feral cat with 3 week old kittens

[cosmocats]

Today is the first time I have seen the 3
week old feral kittens. I want to catch them and the mom and bring them in. The mom is very mean. I want to get her fixed and put her out when the kittens are old enough. What is the best way to do this?

 

[di and bob]

Get a live trap, your local shelter might lend you one, or a vet, or they are on sale often at farm supple stores like tractor supply or orschelns for 25.00. Put some stinky food in it like tuna and hope she goes in first and not the kittens. Make sure you know where the kittens are when you trap mama.

 

[Babypaws]

I believe it’s best not to take the mother cat and kittens away from each other til at least six weeks because they’re still nursing. Also it’s best to leave the kittens alone otherwise I’ve heard the mother cat will move them and you may not find them. Also heard sometimes if you end up handling very young kittens the mother might kill them. (Not 100% sure how true that is but I wouldn’t want to chance it)

 

[cosmocats]

I could easily pick up the kittens. It's raining and the mom brought them up on my front porch. I don't know when she might move them.

 

[fionasmom]

At 3 weeks old, they probably are still nursing. Trapping her right now might be an issue for them. I have rescued abandoned kittens younger than 6 or 8 weeks who could be bottle fed or could eat soft kitten food, but if you are sure it is three weeks only, that is a little young. But you should be prepared for trapping all of them in the relatively near future and getting them fixed if you can.

 

[Babypaws]

Three weeks old are way too young to take from the mother. They’re still nursing.

 

[cosmocats]

I don't want to take them from their mother. I want to bring them all in. I have the kittens but I need a trap to catch the mom. Can 3 1/2 week old kittens eat wet food ? I don't want to put them back out. The mom will hide them and they will stay wild.

 

[white shadow]

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Hi cosmocats and welcome to the forum !

I'm confused by your last post........have you taken the kittens inside by themselves? Where is the mother?

The kittens are too young to be separated from her. And, no, they're still too young for "wet food".

You said the "mom is very mean"......most likely she is just being protective of her kittens.

How many kittens are there?

I think you need to hear from one of our kitten experts.... Sarthur2 - could you provide some advise ?

And, C cosmocats - could you provide your general location (nearest city and state) We could then suggest some rescue organizations that may be able to offer support to you (and perhaps divert putting the mom back out on the streets).
.

 

[cosmocats]

I bought a trap Sunday and now have the mom and babies together in my spare room. When the babies are weaned I will get the mom spayed and find homes for the babies. I will have to see how the mom responds if she could be an inside pet or not. Time will tell.

 

[cosmocats]

I'm in Concord NC

 

[white shadow]

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Great news !

OK - if you wanted to have someone else take these cats on, there are many organizations that do this work and may be able to help. Some are large prominent groups, but there are usually other small ones that operate below most folks' 'radar'.

Try Googling exactly this: "cat rescue in Concord NC ". I just tried it and got a zillion results. Now, while you might get lucky with some of the first highlighted ones that come up there, more often than not you'll need to look down - well down - through the listings before 'scoring' a group that has availability. It will take your time and patience.

Ideally, the kits shouldn't be separated from mom until they're 14-16 weeks. Yes, folks adopt out earlier - but, that's to the detriment of the kittens, and the earlier, the greater chances of maladjusted adult cats.

And, chances are good that the mom can be socialized as well. There are many, many threads on here that will give you ideas and techniques to use with them. And, there are lots of folks who will post to you too.

If you want a starting point, try this thread (don't be intimidated by its length, take a bite at a time - she has done a main post once a day, each is full of good info): thecatsite.com - My Feral and Rescued Cats.

Keep us posted and you'll get lots of help and support!
.

 

[Willowy]

Good job! If the mother isn't fully feral---and I don't think she is, since her babies are social---she should tame down pretty quickly now that she's indoors.

 

[Kittycatcat]

So happy you managed to trap Mama and bring her inside, the outside world is no place for tiny kittens.
Least you can now work on socialising them ready for rehoming. How is Mama do you think you'll be able tame her or is she too feral? Least you can get her spayed and she won't have the worry of raising another little

 

[Dee1956]

I bought a trap Sunday and now have the mom and babies together in my spare room. When the babies are weaned I will get the mom spayed and find homes for the babies. I will have to see how the mom responds if she could be an inside pet or not. Time will tell.

Congratulations! I'm so happy to hear you have them all together. Great job!

 

[di and bob]

You took on a job few would try. Bless you!
Remember, it takes a long time to tame down a feral, I wish you all the luck!