Feral Cat And Kittens We Were Taking Care Of Are Gone !

[Mweir92]

My fiancé and I had a stray cat we were taking care of living in our shed for the past month and a half. We noticed she was very pregnant we couldn’t take her in the house due to the other cats we have so on s rainy night I set up a little box along with food and water for her to sleep in. The next day she gave birth to 5 kittens all has been great until last night. My fiancé was out on the patio and she accidentally stepped on one of the kittens paws well the mom freaked out and attacked her and wouldn’t stop it was very bad that I had no choice but to kinda kick her off my girlfriend. She is 6 months pregnant and we had no choice but to go to the ER. We came home and the mom was kinda nervous around her and I so I figured we would let it go until the morning. We woke up this morning went out to check on her and she was better a little skittish. I did notice she carried one of the kittens out of the shed once I came out all the kittens ran up to me wanting to be petted the mom however was very cautious approaching her and I which really broke our heart. I changed her food out and replaced her water and then we went out for the day come home to find they were all gone ! I been calling for her for awhile now shaking the food bag no response. This is a little frustrating because the doctor told us to monitor her for 10 days to see if she shows signs of rabies which we doubt she has because she was never aggressive towards us until last night. Is it possible they the cat is still mad at us and simply relocated herself and her babies? We just want closure because my fiancé feels awful about all of this. We do live in a complex and I’m starting to wonder if someone took them we never worried about it before but there is no sight of them anywhere should we still leave food and water out for her Incase she comes back ? Will she come back ?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! My guess/assumption is she relocated. Whether because of you or something else entirely (dog, other cats, other animals), without cameras to see what went on there's no way to know.
Leave food and water out unless you're thinking you might attract other creatures.
She may bring the kittens back, not to raise false hope but that has actualiy happened before.

 

[susanm9006]

I don’t think she will bring her babies back. She has moved them to a place she perceives to be safe. However, please leave food and water out for her. She will leave them periodically to go in search of food probably at night and will likely come back to your place in search of it.

 

[ArchyCat]

I'm with Furballsmom & susnm9006 -- keep putting food and water out in the same location. Ive you have a baby monitor or a game camera, you might set it up to monitor the food and water, to check if mom cat is returning. How old are the kittens? She may start bringing them with her when they are older. Good luck!

 

[Mweir92]

Well I have been keeping food out you must understand this was a complete accident we love all of our animals. Mamma returned that night for food but was a little cautious with us. But no sign of the kittens we have a lot of trees in our yard and I have looked in every single one of them not to move them but to make sure they were safe. We live in an apartment complex and there are a lot of strays in the area and we have been told the Property management will be trapping them and doing whatever with theThis is a rumor of course. Idk where she is keeping them but I’m starting to fear that someone took them when she was out and about and if so this has us very scared because they are not ready to leave her yet. But the mom is around and still pops in for food and water but I can not find the kittens this is really heartbreaking we were going to get them all fixed and find good homes for them before all of this. On another note this cat loves our dog along with our kittens so it has nothing to do with that it’s the fact that my fiancé harmed the kittens in the cats mind and either moved them or worse someone took them which infuriates me because we have been taking care of them for a month and half.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, does her belly hair around the nipples look like she's still nursing?

 

[Mweir92]

Yes I did notice her nipples were fairly large and pointy she showed up after I posted.

 

[Furballsmom]

So you're thinking she's still nursing?

 

[Avery]

We had a similar situation. A few years ago, a feral cat had kittens in the next yard. They all stayed around for a while and we fed them, then they all suddenly disappeared. The mom would stop by for food so I followed her, quietly and carefully, and saw her new location a few blocks away. She actually moved the kittens twice, and both times I found them by watching her and just by being super-observant, walking up and down the street, even asking a few people if they had seen them.

After a while, she did start bringing two of the kittens around for food. With the help of a rescue group, we were able to trap her and have her spayed when the kittens were no longer nursing. I also trapped one of the kittens and he is now a beloved indoor pet. Sadly, the other kittens disappeared, but I live in a cat-friendly area so I just have to hope some kind people adopted them.

If there is a local rescue group, SPCA, etc. near you, they might be able to give some advice and support, loan traps, if necessary, and help you find homes for them. Good luck and thank you for caring about these kittens and their mom.