Feral Mom and new kittens

Hi all! First time visitor looking for advice!

I have been feeding a feral for about 6-7 months now, and have never been able to get close enough to pet her or pick her up. With the recent frigid weather here in CT, I decided to try to get her into my basement as a shelter for her...as I had noticed her large belly recently, I figured she was preggers...and today confirmed that. She had 4 kittens this morning.
I have no problem taking care of her and her kittens, I'm just concerned with socializing the kittens with the mom still around. When is a good time for me to start handling them without the fear of Mom rejecting them?

Any advice would be great...this is my first feral!

I am not sure about the socialization - I think it's about 2 weeks...but someone with more experience will come along with better information.

But I was thinking...for the time being, could you close her in your basement? Feed her, water her, make sure the kits are doing well and all that, but not let her get out and about?

And then, in a little while, can you get her fixed? that would be so much healthier for her...

And congratulations on your new feline family...they're sure to be as joyous as all kits and mamas are. Well done, and thank you for caring so much about them.

Best-
Michele

Hi Slappy, welcome to TCS.

It's really inportant that you balance socialisation with not stressing out mumcat too much. I would recommend not trying to touch the kittens at all for the time being. You really need to leave it until they are at least weaned before you begin interacting with them. Until then, you can sit in the same room with mum and them, as long as she doesn't show any signs of stress, as far away as it takes for mum to feel comfortable, and talk, recite poetry or read aloud for about an hour, a few times a day. This gets mum and kittens used to your voice and presence in the room, without feeling threatened. Keep your eyes lowered, never make eye contact with mum (she will view this as threatening) and let her come to you if she feels comfortable. Keep a very strict routine of feeding mum, cleaning the litterbox and reading aloud, so mum knows when you will be around. You need to be feeding her a good quality kitten food, as pregnancy and nursing take a lot of vitamins and nutrients from her body. When they're ready, the kittens will begin to show interest in her food. At that time, put down canned kitten food, as this is easier for them to eat during weaning.

Make sure the basement is secure, as mum can go into heat as soon as a week after giving birth and if she does, she will try anything she can to get out. Once the kittens are weaned, she can be spayed.

Thanks so much for the responses! Mom is enclosed in the basement and cannot get outside. I do plan to have her spayed once the kittens are weaned...and I do sit with Mom a couple of times a day when I change the litter box and feed/water her...I will now work the kitten food into her diet. Thanks again for the advice!

The positive thing you have going for you with Mom and babies in the basement is that mom will witness first hand that you are not a threat to her babies. That, along with you feeding her good food (and canned food for a treat) usually goes a long way at developing trust with the mom.

As Tania said, you don't want to handle the kittens too young if it threatens the mom. However, if the mom gets to the point that she starts to trust you (by allowing you to pet her, etc), then you may want to start handling the kittens. Don't force yourself on mom - if she is ready for human interaction she will tell you in her own way. If she isn't ready, I usually wait until they are at least close to weaning to start interacting with the kittens. If she is threatened by you and leaves the kittens, you are forced into bottle feeding (and a lot of sleepness nights). She can take care of the kittens at this age much better than you can!

You are an angel for bringing these babies into your life!!

Hi Slappy just wondering how the momma cat & kittens are doing??!!?? Good I hope!!!

Thank you for helping out a mama kitty and her new family! And what a brave little cat to trust you enough to have her babies in your basement. You've been given excellent advice and I hope all goes well. You might call your vet and get their opinion about any health concerns in your area. May you be showered in blessings for the kindness & compassion you've shown!






I have been feeding a feral for about 6-7 months now, and have never been able to get close enough to pet her or pick her up. With the recent frigid weather here in CT, I decided to try to get her into my basement as a shelter for her...as I had noticed her large belly recently, I figured she was preggers...and today confirmed that. She had 4 kittens this morning.
I have no problem taking care of her and her kittens, I'm just concerned with socializing the kittens with the mom still around. When is a good time for me to start handling them without the fear of Mom rejecting them?

Any advice would be great...this is my first feral![/quote]

I agree with what Kumbulu says. Its hard to know if the cat was a true feral or just a stray for a while. When Grizzly (indoor/outdoor kitty) had here 1st couple of litters we left them alone (by alone-not picking them up) until eyes open. Later one we could touch them right away. (We had to-once she had then in a box in the bathtub!!) Good job on rescuing the momma cat. Are the kittens cute???

I don't know... every feral cat I've had has grown to trust me by the time it has kittens, and lets me handle the kittens immediately. I have two feral female cats (and one male, but he's not important in this thread, though he's the daddy), the are legally mine, but they're feral, and they each had a litter of kittens a day apart. I can handle both of the litters, though Tri-Bi is a little more cautious, she still trusts me. I don't know what to tell you. I'd say gain the mom's trust first. A method that worked for me was to give the cat canned food. When she comes near you to eat, stroke her gently. When she eats, stroke her gently. However, BE VERY CAUTIOUS!! BE READY TO JERK BACK AT A MOMENTS NOTICE! DO NOT LET HER BITE YOU!!!
Good luck!!!