Hi! So I have a very feral momma cat with her two babies in a extra large dog crate. How do I change the blankets without getting ripped to pieces? Lol. The babies have knocked over the water and got into moms food bowl. It needs to be changed.
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Cleaning cage with feral momma
- Thread starter askbecki
- Start Date
Why are they in a crate with food & water bowls? Don't you have a quiet spot for them someplace else?
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- #3
We rescued babies then the next night we were able to trap mom. I have a large home with 9 people in the house. Every single room with a door is full. I ended up moving them to my room even though I'm allergic so I can eventually let them out. Right now mom hates anyone coming into the room and I don't know if it's safe to let her out.
How old are the kittens?
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- #5
Maybe almost 3 weeks old we are thinking.
Momma cat is very worried that you will harm her kittens. Understandable if you see things from her POV. I wouldn't worry about changing the bedding now as you will upset her. Let me ask you this - where is momma's litter box?
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- #7
Inside the crate. There is a box she can hide in covered by a towel, then on the other side of the crate is the litter box with non clumping litter. I have her food and water in there too. I'm hoping to maybe leave the crate door open soon to let her out to run around my room and stretch. I'm just worried about her not going back in or attacking me when I need to come into my room.
I'm just worried about how you are going to sleep in your room. Can't picture how big the crate is, but cats don't like their litter box next to their food. Get through tonight if you can & try to let momma out for a bit tomorrow. Once she sees you mean no harm & are not planning to touch her kittens, she may be ok. But what you are going to do for the next several weeks until they wean I do not know. The good thing is that she has only 2 kittens. Cannot imagine what you would do if she had 6.
Do you have a non-kill shelter that would take them?
Do you have a non-kill shelter that would take them?
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Leave the clean blankets just outside the entrance to the dog cage so the mother can see them.
I would also let the mother have free run of your room, as you were thinking. It's probably stressful for her to be kept in the cage.
Mum will sniff and walk on the new blankets (she might also try and pull them in the cage). Change the blankets when she is out of the cage, providing she will not try and stop you from approaching the kittens.
Remember, the kittens should be handled by a human pretty quickly if they are three weeks old or they, like their mum, will be afraid of humans.
I would also let the mother have free run of your room, as you were thinking. It's probably stressful for her to be kept in the cage.
Mum will sniff and walk on the new blankets (she might also try and pull them in the cage). Change the blankets when she is out of the cage, providing she will not try and stop you from approaching the kittens.
Remember, the kittens should be handled by a human pretty quickly if they are three weeks old or they, like their mum, will be afraid of humans.
Keeping a feral mother and her kittens in a crate is the safest way to house them, I think.
If the blankets are wet they do need to be changed. Feral mothers regularly move their kittens from one nesting site to another when they are outside. This helps to prevent flea infestation and means that the litter is safer from predators as the smell of the clean nest is not as strong as the old one.
Before you let Mum have free run in your room you need to make sure it's cat proof. Block of anything she can get under or behind. You want the crate to be her safe spot, rather than have her move the family behind a closet or under your bed. Does the room door lock? It would be a good idea to keep it locked or only let her out while you are there to supervise. Just in case someone accidentally opens the door.
If the kittens are only 3 weeks old they won't be able to climb very well yet. One way that you could keep them out of Mum's water and litter is to have a high sided cardboard box as their bed. Make up the box with clean blankets so you can just switch the old and new blankets around. Let her out of the cage, as @TrickyTree suggested, put the kittens into the box and put them back in the crate as fast as you can. If she's not used to people you may have to sit there quietly with the crate door open for a while until she feels brave enough to venture out.
Keeping the food and litter close together is not ideal, but it can't be helped some times. As long as she is eating and you scoop the litter box whenever you can it's OK. Cats actually feel more secure if they can smell their used litter. That's why shelter cats often sleep in their litter boxes.
Are you free feeding the mother? If you have time to just feed her wet food 3 or 4 times a day while you are there she will learn to associate you with good things faster than she would if free fed.
Good luck.
If the blankets are wet they do need to be changed. Feral mothers regularly move their kittens from one nesting site to another when they are outside. This helps to prevent flea infestation and means that the litter is safer from predators as the smell of the clean nest is not as strong as the old one.
Before you let Mum have free run in your room you need to make sure it's cat proof. Block of anything she can get under or behind. You want the crate to be her safe spot, rather than have her move the family behind a closet or under your bed. Does the room door lock? It would be a good idea to keep it locked or only let her out while you are there to supervise. Just in case someone accidentally opens the door.
If the kittens are only 3 weeks old they won't be able to climb very well yet. One way that you could keep them out of Mum's water and litter is to have a high sided cardboard box as their bed. Make up the box with clean blankets so you can just switch the old and new blankets around. Let her out of the cage, as @TrickyTree suggested, put the kittens into the box and put them back in the crate as fast as you can. If she's not used to people you may have to sit there quietly with the crate door open for a while until she feels brave enough to venture out.
Keeping the food and litter close together is not ideal, but it can't be helped some times. As long as she is eating and you scoop the litter box whenever you can it's OK. Cats actually feel more secure if they can smell their used litter. That's why shelter cats often sleep in their litter boxes.
Are you free feeding the mother? If you have time to just feed her wet food 3 or 4 times a day while you are there she will learn to associate you with good things faster than she would if free fed.
Good luck.
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- #11
Thank you! Oh boy. So many helpful tips. Lol. I do go in there three times a day to feed her. This morning she was extra spooked for some reason so I had to be super careful. I think I may end up letting her cage open today for a bit to see what she does. The only places she can hide is my bed or under our tv stand. As long as she uses her litter box and not my floor we will be okay! Lol. I might throw a big blanket over my bed so if she gets on there I won't have to wash it. I'm so allergic so I usually never let our cats in my room and difintily not on my bed. I keep telling myself this is temporary! Lol. Momma and babies are worth the extra work. All the shelters here are full. Kittens everywhere! 
You may be able to attach a new crate or carrier to the exit door and have them go in for "holding" close the carrier change out the bedding and let them back in the crate.
I used to connect two 2-door crates with those wire grids you build shelves with. I opened each side door and built a "tunnel" with the grids. It gave me extra room for the litter box and a place for the cats to run when I had to clean one side or the other.
When you open the door, does she charge you or run into the carrier? If she runs and hides, close the carrier and confine her while you clean. If she charges, you may need to get a large piece of cardboard and use it like a shield. You can maneuver her into the carrier that way. Tricky but it can be done.
As above, if you let her into you room, make sure there is no place she can hide. She'll take the kittens there and you'll never find them!
When you open the door, does she charge you or run into the carrier? If she runs and hides, close the carrier and confine her while you clean. If she charges, you may need to get a large piece of cardboard and use it like a shield. You can maneuver her into the carrier that way. Tricky but it can be done.
As above, if you let her into you room, make sure there is no place she can hide. She'll take the kittens there and you'll never find them!
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- #14
Thank you so much!!! She usually runs and hides. She has started to charge me a few times but then gets scared and runs.
