Hi!

Hi!
I'm new here and new to the world of cats. Especially Ferals. I've never even really had a cat before so lots to learn!

So my story is that we moved into our rental out in the country over a year ago and I remember noticing a litter of kittens running around the area. Then About six months ago one black cat was always in our yard and has been ever since. Were not allowed to have pets and we have a lot of irresponsible neighbors so I assumed she was one if there's and let her be. Well about a month ago I saw the cutests tabby kitten sitting next to our shed... And then 3 more came out. Lol so since that day we have been feeding them and I felt bad for not taking care of her before. So after a huge ordeal of trying and failing to socialize the kittens so I could adopt them out, and trying and succeeding!! To spay the mama. We have decided to keep them all and just let them be our feral cats and just hope our landlord doesn't find out. So my new plan is to find out which kittens are boys and which are girls and get them fixed one by one, girls first. So any advice on feral care? How do I go about dealing with fleas and such when I can't really get near them?
Thank you so much for this site. People have not been too kind or helpful about this situation, and I just want them to have the best life possible at this point.

Hi thebugsmomma, and welcome to TCS

We have some feral experts around here.. they haven't seen your post yet, but they will.

In the meantime, here are some of our articles to help you along:

Saving Feral Cats

The ABC of TNR

Handling Feral Cats

The first step is to definitely spay/neuter all of the cats, not just the females.  The males will wander and look elsewhere for mates which continues to allow the cat population to explode.  Look in your area for low cost spay/neuter clinics.  The mom should be first as she might be pregnant again and you will have more kittens on your hand. 

When caring for feral cats, you need to be sure that you will feed them every day.  Also if possible provide shelter for them.  If you live in a climate that gets cold, you will need shelter from snow/wind/cold.  If your climate is warmer you may only need shelter from the rain. 

Please spay/neuter all of the cats as soon as possible.  THey quickly grow and begin to have hormones coursing through their bodies and the reproduction process will happen right before your eyes. 

It can be expensive...thanks for taking it on.  I have two kittens due for neutering and then I'm done with my seven that I'm caring for.  My cats are handled easily because they are strays or they were dumped by their owners.  After you are feeding them for awhile they may begin to let you pet their heads a little and gradually trust you more and more.  Since they are outside full time my vet recommended Revolution which requires a prescription but it takes care of fleas, ear mites, heartworm, hookworm,  and roundworm.  You can buy it at a discount from some places online.  It seems to do a pretty good job.  Of course, you will have to get the cats to the point where you can at least pet their heads and quickly squeeze the tube on their necks where they can't reach it with their tongues.

When you take your first female in for spaying have them show you how to apply it.  Now that I've had mine on it for a couple of months they look all clean and spiffy.  They all had fleas and ear mites and several had worms.

My husband built an outdoor enclosure for them but you can provide simple storage box shelters filled with straw for the winter.  If you check on youtube I think they have videos about how to build  easy shelters.  The cats usually find something to get underneath for thunder storms.  Another good idea is to use a truck topper for a group shelter if you happen to have an extra one laying around.  You may be able to find one for cheap from a salvage yard or used one from a private seller.

One thing you may need to consider is if you are renting you may need to move one day.  Who will care for the cats at that point?  Ferals can be relocated but it is quite an ordeal.  It would be a little cruel just to leave them there to fend for themselves after becoming used to being fed.  I am not trying to discourage you from the project, I'm just trying to point out some things you might not have thought about.  You could relocate them with you or you could talk to the landlord about letting you continue to feed them if you're living close by.

Thank you so much for caring about the cats your neighbors are treating irresponsibly.  Feral cat care taking is very rewarding.

For sure they are all getting fixed. Missy (mama) got fixed two weeks ago, she was sadly pregnant already although the vet said they weren't formed yet. But she's back after disappearing for a few days and she is happy. And still nursing!! Even calling them over to nurse. She's a very good mama. Margot and Ree (the girls) will be going at 3 1/2 months old because that's the soonest the vet will do it. Wyatt and Henry will be going in the month after. The babies still are really afraid of us. But missy let my husband get only a few inches away from her today so I have high hopes for her. I'm thinking about trying DE in their food in case they have internal worms or anything like that. Any advise on how to do that? Is it safe for the babies?
Right now they still live in our shed, but I'm planning on moving them out pretty soon so they don't destroy our stuff. We have a deck they play under so I'm sure they will move under there. Our winters are very mild (nor. California) so I might just put a Rubbermaid container and blankets under there for them. I plan on being them with me when we move. The plan is to stay here a few more years then buy a place near by, so I'm hoping they will be more cooperative by then and I will build them a nice hutch to transition in. No one here would continue caring for them and I'm a little attached now[emoji]128512[/emoji]