New Member! Advice on caring for my colony of about 9?

So around the beginning of October 2 kittens showed up on my porch. We had no cat food so we fed them tuna. I knew there were a few cats in our area, but I didn't take much interest in them as my parents wouldn't let me.  They were pretty cute so we let them hang around for a while. I convinced my parents to let me buy cat food for them as I thought they were on their own without a mother or caretaker. Fast forward 2 weeks, turns out they do have a mother, a neighborhood cat who I'd seen quite a few times, and there's a 3rd kitten. Fast forward another couple of weeks and I'm feeding 5 cats (the one who I believed was their mother turned out to not be). Now a few other neighborhood cats have began eating from my porch and I've ended up with around 9 of them. 

I was wondering about how I should care for them. I usually put out some of the Friskies wet food for them to eat as It's the cheapest/largest I could find in my local stores. Is that an okay thing to feed them? I bought a few bags of the Friskies dry food too (Tender/crunchy and 7). I know they're not the best, but it's all I can afford for now. I'm a minor living with my parents so they give me an allowance to care for the cats. 

It seems there's 2 different crews I'm feeding. There's the group of 5 that includes the kittens and their 2 caretakers (Splotches and Family) and a group of 3 or 4 older cats (Trash Crew). Splotches and Family currently live between my neighbors back yard and on my porch. I have no idea what's in my neighbors yard, but on my porch I have a few cardboard boxes with fuzzy blankets in them that they seem to stay in at night. I am working on making them a plastic bin shelter, but this is all I have for now. I'm worried that the food is too close to their current shelter. I feed on my porch maybe 4 feet away from the cardboard homes and I've noticed that trash crew seems rather cautious whenever they come to eat because of the other cats living there. I've never seen in raccoons or possums in my area, but I'm worried the cat food my draw some to the shelters. Should I move the shelters? I like having them on my porch so I can watch them and it also provides protect from rain/snow and some protection from the wind. 

Should I make an additional shelter for trash crew away from my porch? I'm not sure where they stay, but it seems that 1 of them lives in the bushes near my neighbor's backyard. Is there anything else i can do for them other than feeding and making them a place to stay?

Hello Mimetwit, welcome to TCS

Thank you for taking this initiative to care for the kitties that comes around your porch! it is wonderful to hear that you are really caring for them.
It's fine either if they are fed dry or wet food as long as it is within your means. Kudos to you for building homes for them. It's ok if you feed them near the shelters you built for them. This way they will feel more confident around their surroundings. If you are afraid of the raccoons or possums, clear the remains food after each feed if you can.
Does the trash crew feed at the same time as the other group? Or do they nose around the place and look out for the other group? If there's no threat to each group or whatsoever, think it's pretty good that they can be nearby each other. Except that you have to keep an eye on the younger kittens as the trash crew group are the older cats.
If you notice that tensions are on your grounds, then move the trash crew further away so that they don't cross boundaries.
It good to keep them warm during the winter. You are doing a great job [emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji]
Do snap some photos of your shelters and cats and post them here for us to see. I'm sure there are more experienced members will give you more tips.

You need to get them all fixed or you'll soon be feeding 100 cats . Right now is a good time to do it---the females are less likely to be pregnant and the cooler weather keeps the bugs away from their incisions, so less chance of infection. Check with all the animal welfare groups in your area---there may be a TNR group that can help you with all of that.

Thank you TabbyTom! Trash crew does come around while the others are feeding, but they wait their turn. I witnessed one of them introduce himself to one of the kittens 2 days ago. It doesn't seem like any of them want to start any conflict so they haven't tried to force the others out of the bowl while eating. I usually take the bowls to wash them after each feeding so I actually might not have to worry about other animals after all.

Willowy I'm trying to work with my parents to get all the kitties fixed. I'm looking into the TNR program in my city and I've seen them schedule some kind of workshop for it in December. There is a group that will fix them for free in my area, but I'd have to trap them all somehow first. Splotches and Family are pretty friendly as the kittens aren't afraid of me, but the mother and auntie are very cautious. i want to try to get them to be a bit more comfortable with me beforehand  I'd hate for them to never trust me again after getting them spayed so early in our relationship. Trash crew (except for one) all seem pretty feral. They're the most cautious and scared. If I look at them while they eat 2 of them will bolt and I won't see them again for 2 days. 

Would the snow and the cold effect their recovery from the neutering/spaying? I'm a worry wart and I wouldn't want them to run around with shaved bellies in 20 degree weather.

Mimetwit said:

Thank you TabbyTom! Trash crew does come around while the others are feeding, but they wait their turn. I witnessed one of them introduce himself to one of the kittens 2 days ago. It doesn't seem like any of them want to start any conflict so they haven't tried to force the others out of the bowl while eating. I usually take the bowls to wash them after each feeding so I actually might not have to worry about other animals after all.

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It's good that they wait for their turns. It makes your job and life easier. Make sure they have fresh water too.
Keep it up!

Update: I found something weird on/in one of the houses? I didn't get any photos because I was weirded out, but I have white towels on top of the cardboard houses and I found a weird brown mark on top of one of them. I was thinking maybe it was cat pee because it was wet, but it didn't smell like anything. In that same house I found a palm sized spot of spot white/light beige sticky looking substance? I've never had a cat before or even known someone who had one so I don't really know if it was pee or vomit or something. Could it be vaginal discharge? I'm pretty experienced with hamsters and I know that female hamster get a white sticky discharge every now and then. Is it the same for cats? I accidentally touched the white sticky spot and it didn't smell like anything either. Could it have been some scent marking/spraying?

I have made progress in socializing the kittens. They come up to me whenever I open the door, but they keep their distance. Splotches has also been more comfortable in my presence. 

I started putting out some water since I moved to giving them dry food and they seem to really take to it! I used to put out water, but they never drink it. Maybe it's because the dry food makes them thirsty. 

Keep up the good work of socializing them. Have some snacks in your hands so that they associate you with food and that will be easier to win their confidence in you.
About the sticky looking substance, i'm not sure what it is. But it shouldn't be scent markings because if it is, the smell is very strong or pungent.

This is their current setup. 3 cardboard boxes wrapped in t shirts with fuzzy blankets inside each. Splotches claimed the larger box and pushed out the blankie slightly and the babies sleep in the other boxes if it's not too cold. Since it's been windy-er 2 so the kittens went back to my neighbor's back yard (with their auntie) and Splotches stayed with one kitten here. I added the large box 5 days ago because the 2 smaller boxes weren't big enough for all of them so they'd have to split up. By this Saturday they will be moved into a plastic bin shelter so no need to worry about it being too cold.

In the plastic shelter can I put blankets under the straw? The kittens really like a zebra printed blanket in the medium sized box. I've heard that blankets are a bad idea because they can get cold if they become wet, but these shelters will be under constant supervision.  I'm debating putting in a heated mat so they'll get a bit more warmth. This will be the kittens first New York winter and it's brutal out here. Some nights can get below freezing. 

Very nice set-up.  You are doing a wonderful thing for this group of cats.  I sure hope you are able to get them all fixed soon.  Do not worry about trapping them - once they settle down after their surgeries, they will go back to their routines.  If you provide food and shelter for them, they learn to trust you.  Even house cats get a ruffled when taken to the vet but soon enough, they are back in your lap!

I would advise, though, that you gradually change the boxes to plastic totes and the blankets to straw.  Both soak up moisture from the air and will soon be useless.  They can even be covered and not get rained or snowed on and still get wet/damp.

There are lots of ideas on how to make them.  If you aren't handy, you can buy a couple of small dog houses, I would also ask the rescue/TNRgroup if they know of anyone who makes the houses.

Are the kittens going to be adopted out or be your house cats?  They are young enough to socialize and find homes for.  Mom and Auntie seem so, too. They may take some more time and effort but it is worth it.

The others may be too feral to socialize but that doesn't mean they can't have good lives as your yard cats.

Blessings on you and your parents for all you are doing!

I've no experience for winter but I found this thread

[thread="290200"][/thread]

The most important thing is to have them fixed. If you wait until they're more tame the females will all be pregnant again. They usually get pregnant in January so you have about a month and a half. It's better to do it now than to wait for full trust, because it will make them mad no matter what, lol. They'll trust you more once they're fixed.

They'll be OK in the cold---TNR vets shave a minimal area, and it's better than the possibility of flies contaminating their incisions which can happen when it's warmer.

Ondine said:

 
Very nice set-up.  You are doing a wonderful thing for this group of cats.  I sure hope you are able to get them all fixed soon.  Do not worry about trapping them - once they settle down after their surgeries, they will go back to their routines.  If you provide food and shelter for them, they learn to trust you.  Even house cats get a ruffled when taken to the vet but soon enough, they are back in your lap!

I would advise, though, that you gradually change the boxes to plastic totes and the blankets to straw.  Both soak up moisture from the air and will soon be useless.  They can even be covered and not get rained or snowed on and still get wet/damp.

There are lots of ideas on how to make them.  If you aren't handy, you can buy a couple of small dog houses, I would also ask the rescue/TNRgroup if they know of anyone who makes the houses.

Are the kittens going to be adopted out or be your house cats?  They are young enough to socialize and find homes for.  Mom and Auntie seem so, too. They may take some more time and effort but it is worth it.

The others may be too feral to socialize but that doesn't mean they can't have good lives as your yard cats.

Blessings on you and your parents for all you are doing!

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I'm going to go to a TNR workshop with my father in December. I've been looking into the outdoor shelter and I've settled on a plastic bin with insulation boards on the inside. Where could I look for local TNR groups? Google? Call our local humane society? I've been trying, but I only found one group that's just a low cost spay/neuter group.  I'll be contacting them to maybe ask about some local TNR groups. I haven't thought about socializing the kittens to get them adopted. I wanted to bring them inside, but my mother is allergic. She does enjoy their company she just can't get too close to them. If I can socialize the kittens enough I will try to get them adopted. I really want them to have good lives.  They seem to be somewhere around 8 -10 weeks as they aren't very big. 

TabbyTom said:

I've no experience for winter but I found this thread
 [thread="290200"]What Do You Do For Stray Cats During The Winter  [/thread]

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Thank you for the link! 

Willowy said:

The most important thing is to have them fixed. If you wait until they're more tame the females will all be pregnant again. They usually get pregnant in January so you have about a month and a half. It's better to do it now than to wait for full trust, because it will make them mad no matter what, lol. They'll trust you more once they're fixed.

They'll be OK in the cold---TNR vets shave a minimal area, and it's better than the possibility of flies contaminating their incisions which can happen when it's warmer.

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When are the mating seasons? I'm going to try to learn how to trap them and use traps by the end of this month/ beginning of December.  I just have to sort out where to take them and where to get the traps. 

Cats don't really have a mating season. They can get pregnant any time. But, USUALLY, in areas with harsh winters, they have their fall litter in September or so, then don't get pregnant again until January or February. No guarantees though! But usually. So early December should be fine.

Willowy said:

Cats don't really have a mating season. They can get pregnant any time. But, USUALLY, in areas with harsh winters, they have their fall litter in September or so, then don't get pregnant again until January or February. No guarantees though! But usually. So early December should be fine.

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Do you have any experience trapping? My mom is worried about that part especially because I've heard about cats that take several months to trap. 

This is Bean. One of the kittens. It doesn't translate well in photo, but he's quite small. My guessimation for age is about 10 or so weeks old. He's pretty independent and likes to bite his siblings tails constantly. He's the most confident of the 3.

One of the trash crew scared my kittens! A large (I'm assuming tom cat) started sniffing around the shelters where Splotches and Family stay. He frightened one of my kittens and started attempting to go in one of their homes. A couple of minutes after I scared him off Moe (another trash cat) was staring down one of the kittens on the steps of my porch. The kitten hissed at him and then Moe swiped at him and the kitten ran after him to chase him off. What should I do??

I have trapped before. Try to prevent their access to any other food sources---they're a lot easier to trap when they're good and hungry. Kittens are usually easy, because they don't know any better and will go right in the trap. Put priority on the females, if you need to make choices, because at least males don't get pregnant .

Some cats like cheap smelly tuna or skipjack, some prefer rotisserie or fried chicken. If you use chicken don't give them the bones.

The cats have probably met each other before. I wouldn't worry about little skirmishes, I would only get worried if the fighting gets bad. They have to sort out whose territory is where. Neutering the males should eliminate most serious fighting.