Feral Kittens!

kat_and_luna · May 26, 2006

Hello,
I work at Petsmart in the grooming dept. and today one of our cashiers brought in six feral kittens. They are so cute. She said her neighbor had the momma and the kittens in his bakyard, and he tried to relocate them several times and she moved them back. He can't have them in his yard because he is highy allergic to cats and has three huge dogs. He has tried to catch mom so many times but just can't. He was afraid his dogs would get them, so he brought them into us before the kittens got too feral like mom. So I now have six kittens, they are about 5 weeks old. They are eating on wet food kinda of. Is there a way to get them to eat better, they seem scared? I have them in a dog crate in my room. They have a litter box, food, and water. Do they need anything else? Any advice would help. I will get pics soon

Kat, Luna and Tobi and the six new fuzzies

kat_and_luna · May 26, 2006

Here are some pictures, enjoy !!!

catkiki · May 27, 2006

Get some KMR for them. They were too young to leave mama.... they are adorable

wookie130 · May 27, 2006

Yes, KMR mixed with wet food may suffice, or you could try supplementing their solid foods with 2-3 bottle feedings each day...please research how to properly bottle feed at www.kitten-rescue.com

Since they are in a crate with the litterbox, it shouldn't take them too long to figure out what it's for. Have they been seen by a vet yet?

They really are beautiful kittens.

tnr1 · May 27, 2006

Originally Posted by Kat_and_Luna

Hello,
I work at Petsmart in the grooming dept. and today one of our cashiers brought in six feral kittens. They are so cute. She said her neighbor had the momma and the kittens in his bakyard, and he tried to relocate them several times and she moved them back. He can't have them in his yard because he is highy allergic to cats and has three huge dogs. He has tried to catch mom so many times but just can't. He was afraid his dogs would get them, so he brought them into us before the kittens got too feral like mom. So I now have six kittens, they are about 5 weeks old. They are eating on wet food kinda of. Is there a way to get them to eat better, they seem scared? I have them in a dog crate in my room. They have a litter box, food, and water. Do they need anything else? Any advice would help. I will get pics soon

Kat, Luna and Tobi and the six new fuzzies

It is always preferable to try to trap the entire family, even when mom is feral so that she can continue to nurse the kittens and then she can be spayed. For future reference, below is a list of TNR groups in California..it's pretty extensive:

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html#ca

Katie

beckiboo · May 27, 2006

Here is a good link to info about ferals.
http://www.cat77.org.uk/articles/feral3.htm
They will need lots of attention, and I totally agree with getting them some KMR to mix in their food until they are eating better.

Also, a vet check is in order for the kittens. They are just adorable!

And have the cashier borrow a live trap to capture the Mom so she can be spayed, or she will be having more kittens.

butterflydream · May 27, 2006

Last early summer we had taken in 4 feral kittens and they were about that old. They look to be too old for a bottle feeding, so I'd say KMR in food or KMR in a dish (though being that old they may not like KMR cause it's significantly different than momma's milk but there is no harm in trying).

Handle them ALOT. And they'll be just as tame as any other kitten.

I'm in love with those two Calicos.

kat_and_luna · May 28, 2006

Thanks All,
I am not completely sure they are totally feral, they seem pretty tame. They have a trap, but momma is to smart. The kittens are doing good they are eating premium wet kitten food w/ KMR mixed in. I hold them daily, whenever I come in the room they are in they climb all over the kennel door and meow their heads off. I let them out to run around and play. They are so cute. Momma will be caught and spayed so this doesn't happen again

I want to get them tested for FIV and other stuff, and checked by a vet, but I really can't afford it now. I called the shelter and they totally blew me off. A rescue said they didn't have room even if I foster. What can I do?
Thanks,
Kat and the kitty's

semiferal · May 29, 2006

Oh geez, they're cute.

Mama, of course, *must* be spayed right away so they need to be diligent with the trap.

The kittens look 4-5 weeks old so they are definitely old enough to start eating kitten food. Nutro canned is a good option. They don't need KMR, and in fact if you make their food liquidy they may aspirate which would be really bad. They develop the ability to manage semisolid food before they get the hang of lapping at liquids.

silvermoonmyst · May 29, 2006

AWWWWW *coos over the hissing kitten*
course she could be mewing, They are adorable! I have 4 myself, but three are missing in my house ( big house hehe, they will turn up)
they are so cute, good luck finding them good homes. I hope they find good loving families!

tnr1 · May 29, 2006

Originally Posted by Kat_and_Luna

Thanks All,
I am not completely sure they are totally feral, they seem pretty tame. They have a trap, but momma is to smart. The kittens are doing good they are eating premium wet kitten food w/ KMR mixed in. I hold them daily, whenever I come in the room they are in they climb all over the kennel door and meow their heads off. I let them out to run around and play. They are so cute. Momma will be caught and spayed so this doesn't happen again

I want to get them tested for FIV and other stuff, and checked by a vet, but I really can't afford it now. I called the shelter and they totally blew me off. A rescue said they didn't have room even if I foster. What can I do?
Thanks,
Kat and the kitty's

Kat...must be a bad kitten season....but I would continue to contact rescue groups around you and see if one of them would be willing to allow you to bring the kittens to one of their adoption events and allow for the rescue to charge their normal fee. You can also contact a low cost clinic to see about getting all these kittens tested and fixed before they go to homes, the list for california is below:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/stca.html

Many people who do TNR swear by warm, skinless KFC...also, you need to make sure that mom has not been fed recently as she will most likely not walk into a trap if she is full.

Katie

kat_and_luna · May 29, 2006

Thanks Katie! I will make sure to tell the cashier not to feed her. They have been trying for a few days now with no luck. They are doing good and getting chubby. I'll keep you updated

Kat and the Kitties

kat_and_luna · May 29, 2006

what age can they be spayed/neuter or is it just when they hit 2 lbs?
Kat

trouts mom · May 29, 2006

Wow they are real cuties!!

We got our cat spayed at 6 months, but I think on this site they say you can do juvenile spaying.I'm not sure which age though.

penthilisea · May 29, 2006

6 weeks or 2 lbs whichever comes first. I think it has a slightly higher mortality rate then an older spay, but many fewer complications. I adopted 4 kittens last year from 3 different sources (long story) and two were early fixed and two were fixed at the typical age. All are fine, 100 % healthy and easy. I just got worried with the two later fix's because the female was going into a VERY early heat and her brother was practicing on her. Luckily we got them done just in time. For that reason i advocate early spay neuter- no mistakes, no too lates, no oops litters.

In case you were wondering I now have 9 indoor cats and one feral pregnant female in my outbuildings office. Too many! Can't reduce the group but we will NEVER have this many again, it's just been a fiasco we never expected. Expensive too!

Feral Kittens!

kat_and_luna

TCS Member

Thread starter

kat_and_luna

TCS Member

Thread starter

catkiki

TCS Member

wookie130

TCS Member

tnr1

TCS Member

beckiboo

TCS Member

butterflydream

TCS Member

kat_and_luna

TCS Member

Thread starter

semiferal

TCS Member

silvermoonmyst

TCS Member

tnr1

TCS Member

kat_and_luna

TCS Member

Thread starter

kat_and_luna

TCS Member

Thread starter

trouts mom

TCS Member

penthilisea

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us