She probably has given birth.

Ok, Nerona, the pregnant feral I've talked about, as much as I tried, she wasn't trappable. But... she was eating more and more. Her appetite became nothing short of voracious. And today, she's dissapeared. Every morning she always would show up from a distance hidden in some corner waiting for me to leave food. Today she is nowhere to be seen. I've checked everywhere. I can't see her anywhere. I've checked all the obvious places in the garage, and even that old toolshed no one enters.

Taking the worst case scenario: The next door house is empty. The neighbors have another place in Florida and they come and go. And they haven't been there in months. And their garage has many places in which a female cat could keep a litter. If she has taken that house as her place, she wasn't stupid... she found the hardest spot for me to get into. The absent neighbors are very friendly with me, and I am sure they wouldn't mind if I jumped the concrete wall. But I really don't think its wise to jump on a litter like that, as she might move elsewhere.

I am leaving just as much food in case.

She's given birth, alright. In the toolshed. I am hearing right now little kitten meows. I guess I'm a grandfather.

Congratulations, Granddaddy!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, "Grandpa" and Nerona!!! Welcome to the world, Neonra's new family!! Bless you for taking care of Nerona! I hope that she will tame down enough to be trapped & neutered (I do pray for the day when cats and dogs can be given birth control through food) soon; at least, the babies will hopefully become tame enough to get rescued & adopted, or at least TNR'd. Susan

I am glad you found the litter! Now you should be able to trap Mom, no problem.

What you need to do is line a carrier with a thick layer of towels. Add a heat source too - socks filled with rice or oatmeal and microwaved for a minute or two work great. Then scoop up the kittens and put them in the carrier. Close the door.

Then set a humane box trap for Mom. Bait the trap with food, but more importantly put the trap so the back of the trap is against the front of the carrier (like train cars). Cover the carrier and half of the trap with a towel or two. Then just wait. You should have Mom within an hour.

(Of course, have a quiet place set up in your house beforehand so you can take them in right away.)

Originally Posted by semiferal

I am glad you found the litter! Now you should be able to trap Mom, no problem.

What you need to do is line a carrier with a thick layer of towels. Add a heat source too - socks filled with rice or oatmeal and microwaved for a minute or two work great. Then scoop up the kittens and put them in the carrier. Close the door.

Then set a humane box trap for Mom. Bait the trap with food, but more importantly put the trap so the back of the trap is against the front of the carrier (like train cars). Cover the carrier and half of the trap with a towel or two. Then just wait. You should have Mom within an hour.

(Of course, have a quiet place set up in your house beforehand so you can take them in right away.)

Click to expand...

Yeah, but shouldn't I wait a week or so? You see... at this stage, the kittens can't regulate their body temperatures. While its true we have the so-called "miracle of the tropics" (That the climate is good at all times of the year), the temperatures in December go down to the 70s.

Originally Posted by yoviher

Yeah, but shouldn't I wait a week or so? You see... at this stage, the kittens can't regulate their body temperatures. While its true we have the so-called "miracle of the tropics" (That the climate is good at all times of the year), the temperatures in December go down to the 70s.

Click to expand...

Actually....it would be good to trap the whole family. Bring mom and the kittens indoors (seperate them from any of your own animals until they can be vet checked). That way..it will be easier for when it is the right time to have her spayed.

Katie

No, I wouldn't wait. Right now you know exactly where they are but Mom could move them at any time. Plus the first couple of weeks are when they are most vulnerable so it is most important for them to have you keeping an eye on them now.

Mom is not with them 24/7 as it is and they will keep warm off each others' body heat. I once found a litter of tiny kittens outdoors, a week after a snowstorm, after they had been separated from their mother for 24 hours. They were very much alive and they all did well. In much of the US kitten season is well underway when daytime temperatures are still in the 50's and 60's so if it is 70 degrees where you are then you are in very good shape.

Ok.... I will work on the thing. There is a store downtown that is called "Casa del Agricultor" (House of the Farmer). Its a bit dreary, as all it sells is farming stuff, but they have rabbit traps, which I think I can use for cats.

Hey I just caught up with you Victor! Congrats with the kittens Never knew you had it in you grandpa! I wish you all the best with them and Momma Fingers crossed it all goes well with trapping them. I'd maybe suggest that you keep them a teeny bit warmer with a hot water bottle. We have a kitten in the shelter where I work (who is alone yes) but who is very tiny - we tend to put some warm water in a hot water bottle and wrap it in a towel so that he can't overheat or accidentally scald himself and that works really well - I don't know how quickly microwaved rice loses it's heat, but a hot water bottle would stay relatively warm for a few hours.

Good luck!

Victor, here is a great link from the feral cat board, about trapping the Mom before touching the kittens. (I have no personal experience doing this-but this article makes sense to me!) Good luck with this little family!
http://www.cat77.org.uk/articles/feral2.htm