. I just started giving them canned wet food but will begin to give dry food. Since the kittens are young, I am unsure what to do. Do I do the tnr? Should I find them homes? How many times should i feed them? Are there any organizations that help to neuter so then i can re locate them instead of being returned to their original location. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Oh and by the way how old are the kittens? If they are between 2-4 weeks or so you'll never get such an opportunity!  

Hi, I have feral cats that we caught years ago together as they are brothers, got the mother also. We took the mother to a feral shelter where they got her fixed and she went to a nice home and we got the kittens all fixed,shots and have had them inside ever since.  They are wonderful boys and very loved! I cant think of what would have happened to them living out in the woods near our complex. I am sure they would not have survived with predators and the roads etc.. My advise would be to trap them all and take them to the nearest feral shelter or if you can keep them yourself if you can afford to get them all fixed,shots,tested,fleas,wormed etc. It is costly but TNR is also good and there are feral shelters that you can build yourself for the backyard. But I believe every cat needs to be loved! And yes it is a lot of work to socialize feral cats or kittens . we have worked with lots of ferals. If you work with them you could get them to be used to touch by a human. But outdoors is still dangerous unless you have a fenced in back yard? Hope my advice has helped you to think about what you will do with the mother and the kittens.          Good Luck!!  Cat lover 58

Thank you. I have not found any shelters who would take them in since they are feral and too old now to become socialized.

I plan on doing TNR.

I have another issue:

Since I am feeding the cats around 5pm, I would leave extra cat food for the morning. However, I believe I am also feeding the raccoons!! So, after doing some research, making the food higher will help prevent other animals eating it.

Any other ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I cannot feed them earlier.

Also, I plan on beginning to trap in 1 1/2 weeks. I plan on taking an entire day that I am off from work to trap the cats and kittens. 

I have made appointments on Mon, Tues, and Wed.

I start working on Tuesday so I don't have the time to drop the cats off between their set time.

My plan is bit confusing:

Mon-trap 3 in early morning;bring to vet for same day surgery..Then I plan on trapping the rest of the cats, bring one cat to the vet monday afternoon  for boarding for Tuesday surgery (they can only do one cat on tuesday)

Tuesday-bring the last 3 cats (caught on monday) to vet for boarding for wed surgery 

However, if i trap some on Monday afternoon, is it ok for them to stay in the trap until tuesday where I will bring them to the vet to get boarded for surgery on Wed.

Also, I plan on making them a serious cat house to prepare for the winter.....however, I will be moving in a year...is it okay to still build this? or is it not a good idea because I won't be able to feed them anymore after I move. Every time I come back home here and there, I can leave a lot of food.....but not sure ???

Thanks all!

hi, I know that not to be true first hand!!! I have socialized adult cats and so has the feral animal shelter that we have here...  I guess they don't want to be bothered.

you cant leave them in a trap ...

hi, you should take a whole day to trap them all and have a safe place for them to go. You cant start feeding cats and kittens and then move away and feed them sometimes. I think you should try to find someone who already has some experience with feral colony's  that they are caring for. It is a lifetime commitment... If you put the food up higher will the kittens be able to reach the food? raccoon can climb too.. Where do you live ? how old are the kittens? There must be other cat lovers in your area that can help you ? Someone mentioned Alley Cats?? and they should have only canned but that's something that you really cant leave out as it will attract wild animals to the yard. If you could leave dry food in the morning before you go to work. maybe somewhere hidden where they could find it and be safe. Where are they sleeping at night? that's when the predators come out. they must have some sort of shelter ? But I'm sure Mom will do her best to protect them . If it was me I would trap them all and bring them into my home and start socializing them and get them indoors anywhere. Then I would start getting them their shots etc..  Just trying to help...... I am a retired feral cat rescuer by the way.

And please whatever you do...     Dont trap the Mom until last because the kittens will be unprotected. I would trap them all at the same time and set more then one trap and you can trap them all in one day and you may trap more then one kitten in the trap together I've had that happen before!!! But you have to trap them all in one day!!!! 

yes, you need to keep one place for feeding and one place for sleeping but not right next to each other as predators will smell the food at night and you don't want them being attracted while they are sleeping. 

okay, so I caught 4 (mom and three kittens).

I have been attempting to catch dad and 2 more kittens, but they are not going inside the trap.

I am going back in an hour, any ideas???????

THANK You ALL!

Yes, it's very possible, as this happens often, is that after trapping the others, the trap smells of fear and adrenaline, and will prevent cats from going in.

Take the trap outside, saturate it with a household cleaner like 409, and then hose it off well, allow it to dry in the sun.

This removes any smells left by the previous trapped cat.

Hello everyone. I have been feeding my cat colony however neighbors are beginning tocomplain about the cats pooping in their backyard.any ideas of what to do???