The cycle repeats

fuzzmom

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Last summer I began feeding a mom and her kittens. The mom was a semi-feral and all but one of her kittens was very afraid of people. One kitten would watch me from the hill. The mom brought her kittens to my deck to feed them. This one kitten would watch me through the sliding glass door and was the only kitten that allowed me to pat her, hold her and she actually fell asleep in my arms. Unfortunately, when I was ready to trap her she disappeared.

Now, a year later, this kitten is a mom and today, for the first time, brought her kittens to my deck. One of her kittens is almost a carbon copy of her mom in looks and it seems in curiosity. This kitten is extremely curious and in a matter of minutes of sniffing my hand through the door, walked in. She immediately began purring as I scritched her head and then flopped onto her back and let me rub her belly. When I tried to move my hand away, she grabbed it and wouldn't stop licking me.

The other 2 kittens aren't as brave as her, but definitely show signs of curiosity. They both have sniffed my hand through the door. I know that another woman has been feeding them and I think she said that they have tried to come inside, but she's very allergic to cats and can't let them in.

I'm hoping to gain their confidence enough so all I have to do is open my door and all 3 will come inside. When the friendliest comes inside the other two come very near the opening and look in. I'm also hoping to get the mom, but she has become more weary and will only let me pat her when she is very hungry. The kittens are self-sufficient now so it wouldn't be too much of a hardship for them. They are a late litter and are probably no more than 4 months old. If it's a bad winter, they will have a hard time of it. I'm hoping that the cat shelter I foster for will be able to have them altered and vet checked and that they will have room for them. Right now, all the cat shelters are to capacity. If all are healthy I could always foster them until they're adopted. I think they will come around quickly from what I've seen so far. I think even the mom will come around as she lets me pat her on occasion. Of course, the only place I can put them is in my bedroom. Can you say "lack of sleep"?


I managed to get some photos of them tonight. They're not good because it was dark outside, but good enough to distinguish their colors. One girl (I think) is buff and white, like her mom. She's the friendly one. One is all orange and the other looks to be a dilute torti, very pretty. Actually, they are all very pretty. All are small with petite faces.

Here is a pic of all 3.
 
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fuzzmom

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And last but not least, the orange boy.
 

tnr1

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Sooo cute. I would suggest you contact this group and see if they can loan you a couple of traps so that you can trap these cats and get them fixed.

http://www.secondchancefund.org/

They may also be able to assist you in finding these kittens homes.

Katie
 

brocken

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Hi Fuzzmom,

It's really great that these cats have caring people like yourself looking out for them.


Winter Shelters
In case you can't get the kitties inside for the winter, you could still provide outside shelter for them. A large styrofoam cooler elevated with a few bricks, a door cut in it, and some hay/straw/shredded newspaper inside would provide enough of a dry and heat-retaining environment. If a cat is well-fed and can find a dry resting place that's insulating and free of drafts, s/he should be able to make it OK through the winter. Here's a good guide to making low-cost but effective shelters: http://www.all-creatures.org/ak/feral-shelter.html

Trapping
These cats are extremely friendly for ferals, but the safest thing would be to use good humane traps to get them. After they're coaxed into your house, the new environment might trigger their feral instincts, causing them to panic and dash into the smallest of hiding places. With humane traps, you'd have much more control over gradually introducing the ferals to an inside home environment. Could someone from your foster shelter help out with trapping tips and loaner traps?

Alley Cat Allies has a lot of very good info on trapping on their Resource Page: http://www.alleycat.org/resources.html

The kittens are extremely cute, which gives them a very good chance to get adopted once you've socialized them.

Best,
b
 

c1atsite

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Aw, the orange one tilted his head as if to say


I want all 3 of them!! They're all so fluffy and cute
 

mom of 10 cats

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OMG they are just adorable! I am in love with the dilute tortie girl!!!! And the orange kitten looks like my Tillie. Best of luck in charming them indoors, they are just so sweet looking. They belong draped over a bed or couch.
 
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fuzzmom

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Thank you Katie and brocken for all the wonderful information and tips. I'll put them to good use. I had spoken to a shelter a while ago and they had said that whenever I needed a trap, to let them know.

I saw the friendly buff and white kitten this morning. She was crying at the door. I opened it and gave her some scritches and she immediately began licking my hand, then went to eat her breakfast. Seems she was looking for some attention. I didn't see her littermates.

Ok, I need to come up with names for these cuties. I can't keep saying "the friendly one". Since the buff and white kitten reminds me of peaches and creme, I was thinking of calling her Peaches since she is so sweet. Any ideas for the other two?
 
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fuzzmom

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Well, it seems there may be another sister, a calico. She is the same size as the others, so I'm assuming she's from the same litter. I managed to get more pics of these cuties. Again, the photos are terrible because it is dark outside.

Here is a group photo of all 4 kittens. The calico is in the back next to the railing. The orange and dilute torti are in the middle and the buff and white is closest to the door.
 
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