Anyone in Chicago area able to help with two stray kittens?

I know all cat rescuers are more or less full but I'm hoping to get lucky and find someone in the Chicago area (I'm in the NW suburbs) who would be able to foster and socialize two stray kittens until they are adopted. These two little guys, or gals, are about 4 months old and were born outside to a tame but shy mom. They live behind a restaurant and the staff feed them daily. They have been handled some but not regularly. They're very comfortable around humans, though. I trapped them today and one of the kittens let me pet him in the trap. The other one was a bit more nervous but is not at all acting like a feral kitten. He was curious but not wanting to be touched.

Basically they are unsocialized but have a lot of potential and I firmly believe that they could be socialized easily and would be adoptable. They are half way there. These two are not anything like feral kittens and I believe that they just need some more close exposure to humans.

They are being fixed, vaccinated and microchipped tomorrow and are supposed to be released on Saturday. I hate to release kittens in general but these two in particular since they could have a chance at a better life. I wish I could take them in myself but I'm already way over the limit. I just need someone to foster them until they get adopted and I (my rescue) will take care of the rest, including providing food, litter and vet care. 

Is there anyone in the area that may be able to help these little guys get off the street and into a home before winter?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

I just saw this and have made a few calls but no luck as of yet. I do have a contact at a shelter in Huntley, IL that has some feral cat foster mom's. I will see if they can take these two. I will try to call tomorrow. :cross: I am sorry about this and know it is so overwhelming. Bless your heart for all you are trying to do. I would hate to see them be returned out in this very, very cold winter I think we are going to have. for these kittens.

Thanks so much for your help. I seemed to recall that you were in my area and was hoping you'd see this. Unfortunately my efforts to find a foster home for the two girls failed and I had no choice but to release them over the weekend. I have nine cats right now and one is sick and in my spare room so I had nowhere to put them and they had already been in the traps for three days. It's so hard to find someone with experience to tame older feral kittens so I knew it was a long shot. I released them on Saturday and saw both of them yesterday and they were doing okay. They came to eat once I was in my car (I'm not their favorite person right now). I have a good house for them for the winter (see below pic) so I hope they will be okay. I'm going to get them a couple of other shelters this week too. The area they live in is pretty safe (little traffic and only a few cats) and the night staff at the restaurant where they live look after them too.

I hate to release any kitten or tame cat. Imo TNR should be for adult ferals. But I've learned that that's not reality. At least I hope to be able to provide them all a decent life outside.



And here are the girls (for the heck of it)

Kai


Rory

OH - be still my heart. They are so beautiful. I am so sorry I did not get to you in time. One of the feral foster's I talked with yesterday would have an opening this coming weekend after she relocates two adults to a nearby horse barn that she had been keeping after injuries/surgeries although there is always a waiting list from the shelter director for ferals to fill those spots. I think we could have worked it out somehow. I am so sorry that I could not have jumped at taking them right now. I completely understand that keeping those kittens in the traps was not good for them or anyone and the best thing you did was to get them fixed. Sometimes, that is all we can do and really, that it the ultimate goal with these guys so that they can no longer bring kittens into this world without homes, care and protection only to add more. Breaks my heart to pieces to think of all who are out there in these frigid temps trying to survive.

The shelter you made is absolutely fantastic. I hope the kittens use the shelters you provide. I am sorry to think of them outside too and if I get a solid response back I will let you know and we can try to catch them again. They are really adorable. It is never too late to socialize older kittens, ever. I have done it many times with great success. As you know, even socialized, hand-raised cat's can have differing personalities and some are social/friendly and some distant. Same for feral kitties.

You have a beautiful heart. :heart3: And, thank you for what you do in your area.

Oh, now I feel horrible. I should have given it more time. I really thought I would be more likely to win the lottery than to find someone to take on two feral kittens so I didn't think there would be any point in hanging on to them. I wish I would have because I could definitely have housed them until your friend would have been able to take them. I could have put them in my big dog crate which I have to keep recovering ferals in. The chances of re-trapping them are probably slim. I really kick myself in the a*s now. I wish I would have known that there was a chance in hell but I thought it would be near impossible to find someone to tame these little girls. I can't even find people to take tame ones.

It was so cold last night and my heart aches knowing that Kai and Rory are out there. They aren't using the house yet (I actually found it on Craigslist. I'm not that handy:-) ). I hope they have found some little den in the woods to cuddle up with their mom and the other two adults.

Speaking of the house - I'm not sure they have even found it and I've been trying to think of ways to get them to discover it. Do you think maybe putting some dirty kitty litter near it would help to get them to their way there? I know smell of other cats always peeks my cats' interest. That's the only thing I can think of. They won't use it if they don't even notice it. My cats went into it right away when I had it at my place so I hope that these kitties will show the same interest if they only find it. Any suggestions to get them to find it would be appreciated.

OH hun..... please don't be hard on yourself with the "what if's". My heart is a bit sad too though because they certainly are adorable, so darling. BUT things do work out the way they should because this particular foster just HAD to take in a litter of 5 week old feral kittens dumped in a box in the middle of the FREEZING night at the shelter. One has already passed on. SO - she would not have been able to take these two kittens after all. There is always that small window of opportunity when these fosters have availability as there are ALWAYS more coming in and in need, as you already know. We do what we can, sweetie. So just know in your heart that all you do IS right by the cat's AND the stopping of any future litters born out "there". Still heartbreaking to have to let the little ones go that way. I understand completely.

It is very, VERY frustrating to put out shelters and they don't get used. Do you have hay in there? Sprinkle catnip around in the hay and out front of the house. Kitty litter may OR may not work because they may smell another cat and run off since they are kittens and may feel that the house is already taken by a more authoritative cat. You can put some food in there this weekend as our temps are rising and that may get them closer. Although, you may very well attract other cat's OR critters. It is a tough situation all around for these little ones.

I am kicking myself too for some reason over these two. I think it is their picture. Their darling faces. I hope they survived last night and cannot believe the freezing temps this last week. I hope you report back that you have seen them. I will keep checking. You can always PM me in the future if anything comes up like this and I will try in anyway I can to help. I also have a contact at Feral Fixer's - you would not believe the army of feral foster's Tammy has on her side. I only wish I could do more to help with socializing right now - but I just cannot swing it right now, at all. :shame: Keep me posted if you can.