Found kittens

Hi, so I live in a small neighborhood and the house across the street is abandoned. A few days ago I saw something jumping around and went to look and found 4 kittens. I fed them and kept an eye on them for a few days and never saw the mom.
So they got used to me feeding them and I bought some cat toys and they slowly started playing with me but never got too close. I got a big pet carrier and set food in the back and only one would go in. Anyways, I closed the door and took him home and gave him a bath. He was terrified at first but is warming up. He cries for the other kittens though.
It's been 2 days and the other kittens won't come out at all. They eat the food I leave out but only once they are sure I am gone. I fear that I've ruined my chances of capturing them. Any advice/ideas on how to get them to come out again? Thanks.
When they used to come out..

The one I caught.

ARE they still there?  If not, the mother took them somewhere else.

IF they are there, please try and catch them.  It will be probably with the help of food.    Leave the food in the trap...

In this age they are still fairly easy to catch, and easy to foster.

Continute to report and ask, I and the others will help you further along the way.

Good luck!

What beautiful kittens!  You may have to resort to trapping them.  A drop trap may be the best approach.  Is there a rescue nearby that can lend/rent you one?  They may also be able to help you with spaying/neutering and possibly finding homes for them.

Thank you so much for helping them!

What may work if your willing is to call rescues off Petfinder.com and tell them your willing to foster with guidance if they can help trap/adopt them out.  If your willing to give them a place to crash that REALLY helps them out and may be able to help you.

I would try placing the food in some sort of large crate that can be closed while they are eating. Though it isn't ideal, trapping might be necessary. Its better than them trying to survive on their own. Good luck!

So my neighborhood maintenance man set out live traps. I asked him what he was going to do with them and he said "take them out in the country and drop them off" !!! I said "I'll take them and find them homes or take them to a shelter" and he said since I am renting and have not paid $100 animal deposit he can't do that or he will lose his job.
So anyways, I have been checking the trap all day and managed to catch 2 more and then reset the trap. So now I have 3 out of the 4!! Still waiting on the last little kitty but it never wants to come out. It is very scared.

The other 3 are in a playpen. It's all I had lol and big enough for them to run and play. They are already using the litter box! Anyways, I've only been feeding them canned food so their poop is more wet than hard and gets stuck to their fur constantly. I am having to clean them all the time because they are so fluffy. Should I switch to dry food?

Try and trim the fur behind, so the wet poo wont fasten as much.    (wrap the kitten up in a towel, to immobilize it.  Or scruff it).

Wet is  better than dry, but you may perhaps be forced to find some other sort.  Easier said than done, as you shouldnt switch food too quickly...

Also, work on socialization as soon they arent afraid much any more, has landed.   Which it seems they are doing nicely.

They are much easier to socialize now than in two weeks...

Lets hope you get the fourth too...

Good luck!

Good for you! I hate to encourage anyone to break the rules but I can make an exception here. Having said that, try now to find some help. Is there a rescue near you that can give you some support? The maintenance man's plans to drop them off is wrong and is probably also illegal. The rescue may be able to tell you that.

Keep their food the same - their runny poops are likely from the change, so it should firm up soon. Cleaning them temporarily will help - they will learn to groom themselves soon enough. You can add dry if you want to but wet is best and as Stefan says, switching food causes tummy problems.

Good they are using the litter box. It tells me they are on their way to becoming nice house cats. Thank you for saving them!

Wow, I really hope you can catch for fourth! Any chance you could offer the maintenance man twenty bucks to not check on the traps for a couple of days? It must be very time-consuming for you to constantly monitor the traps. Congrats on rescuing the three! A young kitten will most likely not survive being dropped off in the country to fend for itself. He could at least have been willing to take them to a shelter.

One thing you might try (if you can do it without getting caught and in trouble) would be to place one or two of the kittens you've caught in a carrier and place it behind the trap. The fourth kitten might hear his siblings and try to get them, and go into the trap.

Good luck!

We rescued three orphaned feral kittens from a storm drain several years ago and ended up adding them to our family. The two males were easy to lure out of hiding by placing a little trail of wet food leading from the mouth of the drain to a waiting box full of food. We had to return a day later for their sister, as she was (and still is) more suspicious and cautious. We got some raw chicken and tuna and first dropped it into her hiding place so she'd know it was safe to eat. She refused to walk into the box, so we hid slightly behind her hiding place, out of her sight, and grabbed her when she got out far enough. You'll feel evil, but this kitten you might need to just snatch and shove into a carrier to get it to safety. And if all else fails, you could try buying Feliway (sprayable feline facial pheromone) and spraying just a little bit around the opening of the hiding spot. It'll make the kitten feel safe and happy, and might calm him enough that he won't mistrust you.