New feral mom and litter/Need advice PLEASE

chrisch68

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I will try to keep this as short as I can. A cat showed up in my yard a few months ago and she, as it turned out, looked like she needed help so I began to feed her. Fast forward to pregnant cat who gives birth to a litter of five kittens up in the top of old shed in the backyard. She later moved them to another location in the top of the shed where I kept nailing cardboard up higher and higher around her nest and fashioned a canopy of sorts to keep them dry when the rain leaked in. Bad spot to have kittens but I guess it was the best and safest place she could find.
This past Sunday I saw her in the process of moving her kittens but until yesterday, Wednesday, I had no idea where she had moved them. Well she put them ON TOP OF the old shed in a nest of old fallen leaves out under some overhanging leafy branches. It's all on a pretty fair incline. Yesterday I fixed a box, put an old sheet inside and wrapped it in a few trash bags to keep it insulated and dry and put it up there for them. I have been worried about them falling off the edge and today one did.
I have to move them somewhere safe and the only place for that would be on my screened in front porch. I know I can get the kittens moved there but I am worried that I won't be able to get the mama to come on the porch. She won't let me pick her up, she's just recently begun to let me pet her a very little bit. What can I do? I've been looking after them since they were first born 29 days ago and i want to do all i can to help them and find them all a good home. I just don't know what to do at this juncture. Do ya'll have any advice or ideas for me? I really need some help. Thanks.
 

nansiludie

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You're doing a great thing. Do you have spare room you could put mother and kittens in? I don't think a screened porch will keep a cat in, especially a feral one. You could catch her in a humane trap cage like have-a-heart but you must be sure you have all the kittens. Or you could leave the kittens with their mother until they are weaned then catch them and work with them and have the mother spayed. Please let us know how it goes. I wish you the best with the kittens.
 
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chrisch68

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I really appreciate ya'lls thoughts on this. It's really important that I do what's best for them and I am trying so hard. I wish I did have a spare room for them but right now I am full up and I don't know how I'd get the mama to come in and stay if I did. I have thought about seeing if Ringo , that's the little mama's name, would go on the porch if i began to feed her there but i just don't know if she would stay. It's taken many months for her to allow me to get close and pet her just a little. I've handled her kittens and I know she trusts me but she will still hiss at me. She will hiss and then meow like she just doesn't know how to react to the love and kindness I am showing her. I'm sure she has never experienced it before. I've got two full time indoor cats, two indoor/outdoor cats and a dog. All of them I have taken in/rescued over the past several years. One more thing that I am concerned about is whether my neutered male cat would bother the new mama or her kittens. BG's seen Ringo several times before and just kind of kept a close eye on her. They've never had any altercations before and I want to keep it that way. Since the kittens have been born I've been keeping BG inside a lot but he needs to start going outside more. Do you think they will be ok?
 

nansiludie

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They should be okay but I am worried about your indoor/outdoor kitty, since the momma cat has had kittens there must be a un-neutered male out there and I hope he is not hanging around your house, as he could get into a fight with your cats.
 

dandila

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They need shelter from rain and moisture.  There are little cat shelters you can build from plastic storage bins.  If you could cut a hole for a doorway and put some straw or nesting material in it, you might be able to convince her that it's better than where she is.  She seems to want to be elevated so if you could position it up off the ground somehow, she may go for it.  You could google cat shelter...all kinds of photos.
 
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chrisch68

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Thanks again for the replies. As for any other cat hanging around every once in a while though not very often another cat will pass through the yard and BG will, if he sees them, keep an eye on them and follow slowly at a distance until they move on. BG is big and all muscle. I let him out in the morning and bring him back inside way before dark. I prepared mama and babies a pretty good shelter from the elements so they are alright in that regard however I will probably be looking into something better for them.
 

ziggy'smom

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You could move the kittens to your porch and leave some attractive food there for mom to make it appealing to hang around. She should follow and hopefully stay if it's attractive enough for her. If she doesn't, at 29 days the kittens can get by without her if you care for them. They should be able to eat solid food at that age and can potty on their own. It's normally recommended that you separate kittens from a feral mom at 5-6 weeks old anyway if you are going to get them socialized and put up for adoption. The very latest they should be taken from a feral mom is 8 weeks old. After that socializing them becomes very difficult. Younger than 8 weeks it's pretty much automatic to tame them. Older than that it's a project that can take weeks and is not always successful.

It is of course possible that if you move them to your porch mom may just get them and move them elsewhere. Could you make a nest for them near where they are now that is a bit safer? Maybe in a large plastic tote (without the lid). Could you put a tote on the floor in the shed and move the kittens there?

You know, if you don't have a spare room inside a bathroom would do for a couple of weeks or so until the kittens are a bit bigger. If you would get mom inside you would probably win her trust much quicker. Since she will let you pet her and handle her kittens I'd say that chances are very good that she's tamable and that is so much more easily done inside. If you could keep her inside for a while you could try making her an indoor/outdoor cat after that. If you would want to take her inside you could trap her in order to get her inside.

You could also keep mom and kittens in a large dog crate on the porch. If you get mom inside you don't have to separate the kittens from her since you will be able to tame them with her there.

As far as your male cat goes I would keep him away if at all possible. Adult cats are often not friendly to such young kittens and he may make mom very nervous. If you do bring them up on the porch I'd try to keep him inside at least for a week or two. I know he may be unhappy not being able to go outside but it's a necessary evil. I let my cats go outside on a harness and long rope. Maybe that would work for your male for a little while, as a compromise.

Also, it's best to get mom spayed as soon as possible. She can get pregnant quickly after having a litter, even if she's nursing. She will be able to nurse even if she's spayed. Spaying will also make her more likely to stay put.

What is your plan for the kittens long term?
 
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chrisch68

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Thank you so much Ziggy'smom. You obviously know your cats and I truly appreciate your time and advice. There are so many knowledgeable people here, such as the ones who replied to me earlier. We cat lovers are lucky to have a site such as this.

Given all the circumstances I believe my best bet would be to move the kittens on to the porch and hope I can get mama to come with them. Like I mentioned earlier I only want to do what's best for both mama and kittens. I really don't want to separate them this early, I hope that won't be necessary

I plan on finding all the kittens a really good home and will take them to the vet as soon as they are ready. I want to be able to take Ringo and get her checked out and spayed as well. She is not much more than a kitten herself and so small and skinny. I know this has been hard on her and I most definitely do not want her to have any more kittens.
 
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