Age Of Babies? Also, Was Mama Cat Tnr'd?

[redshoes]

Hello! I have a couple questions about a mama cat and her two babies who have been visiting my house. First, I'm curious about how old the kittens are. My boyfriend first saw mama cat outside on Memorial Day weekend, and she appeared to be nursing, though he didn't see the babies. He fed her some dry food (we have two cats already). Then on July 18, she brought around her two kittens, and they ate dry and wet food as well, so they seemed to have been weaned by then.

Based on that timeline, I figured they're about 4-5 months old now. I took them to the vet the other day and the vet tech agreed with that estimate. But they're big! One is 7 pounds, the other is 8. Is there some way I can get a more precise estimate on exactly how old they are?

Also, I noticed mama's ear is clipped. My boyfriend first assumed she had gotten into a fight and had her ear injured, but she has no other injuries, and it's a clean line just like clipped ears look, so is it safe to assume from that someone did TNR with her? Also, does that mean she's been vaccinated too? We took vaccinated both boys and have neutering appointments scheduled, but I don't know what to do with mama.

Here's a pic of the two kittens (inside), and a pic of mama and one of the kittens (outside). Thank you for any help you can provide!!

 

[Lalexa67]

A local cat sanctuary clips the ear when they trap a feral cat and then release them back to their colony. It’s confusing to me because they fix them and vacinate them before they release.

 

[Willowy]

It’s confusing to me because they fix them and vacinate them before they release.

What's confusing to you? That's what TNR programs are about.

Yeah, I'd say she probably got TNRed. Do you remember when she showed up with the clipped ear? Like, did she have the clipped ear the first time your boyfriend saw her? Can you handle her? If so, look for a green stripe tattoo on her stomach. Most TNR programs do that for spays.

Most TNR programs do rabies vaccines, at least. If you know who runs the programs in your area, you can ask what vaccines they give.

 

[Lalexa67]

What's confusing to you? That's what TNR programs are about.

Of course - I was just a little confused because of the timeline. Mama just had a litter of kittens and they must have gotten to her fairly quickly.

 

[redshoes]

Thank you for your replies! Yeah, seeing the ear threw me off too, because it must've been done pretty soon after she gave birth. I don't know if it was clipped when my boyfriend saw her on Memorial Day, but it was when she brought her kittens around in July. She's warmed up to us so I can try to see if she has the green stripe - thanks for that tip, I wasn't aware of that!

 

[Willowy]

The green tattoo is easy to see on dogs, but not so much on cats, lol. Furry tummies! But you can usually find it if the cat lets you look closely enough.