Urgent, possible feral kittens and stray cats outside in cold weather!

Hello, I feed these 4 tabby cats in total, two being over a year old and two kittens. They appear every day on my front door, and I give them some small meals because i assume they have owners that let them outside. But I feed the kittens more and try my best not to scare them away. They form their jolt stance when I look at them. I've been seeing these two kittens for several weeks now, just recently the orange tabby kitten. And the problem is that, it's winter and I see them out on nighttime. Which is no time for a kitten to be outside. I'm conflicted to whom I should call, can someone help me? Additional information; the two tabby cats have come into my home before, so i assumed they have owners, but I sometimes see them at night, too.
I will give more details if asked.

Those cats and kittens have no business being outside in cold weather. You don't say where you live, but here it's hovering around 0 degrees F. See if you can get all the cats in the house, and then try to locate their owners. And of course, let the owners know it's too cold for the kitties to be outside.

If you can't do that, I know someone here who takes care of feral cats like @Norachan  will tell you how to build a shelter for the cats.

If it was me, I would set up winter outdoor cat shelters (there are a lot of how to guides if you search for outdoor feral) to give them a warm place in case they don't have a home. As to if they have a home, that is more troublesome.

Depending on your area, you can post flyers asking if they have homes, talk to neighbors and see if your neighborhood is active in NextDoor.com to ask around. You can also try to catch them and take them to the vet to see if they are microchipped.

If you make your best effort to confirm if they have homes and can't find any evidence you can then decide if you want to take them in, continue to feed, or find homes. If you go that route make sure you keep an eye out for lost cat signs for a few weeks.

Being skittish of strangers in itself isn't a sign they don't have homes because some cats are skittish of strangers. If they are skinny (bones showing skinny), dirty, males not neutered, ear tipped, or jsut appear rough those can all be signs they don't have homes. My cats are indoor/outdoor but anyone seeing them wouldn't doubt that they have homes. They have silky fur, healthy weight and size, collars, alert, not fearful of humans but cautious of strangers, and they tend to follow us around and stay near us if we are home. I also doubt they would seek food from someone else but I know one of mine was eating food put out for a neighbors outdoor cat. That one was making him sick so I talked to her and we worked out that she would shoo him away or cover the food and he stopped getting sick.

Can you tell me how to get feral kittens in consicely? I live in northern Virginia, which sparked my concern.

Easiest way is to contact the local shelter and see if you can borrow/rent a live animal trap. Withhold food for a feeding then set out the trap with food in it. Cover the trap with a towel or newspaper when setting it except for the opening(s). Its best if you get one per cat but you can spread it out over multiple days. The only problem with multiple days is some learn and avoid traps.

If you are able to touch any of them you can sit quietly and hold out a hand. When they approach pet until they calm. If possible pick up then do so but have a towel nearby to wrap them in if needed. Or grab by the back of the neck. If you are trying to catch make sure to wear clothing you are okay with possibly getting torn and will protect you from claws.

Another method is to start feed in a crate (like a dog crate) and in a few days close the door while they are in it.

Really traps are the best.

Welcome to the Cat Site, Jerico. I grew up in northern Virginia, Arlington to be exact, so I know the weather. Not as cold as here, but cold, and you've got a snow storm threatening.

If the two adults will come in the house, I would try to encourage the kittens to follow, using some food or treats. Probably one of the adults is the mom. Failing that, try the traps as Kieka advises. Or make an outdoor shelter.

Hi @Jerico  It does sound as if you are dealing with a family of feral cats. It's possible that the kittens are the off-spring of the older ones. Are you able to offer them a home yourself? Or would you be prepared to take on the responsibility of caring for outdoor feral cats? Whatever you choose to do, you need to get them spayed and neutered very soon. 2 cats will be 30 by this time next year.

(Take it from someone who learnt that the hard way.)


 Please keep us posted.

In my country, in the rural areas it is not uncommon for a cat to share a couple of "homes". As cats are territorial rather than social to humans, I can explain this to myself.

Getting cats indoor might be not as easy as a long term solution and may also conflict with the other owners, if any. Cat shelters as @Norachan suggested look to me as an wise compromise idea.