Oh no

I just got up and I opened my front door and a light grey tabby cat bolted off my front porch and high tailed it down the road.
I think this is the momma cat to every one of my former feral kittens.I haven't saw her in like 2 years.Last year when I ended up with Max and Ruby when they were like 2-3 weeks old...I had no clue where they came from cause I hadn't saw that feral mom in like a year.
It may not be her,but it looks a LOT like her if not.By the way she acted I am about 100% sure she is feral..Plus I know most of my neighbor's and know who has cats and who doesn't.
I am going to see about borrowing a trap and see if I can't catch this cat and just get it fixed and let it back loose here.
I just hope I can catch her before school is out and hope I can talk our vet into squeezing her spay in for me,because I am in a bad financial situation right now.And there is no place around here that helps with s/n of ferals.

I just hope she doesn't have kittens somewhere already.

I hope your vet will work with you on paying for her spaying. It sure will feel good knowing that she can't have any more kittens.

Good luck catching this elusive momma cat!

Good Luck getting this cat caught and fixed.

Katie

Good luck! I'm so sorry there's no where near you where you can get a low-cost spay - have you talked to your vet about a payment schedule yet?

And BTW - Bravo to you for all you've done for ferals around you!!!!!!

Originally Posted by LDG

Good luck! I'm so sorry there's no where near you where you can get a low-cost spay - have you talked to your vet about a payment schedule yet?

And BTW - Bravo to you for all you've done for ferals around you!!!!!!

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Well,here is the situation.I would like to catch this cat before school gets out for the summer,because most likely our vet at school will do it for me..that is if he has time because we are not doing any surgeries this week so next week is the last week to get them done..and there are already surgeries down for those days but I am hoping if I catch her he will squeeze her in.

I have for the most part used a low cost clinic about an hour an a half away from me.BUT they usually have like a 1-2 month wait period before you can even get a spay appointment..and I guess you all know that I cannot keep this cat this long before her appointment.

Also there is a place about an hour and a half to 2 hours from me that does feral cat s/n..but they only do them once a month and their day is this weekend.

But I will figure something out when/if I catch her.LOL.


I got some news today about her though.My neighbor said she had kittens under her doublewide..she doesn't think they are too old,because she seen her preggers a couple of weeks ago.

So,given this information...what would you all do?


Would it be horrible if I KNEW I could get to the kittens and I go ahead and catch her and spay her and just bottle feed the kittens??
Because I am so afraid she will move them or I won't be able to catch the kittens if they get much bigger(I was unsuccessful at catching 2 kittens from 2 different litters of hers and don't know what happened to them.They were big enough to be on their own last I saw them)
Plus now that I know where she is hanging out I am hoping I can place the trap right and finally catch her after 2 years of trying(and 8 kittens of hers I kept later)



Also I saw 2 new strange cats while ago...a calico and a black cat.**sigh**.I dunno if these are feral or not..I was out talking to my neighbor and saw them going into another neighbor's yard(that I know doesn't own them).But this weekend I am going to go around to the couple of neighbor's that I don't know that well and see if these 2 could possibly be their's..We did have some new people move in down the road a bit just a couple of months ago and I am hoping they belong to them.
I know the cat I saw the other day isn't owned..I know she is feral,but now I just got to figure out where these two came from.

Would it be horrible if I KNEW I could get to the kittens and I go ahead and catch her and spay her and just bottle feed the kittens??

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vettechstudent-If you feel you can bottle feed these babies..I say go for it. The earlier you socialize them..the better chance that they can be placed in a home which is a good thing.

Good Luck trapping!

Katie

I am certainly no expert when it comes to how to handle TNRing/Rescuing momma cats with kittens. If we're not sure we can adopt out the kittens, the way we handle it is to leave momma with kitties until they're 12 weeks old - that way if we have to trap, sterilize and return them, they've learned what they can learn and have a much higher chance of surviving on their own. But they still make wonderful pets if we can adopt them out, though their transition to inside and being loved takes a little longer than if they'd been brought in earlier. (Though so much of it is really the personality and temperment of the cat to begin with).

Even with hand-raised kitties it isn't recommended to remove them from momma's presence until they're 12 weeks old. I totally understand it if people who have a rescued momma kitty that has deigned to be inside their homes to have her kitties want or need to adopt them out at 8 - 10 weeks old. (Hopefully sterilized).

But this is a different situation. This is a difficult mom who's eluded you in the past. There's nothing terrible about bottle-raised kitties - but they are a LOT of work!!!!! Bottle-raising kittens without a mom is really a large, large undertaking. If you decide to do this, make sure that you are fully prepared for it! They have to be fed every few hours, you have to help them go to the bathroom, and you have to clean them - and it's not easy. Human babies at that same relative age are easier! Much easier! You will be completely sleep-deprived, they have very sharp little claws.... BUT there's a number of people here who can help with advice. In fact, there's already several threads going.

I hate to recommend separating momma from babies, but if you're prepared for all the work, perhaps in this situation it is best.

No matter what you decide to do, I send only my best wishes and LOTS of luck!!!!!!

Originally Posted by LDG

But this is a different situation. This is a difficult mom who's eluded you in the past. There's nothing terrible about bottle-raised kitties - but they are a LOT of work!!!!! Bottle-raising kittens without a mom is really a large, large undertaking. If you decide to do this, make sure that you are fully prepared for it! They have to be fed every few hours, you have to help them go to the bathroom, and you have to clean them - and it's not easy. Human babies at that same relative age are easier! Much easier! You will be completely sleep-deprived, they have very sharp little claws.... BUT there's a number of people here who can help with advice. In fact, there's already several threads going.

I hate to recommend separating momma from babies, but if you're prepared for all the work, perhaps in this situation it is best.

No matter what you decide to do, I send only my best wishes and LOTS of luck!!!!!!

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Hehe.Guess you missed my post a few weeks ago about my abandoned kittens.I ended up with three 1 week old kittens(they are now about 4 and a half weeks and I put up pics in the picture forum the other day)One of my cats that was supposed to be a foster "mothered" them and still is.LOL.She has been a HUGE help with the kittens although she couldn't feed them..she did everything else.

Originally Posted by TNR1

vettechstudent-If you feel you can bottle feed these babies..I say go for it. The earlier you socialize them..the better chance that they can be placed in a home which is a good thing.

Good Luck trapping!

Katie

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Anyway thanks for the support you guys.I think in this situation that if I am able to get the mother that it would be best to just bottle-feed the babies.I am just so afraid that if I don't try to catch her while I know where she is I may not get the chance again for a while.I swear I don't never seem to see her at all until she already has kittens.
Also there are so many completely tame kittens that need homes..I just don't think I would have much luck around here trying to adopt out half feral kittens to an inside home.That is exactly why I have as many as I do....because no one wanted half wild kittens in their home...That's okay though....their loss.


My professor is supposed to bring me the trap this week so I can set it up this weekend,so hopefully I can catch this momma and finally get her spayed.
If I can't get it done at school I am going to call the low cost clinic I use a lot and beg them to squeeze her in.Heck as many cats and dogs as my mom and I have took down there(not all ours either....we take for others sometimes when we go)I am hoping they will work with me a little on this.
If not I will figure something out I just want her spayed.


Thanks again and I will keep everyone updated.Keep fingers and paws crossed for me.

I am sending you good trapping vibes...please keep us posted.

Katie

Good luck....it sounds as if a lot of variables have to fall into place at the same time for this to happen. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

You know youre right it's harder than a baby! I mean a baby is suppose to be nurtured by a human for one thing. And they aren't as fragile as a bottle feeding kitty. I am bottle feeding and I know of what you speak!

Originally Posted by vettechstudent

Hehe.Guess you missed my post a few weeks ago about my abandoned kittens.I ended up with three 1 week old kittens(they are now about 4 and a half weeks and I put up pics in the picture forum the other day)One of my cats that was supposed to be a foster "mothered" them and still is.LOL.She has been a HUGE help with the kittens although she couldn't feed them..she did everything else.

....Thanks again and I will keep everyone updated. Keep fingers and paws crossed for me.

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Ooops! I obviously did miss that post! You obviously know what you're in for then!

I hope it all comes together for you - now GO GET THAT MOMMA!

Well,I now have the trap in my possesion.
I am going to set it up Friday night for her.I think I will just leave it sitting outside near the food without actually setting it just so she will be used to it somewhat before I actually set it up for her.

So hopefully she won't outsmart me this time.LOL.

Anyone got any good suggestions as to what to put in the trap to entice her to get in??
Sardines?? or ?????
I always just used canned cat food to catch the kittens,but I just don't know if she will go for this.This cat is just darn too smart.LOL.
Also should I drape a sheet or something over the cage when I set it up for her??

One of the caretakers I know swears by catnip..she says it leads the hard to trap ferals right to the trap.

Katie

Well,I have some great news.(No I didn't catch her yet.LOL.)
BUT I did find a place to get her spayed.It is a LOT closer than the place that specifically works with ferals(I had originally thought it was 1 and a half to 2 hours away,but it is more like 2 and a half...plus I do know that it is only once a month)
It is a little farther than my usual low cost place I use,but not by much.Plus they don't have NEAR the wait time.
It is fairly new so that is why I didn't know anything about it.

We had a continuing education conference today and some former grads came and there was a guy talking about the place he worked.I asked some questions and found out that it was fairly close(about an hour and a half or so)and told him my situation and he gave me a name of someone else who works there and told me to talk to her and tell her I talked to him.
Also since I am a student and have below a certain income level,I can most likely get her spayed FREE.It is only $35 if I had to pay though.

I am just so excited that I found this out.

I hopefully will only have to hold her for a few days.He said the wait time was only about a week to a week and a half,but I am hoping if I tell them she is completely feral,they will work her in for me sooner,but if not,I guess I will be trying to figure out how to get her some food and water in the cage without getting killed.LOL.

I just wanted to share the news with everyone.I am just sooooo happy that I know about this place now.

Here is their site.

http://fix-a-pet.com/pricing.html

That's great! I wish we had a place like that around here. Good luck catching her. Here kitty, kitty....

Wow..that is a great find.

Katie

Well,I already have the trap set although I usually don't see her until almost dark or after dark.But I have it ready in case she decides to make an early visit.
It is trying to sprinkle rain and storm here a little,but I hope it doesn't amount to much.
I would really like to catch this cat.