- Joined
- Jun 9, 2012
- Messages
- 3
- Purraise
- 1
I joined this site 4 years ago when a stray, whom I was feeding, died having kittens. Local shelters would not take them. I asked for and got help on this site. I am now raising my 25th orphan since then. I learned quite a bit about raising kittens with 25 babies, but I have a problem with a mother, and I don't know what to do. I have never liked cats -- never had my own, but I can't let the babies be put outside to die or be eaten. I know very little about adult cats.
I have a rule not to take kittens from their mother, but this was a special situation. I formed a non-profit corp for raising the orphans, and a woman who helps me is on my Board. Her husband found these babies at his parents' home, and he was worried sick about them -- they're HIS kittens. I said I would take them to keep him from worrying -- when the kittens become 4 weeks old. (It is so very hard on me at my age of 70, and I am disabled, so I never take kittens who have a mother. I said she could raise them until at least 4 weeks old.)
His parents' place, where the kittens were born, will be demolished for new construction within a year, and there are now many coyotes there. I thought the mother would not be safe there. His parents do not want to continue feeding her after the babies are gone.
I have a feral, Carlos, who lives in my garage. He was neutered shortly after he arrived as a kitten, so he never developed into a tom cat. He is is not at all mean and he is friendly to me, but is never to be seen if any other person is on my side of the street. I feed him very well to keep him from eating birds. I decided to capture the mother, whom they had named June, and try to get her to be Carlos' friend.
I ordered a 4x4 ex-pen with a tight lid. When the pen came, we trapped her, and took the kittens, whom I am bottle-feeding. I wanted to rotate them one at a time in with her. I heard that you should never take every baby from the mother -- leave her one. But she is so depressed that she will not even look at them. I do not know what is best for her and for the babies.
I read on this site that when moving a feral, you should cage them for 2-4 weeks. She has a comfortable house inside the pen, and plenty of food. She eats and uses the litter, but otherwise just lies in the house and stares. When I put a baby in at first, it escaped through the bars. We got finer wire to reinforce the pen. That took 4 days, with them having to go to work and me disabled. I put in another baby, and June, the mother, completely ignores her, and the baby is afraid of her.
I can never take her or Carlos in the house. They have eaten birds, and I have a parrot.
We don't know if she is feral, stray, or a dumped domestic. After her ordeal of babies being stolen, trapped, and caged, she is terrified of me. There are domestics who are afraid of everyone outside their immediate family. She will be as safe as an outdoor cat can be if she makes friends with Carlos and stays. I feed them well, and provide winter homes outside and in the garage. Of course, she will be neutered as soon as reasonable.
Carlos left for the first two days after June came. Then he came back yesterday to eat. (Gave him a can of food as a treat, instead of his regular dry food.) He's gone again. He does not have trouble with my kittens, but her pen is in the garage -- HIS garage. A strange cat moved in my garage several years ago and attacked his mother and sisters until they moved out. He stayed away from the mean cat enough that he got to stay.
Should I send June back to the coyote-infected place that will be demolished. I detest doing that, but she is so depressed.
Should I just keep her in the pen in my garage for a month, and hope she makes friends with Carlos.
Should I try to keep a baby with her. The babies will all come to me now since I have been bottle-feeding for 4 days. I can easily get one in and out. They actually seem to like me better than they like her now. Her attitude might have changed, and they might recognize it. We are afraid that she could hurt a baby in her state. They are about 5 1/2 weeks old, and eating canned food very well. They seem to weigh less than a pound.
She had the babies in an unlit shed. I have kept the garage door down except when changing something for her. (Carlos can open the other door a little to slip in and out.) Since she chose the dark shed, I thought that she might want darkness, but she had no other indoor place to have them, so she did not really choose darkness. Should the garage door be up or down during the day?
Any help would be appreciated. What is best for June?
I have a rule not to take kittens from their mother, but this was a special situation. I formed a non-profit corp for raising the orphans, and a woman who helps me is on my Board. Her husband found these babies at his parents' home, and he was worried sick about them -- they're HIS kittens. I said I would take them to keep him from worrying -- when the kittens become 4 weeks old. (It is so very hard on me at my age of 70, and I am disabled, so I never take kittens who have a mother. I said she could raise them until at least 4 weeks old.)
His parents' place, where the kittens were born, will be demolished for new construction within a year, and there are now many coyotes there. I thought the mother would not be safe there. His parents do not want to continue feeding her after the babies are gone.
I have a feral, Carlos, who lives in my garage. He was neutered shortly after he arrived as a kitten, so he never developed into a tom cat. He is is not at all mean and he is friendly to me, but is never to be seen if any other person is on my side of the street. I feed him very well to keep him from eating birds. I decided to capture the mother, whom they had named June, and try to get her to be Carlos' friend.
I ordered a 4x4 ex-pen with a tight lid. When the pen came, we trapped her, and took the kittens, whom I am bottle-feeding. I wanted to rotate them one at a time in with her. I heard that you should never take every baby from the mother -- leave her one. But she is so depressed that she will not even look at them. I do not know what is best for her and for the babies.
I read on this site that when moving a feral, you should cage them for 2-4 weeks. She has a comfortable house inside the pen, and plenty of food. She eats and uses the litter, but otherwise just lies in the house and stares. When I put a baby in at first, it escaped through the bars. We got finer wire to reinforce the pen. That took 4 days, with them having to go to work and me disabled. I put in another baby, and June, the mother, completely ignores her, and the baby is afraid of her.
I can never take her or Carlos in the house. They have eaten birds, and I have a parrot.
We don't know if she is feral, stray, or a dumped domestic. After her ordeal of babies being stolen, trapped, and caged, she is terrified of me. There are domestics who are afraid of everyone outside their immediate family. She will be as safe as an outdoor cat can be if she makes friends with Carlos and stays. I feed them well, and provide winter homes outside and in the garage. Of course, she will be neutered as soon as reasonable.
Carlos left for the first two days after June came. Then he came back yesterday to eat. (Gave him a can of food as a treat, instead of his regular dry food.) He's gone again. He does not have trouble with my kittens, but her pen is in the garage -- HIS garage. A strange cat moved in my garage several years ago and attacked his mother and sisters until they moved out. He stayed away from the mean cat enough that he got to stay.
Should I send June back to the coyote-infected place that will be demolished. I detest doing that, but she is so depressed.
Should I just keep her in the pen in my garage for a month, and hope she makes friends with Carlos.
Should I try to keep a baby with her. The babies will all come to me now since I have been bottle-feeding for 4 days. I can easily get one in and out. They actually seem to like me better than they like her now. Her attitude might have changed, and they might recognize it. We are afraid that she could hurt a baby in her state. They are about 5 1/2 weeks old, and eating canned food very well. They seem to weigh less than a pound.
She had the babies in an unlit shed. I have kept the garage door down except when changing something for her. (Carlos can open the other door a little to slip in and out.) Since she chose the dark shed, I thought that she might want darkness, but she had no other indoor place to have them, so she did not really choose darkness. Should the garage door be up or down during the day?
Any help would be appreciated. What is best for June?
