Feral mom and kittens now contained in a room - now what?

Hello all,

We've been feeding and interacting with a feral mama and her kittens for a while now, and to make a long story short - after about 5 days of the kittens being in a room (in our complex, with a tile floor and no furniture, one sink) Mama kitty finally was enticed into the same room this morning.  (She was clearly still lactating, even though babies have been eating solids for a while.  If I had to guess, they are over the 6 week mark.  

After the person who trapped her left, she calmed down (we could see her through a window) and probably got some relief because the kittens nursed.  We went in this afternoon, and she got all scared again. (Kittens in one of the cardboard box beds we created, Mama hid in the sink).   Didn't attack, but we left her plenty of food and water.

Now what?  

We would like to spay her - we think she might be pregnant again though (saw her and a tom do the dance several weeks ago, before we trapped the kittens).  We are also attempting to socialize the kittens, but it is a slow process of course.  (almost all will eat in front of the person there, a couple will grudgingly let us pet them or pick them up for short amounts of time - but often they get scared if we move and hide in the box.)

Tips on socialization, etc. greatly welcomed.

They are at a great age to socialize - good job!  Handle them as much as you can, talk to them quietly, move quietly, keep a routine (feeding at the same time every day, cleaning the litter box at the same time, etc.  Wand play is fun, too and Mom may surprise you and join in.  Do you know her background?  Was she a house cat abandoned or dumped or was she born feral?

I would leave a carrier in the room with the door open.  Let Mom become familiar with it and it may make the job of getting her to the vet easier.

Sounds like so far, you're doing well.  Good luck and keep us posted.

You definitely want to get Mom spayed sooner than later especially if you suspect she might be pregnant again. 

Here is a great video with some tips on socializing the kittens.  Some of the tips will work with the Mom too.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

I agree that it's best to try to get mom spayed as soon as possible. The spay surgery becomes more difficult when a cat progresses in pregnancy. She can recover inside your house for several days, in a room by herself, and that will be a good opportunity for you to socialize her. Perhaps she will prefer indoor life.

Kittens love to play, so the best way to socialize them is to give them lots of toys and also do interactive play. Wand toys and laser toys are the best. They will associate you with food and play. Spend as much time as you can around them. Feral kittens that age can easily be socialized and adapt to indoor life. Are you planning to keep them, or adopt them out?

If mama cat was trapped in a humane trap before, it will be unlikely she'll go into it again. Is there a way you can get her into a carrier to get her to a vet? It would be ideal if you could set the spay appointment and get her into the carrier that morning so she doesn't have to spend too much time in confinement, which can be very difficult for cats, especially feral or semi-feral cats.  If you put tuna inside the carrier, will she go inside of it to eat if you're by the carrier, and you can quickly close the door on her? Another option would be to have someone assist you. When she's enclosed in a room, put the carrier vertical with the open door on top. The other person throws a small blanket or towel over her and scoops her into the carrier and you close the door. She will be upset, but in the long run will forgive you, and will have a much happier life not constantly going into heat and having kittens.